Recipe: Heavenly Jalapeño & Bacon Eggs

I added 11 females to my duck flock in May and now they are ALL laying eggs 6 days a week. I’m getting a total of seven dozen duck eggs per week. Oh. Em. Gee. What to do with all these duck eggs!

There is a feed store just up the road that buys from me to resell. But that’s only about four dozen gone. That leaves me with three dozen duck eggs on top of the constant supply of chicken eggs I already have. Everyone who comes into my home must leave with a dozen eggs. Well, that’s my hope, but it rarely actually happens. I’m getting into the habit of just randomly leaving a dozen eggs on some unsuspecting neighbor’s front step but those pesky Ring doorbell cameras are going to land me on YouTube or Inside Addition.

Get ready to see a lot of recipe development centered around duck eggs in the near future. Today’s submission is Jalapeño & Bacon Heavenly Eggs. When my family tried these, angels sang. I hope your family feels the same. Click the link for the printable version.

Heavenly Jalapeño & Bacon Eggs

Deviled eggs so good the angels sing.

Recipe Card

Heavenly Jalapeno & Bacon Eggs

INGREDIENTS:

12 duck eggs, hard boiled

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1-2 jalapeno, minced fine

2T Red Onion, minced fine

2T chopped fresh cilantro

1/3cup Mayo

2T Yellow Mustard

Dash Coconut Aminos

Salt & Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

To boil duck eggs:

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold all the eggs in a single layer with enough water to cover the eggs - 2-3 inches. Bring water to a roiling boil over high heat. Place room temperature eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Boil for 7 minutes for med-soft, 9 min for medium, and 11minutes for hard boiled. Drain eggs and place in an ice bath until cool enough to peel.

For the Heavenly filling:

Slice boiled and peeled eggs in half on the 'long' side. Remove the yolk and place it in a medium mixing bowl, using a fork to mash them fine. Add about half of the bacon, all the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, mayo, mustard, and coconut aminos to the yolks. Stir to combine. Taste for salt & pepper need, then season accordingly. Place yolk mix into a zip-top bag and cut a small corner off to make a piping bag. Pipe yolk mix into egg halves on a serving plate. Top eggs with remaining bacon crumbles. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

A note about jalapeño - the more vein you leave, the hotter the pepper in the dish. The heat will increase as the eggs sit

Garnish options - additional thin-sliced jalapeño and chopped cilantro

An Unexpected Lesson

We all know that we need to move every day. Movement combats fatigue and depression. Daily movement improves sleep, digestion, and helps regulate blood sugar. Almost any one asked, “should you move daily?'“ will answer yes. However, when that same group is asked, “Do you move daily?” the inevitable answer is no.

I’m guilty of that lack of daily movement. And I surely know better. “When you know better, you do better.” FALSE!!! I just feel more guilt when I don’t “do” better.

Today, I chose to move. Well, movement chose me. Actually, the yard needed mowed. Though that’s not the entire truth. There’s a rain front moving in this weekend, the grass is unruly, my hubby likes a tidy yard, and I don’t hate riding around on the Cub Cadet ZT1. So, ride it around I did. Hey, it’s movement. Don’t judge.

My nemesis and teacher today, FS56RL.

When we mow, the edges need tidied up by a weed-eater. The Stihl FS56RL is my nemesis. It hates me, and there is no love lost on my side. A more devilish device does not exist in yard care.

Now, I love my husband (DH), and love doing things to make his life more pleasant. It’s a two-way street for us. One of the things the DH doesn’t love is weed eating. So I thought that running the weed-eater around the yard after I mowed today would be a nice way to make his life more pleasant. And, It would be an extra oomph in that daily movement I chose today.

There was no way this act of love was going to be a surprise. I had to text and ask which can held the mixed gas for the torture device, I mean, weed-eater. Then I texted to ask where the string was. At this point, DH calls and informs me about the string, then asks with no little amount of incredulity if I was sure I wanted to try this weed-eater thing. A cheery, "‘yep, I do!’ from me and I could almost hear him shrug his shoulders saying, ‘your funeral’ in his head. He did tell me to be sure to wear my safety glasses. Thanks, babe.

String located. Weed-eater gassed up. YouTube doesn’t know what kind of string-head there is on this thing. So back to its’ Master (DH) with a ‘how do I…’ question. String changed. YouTube does know how to start the thing, which is good because I didn’t.

The Stihl FS56RL is a straight-shaft beast and I’m now certain you need to be over six feet tall with orangutan arms to operate it properly. I’m no slouch at 5’6” yet I was not tall enough to let the instrument of torture fall at arms length and just swing away. DH makes it look so effortless and easy. And he does a nice, neat, straight job with it. HOW!?!

So I’ve made it up the sidewalk, around the house, and across the back of our detached garage. I’ve used two strings already. Weed-Master said I should only need one string unless I got into the wire fence around the property. I haven’t and yet two strings are already gone. I’m not defeated. No, ma’am. I just know when to take a good, long break and get an in-person assist from the Master of this device.

I’d say I got 20% of the necessary edges trimmed up. Not with any grace or professional finish, and I’m pretty sure DH will go back over them. But today I tried a new thing, and I’ll try the weed-eater again. Not bad for my first try. I hope.

Now there’s a lesson to be learned from this and if you’ve read this far, I want to share it with you.

In general, I hate asking for help. But today, I chose to embark on a task for which I was not equipped. So, I asked for help from the Master of the Weed-Eater. And I went to YouTube for guidance. I also stopped pushing the issue when I knew it was too much for me, and asked the Master for a lesson in order to improve my skill.

