The box is full of books. The book on top is a Martha Stewart cookbook, surprisingly not for me. Will was eyeballing it at a shop one day, but was appalled by the $38.00 price tag. The receipt here says he paid only eight. Nice. There are two more books in the box: Chicken and Egg and Grow Great Grub. Both appear to be cook books of sorts. I am intrigued by the Chicken book. It has a cute cover. With cute blue font. I read the intro.
Turns out it is a cook book but it also has a story about raising chickens in an urban space. This book is definitely for me. I have been talking to Will about wanting to have a gaggle some day. Every time I mentioned it to Jolyn, she laughs and says, "But you want to live in Southern California! There are laws about having chickens in the city, you know." Yes. She is right. But according to this book, laws are changing. People want to know where their food is coming from and many are turning to sustainable food sources. Neato! I am super excited to read it Will saw this book at Anthropologie a few weeks ago and thought I should have it. What a cutie.
(eggs from my boss chickens. They laid eight dozen extra this week!)
Now, friends of mine know that I am not the biggest fan of eggs, and up until recently, I was a vegetarian so... Chickens? You? Yes. I want chickens. I am learning to like eggs again and honestly, I've become aware of what it takes to feed a nation and I want no part in it. Monsanto's is forcing it's way into everything we eat with a million different corn and soy derivatives, not to mention that all these major chicken and beef producers feed their animals mainly corn (which cows don't eat naturally) making them super malnourished... they live horrible lives so we can eat them. How selfish. I figure I will buy eggs regardless of weather I'll eat them for breakfast or put them in a pastry, so why not know where they've come from and the chickens are treated well? Plus I like the idea of doing my part in a small way, and, maybe, if I pull it off in a stylish sort of way, more people would see that you don't have to live on a farm to be a farmer. You don't need to wear overalls or speak with a southern accent or be married to your cousin. You can live in a cute home in the city! You can drive a Volkswagen and throw dinner parties and be adorable. Well... maybe. I have yet to prove that all those things are possible while raising chickens, but I plan on trying.
8:00pm: I've finished the book. It turns out that most of the 246, or so, pages are recipes. Both chicken and egg recipes. The author prefaces the book stating that she never eats her chickens, as they are pets, but most people eat chicken for dinner most nights of the week. Her pets inspire her meals. Which is sort of weird. I hope she doesn't have cats. She has a lot of good insight for a first time raiser. I am not sure I am %100 sold on the whole idea, but I definitely want to continue researching. Bottom line: I can't have an ugly-ass chicken coop ruining all my summer bbqs and dinner parties. Also, they can't take over my life. I cannot become a salve to my chickens. So... more research. Lot's more research.
10am Sunday: A decision easier to make than weather or not to Homestead (fancy lingo meaning "to raise chickens" eep!) is what to have for breakfast. Kelly stole the book from my coffee table, her mind set on making the recipe for Bacon and Egg Breakfast Tarts. As I got ready for work, I prayed it would be ready in time for me to leave. It smelled awesome. But I knew as I rushed down the stairs at 10:55 that it wouldn't be. Will, being the awesome husband that he is, dropped me off and immediately went back to the house to wait for breakfast to be finished so he could bring it to my work. Sweet guy.
The Verdict: Puff pastry, parmesan, crispy bacon, chives, fresh tomatoes, and one whole egg, sunny side up, oozing all over the place.
As a novice egg eater, every bite I took of this pizza was intentional. I noticed bites that tasted very eggy and bites that had hardly any egg taste. I can't say that I love they way eggs taste but I liked the breakfast as a whole. All the ingredients together were very hearty and sophisticated. I was impressed. I can see myself eating it for breakfast, sipping coffee and watching my silly chickens from my kitchen window.
I guess the first step I should take is finding a home in socal, right? We have been looking and praying that the Lord blesses us with a place that's worthy of our dreams. We deserve it, I think. Wish us luck and, as always, keep us in your prayers.
-W&J
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