Coop Hop #2

“Whatever we possess becomes of double value when we have the opportunity of sharing it with others.”

Join The Coop Hop!

Calling all bloggers, farmers, homesteaders, preppers, do-it-yourselfers and friends. We love sharing our journey with you and would love to invite you to share your journey with us. On Friday mornings we will be opening our blog for you to link your favorite blog post of the week to ours.  All of the blog links will be posted below and will allow for easy hopping from one "coop" to another!  Every week we will pick our favorite post and feature it on the following Coop Hop! 

RULES: There aren't any!

The post you choose to share can be about anything your heart desires so long as it is respectful and helpful to your fellow readers.  

How to Enter:

Below find "You are next…click here to enter." Click the link and fill out the form.  You're done! Now tell your friends and grab a button here to add to your blog so everyone can share and join in!

Fresh Eggs Daily - DIY Wine Barrel Nesting Boxes 

Emily's Apple Pie

Ok, so I have to admit this is the first time I have ever made an apple pie.  I've been wanting to make one for years and have researched dozens of recipes but it wasn't until we decided to have a bake off this month on Farm Chick Chit Chat that I finally was motivated enough to make one! Despite it looking a little crispy in the picture it tasted divine and will be a recipe I keep very close by for the future.  

Ingredients:

• Your favorite recipe for a deep dish double pie crust (I store bought mine to save time)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup of white sugar 
• 1/2 cup lite packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly.  

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a small saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup of unsalted butter.  Whisk in the flour and corn starch to form a paste.  Add white and brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer while whisking.  
3. Place your apple slices in a large bowl and carefully pour 2/3 of the sugar and butter mixture over the top of the apples.  Mix well to coat. 
4. Fill your bottom pie crust with the coated apples, slightly mounded in the middle. Place your second crust on top (I chose to use a lattice design but I would imagine you can chose any design you would like) and pour the remaining 1/3 pie filling over the top.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
5. Place your pie on a baking sheet and bake for one hour.  
6. Enjoy!

Scraps for the chickens

Just an update from Kevin

Hi all! Just wanted to give you an update since Ive been "missing in action". I have been taking some much needed time off to catch up on some personal time and other work. The 5 Serama chicks are doing great as are the new button quail. Since the weather was a little cold and very wet yesterday, I brought our two little silkie chickens into the shop where they will be kept warm and dry during the upcoming seasons.

Fall means transition time for me at work. I have to switch gears from air conditioning repairs over to heating repairs. This means, inventorying both parts and tools, contacting my regular clients for furnace cleanings, and mentally preparing myself for the cold months ahead.

Recently I have been also doing a little fishing on a local lake. As some may already know, this is my favorite past time aside from spending time with my family. I am going out tomorrow with my brother Frank and on Sunday will be doing a little Musky fishing with an old family friend.

Health wise everyone is doing ok. Devin currently has a cold but this hasn't slowed him down one bit. He, Emily, Autumn and the dogs spent the night on the couch so Devin could sleep sitting up. The challenge has been getting him to blow his nose.

Alright. Short and sweet and I hope to talk with you all very soon!

Cheers ~ Kevin

For the Love of Chickens & Children

Our son with one of our backyard chickens.

                                                               Our son with one of our backyard chickens.

Backyard chickens are great fun

Tailgate Treats

The temps are dropping, days are getting shorter, kids are back in school,  leaves are starting to change and for some these changes mark the beginning of Fall but to others it means only one thing......FOOTBALL TIME is here!!  To help kick off the season, we have complied some of our favorite football snacks and will be sharing them with you!  To see the recipes, click the links below the pictures. Each week we will be adding more recipes and sharing them on Pinterest so make sure you follow our Tailgate Treat board!  

Fried Risotto Balls 

Baked Chicken Taquitos 

Jalapeño Popper Dip 

Baked Brown Sugar Chicken Wings with Roasted Red Pepper 
Cream Sauce 

5 Layer Greek Dip 

Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch

Homemade Pretzel Bites with Cheddar Cheese Beer Sauce 

Fried Pickles with Cilantro Garlic Ranch Dipping Sauce 

Buffalo Chicken Cups

Saucy Asian Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Texas Trash Dip 

Deviled Egg Spread

Pan-Fried Onion Dip 

Chili Bites

Cheesy Crab Spinach Dip

Loaded Potato Buffalo Casserole

Mini Cheeseburger Bites

Individual Seven Layer Dip Cups 

Loaded Baked Potato Dip 

Homestead Hockey

Turn off the television and grab a chair, because this game is addicting!  Homestead Hockey doesn't require any batteries or power cords, can be played anywhere, and costs only a "penny" to play. Best part is when you are all done….you get to keep your penny.

The Homestead Hockey game boards are made exclusively by Our Little Coop.

