The weatherman forecasted 2-4 inches for our area today but for most of the day it was too warm for snow and we just had a misty rain. Then about 3:30-4:00pm the rain turned to fluffy flakes and by 5:00pm it had started to accumulate on the ground. When I went out the do night chores there was snow on the backs of the alpacas, donkeys and cows.
I was disappointed it started snowing so late as by the time it accumulated enough to be pretty it was too dark out to take any photos. I can only hope that it sticks around over night and I can get a few photos in the morning before it warms up and melts.
Anyway, Neil's parents came for dinner tonight after they met with the realtor up in Clarksville, VA. I decided to make Chicken Enchiladas for dinner as it was a favorite of theirs that I cooked when we all lived together and it is not a dish they cook for themselves. I pulled one of the roosters I butchered this past fall out of freezer and put it in a stock pot with water, salt and pepper. I let it simmer for a few hours until the meat fell off the bones. I pulled everything out of the pot and removed the meat from the carcass. All the non-edible bits went back into the pot to continue to cook down for another hour or so.
Once the chicken stock in the pot had reduced by about a 1/3 I strained it through a fine mesh sieve and left it to cool on the counter so the fat could rise to the top. Once it cooled I skimmed some (but not all) of the fat off. The remaining stock was poured into freezer containers and put in the freezer for future use. The cooked chicken meat was shredded and completely used in the Chicken Enchilada recipe. I made the dish up early so it would be ready to throw in the oven when ever Neil's parents arrived.
Once that was set to go and the kitchen tidied up, I put about 3 dozen eggs on to hard boil. A little over a dozen I peeled and put into my pickling egg brine. Others will be saved for egg salad for lunch tomorrow and the remainder will be put in the fridge for the kids to snack on.
We had a nice visit with Neil's parents. Dinner got rave reviews. After dinner Neil and his Dad got involved in discussing the garage pad/foundation while Pam and I played Yahtzee and the kids played with the numbered pieces from the Rummikub game.
I had a repeat egg customer pick up two dozen eggs today. The hens gave 14 more.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's Snowing... really it is!
4 comments:
How do you pickle eggs? I would like to do that with our excess that we sometimes get! How long will they keep if pickled?
This is the recipe I have been using for my pickled eggs...
German-Style Pickled Eggs
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
2 whole cloves
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
In a large saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely. Place onions and eggs in a large jar; add enough vinegar mixture to completely cover. Cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours. Use a clean spoon each time you remove eggs for serving.
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These eggs will be yellow once in the pickle long enough. I think they are mighty tasty! If you like onions don't skimp on them as they are almost better then the eggs. This is a recipe for refrigerator pickled eggs so I make no claim on if they can be hot processed and stored long term. For our family a double batch lasts a few weeks at which time I boil more eggs and toss them in the brine in the fridge to pickle. If you use a clean spoon each time your brine will stay good for awhile. If it gets an off color or oder I would toss the brine and make a fresh batch.
Enjoy!
Oh that sounds so YUMMY! I think I have most ingredients just sitting around too!:)
I love onions, seemingly, my family loves all the "bad breath" foods! BRING IT ON!
Could garlic work in there as well?
Yeah, I do usually throw a clove or two of garlic in as we are garlic lovers. I wouldn't go too heavy on them your first batch just so you get a sense of how the brine pickles. :)
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