So many times in life, I’m not willing to reach out. If I think I “should” know something, I won’t ask for help. Pride, fear, and arrogance are terrible teachers and leave me paralyzed, unmoving. But the Master of my life, Jesus gently tells my heart, set pride, fear, and arrogance aside, daughter, and take my humility for it is a light burden and I will help you carry it. I lean into Him for the lesson and listen to Him for guidance. He has never left me paralyzed with pride or fear. Arrogance cannot exist in the presence of His humility.

So the movement I enjoyed today was not simply physical. The Lord moved my heart. I pray He moves yours as well.

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Raising Chicks

Spring Chicks

hanging out in the guest bathtub to keep warm. Seven Buff Orpingtons and five Americaunas made themselves right at home and prepare to join the rest of the flock.

As a girl, I never dreamed of being a chicken lady. In fact, my family owned a commercial layer farm; raising the chickens that laid the eggs that became the chicken you bought at the grocery store. I grew up as a tiny cog in the wheel of a Poultry Giant. My folks contracted with a few different companies over the course of my growing-up years, but they were all big companies complete with their GMO feeds, mortality limits, and bean counters. I didn’t think much about it at that time. It was how we put groceries on the table and where I learned what hard work really was. Fast forward 25 years,

Now, I have backyard birds and they make me happy. I started with “sacrificial chickens” in August 2018. Don’t freak out. I had a lovely friend with a large flock who were past laying age. She gifted me 10 ladies to start with. See, I have bloodhounds and they needed to be exposed to the birds and taught, “Chickens are friends, not food.” We have six of those original 10 left and the dogs leave my ladies alone. Mission accomplished.

When I received these “spent hens” they were actually laying three to five eggs a day from 10 hens. Not bad for ladies that were supposed to be past their prime. Through this winter, my girls have gifted us with three to five eggs a week, and now we’re back up to three a day from my six hens.

Why have I invested so much time and effort into adding to my flock? Backyard eggs are the best. That is the bottom line. More details? Ok. Here goes.

“Backyard eggs have approximately 25 percent more vitamin E, 75 percent more beta carotene, and as much as 20 times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as do factory farmed eggs. Backyard chickens, if given the option, will eat vast amounts of green vegetation (high in beta carotene and omega-3's and low in cholesterol), bugs and tons of grains. Their eggs are a byproduct of this nutrition.”  from Mother Earth News

In addition to the nutrition value listed above, I get to choose what my hens eat. It’s not cheap to do so, but I refuse to feed them anything genetically modified, no corn, no soy, no chicken by-products. They range freely on an acre, helping control the bug population. They’ve been spotted fighting over some baby snakes lately and I heartily support this behavior.

Today it’s 73 degrees outside and my new girls are being introduced to the old biddies. They will nest together tonight but remain separated during the days for a few weeks. Wish the new family members all the best!

Push Ups aka Personal Training

After a six, no wait, seven... Okay. For real though, it was probably actually about a year out of the routine of three to four and sometimes five days of group classes each week at a cross-fit style gym. There were a lot of contributing factors with my hiatus, but that's for another day.

I've signed up with Amber at Rising Tide Fitness to help me get back into the swing and lift of a regular training routine. My focus is on retraining proper lifting form & technique, and core stability. Amber is a US Marine and has a teacher's heart. She pushes me further than I can push myself, and that is what I want in a trainer. She & I sat down and had a conversation before she ever asked me to move a muscle. I really appreciated that. She was prepared and had several questions for me, and listened to what I expected out of one-on-one training versus the class setting I had experienced before. 

Squat Form

I've worked with Amber before, but never one-on-one. Right now we are keying on basics like squat form & shoulder progressions. Here Amber is guiding me about collapsing knees and strong posture. It's like I'm starting over again but it's a good thing. 

Previously at Rising Tide, I attended the classes rather than going the personal training route. This decision was mostly based on the cost consideration and my husband & I attended class together a lot. However, no matter how much I loved the camaraderie of the class setting, it was too hard on me. I'm competitive and pushed too hard in classes to keep up with others or do the workout as prescribed (Rx). Autoimmune conditions require consideration when determining what physical activity will best suit. Working with someone like Amber who wants me to succeed as much as I do makes the needed adjustments easy.

Here are some things you should consider when determining how your own personal physical activity will look:

1. Cost. Yes, get the money question out of the way up front. You know your budget. Adding a cost that increases your stress can negate any positive results. Walking at the park or in your neighborhood is free. Gym memberships cost money. Personal Training can get expensive. Have that awkward conversation before you sign anything.
2. Time.  How much time do you have to invest? Be realistic. Realize something else will be compromised to carve out time for classes, training, or walking the neighborhood. Consistency equals results.
3. Personality. Should you choose to go the route of a personal trainer, as I have, you need to make sure that your personalities are going to mesh. Lots of things can be taught, but personalities in adults are usually pretty set.
4. Comfort. If you're interviewing a trainer who makes you uncomfortable, ask for a reference to a trainer who will make you feel comfortable. Trainers & trainees may cross some awkward personal space lines. 'Nuff said.
5. Listening. Amber listened to me. She heard what I said about pace. She listened to my goals and wrote them down. Don't use a trainer who wants you to follow their agenda rather than programming for you. The opposite is true as well. Your trainer is a paid professional. Listen to them! I'm not paying Amber to be my therapist, she's there to help me improve my physical fitness. I'm sure as heck going to listen to her.

I'm going to be able to do one unassisted push-up by the end of 2018. I will listen to Amber and follow her programming. We will evaluate progress and adjust accordingly. I will groan & cry out in frustration.  I'll show up. I'll work. I'll sweat. I'll be so much better for it.

Do you have anthing to be added to the list above? Have you had any good or bad experiences you would like to share? Comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say.