Fresh Eggs Daily® with Lisa Steele

These pumpkin pancakes embrace all the warm fall flavors and spices.  Too soon? Sorry!  But the temperatures are really starting to drop at night and pretty soon the leaves will be turning, so I wanted to share this fun alternative to plain pancakes that uses all the warm fall spices.

What’s better than that first cup of hot coffee in the morning? Crunchy biscotti to dip in it, of course!  Fuel your mornings with these espresso-laced biscotti packed with crunchy walnuts, mini chips and topped with a semi-sweet and white chocolate drizzle.

Chickens require a balanced diet for optimal health and egg production. Like all animals, and people too, chickens need a balanced diet to stay healthy and live long lives. 

Cayuga ducks are solid black and the only domestic duck breed that lays black eggs.  Cayuga ducks are very striking with their black feathers that have an iridescent teal, emerald green or purple sheen in the sun. Solid black bills and feet complete their "goth" look.

Mojitos make the most of an abundance of fresh mint from the garden. If you ask me what my favorite cocktail is to sip while laying in the hammock or slowly rocking back and forth on the porch on a hot summer day, my answer would have to be the Mojito.

Each summer, my husband and I choose a "signature" cocktail and try different recipes until we've hit upon the perfect formula. This summer, it's the Paloma. My husband retired from the Navy in 2015 and we packed up our household belongings, chickens, ducks, our corgi Winston, our German Shepherd Bella, and our cat Linus, and moved to a farm in Maine.

Converting a horse stall into a chicken coop can save you time as well as money. Getting started with chickens can be expensive, especially these days with prices of everything going up across the board. And when you total the cost of the chicks and their feed, plus coop accessories like feeders and waterers, heat lamps, and a brooder, it can add up fast. And that's not even talking about the coop and run - which will be by far your largest expense. 

Fresh wild Maine blueberries make the best pies and cobblers, but if you can't find them fresh, then frozen will do. Fresh wild Maine blueberries make the best blueberry pies and cobblers, but if you can’t find them, then frozen will do. And if you can't find any wild Maine blueberries, then regular blueberries will do.

Watermelon slushies provide chickens essential hydration as well as beneficial nutrients on a hot day. Chickens not only can eat watermelon, they should, and they love it!  And it’s one of the best summer treats for your chickens because its high water content helps keep them hydrated.

Eggs are so versatile and can be prepared in so many different ways - which requires that you have some essential tools in your kitchen to prepare them correctly.  I eat eggs almost every day for breakfast (at least when my chickens are laying!) And since the average American eats about 280 eggs a year, apparently I'm not alone. 

Don't worry. Those white ropy strands aren't an embryo, an umbilical cord or a sign that the egg has been fertilized. They're actually a sign of freshness. Contrary to popular belief, that white stringy thing floating in your egg isn't a baby chick’s umbilical cord. It’s not an embryo, either. It’s actually a sign that the egg is super fresh.