Apple Crisp w/Pecan Oatmeal Topping & Beef For Dinner, Chicken Recovery Success

 Apple Crisp w/Pecan Oatmeal Topping-
With a cold, snowy weekend it was a perfect time to bake! A furry friend even came up on the deck to score some cat food out for the neighbor's cat-

Saturday morning, cold and snowing-

I wanted to make an apple crisp, to use more of our home canned apples. Since I had a nice big bag of pecans in the freezer I added some to the mix. I used this doubled this basic recipe Martha Stewart Apple Crisp, added 1 cup raisins, nutmeg, then topped with about 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans. Baked up with a great crunch on top! After I took dessert out of the oven I made dinner, using one of the beef chuck roasts I bought on sale-

 I used this as a basic recipe Beef Pot Roast I added 4 large carrots, 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, 1 cup beef stock, with 2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce. Searing the meat FIRST is key! At the end I added 2 cups fresh mushrooms, then adjusted the seasoning before serving. I used my dutch oven enameled cast iron pot since I was home. Works great in a slow cooker as well!

Gwynne (Welsh for white)

Chicken Recovery Success-

After my favorite hen became really ill and I doctored her up last week, I'm happy to report she's back to normal! I transitioned her back to the coop gradually over the weekend. The coop was closed due to the snow and I turned on the heat lamp for extra warmth. She ran out today for treats, spinach and bread, looking alert and happy. I think this was a good experience as far as using observational skills. When your animals seem OFF pay attention! You get to know their patterns of behavior, eating, etc. With attention and some TLC you can save yourself a lot of grief. We even got 2 eggs today! She must be laying again.

Snow's melting