good 'n planty

This post is about Chickens and Sisters. I recently got back from a trip to visit my two sisters in Kentucky.

My sister Katie (an avid gardener) has owned goats, rabbits, and dogs, but at her new home in town, she really wants to own chickens. Gardeners know how very beneficial chickens are to have around your garden, and foodies know how superior fresh, organic eggs are compared to commercial, store-bought ones. And laying hens- the quieter, less obtrusive of the sex, really don't make much noise. But because of a city ordinance banning chickens, she can't keep any. It is worthwhile to note that her town values sustainability and has many progressive projects in place already (so I'm confident she will get the support she needs to turn the rules around!)... but her reason for starting Berea Chicken Brigade is to not only help get chickens into her backyard, but yours as well. Her site will serve as a meeting place and resource center for other chicken-lovers in the same predicament.

So visit her site, follow it on twitter, friend it on facebook! We chicken lovers must stick together :)

I spent one winter in high school working at a Christmas Tree Farm for a really nice family, so I was surprised when I didn't recognize this type of tree on my last visit to Terrain. They have a really neat "retro" shape, and plenty of room for ornaments. Here's my mom next to our new favorite tree:

I found these are "Silver tip Firs" and they are mostly grown on the West Coast. They are slow growing, which makes them rare- and quite expensive. Do you have a favorite type of Christmas tree? This year, we choose a concolor for their great citrus-y smell.

I took a trip to Terrain recently (I promise they are not a sponsor of goodnplanty.com, I'm just a big fan!) and I thought I'd do a couple posts on the great displays they have up this time of year.

Look at this beautiful arrangement in a rusty old sink...really makes me rethink the "junk" I pass by at auctions sometimes:

Isn't that a clever idea for a container garden?

Last night I made Miso soup for the first time, and although I would definitely tweak a few things, overall I was pleased to have a new quick dinner to add to my weeknight repertoire. I loosely followed the miso recipe on 101cookbooks, substituting with the ingredients I had on hand.

I didn't mind spending a little extra on Organic Miso because it only takes a tablespoon to make a serving, so I knew I could get many dinners out of one container. I found Westbrae Natural: Mellow White Miso in the organic section of my grocery store. 

For the soup shown above, I thinly sliced one onion and sauteed it in a little olive oil till translucent, then added 2 cups of fresh, chopped spinach and sauteed till wilted. I added one cup of chicken broth, one cup of water, and 2 heaping tablespoons of white miso, stirred till dissolved and let simmer. Next I added one cup chopped firm tofu and simmered till the tofu was heated through. I garnished the soup with sliced green onions and a tiny bit of chili oil.

I love how versatile this soup is, you could add almost any vegetable you happen to have on hand. I think mushrooms, napa cabbage, or thinly sliced zucchini or carrot would also taste great in this soup.

Dear readers, I have a confession to make:

I have been cheating. On what, you ask? 

On dinner. On my made-from-scratch, garden-to-table, cooking-marathon ways.

And here is why: Not long after getting home from work, the daylight starts rapidly fading, and I, like many others, feel the need to squeeze as much as I can into my day before it gets dark. Messing around with dinner when it's dark out just feels wrong. Of course, I just need to adjust the shorter days, but in the meantime, here are some sneaky shortcuts that I've been using to make the most of the daylight:

Frozen Pie Crusts: 

I know many people are extremely anti-storebought crust, but think about it this way: when you want quiche for dinner, over half the prep is already done! I made a delicious savory quiche last night- based loosely on this recipe, and it came together quickly and easily. 

Jarred Tomato Sauce:

This one is especially hard to admit, because I love homemade sauce. But unfortunately, I don't have any sauce of my own this year- or even my own frozen crushed tomatoes- the tomato crop was extremely dismal here. So I could still make my own sauce from canned plum tomatoes, but if I'm making something else from scratch, like meatballs, I buy a jar of canned sauce and add a bunch of fresh basil and a bit more garlic.

Pizza Dough:

This is another super simple recipe, but I think it's extremely time and cost efficient to buy pre-made dough and I don't think there's an extremely big taste advantage to making dough at home. If I don't have to make the dough myself, I'm more prone to get a little fancy with the pizza toppings- grilled veggies, homemade sauce, carmelized onions... 

*note: my grocery store carries frozen dough (white or whole wheat!) that's already thawed and ready to go, but if that's not an option for you, most pizza places will sell you unbaked dough for a dollar or two.

Chicken Cutlets:

I haven't been cooking long enough to know why these have fallen out of style, but I do know foodies smirk a little at cutlets. I don't, because they cost less than pre-cut chicken tenders, and they cook evenly and quickly. I use them to make chicken marsala, chicken parmigiana, or lemon garlic chicken. Back off, foodies. ;)

Freezer-Friendly:

I freeze everything. Fresh breadcrumbs, fresh lemon juice, chicken stock, leftover wine, wonton wrappers (from a failed appetizer attempt), rolls, and two frequent dinner-savers kale and bacon. This makes it easy to add an extra homemade element to an otherwise dull meal. 

That's all the tips I have for now, they keep me from getting take-out and get me out of the kitchen a little more quickly. Because when you find yourself tempted to attempt dinner projects like Thousand Layer Lasagna, well, that's what the weekend is for. :)