Spike Grayson Button Milligan aka Spike

Everybody contributed a name and agreed we'd keep Spike as his first name.  He is doing great, eating a lot, cuddling etc. He really likes drinking powdered goat milk with a bit of heavy whipping cream in it! 

Here are some pics! 

 CUTIE pt. 2 

Who new I'd have to do a part two. I am so, so sad. Last night we spent a long time making a nest near where we had seen the snowshoe hares go into. At around 10 I looked out my window because the owners of the bnb next to us were dropping the key off for the new family staying there. When she drove out of the driveway, Spike hopped after her for a little. So, Jacob and I went and remade the nest, closer to the garden, the hares had been seen there too, and put Spike there. In the morning, I went to see if the nest was empty, like the mom had come back for him. It was empty, and I was so happy! I went to pet the dogs and who was cuddled up with Aspen on the dog bed? Spike. WHAT IN THE WORLD? So we brought him inside because he was starving-licking our fingers and it had been a whole day. We fed him with heavy whipping cream, because rabbit milk is so much richer. He ate a lot and was so darling, putting his mouth around the repurposed stevia syringe. When he was full we brought out the tiny cage that the baby bird Percy had used. If anyone doesn't know about Percival Timothy Milligan, he was a baby swallow that had fallen out of his nest (above our door) many times and we had carefully put him back with gloves. Then all the swallows left, and left Percy because he had a ruined wing. He lasted one day, and was such a sweetie. Anyway, we put grass and a little straw in the little cage. I will post his full name, maybe will be changed, (he just looked like a little porcupine with his spikey hair) but we don't know yet. The family is putting in their votes! I feel so bad for this baby because he can't be wild and free, like a regular snowshoe hare. He's also going to grow up and get giant so... If you would like to suggest a name please post it in the comments! Pray for our little bunny guys! 

 CUTIE 

Guys, I want to introduce you to THE MOST adorable, cute, amazing little thing you have EVER-and I mean ever-seen. So hold on tight and get ready to see the most precious thing ever. 

His name is Spike. 

And is he not so tiny!?!?! 

Spike is a baby snowshoe hare who showed up in our front yard this morning. We have no idea if the dogs scared his mother away, or if he hopped away by himself. Snowshoe hares do live close near here, they are often seen in the side yard where the dogs aren't allowed.

He is a pretty proficient little hopper so it could make sense that he would have gone by himself. However, he doesn't know quite enough to not be scared of humans. From a distance he looked like a baby porcupine or something. But when we crouched down near him he ran to us. We used a damp washcloth to wipe him off and put him in an open large rabbit pen in the side yard with lots of brush and greenery in hopes that his mother would find him. A few seconds after we walked away from the cage a snowshoe hare bounded across the yard and ran into the bushes. We used the washcloth to carry Spike over there and place him where we last saw the mom. Later we saw two snowshoe hares running all over the place near there. But upon later inspection Spike was still there. We're really hoping that he will find his family, or his family will find him and he will be safe. He most likely will be though! Love you sweet Spike!!! 

 Delicious Kabob Recipe

One of the most delicious, summery dinners out there, for sure! I love making these because they're so easy. I have the recipe down pat, and they only take 20-30 minutes (depending on your skill level;-) All you have to do is make meatballs, prebake them, wash mini bell peppers, and drain a can of pineapple chunks. You stick them on a presoaked wooden skewer and put them on the grill. Easy, right! Although the meatball recipe is pretty-for lack of a better word-vague, I know you can figure it out. Or find another meatball recipe! Ha! READ THROUGH RECIPE AND PREPARATION COMPLETELY!!! because if you don't...... I actually don't know what would happen but I am fairly sure it wouldn't be good

MEATBALLS:

2 lbs ground beef

2 whole eggs

A good squirt of ketchup-a tbsp maybe?

Generous sprinkle of Italian Seasoning-1 1/2 tsp? 

Generous sprinkle of salt-1 tsp?

Generous sprinkle of pepper-1 tsp? 

Generous sprinkle of breadcrumbs-1/4 cup?

Start soaking your wooden skewers in a 9x13 pan filled with cool water. This will prevent your skewers from burning and/or cracking. I like to start this 2-3 hrs earlier. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Mix ground beef and eggs with your hands till thoroughly combined. 

Add in all the other ingredients and mix well. 

Roll about 1 tbsp between your palms to make into a ball. Size depends. 

Place on a greased or parchment papered (or both) pan. I used our stones. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Prepare peppers. You can use either chunks of a regular sized or a mini bell pepper. Wash well and then cut off the top and empty out the seeds and stuff. 

Prepare pineapple. Drain the juice from can and...yeah that's it. 

Alternate meatball, pineapple, pepper on the skewer. Make sure everything is secure and attached. Place carefully on preheated grill. The time all depends on your grill. Watch the pineapple and peppers carefully. Once they get dark turn and repeat! Enjoy! 

Yeah, good luck trying to figure this out! I have no idea what the exact measurements are. If you smell it, it should smell right. No idea what that means either. But it's been a great judge for me. The breadcrumbs are the binding factor for your meatballs. The meatballs should hold together in your hand when you roll them, not fall apart, even the slightest bit.

I really feel like I should sincerely apologize for this post guys. But I won't, because, life is too short too regret vague recipes. Right? Yeah-I should just finish this up now. Have fun with this one! Bye! 

 One of My Favorite Songs

I love listening to music, writing music, and playing music. 

