Tag Archives: “farm fresh eggs”

so many “happies”…

 

take a breakEver get those “blue” kinda days? Well… yesterday was one for me.  Not one thing. Or another.  Just kinda blah…

beachAnd I had to go to the grocery store. UGH!!! Can I just go to the beach instead??  I hate going to the grocery store… unless it’s Trader Joes.  I love me some Trader Joes. But I needed  things that I couldn’t get at Trader Joes. So I had to go somewhere else… Yuck. So off I went.  But I went with a plan.

My plan was simple, really.  I was gonna focus on all the little “happies” along the way.  First things first – a little fresh air.  Sidenote.  Those who know me well know that I am not a fan of driving around town in my car; running errands.  I will keep my “Target” list going (and growing) until we are down to the last square of toilet paper. But that was then; this is now.  One word… Pepper. Pepper is our “pepper white” Mini-Cooper convertible. And, Yes. I do believe in naming cars.  So off I went; list in hand.

strawberries

I experienced “happies” everywhere. Went to “Hen House” and fresh strawberries were on sale (3 lbs. regularly $8.99; On sale for $3.88!) and they were beautiful! Not on my list, so an unexpected treat! They had my favorite coffee back in stock – A really good thing since we were completely out! (refer back to the toilet paper comment earlier…)

eggs hen house

For those of you who read my previous post, “farm fresh eggs“, you know that we were recently gifted with the most beautiful eggs; and I quote;  “best fed chickens this side of the Mississippi…“.  Needless to say, we happily devoured all of those; no problem! But; like coffee; we needed more eggs. Hen House stocks eggs from a local farm – pasture raised, antibiotic free, vegetarian fed hens. And they come with a great little extra.  A sweet little note; different every time.  Mine read “Wow.  Such a beautiful day on the farm. Last night we had a nice rain shower so everything looks fresh and ready to grow!  Just like you!”  Awww… More “happies“. At the checkout I had a nice young gal who has Down Syndrome.  She always makes me think of brother Mike. xoxo   As she loaded groceries, we chatted as another young gal walked by with sweet little jingle bells on her tennis shoes.  I just smiled…

As I was walking to my car, cart loaded, I saw a car with a license plate cover bearing the name “Seaside“.  That’s our very, very favorite place/beach in Florida; where we hope to be someday… As a matter of fact, that’s exactly where we were last fall when my husband surprised me by telling me that we were getting “Pepper”!!  Coincidence?  I think not.  This trip to the grocery store was just a full circle of “happies“. Just what the doctor ordered!  I loaded up and climbed into Pepper.  We cranked up the radio and watched the clouds roll by overhead.  I have to say that now I totally get why dogs are obsessed with sticking their heads out of the window. Happy. So very, very happy.

pepper

Monday morning.  I just took my dogs for a walk; starting the day with a little (more) fresh air.  It’s a beautiful morning and this is a good thing. Why?  I just realized that we’re almost down to one square out of toilet paper.   Alrighty Pepper.  Saddle up…

farm fresh eggs

 

IMG_2595There is something so magical about a farm fresh egg.

Years ago I saw a documentary on the egg industry and chicken farms.  I am not here to do a post on PETA, but the cruelty and inhumane conditions were absolutely deplorable. From that moment on, I vowed to spend the extra little bit of cash on cage free eggs; not perfect, but better than doing nothing… and, more importantly, to buy farm fresh whenever possible!!

SONY DSCOK – That being said (whew!), back to the “magic“.  We are so blessed to know someone who actually raises chickens AND fresh eggs… unfortunately over 100 miles away, however!  I have been the recipient of these amazing eggs from time to time; most recently was about a week ago when I was gifted with about 2 ½ dozen! (Thanks, Kathy!) Look at that pic (above) – Aren’t they just beautiful???  The little brown speckled one is my favorite… The real beauty of these eggs, however, cannot be seen until you crack them open.  Oh my – The yolks are the most BEAUTIFUL golden yellow that you have ever seen in an egg!  To see this is to know how healthy and happy these lucky little chickies are!!  “Our chickens are truly free range.  They cross the road and climb on hay bails and eat bugs all day.  They’re very happy chickens!” (Quote from the family)   And that, my friends, is what I meant by “magic“!!!

Upon receiving this delicious gift, we started incorporating eggs into breakfast, lunch AND dinner!!  One of our favorite (new) recipes was one that I found online at “Food and Wine” called “Shrimp, Asparagus & Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce”.  One word: DELISH!

shrimp asparagus and eggsWe had it for dinner one night with a simple salad (the hubbie loved it too!) and then I poached more eggs separately for the leftover shrimp & sauce and we enjoyed it for breakfast the next day. Not exactly sure how to poach an egg?  No worries.  Click on this link – How to poach an egg – and Clinton Kelly from “The Chew” (my fav show!) will walk you through it. Super duper simple! (NOTE: When watching the video, make note of what he says about the eggs!!)

King RoosterSo whether it’s farm fresh eggs, a roadside stand selling strawberries and corn, your local farmers market with fresh honey and homemade bread or your local retail small business shops…. PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL whenever possible – It’s definitely a win-win-win!!!