My brothers and I have been playing this game for nearly 20 years.  In my spare time, I build these game boards and sell them at craft fairs.  For the first time ever, I will be adding a link on our site so anyone can purchase one of these game boards online.  They will also be on display in our Etsy store and available for purchase

No two game boards are alike!  

Like most of the other projects I build, these are handmade using only recycled wood.  The playing surfaces are all measured at 16" long by 8" wide making them great for kids to keep in their backpacks.  These boards make great stocking stuffers or a unique gift for any occasion.

Made entirely from recycled wood, no two games boards "look" the same.

The rules are simple.

This game requires two players, the game itself and a penny.  One opponent flips a coin while the other calls "head" or "tail".  If guessed correctly, that player takes control of the penny (puck).  

The game begins with the "puck" flicked from between the goal posts.

The game then begins with the player placing the penny slightly hanging over the goal on his side.  At this point the first move is made with the flicking of the penny.  Each opponent takes a turn while trying to score a goal.  The only defensive "players" in this game are the (9) pegs evenly spaced across the board.  If a player flicks the penny off of the playing field, the opposing player takes control of the puck  beginning the round again.  We usually play until the first player makes it to 21 points and in doing so has won the game.  

$10.00 plus S&H.

<<<<<Buy it here! >>>>>

Coop Hop #1

“Whatever we possess becomes of double value when we have the opportunity of sharing it with others.”

Join The Coop Hop!

Calling all bloggers, farmers, homesteaders, preppers, do-it-yourselfers and friends. We love sharing our journey with you and would love to invite you to share your journey with us. On Friday mornings we will be opening our blog for you to link your favorite blog post of the week to ours.  All of the blog links will be posted below and will allow for easy hopping from one "coop" to another!  Every week we will pick our favorite post and feature it on the following Coop Hop! 

RULES: There aren't any!

The post you choose to share can be about anything your heart desires so long as it is respectful and helpful to your fellow readers.  

How to Enter:

Below find "You are next…click here to enter." Click the link and fill out the form.  You're done! Now tell your friends and grab a button here to add to your blog so everyone can share and join in!

Blog Buttons

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<a href="http://www.ourlittlecoop.com/2012/09/coop-hop-1.html"><img src="http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u438/Emily_McGrath/9a7ccfae.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Oregano, thyme, basil and parsley fresh from the garden.  So rewarding to make a dish with things that you have grown in your backyard! 

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of plain breadcrumbs
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme chopped 
• 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
• 6 cups of spaghetti sauce, divided
• 12 ounces of shredded fresh mozzarella, divided 
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 

Directions: 

1. Sweat your eggplant.  After cutting the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices, sprinkle salt on both sides and place in a colander. Let sit for about 20 minutes.  Rinse with water and dab the eggplant on a paper towel to dry any water.  
2. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.  
3. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl and drudge the eggplant slices through the eggs until covered.  Place the eggplant in a large container or ziplock back.  
4. Mix breadcrumbs and fresh herbs in a bowl and dump into the bag of egg coated eggplant.  Shake until all of the slices are evenly covered.  
5. Coat a baking sheet with EVOO and bake eggplant slices 7 minutes. Remove, flip over, and bake again for 7 minutes.  
6. Cover the bottom of a 9x11 baking dish with 1/3 of your spaghetti sauce.  Once the eggplant is done baking in the oven, place slices on top of the sauce, followed by mozzarella cheese, sauce, eggplant, mozzarella cheese, sauce, and finish your third layer with eggplant, sauce, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.  Return the dish to the oven and bake until the cheese on top begins to bubble and brown.  About 10-15 minutes.  
7. Serve over spaghetti. 
8. Enjoy!!

Beautiful Buttons

I just wanted to take a minute to photograph our eggs from today.  The chicken egg is a double yolker and the smaller of the five are button quail eggs.  Aren't they just gorgeous?!

Inside Out Apple Pies

Ingredients:

• 6 apples of your choice (keep one extra apple on hand if you need it for filling), cored with the insides scooped out using a spoon or melon baller.
• One pie crust recipe cut into 1/2 inch thick by 6 inch long strips  (I used store bought crust)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup of white sugar 
• 1/2 cup lite packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Directions: 

• Preheat your over to 350 degrees. 
• In a small saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup of unsalted butter.  Whisk in the flour and corn starch to form a paste.  Add white and brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer while whisking.

Cut off the tops of your apples, score the inside and use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the insides.  

Using the pieces of the apple that you scooped out in the previous step,  cut small cubes/slices, place in a bowl and pour in the butter and sugar mixture, leaving about a cup to pour over the top of the crust. I decided to cut up an extra apple to make sure I had enough filling. 

Place the coated apple chunks inside of your apple.

Cover the top of your apple with your pre-cut pie strips and top each apple with a few tablespoons of the butter and sugar mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Place apples on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.  

ENJOY!!!