Backyard Birding

I love feeding the birds in my front and back yards...I have a lot of windows, so I can see them from most rooms. My finch feeder/socks are full of Eastern Goldfinches...they eat tiny Niger seeds. I also put out cracked corn on the ground, as well as Black-oil sunflower seeds in feeders and some on the ground. A big hit for the Cardinals, Carolina Wrens,Titmice, and Blackcapped Chickadees is my bird cakes I make from scratch. I don't buy suet, it's too expensive and I like to use up what I have in the kitchen. Here's the recipe:

hamburger grease
cornmeal
a little flour
generic peanut butter, crunchy

I use 4 parts cornmeal to 1 part flour placed in a large bowl. I heat the peanut butter with the grease (the amounts don't matter-just use what you have) in the microwave to soften...watch it that it just BEGINS to soften! Then I stir it all together. I sometimes add some chopped raisins, any other chopped nuts; whatever I might have left over. Mold these in little cakes, according to the size you want=bigger in the winter, smaller in the summer, due to becoming rancid fast. Then, freeze them on a platter- when they are hard, put them in a Ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer, taking out what you need. Sounds simple, but my birds eat them up as fast as I can make them...

I love Chickens!

My new issue of MaryJane's Magazine came in the mail today, and as usual, I am enthralled and have to read it from cover to cover! One of my favorite things was in it...Chickens! I adore chickens from vintage chicken art to live chickens! I have several friends who keep them in their backyards and I buy the most beautiful big brown eggs from them! This is my dream...I used to have some little 'banties' many years ago, but they were free range and I did not know where their eggs were.

To show you how serious I am, I entered The Chicken Whisperer's - www.blogtalkradio.com/backyardpoultry -contest to win a free chicken coop...keep your fingers crossed for me!

My New Year's Resolution

Bologna - buh-loh-nee - noun

A large seasoned sausage made of finely ground meat, usually beef and pork, that has been cooked and smoked.

You may slice it thick or thin and fry it lightly on both sides, or not, as you wish...then apply mayonnaise on two slices of loaf bread (preferably Arnold 12 grain or any 'lite bread' )and chow down. Best served with Diet Coke or 'sweet tea' and barbeque potato chips.

There you have it...my New Year's Resolution; broken already on January 2, 2010. It was no more bologna sandwiches, barbeque potato chips and Diet Coke...only quinoa with various toppings, salads and unsweetened tea until I get this 30 pounds of lard off! Oh, well...tomorrow's another day and I have four pieces of bologna left...I PROMISE I will not buy anymore! Ever! At least I hope I will try...maybe will try...burp!