Chicken and Egg - Janice Cole [30]
A brooder can be as simple as a cardboard box, but hey, splurge a little and upgrade to a large plastic tub. It’s still cheap, is much easier to clean, and is reusable. Buy the biggest one you can find, and don’t forget the cover. My 32-by-16-by-18-inch tub was perfect for three chicks, even as they grew.
You’ll need to snip away part of the cover and replace it with wire screening for good airflow, but otherwise the plastic tub is self-contained. Use paper towels on the bottom for the first couple of days (so the chicks don’t mistakenly eat the bedding), and then switch to pine shavings. Anchor a thermometer inside and hang a red heat lamp overhead. Set up chick-size food and water feeders, and you’re ready to go.
Strawberry-Coconut Meringue
This recipe was given to me by a friend in New Zealand, where the fruit-filled meringue known as Pavlova, or Pav, is the national sweet. It’s become my new favorite dessert. Less sweet than some versions, its lovely crunchy exterior holds a marshmallow-tender center. Piled high with fruit and cream, it’s the ultimate springtime treat.
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To make the meringue: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a pencil, draw a 6-inch circle in the center of the parchment paper, using a bowl as a guide. Turn the parchment paper over so the outline of the circle shows through but won’t touch the meringue.
Beat the egg whites with the salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla and continue beating until firm peaks form. With the mixer running, very slowly beat in the sugar (this should take about 1 to 1 ½ minutes). Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy and the sugar has dissolved. Gently fold in ¼ cup of the coconut.
Pile the meringue in the center of the parchment circle and spread to the edges of the circle (it will puff and expand as it bakes to about 8 inches in diameter). Gently smooth the top and sides of the meringue. Sprinkle the top and sides with the remaining ½ cup of coconut.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown and the meringue is firm on the outside. Slide the meringue and parchment paper onto a wire rack and cool completely. Gently peel off the parchment paper.
To make the filling: Beat the heavy cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the yogurt and sugar. Continue beating until firm, but not stiff, peaks form.
Pile the cream in the meringue. Top with the strawberries before serving.
NOTE
The meringue can be baked up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. To keep the meringue as crisp as possible, assemble the dessert right before serving.
SERVES 8
MERINGUE
4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
FILLING
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
¼ cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ½ cups halved fresh strawberries, or quartered if large
CHAPTER FOUR
Glorious Summer
I was awakened one morning by an elbow jabbing me in the ribs. It was my husband, who mumbled, “Your chickens are squawking; they’ll wake the neighbors.” I blearily opened my eyes and saw it was barely 6:30 on a Saturday. Chickens have no sense of timing. Or rather, they have a different sense of timing. They live by the sun, and the bright summer sunshine told them it was time to be up.
I slipped on a light jacket over my pajamas and donned my grass-green Wellies with white clovers all over them and went outside to get the girls. As I opened the door to the coop, out charged Roxanne, the largest of my three hens. As she ran, her fat little body bounced like a buxom Victorian