CE2 student Makayla is obsessed with chickens. When she found out that friends Michael and Kendra just got a load of chicks and ducklings, she decided we'd have a field trip to see the babies. So Friday after school, Makayla, Joan, Carly, Alexas, Maira and I loaded into Mom's minivan and drove to "the chicken farm" in Newberg.We started with the chicks and ducklings:
Then we moved on to the big hens:
Feeding was fun, but then we had to catch and hold them all (at least one of each "color"):
Alexas didn't have appropriate chicken-catching footwear, so she borrowed Michael's size-13 rubber boots. It was really funny! 
Maira, who told of getting chased in Mexico by a mean, crazy chicken, kept her distance. But she was very interested in holding the kiddos:
After the chickens, the girls tried to catch Gracie, the giant sheep. Michael offered $20 if anyone could get her. They tried mightily for quite a while, but Gracie eluded. I wish I had pictures of them chasing her through the brambles - it was quite a sight :)We'll be back to the chicken farm for sure! :)
Today's experiment is Wheat Germ Muffins... YUMMY!
I mixed the dry ingredients last night and finished them off this morning. So they were quick and easy. And the students like them, too. I will make these again :)Preheat to 400 degreesMuffin tin, greased or paper lined.2 c flour2 T baking powder1 t baking soda1 1/2 c wheat germ (gotta love WinCo bulk foods!)1 c packed brown sugar2 eggs (fresh from the Rathkey farm!)1 1/2 c milk1/2 c vegetable oil1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, wheat germ and brown sugar. Mix until well blended.2. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and oil. Pout into dry ingredients; stir just until blended.3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, dividing evenly. (I filled 18 muffin cups) Bake for 15-20 minutes.:)
Two weeks ago, I made Mashed Potato Muffins from the book to take for Thursday dinner with Jacob, Lindsey, Michael, Kendra and the kiddos. I was in a hurry and didn't take a picture, but they basically looked like mashed potato muffins :)I halved the published recipe (full recipe below). They were easy and tasted good. But the texture was strange - very starchy and sorta dry. Maybe I'd try again and add some milk or something. And maybe use a hand mixer instead of my old-fashioned masher. Kendra served soup, and several people crumbled their muffins into their soup and said it was yummy. OH - the muffin tin was really hard to clean afterward, even after lots of soaking. Just be prepared.So not fabulous, but I'll try again with adjustments to see if I can make them better.Preheat to 400 degrees2 12-cup muffin tins, greased10 medium-sized potatoes1 t salt1/2 t pepper2 T oil4 eggs, beaten2 onions, chopped1. In a saucepan of boiling water, cook potatoes until soft. In a bowl, combine cooked potatoes, salt, pepper and oil; mashed until smooth. Add eggs; mix well.2. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook onions for about 2 minutes. Add to potato mixture; stir well.3. In a preheated oven, heat prepared muffin tin. Spoon batter into hot tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes.:)
Our holiday weekend plan was to squeeze in some early season camping and rock climbing at Smith Rock State Park. We watched the weather all week, sometimes seeing a dry Monday and other times seeing a wet Monday. We waited. We were packed Saturday night and ready to leave Sunday morning, but the forecast got worse with showers most of Monday. Nevermind. Too much gamble for a 6-hour round-trip drive.So instead of climbing rock with us in Central Oregon, Jacob and Lindsey agreed to go on a training hike in the Gorge. We chose the Wahkeena Falls-to-Multnomah Falls loop, about 5.2 miles.The boys practically ran up the hill, right past the perfect picture spot at Fairy Falls. Unfortunately, it was humid and I was sweaty, so my glasses fogged up just in time for the photo... so now I look like an alien :)
There were just a couple other groups of hikers on the first part of the trail - and lots of lovely scenery...
The Gorge weather ended up being perfect for hiking. It was warm enough and the sun was out for most of the trip.
We had to visit the top of Multnomah Falls...
Just before the bridge toward the bottom of the falls, Brad said something about a horse. I thought he was joking about seeing a giant Great Dane or something. But then I saw it... a pony on the trail! It was wearing a purple coat. Um... I've seen a lot of strange things on hikes, but never a pony on a leash walking up a paved tourist trail. The group was headed toward the top of the falls... with their pony.I tried to snap a picture but was too slow. You can barely make it out on the right side of that group - white head, purple coat: 
After the pony shock wore off, we made our way through the tourists to the bottom of the falls.
We celebrated a great workout with Mondo Burritos and fish tacos at Taco del Mar in nearby Wood Village. Then we bargain hunted at Next Adventure and Andy and Bax in Portland. Jacob scored some used XC ski boots and almost-new rock climbing shoes - for our next attempt at Smith!:)
I followed a bunch of cooking blogs the other day and stumbled on a recipe for baked mini corn dogs on everybody like sandwiches. Had to give it a try! 
1 c cornmeal
1 c flour2 T brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda1/2 t salt1 1/4 c milk
1 egg
1 T canola oil4-8 hot dogs, cut in half (I used veggie dogs)8-16 lollypop sticks (I didn't have any sticks) Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. In a smaller bowl, mix together the milk, egg and canola oil. Pour the wet into the dry and mix gently with a fork. Cut your hot dogs in half (mini-dogs not skinny-dogs) and pierce each half with a stick. Dredge each half into the cornmeal batter and place onto a silpat-covered cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the batter becomes golden brown.------------------------
I loved these!! They were very fast to make, I had all the ingredients on hand except for the cornmeal (which I bought super-cheap in bulk at Winco), they were fun, and they tasted really great.
The batter seemed a bit runny (you can see that in the picture). I might try less milk next time?? But there will definitely be a next time
:)
Kendra planned to serve breakfast for our weekly Thursday night dinner and TV viewing. She suggested that I bring muffins, so I figured I'd try another recipe from the book. She made breakfast burritos that were SUPER good! And I made Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins. They were REALLY good. Like an oatmeal cookie. I would definitely make these again.Preheat to 350 degreesMuffin tin, greased (I used Valentine paper cups and they turned out great)1/2 c finely chopped walnuts1/2 c dried cranberries1 1/2 c flour1 T baking powder3/4 t salt3/4 c old-fashioned oats (I had quick-cook oats)3 T softened butter or margarine3/4 c packed brown sugar3/4 c milk1 egg1. In small bowl, toss together nuts, cranberries and 1 t flour. Set aside.2. In large bowl, combine remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in oats.3. In another bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, milk and egg, blending well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until evening moist and blended. Fold in nut mixture.4. Spoon batter into prepared tin, filling cups to the top. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes.:)
Then we moved on to the big hens:
Feeding was fun, but then we had to catch and hold them all (at least one of each "color"):
Alexas didn't have appropriate chicken-catching footwear, so she borrowed Michael's size-13 rubber boots. It was really funny! 
Maira, who told of getting chased in Mexico by a mean, crazy chicken, kept her distance. But she was very interested in holding the kiddos:
After the chickens, the girls tried to catch Gracie, the giant sheep. Michael offered $20 if anyone could get her. They tried mightily for quite a while, but Gracie eluded. I wish I had pictures of them chasing her through the brambles - it was quite a sight :)
