Chicken and Egg

 

by Rebecca Nickols

I love this time of the year. Until recently I was picking berries daily from our property; now, I'm enjoying fresh herbs and vegetables from my garden. I've discovered a perfect cookbook that's filled with wonderful recipes focusing on the bounty of the season. In addition, many of the recipes include eggs as an ingredient (which I also harvest or gather daily)!

My daughters and I found Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole while shopping at one of my favorite stores, Anthropologie. After we spent several minutes looking at the photos of the delicious entrees and reading stories of the author's backyard flock, I realized that this was definitely a cookbook I needed to add to my collection.

It's actually a memoir of Cole's backyard chicken experience; selecting the coop, rearing newborn chicks and finally gathering the first prized eggs. She not only journals her experience, she gives knowledgeable and helpful advice to anyone considering getting their own hens.

The book is divided into seasons, with recipes in each section focusing on ingredients harvested during that time frame. Also, each recipe (125 in all) includes either eggs or chicken as a main ingredient. I loved reading stories of Cole's three personable hens and I could relate to many of her experiences, such as worrying about new chicks, chasing after the bird that won't go back into the coop, and wondering if your friends tire of hearing about your chicken obsession!

Here are some of my favorite recipes so far ...

Tender Shortcakes with Raspberry Cream Filling

I loved using my own fresh Heritage Red Raspberries to make this wonderful and surprisingly easy dessert. The shortcakes are made similar to drop biscuits. They're cut in half, and then a delicious cream filling is added in the middle.

Smoked Wings with Cilantro Dip

The wings are great in this recipe, but I love cilantro and the dip (more like a pesto) is awesome!

Sage Frittata with Charred Tomatoes and Curly Parmesan

The first step in this frittata is to saute garlic and sage in butter. That aroma sets the stage for a wonderful meal!

Double-Yolk Sour Lemon Bars

Cole writes that these lemon bars (which call for four eggs plus two additional egg yolks) "honor a pullet's first-laid eggs, which often have double yolks."

I've bookmarked several more recipes that I can't wait to try!



My next friend who decides to add a few chickens to their backyard will receive this book (and a dozen eggs) as a gift ... welcoming them to the wonderful world of chickens!

Here's a link to purchase the book: Chicken and Egg, and another link to the author's website: Janice Cole.

To see what else is happening on our Southwest Missouri property, visit ...the garden-roof coop.