Snow-itis

Well, shockingly enough- it's snowing again. Looks like we are in for about another two feet at our elevation. This will be the third storm this winter that has given us over two feet. I really like the snow, but this last storm, combined with the recent bitter temperatures, is making for a touch of cabin-fever.

To stave off the winter blues, I've been doing a lot of cooking. Last weekend, I made a batch of stuffed zucchini to send with my girlfriend to a dinner, then on Sunday we made brunch for several friends. The menu for brunch was simple, frittata (with duck eggs), venison sausage, biscuits and sweet potato home fries. It was nice to spend the day eating and visiting with people who we care about, and we ended up having two waves of guests, so brunch was served from 10:30-3:00.

Whenever I am fiercely craving spring, I also crave salad. So I made a citrus blackened tofu, some fakin' bacon, and some toasted almonds and laid it on top of a bed of spinach and other veggies.

Tofu cooked w/lime and seasonings

Last night, we spent a good portion of the evening online looking at chicks, since we will need to place our order within the next few weeks. I'm debating between the standard cornish-rock crosses that most people use for meat birds, and heritage breeds. I grew both last year, and the crosses certainly got bigger, but the taste for the heritage breeds was so much more profound. Plus the heritage breeds were significantly less filthy. For egg birds, we decided to go with these fine fellows:

photo courtesy barnnecessitiesfarm.com

These, are Polish Buffs. They are absolutely absurd looking. We decided on a variety of laying chickens sporting head wear as they are both good layers of white eggs and immensely entertaining to look at. The baby chicks also have tufts of feathers sprouting from the tops of there heads. In addition, we will be getting the more traditional plumage chickens, Americana/Arucanas (Easter-Egg Chickens), who are a bit less...flamboyant.

Today's list of snowed-in activities includes outlining a garden plan, as we have the okay to have a veggie garden on my girl's family farm. We started picking out seeds a few weeks ago, and now it's time to make those final decisions and map the garden.

Think Spring.