Coddled Eggs

Coddled Eggs, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I just bought four Royal Worcester Egg Coddlers on eBay a steal at $15.50 for all four. New they are selling at $40.00 each. They are easy to use and the end product is delicious. the method that I used:

Butter the inside of the coddler.
Crack a fresh egg into each coddler.
Season with salt and pepper.
Screw the lids on the coddlers.
Place in boiling water deep enough to come almost up to the metal rim.
Boil until they reach the desired consistency, personally I like 7 minutes.
Remove from the water remove the lids and enjoy.

Woody - Female Downy Woodpecker

Woody - Female Downy Woodpecker, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

We have various kinds of woodpeckers and they are at my bird table often. This little girl was acting very strange though. That is a suet cake that she is hanging on I don't know how long she might have been there but I watched her off and on for half an hour and she wasn't moving or eating just hanging there. When I was ready to leave for the Sunday afternoon walk with the local walking group I walked right past her and she still didn't move so I became concerned that she might be caught in the wire of the suet cake cage so I walked right up to her and took this photo from about 3 feet away. She stayed there for a minute or two while I talked to her and finally flew up into a tree. I was explaining this and showing the photo to some of the walking group who are birders and they told me that woodpeckers are known to take naps during the day. Problem solved, I guess.

Artichoke Seed give away and some chat.

A thank you to Jerry at Back Yard Homesteaders for his seed organizing system. I'm growing Artichokes from seed a variety that is supposed to produce Artichokes in the first season and I have divided up the seed that I have left over and I'm offering them free to the first 9 viewers to request them. I'm going to use tongue depressors as plant labels because they are much cheaper and larger but I want to read the warning, to you, that is on the label of the brand that I'm using.

Homemade Ice Cream

Just got a new toy and had to try it out.

Ingredients

2 cups/500ml heavy cream
2 cups/500ml whole milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs/25ml vanilla extract

Fan vaults of Canterbury Cathedral

Fan vaults of Canterbury Cathedral, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I took this photo last April in Canterbury Cathedral. I was never happy with it because it wasn't square or straight. Well of course you can do anything with a digital photo and I just figured out how to straighten it.

A short video of my day trip to Canterbury from London, last April.

Scotch Eggs - Vegetarian or with meat.

Scotch eggs are very easy to make all you need is hard boiled eggs, bread crumbs , one beaten egg and sausage meat either real meat or vegetarian protean substitute . I hope you try these if you have never had them, they are great eaten hot or cold, a great picnic food too.

Pizza di patate - Potato Pizza

Pre heat oven to 475 degrees.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough of your choice

1 medium potato sliced very thin
1 small onion sliced very thin
grated or slivered cheese of your choice
1/4 cup olive oil (there will be oil left over makes great garlic bread)
1 clove garlic minced
Fresh or dried Rosemary to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste


Mix oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. Roll out dough and put it on an oiled pizza pan. Withe a pastry brush coat the dough with the seasoned oil. Arrange a layer of the potatoes on the dough and then brush the potatoes with the oil. Top the potatoes with the thinly sliced onions and cheese.

Bake in the preheated over for 12 to 15 minutes.

Winter Greens for my Chickens

Growing greens under lights as treats for my Chickens this winter. Time lapse of the actual growing and a look at the hens enjoying their treat.

Winter Entertainment in the Coop

Minus 17 degrees and the girls in the coop are enjoying a breakfast of hot cereal and a new toy to play with and eat for the remainder of the day.

Have a look and subscribe to the free Keeping Chickens
Newsletter:

http://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.com/

And the winner is .......

Victorian Kitchen Garden: NOVEMBER

Unfortunately for October, November and December all I can find is the first 10 minutes of each program. I have written the distributor to see if the whole videos might become available but haven't had a reply yet. If they become available I will post them.

The Way - Movie Trailer (2011) HD

Don't miss this if you get a chance to see it or rent it on DVD it gives you a real feel of what the Camino is like. The experience of a lifetime.

Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Driven by his profound sadness and desire to understand his son better, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage, leaving his "California bubble life" behind. Armed with his son's backpack and guidebook, Tom navigates the 800 km pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees, to Santiago de Compostela in the north west of Spain, but soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. While walking The Camino, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, all broken and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen) a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (James Nesbitt) who is suffering from a bout of "writer's block." From the hardship experienced along "The Way" this unlikely quartet of misfits create an everlasting bond and Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again, and discovers the difference between "The life we live and the life we choose". THE WAY was filmed entirely in Spain and France along the actual Camino de Santiago.

Tarte aux Pommes Mapie Traditional French Apple Tart

Tarte aux Pommes Mapie
Traditional French Apple Tart

1Unbaked Tart Shell
2 Large firm apples peeled and sliced thin
8 tbsp/120 ml Butter
1 1/4 cups/300 ml Sugar
4 large eggs (Fresh from the coop)
3 tbsp/45 ml Flour

Optional but I add a teaspoon of vanilla and a few good grinds of fresh nutmeg.

Pre heat oven to 450F/230C.

Line a removable bottom tart pan with the pastry. Arrange the prepared apples in the pan. Melt the butter over medium heat and continue heating until it turns a light brown colour. Add butter and seasonings to the sugar and combine. Add the flour and mix in well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Pour mixture over the apples and put in the pre heated oven for 8 minutes then reduce the heat to 350F/180C and bake an additional 45 to 55 minutes until the tart is brown and doesn't jiggle in the centre when shaken lightly. Cool then remove the tart from the pan serve as is or dusted with confectioners sugar.

My thank you for subscribing contest.

I'm getting close to 400 subscribers on my YouTube channel, so I thought I would have a thank you to my subscribers contest. Once I reach the 400 goal or a few days after if that should happen immediately, want to give people a chance to enter, I will draw a name and announce the winner.

The rules are very simple subscribe if you haven't already done so and leave a comment below this video saying you would like to enter the contest. The prize is a $25.00 gift certificate from Vesey Seeds, King Arthur Flour or Murrary McMurrary Hatchery.. Click the link to have a look at their website http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/ I always order almost all of my seed from them, King Arthur Flour http://www.kingarthurflour.com/ wonderful source for kitchen gadgets and Murrary McMurray Hatchery http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com a great source of poultry and poultry keeping supplies. If you live outside the USA or Canada I will ship you the supplies but obviously not live poultry LOL.

Thank you for subscribing and good luck with the contest.

Ruby Throated Humming Bird resting on a finger.

This is amazing not sure who the owner of the video is but I think it was filmed on Campobello in 2009.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: OCTOBER

Maddening but all I'm able to find is the first 10 minutes of the October episode, if I ever find the rest I will post it.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: September

I have seed available in my Free Open Pollinated Seed Exchange for the Blue Podded Pea, mentioned in this episode. To go to the exchange just click on the name. The instructions for requesting the seed are outlined at the top of the blog.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: August

Victorian Kitchen Garden: July

The Victorian Kitchen Garden July episode in three sections.

Last Hoop House Harvest of 2011

The title just about says it all. I harvested the last of the crops from the hoop house with the exception of the kale which is still looking good today January 9th.

Roquefort -- Making the King of Cheese

I was so glad to discover this video today it brought back some very pleasant memories of my visit to Roguefort with my friend Pru in February of 2010. We had a guided tour of the caves and of course a visit to the cheese and gift shop and a chance to sample the wares. In the photo below that's Pru walking down the street to the left of the trompe l'oeil mural. Our tour didn't include the cheese making process as you will see from the video the cheese is made in a different location and transferred to the caves when it is ready to be aged. The video begins with very interesting vintage black and white footages from the early 20th century then moves into the more modern mechanized methods used today. I remember from our cave tour being amazed at the relative short period required to produce the king of the cheeses, I always had the idea that it was likely aged for years. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

The Victorian Kitchen Garden: June

For some reason I'm only able to find the June Victorian Kitchen Garden episode in two short videos, it all seems to be there though and as usual is very enjoyable.

Butterball Abuse: Undercover Mercy For Animals Investigation Reveals Cru...

WARNING this is very graphic and hard to watch, but something to think about next time you are shopping for a Butterball Turkey.

