Never Go Hungry Frittata: Backyard Chickens Save the Day
37 FlaresTwitter6Facebook7Pin It Share24Email--Google+0Filament.io37 Flares
It has been a little over two years since our family grew to include an average of five chickens. Having hens means there is always something to make for dinner. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought there was nothing to eat in the house and was able to pull something delicious together thanks to our eggs. Backyard chickens really do save the day–or at least dinner.
Occasionally I will have dough for a single pie crust (either homemade or store bought) in the freezer and will make a quiche, but I most often make a frittata or tortilla española. Both of those are simply different names (Italian and Spanish, respectively) for the same thing, which is essentially a crust-less quiche. Without the crust it is a little healthier and definitely faster, easier and potentially more affordable (especially if you buy the crust or crust dough.) We also do a lot of scrambles, but a frittata or tortilla just seem a little more “dinner.”
Between baby and work I don’t always make it to the grocery store before the fridge starts looking empty. This week was no exception so I picked a few veggies and herbs from the garden and collected a few more eggs. Zucchini goes particularly well with eggs. :)
I also found a few potatoes and snap peas in the fridge. I don’t have a picture of the frittata fully completed since a little Baby bird started getting cranky, but here it is nearly done:
Never-Go-Hungry Frittata Recipe
This is more of a template than a recipe. Feel free to improvise with the ingredients and make it your own!
Step 1: Pre-cook hard vegetables like potatoes or broccoli (boil, roast, etc.) Please also clean out your fridge of any already cooked leftovers. Oven roasted veggies are awesome, as is any leftover meat. This is a great use of a little meat that would be less than a full serving if eaten alone. (My husband finds it more substantial when I use potatoes.)
Step 2: Sauté aromatics, like onion, in a healthy amount of olive oil or coconut oil (it will also be keeping the egg from sticking) on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add other veggies and cook until soft. (Options are endless, but try zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, bell pepper, kale and other greens…)
Step 3: Beat eggs with a fork vigorously until light and fluffy. Use at least 2-3 eggs per serving. You want to have enough eggs to cover all the filling that is in the pan. If you need to use more eggs than you will eat that night, do it. Leftover frittata is great. If you run out of eggs and need a little more volume, add in a little milk. Season with salt, pepper and spices and then pour into the pan. Turn the heat down to low.
Step 4: Finish by adding fresh herbs, tomatoes and cheese. (All I had was my truffled goat cheese. Cooking it essentially wasted the truffle salt. Adding any kind of heat takes away the flavor of truffles which is why they should be used only as a finisher. But, hey, I needed the cheese!)
Step 5: There are at least three options for cooking it all the way through:
Cover the pan with a lid and cook on super low heat until the top appears set.
If you have an oven proof pan (i.e. the handle is entirely metal and not covered in rubber) you can transfer it to the oven and broil a few minutes to cook the top.
If you are daring, try the Spanish method. Once the bottom half of the tortilla is cooked, take a large plate and flip the entire tortilla onto the plate and then slide it into the pan so that the other side is now down. Finish cooking until the center is done. (This is heavy and awkward for me personally, so I use one of the first two methods.)
Serve cut into wedges. Goes great with a green salad.
Notes:
If your zucchini grow a little too big, like ours often do, I recommend peeling them and cutting out the seeds at the core. The rest of the flesh will still be good.
Want to know a trick for fluffy eggs I learned in Spain? When I was an exchange student I watched the señora I lived with make tortillas like this: she tipped a bowl so that all the yolks drifted to one side. Then she beat the side with the whites with a fork vigorously until they were completely broken up. Next she incorporated one yolk at a time. Essentially, she beat the whites alone without going to the trouble of officially separating the eggs. I’ve done the same ever since.
Tips for cooking for baby:
Pediatricians recommend avoiding egg whites until baby is one year old. We have given her plenty of egg yolk since around 7 months but we still do not feed her whole eggs. I often reserve the filling just before pouring the eggs in. Potatoes, zucchini and other sauteed veggies make great homemade baby food! In our case this week I wasn’t fast enough. She was getting super tired and the only thing done was the boiled potatoes. Lucky for her she likes baby mashed potatoes….
And here it is:
Baby’s First Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Scrub organic potatoes until clean. Potatoes are a priority to buy (or grow) organic, even if you don’t normally do, since they are sponges for pesticides. Roughly chop and boil in water until they are fork tender. Drain and let cool. Pull off the skin. Mash them in a baby food mill, with a potato ricer, or with a fork. Add a good helping of breast milk until they are smooth and creamy.
Cauliflower is also yummy mashed, either alone or mixed with potatoes.
Share this:
Like this:
LikeLoading...
Related
Raising Baby Quail Chicks in
Crystal Bay, Minnesota
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Crystal Bay Minnesota,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Crystal Bay
Minnesota also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Crystal Bay Minnesota, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Crystal Bay MN.
Baby Chicks By Mail in
Crystal Bay, Minnesota
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Crystal Bay Minnesota
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Crystal Bay Minnesota * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Crystal Bay
Minnesota * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chicks Near Me in
Crystal Bay, Minnesota
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Crystal Bay Minnesota is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Crystal Bay,
Minnesota Baby chicks are extremely
adorable as well as
tough to stand up to,
yet it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by collecting not only the
appropriate products, yet
also the appropriate
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
basic, you simply should provide them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
environment Plenty of food and also water Focus as well as
love Habitat Your habitat can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You likewise require
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food and a family
pet bird water dispenser from a family pet shop. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could present a perch
into the habitat to get them
educated on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you have to
supply them with a warmth resource.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb likewise work effectively (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The recently
hatched out require a temperature level
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
as well as every week this could
be minimized by
roughly 5 levels or
so. The warmth source must get on just one side of the cage
to permit chicks a range of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
contrary corner of your heat
lamp, you need to
reduce the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not merely snuggling),
you have to put some heat.
House cleaning
Tidiness is crucial and it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make certain to change
the bed linens
commonly and also
constantly provide clean
food as well as water Food and also water.
Chicks grow really quickly
which needs lots of clean
food and water. Give
sufficient at all times and also examine
usually to avoid dehydrated and
starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, then
switch over to a grower food (~ 17 %
protein) for an additional 2 months,
and afterwards to a slightly
reduced healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks want
to get a head start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others won't take
up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the area in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
dust for them to wash in.
Focus as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending time with your chicks. Firstly, they will certainly probably bond with you and also
not escape as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
view their actions, you can
capture ailment or other troubles earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
other undesirable
indications. Make sure to
additionally take a look at
their poop, as diarrhea can bring about matted plumes as well
as clogged up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to look out
for social issues, such as the
smallest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
security of your residence
and also relocate outside right into a
coop. Check out our
section on chicken cages to learn more
concerning coops and also
appropriate cage environments.
Baby Chicks NeedsBaby Chickens More Posts Baby Chickens for Sale in Cleveland, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Clearbrook, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Alberta, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Barnesville, Minnesota Baby Chickens for Sale in Calumet, Minnesota