Honey - Cilantro Chicken Kabobs

This is one of my most requested recipes.  Not only is it flavorful and delicious, it's also easy to make and very versatile. You can add any additional veggies or fruits you like, but the kabobs are perfect just following this recipe.

I sometimes add quartered peaches and red bell pepper or whatever is in season from my garden.

Parmesan Chicken, A Old Favorite

I have about a gazillion chicken recipes, but this recipe for Parmesan Chicken seems to be requested again and again. 

I love collecting and trying old retro or vintage recipes like Chicken A La King, or this WWII Chocolate Mayo Cake, and the Johnny Marzetti recipe is a favorite. 

But this Parmesan Chicken is one of the best. 

It's quick and easy to make, the coating is light and very flavorful and the ingredients are items I usually already have on hand.

     

                 

Retro Recipe: Chicken A La King

I love old kitchen utensils, vintage aprons, and old recipes from family and friends. I fondly remember this dish from my young adult years but haven’t had it in ages.

I decided to track down a Chicken A La King recipe that would bring back the deliciousness of the dish and this one nailed it.

Many really good recipes have been ruined over the years by all sorts of shortcuts and substitutions and this dish is no exception.

Moving a Shed

Moving a small gardening shed or other small building is not impossible.  There's a couple of ways to move a shed; one takes hard work and numerous people, but no lifting. 

The second is to hire out the work.

We learned how to move a shed with PVC pipes and jacks from a guy who moved a shed for us about 20 years ago. 

The shed was sitting directly outside my kitchen at our newly purchased home and in the center of the yard.  Eyesore!  

Family Stories

My parents,
Aprox late 1930's

Remembering stories told by my father, Arthur Seymour

Growing up my father Arthur (Art for short) used to tell us stories of the adventures in got himself into as a kid growing up in the country.

I remember asking and begging for him to retell the stories to us. I also remember waiting up for my father to come home from work.  He worked a full time job but also was always working in his spare time.  He had a quarter acre garden every year, built the house we lived in and all the outbuildings, hunted and had a firewood selling business on the side. Many nights he would come home late.  One of my fond memories is him chasing us littlest kids around the house, catching us and rubbing his chin whiskers on our face.

My father passed away many years ago, way before my youngest children got to know him which saddens me.  He was not perfect, in truth he had many flaws, but the good times were the best!

Restoration of Original Chicken Coop

Tobacco Barn July 2014, exterior repairs finished

Restoring The Original Farm Coop

Our little farm was once a much bigger property with a white clapboard farm house, a hand well pump and many outbuildings and barns.  The original old farmhouse burnt down in the 1950’s and the property set neglected for many years. 

In 1967 the property was divided up and sold at auction.  A builder bought the current property and built a custom brick ranch on the exact spot where the old white clapboard farm house used to be.

The new house overlooked a large pond and pastures. He also built a large pole barn and raised cattle.

After 25 years, the builder divided up the property a little more and sold more land and then sold the house too.  The second owner stayed for approximately 20 years.  While here he drained the pond and built another pole barn for horses.  We are the third owners.

Building a Chicken Coop

Shed turned into coop & scratch yard built (near my garden)

We decided when we purchased our small farm last August that we were going to raise chickens and have our own fresh eggs. We purchased 2 day old baby chicks in February from a local Amish farmer.

I had planned to use an old shed we call the “mail pouch” barn for the chicken coop, but after further inspection I realized it just needed too much work to keep the hens safe from predators.

Restoring this barn will have to wait.  Maybe I'll turn it into a camping cabin, smoke house or use it as a sugaring shack for making maple syrup.
Instead, I decided to divide my gardening shed in half by building an interior wall. One side would be for my gardening supplies, and the other a chicken coop.
We had electric installed (thanks to my nephew Sammie) then started construction.

Starting a Chicken Flock

Saturday February 18, 2012

Chickens!

The Day I Finally Got Chickens

The big day had arrived. Today was the day to go to a farm in Johnstown, Ohio to pick out chicks to start our flock!

I was up by 6am, but I had barely slept the night before. I woke up thinking I should use the old sink base cabinet left over from our bath remodel to keep the new baby chicks in, instead of the small cage my husband Bill and I worked on all evening, converting it into a brooder.
Brooders are used to confine chicks with their feed and water and keep them warm, until they are 6 - 8 weeks old and ready to go outside

I decided I would use the cabinet because it is larger, and I could use old storm windows to cover the top. The old storm windows would not only help keep heat in and keep the cat out, but would also allow me to have a clear view of my chicks.
Bill helped carry the cabinet into the mudroom where I planned to keep the chicks, then we set the storm windows in place and hung the heat lamp.

Buying a Farm

Oh my gosh what a year! My husband Bill and I sold our house in June 2011, but could not find a home we wanted to purchase.
We had our hearts set on buying a small farm, but could not find just what we were looking for.
We did not want to feel pressured into purchasing something that wasn't exactly what we were looking for so we decided to put almost everything into storage and move into a duplex.

Two storage units and a storage pod later Bill and I, our son Daniel and his girlfriend, our 2 wiener dogs and a cat, all settled into our little humble abode, all 550 square feet of it.
The tight living quarters was difficult at first but we managed to adapt being in the same room together.
After looking at about 100! houses for sale since March, we finally found our new home, a small "farmette."