Christmas Pizelle

My Italian grandfather always had licorice flavored candies of some description around, and every so often a batch of pretty pizelle cookies from the Italian bakery. Love 'em or hate'em, that's usually the case. And guess what? I love pizelle! Some people are turned off by the traditional anise (licorice) flavor, but I enjoy their light texture and that zingy flavor. Although they are a cookie, they're not terribly sweet, and compliment the Christmas sugar overload nicely. They're delicious with coffee or hot chocolate too!

I was perusing the Crate and Barrel sale section and this CucinaPro pizelle maker jumped out*. I liked the idea of making my own fancy cookies, because I'm historically not great with baking cookies, so this will be foolproof, right?! Reviews told me this model is well-made, and easy to use. Tonight I tried it out with high hopes of becoming a pizelle making machine, maybe it will be a Christmas miracle...

Backyard Chickens in the Snow

Now that most people know we have chickens, the number one question we get is, "Are they okay in the cold?!" And the short answer is, "yes, they're fine".

Generally chickens are hardy little beasts, and just like other wild animals they have ways to keep themselves warm in the winter. They mainly use body heat from one another to stay warm in the coop, which is enough. We also took note to get breeds that are relatively "cold hardy". Our two Rhode Island Reds will venture out in yard with a light coating of snow, brave little girls they are. But 2 inches and above, all five of them hang out in the run and coop. Here are a few things that we're doing for the flock to help them get through the winter weather.

You can see the girls poking their heads out of the run.

December Playlist: 2013 In Review

When you need a breather from non-stop Christmas tunes, here a few tracks from some of my favorite releases of 2013.