Pizza di Patate

Pizza di Patate, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Pre heat oven to 475 degrees.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough of your choice

1 medium potato sliced very thin
1 small onion sliced very thin
grated or slivered cheese of your choice
1/4 cup olive oil (there will be oil left over makes great garlic bread)
1 clove garlic minced
Fresh or dried Rosemary to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste


Mix oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. Roll out dough and put it on an oiled pizza pan. Withe a pastry brush coat the dough with the seasoned oil. Arrange a layer of the potatoes on the dough and then brush the potatoes with the oil. Top the potatoes with the thinly sliced onions and cheese.

Bake in the preheated over for 12 to 15 minutes.

The Victorian Kitchen Garden: May

With the arrival of May transplanting and sowing are in full swing in the Victorian Kitchen Garden.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: April

The wonderful Victorian Kitchen Garden series continues with this look at all of the hard work of early spring in April.

Victorian Kitchen Garden: Episode 4 March

Victorian Kitchen Garden:March

Great Horned Owl - The jig is up !!!

Great Horned Owl, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

The jig is up !!!

I must admit that when I took the top photo from a friend's car window I thought I was taking a picture of a real owl. It was only after I got home and saw the picture enlarged that I suspected there was a joke going on here and maybe I'm the fall guy. I have waited three days and nobody has fessed up so there is the chance that the other people on the Sunday walk with me were fooled too or were they? If it is a ruse they have played their parts very well.

There were seven people on the walk and as usually happens people walk at different speeds so we end up with several smaller groups . I was with one other member of the group out in front of the rest of the pack by several hundred feet. When the walk was over we waited for the group behind us to catch-up. When they arrived they were talking about the Owl they had seen and asking if we saw it too, we hadn't. Here's where the plot thickens, when we got in the cars to leave I think it was I who suggested to the driver of the car I was in that we drive back to see if the owl was still there. If the driver and a second friend in the car, lets just say their initials are P & G, were aware of the plastic Owl they should start playing poker now !!!!

Since Sunday G tells me the photo has been sent on to the local Audubon group for possible publication in their news letter. I have had several friends comment on the photo asking if it is real and I have either tried to convince them of the authenticity of the Owl or avoided replying to their questions. SORRY !!

I decided this morning that I don't dare let this go any further on the off chance that the photo might get published as a real sighting, so I drove back to Centerville and took the second photo below. Now like the cat I'm dieing with curiosity to know who knew what and when.

Gâteau au fromage de Montréal - Montreal Cheese Cake

Gâteau au fromage de Montréal - Montreal Cheese Cake


From Epicure Magazine October 1981

Pastry:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter
1 egg yolk

Filling:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp.vanilla extract
3/4 cup honey
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup whipping cream
toasted almond slivers and apricot preserve or honey to glaze and decorate.

To make the pastry combine the sugar, flour and lemon rind in a large bowl. With a pastry blender, two knives or food processor cut in the butter until the mixture resembles corn meal. Mix in the egg yolk with a fork. Squeeze the crumbs together into a ball.(Mixture will be crumbly.) Refrigerate for an hour or freeze for 20 minutes.

Grease the sides and bottom of a 9 inch (23cm) springform pan. Remove the sides from the pan. Spread 1/3 of the chilled pastry over the pan bottom. Use a rolling pin to flatten it to prevent puffing while baking. Place the pan bottom in a pre heated 400 degree oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Carefully reattach the sides to the pan. Roll the remaining pastry into 1 inch ropes. Press these on to the sides flattening and patting to form a lining about 2 inches deep. Refrigerate the pan while you make the filling.

Place the cream cheese in your mixer and beat until fluffy. Add the lemon rind and vanilla. Continue beating while adding the honey in a thin stream. Beat well. Combine the sugar, salt and flour and add to the batter a spoonful at a time while continuously beating. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Add the cream and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.

Pour the mixture into the pastry lined pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8 minutes then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake for an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the cake is set. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven with the door ajar to cool for 30 minutes.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least an additional hour. Place the pan on a large can or firm support and remove the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake still on the pan bottom to a serving tray and refrigerate.

Before serving glaze the cake with apricot preserves or honey and decorate with toasted almond slivers. If the cake cracks in the centre or separates from the pastry at the sides the almonds will cover this up. Serve chilled.