Oatmeal Treat Balls

As I was getting out the ingredients to make my favorite oatmeal cookies the other day in preparation for my father-in-law's weekend visit, I thought - the chickens really would like these.  Oats, walnuts, raisins...some of their favorite treats.  But of course some of the other ingredients aren't so good for them, so after baking up a batch of my signature Blueberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, I set about creating a  healthy version for the chickens.

I substituted honey (which has great health benefits) for the sugars, omitted the salt, and substituted a combination of wheat flour, wheat germ and cornmeal for the white flour.

The result baked up nicely and actually tasted pretty good ! But the real test came when I served up the girls a batch.  However, as usual, they are forgiving critics and as you can see, they loved them !

So next time you bake oatmeal cookies, why not whip up a batch for your chickens !

Oatmeal Treat Balls
(makes 14 generously-sized balls)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup suet, olive oil or coconut oil

1/4 Cup honey

2 Eggs 

1/2 Cup whole wheat flour

1/2 Cup wheat germ

1/2 Cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 Cups old-fashioned oats

1 Cup raisins

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and honey until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time.  Combine flour, wheat germ, cornmeal, baking soda and cinnamon and add slowly on low speed until incorporated.

Add oats, raisins and walnuts, mix until blended.

Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Serve immediately as an occasional treat.

These will freeze wonderfully also, so put any extras in the freezer for later.

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Blueberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

My variation on the Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie recipe.  These bake up quickly and are SO good ! (And if you feel like treating your chickens while you have the oven on and the ingredients out, here's a healthy  Oatmeal Treat Ball recipe for the chickens)

Blueberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

(makes two dozen)

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 Cup brown sugar

2 Eggs (fresh if you have them !)

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1-1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 Cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 Cup dried blueberries

1/2 Cup white chocolate chips

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time and vanilla.  Combine flour and baking soda and add slowly on low speed until incorporated.  Add oats, blueberries, chips and walnuts, mix until blended.

Drop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

These cookies also freeze beautifully so make a double batch and freeze half for later.

If you don't have your own chickens, why not check the brand new website Local Hens for a farm near you where you could buy some local fresh eggs ?

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This recipe is shared at Foodie Friends Friday. 

Marans + Ameraucana = Olive Egger

If you have been following the blog you know that I recently hatched my very first chicks. It was such an amazing experience. To think that an egg hatches into a living, breathing chick in just 21 days and then that golf-ball sized chick grows to be a robin-sized pullet over the next 30 days or so is just amazing.  

Three of the breeds that I hatched were French Black Copper Marans, Blue Ameraucanas and Olive Eggers.  All are new breeds for me, which is exciting.

These three breeds are also linked in kind of a neat way as you will understand as you read on...

Here is each one in their journey from fertilized egg to chick to pullet.

French Black Copper Marans

Marans lay some of the darkest eggs of any breed.  The pores in the shells are smaller than other breeds and therefore Marans eggs are less susceptible to salmonella and stay fresher longer.  They are highly prized in French cooking, being thought to have superior taste.

Ian Fleming popularized the breed, especially in the UK, in the James Bond series of books in the 1960s, making Marans eggs 007's breakfast of choice. More recently, Martha Stewart renewed interest in the Marans breed by showcasing their chocolate brown eggs on her show.

These eggs are from the Wade Jeane line. Wade Jeane was former president of the American Marans Club.  They are bred to the French standard, with feathered legs.

~photo courtesy Chicken Scratch Poultry~

Out of one of those beautiful eggs hatched this little cutie.

Here is Truffle at a week old with a few of her hatch mates.

Here she is at two weeks. I think this is the most adorable age.

Three weeks...looking a bit gangly.

A month old....Truffle and Vidia one of the Blue Copper Marans have officially hit the 'raptor' stage.

But in about four months, they will be laying gorgeous dark brown eggs, just like the ones they hatched out of.

~photo courtesy Chicken Scratch Poultry~

Blue Ameraucana

True Ameraucanas lay blue eggs.  These eggs are from the William Morrow line of Blue Ameraucanas and are a brilliant blue.   The grown hens will be either blue or black, have puffy muffs or beards and have pea combs. Ameraucanas do quite well in cold weather.

~photo courtesy Chicken Scratch Poultry~

Sweet Pea hatched with the cutest fluffy 'chipmunk cheeks' I've ever seen !

By a week old, her legs had turned the slate color indicative of the Ameraucana breed.

At three weeks old...

By four weeks old Sweet Pea has turned a gorgeous slate blue color.

And by five weeks she is starting to look like the hen she will grow up to become...

and start laying beautiful blue eggs of her own.

~photo courtesy Chicken Scratch Poultry~

Olive Egger

Now for the really exciting breed - the Olive Egger.  These are Blue Ameraucana eggs. If they are fertilized by a Marans rooster instead of an Ameraucana rooster, the resulting chick is an Olive Egger. 

~photo courtesy Chicken Scratch Poultry~

Here's a little Olive Egger that hatched out of a blue Ameraucana egg.

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old and feathered out nicely.

Four week old Olive Eggers

By five weeks old, these Olive Eggers are showing traits of both Marans (feathered feet and black coloring) and the Ameraucana (cheek puffs).

And here they are at 8 weeks old

They will be laying olive green eggs like these by the end of the summer.  I can't wait !

~photo courtesy Chicken Scratch Poultry~

All the hatching eggs featured in this post came from Chicken Scratch Poultry in Illinois.  We had a 100% hatch rate and as you can see, all grew into gorgeously healthy chicks.  I can't recommend the hatchery enough.

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Chicken Piccata Recipe

I'll just preface this by saying we don't eat much chicken in our home. Ever since raising our own hens for the eggs, chicken just doesn't appeal to me as a food anymore. But my husband is still a big fan. His favorite is beer can chicken, but I had to draw the line there. Opening the oven to see a whole chicken roasting, perched on top of a beer can,  was just too much for me to handle.  

But in the interest of maintaining marital bliss, I agreed to compromise and do occasionally make a chicken dish. My one stipulation however is that the meal has to be worthy of that chicken giving up its life, no matter how it was treated, in order for us to eat it.

This Chicken Piccata recipe fits the bill and has become my go-to, easy-to-cook weeknight way to prepare chicken. It's adapted from a recipe originally created by Giada DeLaurentiis, one of my favorite Food Network chefs. 

I make it a point to keep capers on hand and frozen lemon halves in the freezer (they defrost and juice wonderfully), so I can make this on a moment's notice. 

Chick Piccata for Two

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded to 1/2" thick

Flour, sea salt and pepper for dredging

6 Tablespoons Butter, divided into 4T and 2T

5 Tablespoons olive oil

Juice from one large lemon

1/2 Cup water

1/3 Cup brined capers

To Prepare:

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and dredge chicken.  Reserve 1 Tablespoon of the flour mixture and set aside. Discard the rest.

Melt the 4 Tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  When the pan starts to sizzle, add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes or until browned. 

Turn cutlets and cook the other side until cooked through.  

Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm.

Add the lemon juice, water and capers to the pan and deglaze with a wooden spoon, scraping up the browned bits and incorporating them. 

 Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture into the pan, along with the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter and whisk the sauce for a minute or two until it thickens slightly.  

Plate the chicken and pour some sauce over the top.

I like to serve this dish with rice so every last bit of sauce can be enjoyed.  It's certainly an indulgent meal, but worth every calorie, and definitely one any chicken would be proud to be part of.

Buon Appetito !

This recipe is featured here:  Katie's French Language Cafe, Weekend Potluck, Mandatory Mooch,