My new almost favorite song is I Thank God by The Kingdom Here. 

My dance team is performing a song to I Thank God by Maverick City Music x Upperoom and this version popped up while I was practicing. 

I really like the Maverick City x Upperoom version too. 

 Baked Alaska

I've always wanted to try a Baked Alaska. I mean it looks delicious, it sounds delicious, and it also is easy! 

Baked Alaska was originally a sponge cake base with ice cream and covered in marshmallowy meringue. It has been tweaked a little so now the base is brownie with ice cream and covered in meringue. Frankly, I think the brownie was a great call. BTW I guess it's called Baked Alaska because it looks like an igloo??? 

I got the recipe off of Sally's Baking Addiction https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/brownie-baked-alaska/, which is my favorite baking website and very reliable. 

Preparation was soooo easy. I halved the recipe however because it was a huge amount. 

Soften the ice cream. 

Put it into the mixer so it's creamy and smooth. 

Line a glass bowl (I think mine was 8 inch.) with plastic wrap. 

Pour ice cream into aforementioned bowl. 

Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the freezer. 

Make brownies. 

Bake in a greased parchment paper 8x8 square glass pan. 

Stick in the freezer. 

Combine sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form and glossy. 

Place brownie on platter. 

Take the plastic wrapped ice cream dome out of the bowl and place the bowl upside down on the brownie. Cut around the bowl so you have a round brownie. 

Place the ice cream on top of your brownie and unwrap it. 

Cover in meringue, making sure there is no ice cream showing. Use a spoon to make swirls and peaks. 

Either bake, torch, or flambé! I used a propane torch (I don't own a kitchen torch but just use our fire starting one.) Torching is super easy and beautiful, so I went that route. 

Serve and enjoy! 

I used brownie mix-since we had some and I wanted easiest preparation possible. For my ice cream I used mint chip. You can use whatever kind really, but mint chip is my favorite and it reminds me of Alaska the most (moose tracks would also be great, actually!) and pairs great with brownie. Above I noted that I halved the recipe but I did do the regular amount of meringue because half wasn't enough and I did have a little extra afterwards. Also, this recipe made the meringue with a double boiler, which is fine, but I did the first half just in the mixer and when I realized it wasn't going to be enough did the second half in the double boiler. The only difference is that the sugar gets dissolved with the double boiler. But I actually don't like the taste of the double boiler meringue as much, plus it's easier. But it's entirely up to you. Also, half the recipe still made a large amount, the full recipe would have been a LOT. 

All in all this recipe was a success. But I found out that I don't actually enjoy Baked Alaska all that much. I love ice cream, brownie, and meringue. But by themselves! Together it was just a little much for me. However, it still was delicious! I totally recommend making this-it's a party pleaser, it's large, looks complicated, looks fancy, and tastes amazing, as well as being incredibly easy.

If you make this please let me know in the comments! Thanks and enjoy! 

 CHICKEN STORY PT. 5 

This is the last installment of the chicken story, folks. I've been putting this off for a while because the thing is...we don't have chicks. 

Major disappointment. 

On Thursday we decided that enough was enough; if the chicks weren't hatched by now they never would be. STOP READING NOW IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT AND/OR SENSITIVE.

So we got the eggs. And cracked them. They were all rotten. And in three we saw embryos. One was teeny, the other was a little bigger and the last one looked quite like a chick. It had a long neck with small body, large head, two eyes, and a teeny tiny beak. But since the eggs were rotten they were already dead. 

So yes, it was a huge disappointment but we will try again. After the hen has some time to have a break we will put more eggs under her for her to brood on. But this time in an area away from the other chickens. 

In probably a week or two we are going to try to start the process over again, so stay tuned. 

 WORD OF THE DAY 

THE WORD OF THE DAY IS............ 

REVERIE

A STATE OF BEING PLEASANTLY LOST IN ONE'S THOUGHTS;

A DAYDREAM.  

 

 Cassiopeia was snapped out of her reverie by her angry teacher. 

Chicken Story pt. 4 

You might be reading this and thinking, I thought she said they were due on Monday.  You were right, I did indeed say this. Now it is Wednesday morning and there are no chicks. We've checked dutifully every half hour or so but have always been disappointed. On Thursday, if there is still no chicks we are going to take one egg out of the nest and shine a flashlight through it. Apparently you can see the chick (or not) inside the egg that way. I hold out hope. 

However, there were 4 eggs she was not laying on, that were basically on the other side of the nest box. One of the other Columbian Wyandottes had sometimes got in there to lay her eggs so we assumed they were hers or whatever. So, we took those four without problem, she didn't cluck or peck or anything like she does when we try to take an egg from under her. I decided to just check with the flashlight trick, just to make sure and to see what it would do. Two of them I could see through. The other two I could not. And they were heavier than the others. With some hesitation we decided to crack them open because 1. They were very cold. 2. They were not under her so it would be useless anyway. The first egg was rotten. The second had a chicken embryo in it. Teeny tiny, with a large eye. Of course we were sad, but it's not like we killed it. 

So yes. That is the fourth part of the chicken story, and my least favorite. Part Five will be about: life, or death. Joy, or sadness. A wonderful hen mother, or a homicidal hen. Sickness, or health. Stay tuned. 

Sorry for the melodramatic ending there;-) Let me redo that. So yes. That is the fourth part of the chicken story, and my least favorite. Part five will be about chicks or no chicks! Hopefully chicks!