Snow Chickens or Chickens in the Snow

This little one is a chicken when in the snow. He's not a fan.


















The real chickens don't seem to mind...


















Bronco would stay in the snow all day, especially if the kids pitch him snowballs...

Christmas!

Everyone was very happy in our family on Christmas...
Johhny got a Tetherball...
Gracie got Elefun the Elephant...
Salchi played Santa...
and Joe and I stuffed ourselves on a Venezuelan Traditional Holiday food - Hallacas.

Happy Holidays!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

While Mom and Dad were visiting for Thanksgiving, Jana invited us to go with her to see the lights at Temple Square. Dad opted to stay home and work on my laundry room (thanks Dad!), but Mom was excited to go. The lights were bright, the air was chilly and the sidewalks were packed, but as you can see we were happy.

Joe's Early Christmas Present

All Joe wanted for Christmas this year was a little wiener dog. I resisted quite a bit, as I am more of a big dog person (hence 100 lb Bronco), but he convinced me and I have to admit the new pup is a cute little bugger.

We planned on getting one in December, but found a good deal on a pup that was close to us so we went for it. He's doing really well. We are crate training him and he only cried for about 30 minutes the first night and now he goes in it on his own. He also knows to use the newpaper if he needs to potty. I'm so glad he's good... so far. On the drive home with him I was thinking "What have we done?" remembering training Bronco 9 years ago. He's 9 weeks old and will get to a max of 13 lbs. Haha.

We decided to name him Salchi, which is short for Salchicha. Salchicha means "hot dog" in Spanish, so it is fitting.

He and Bronco are learning to like each other. The first night little Salchi was really scared of Bronco. Bronco, in turn, liked to look at him like he was something to eat for dinner. If Bronco even looked his way he would turn and bury his little head. At one point, Salchi walked by Bronc and Bronc gave a mild, and I mean mild, snarl. I thought he might die. He cried and cried.

The kids love him, and as soon as he can be outside without getting too cold (see his sweater?) I'll work on introducing him to the chickens.

Playing in the Leaves

Time to Clean out the Garden!

I just came across this recipe for Green Tomato Salsa on the Grist Newsletter (Environmental News and Commentary) and thought I would pass it along to all you garden growers.

Green Tomato Salsa Verde, Now and Later

This is a salsa verde recipe adapted to make use of the loads of green tomatoes left hanging on the vines, refusing to ripen this time of year. Of course, you can also use the traditional tomatillo. I like to can at least a dozen jars of this delicious green tomato salsa to last the whole year. To do the same, just multiply the recipe. (Makes 2 pints)

2 pounds green tomatoes
1 medium white onion
4-6 cloves raw garlic
10-14 fresh jalapeños or your favorite green chiles (if you prefer milder salsa, try poblanos or Anaheim chiles), stems removed
1 bunch cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
Salt to taste or about 2 teaspoons
Water, if thinner consistency is desired

In a cast iron skillet or under the broiler, cook the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chiles, turning frequently, until they begin to blacken all over and are soft. The garlic will likely be ready before everything else. Alternatively, you can boil the first four ingredients in salted water for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and squishy. Next, transfer all to a food processor or blender and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add the cilantro, salt, and lime and process into a coarse purée.

Thin with several tablespoons of water if a thinner salsa is desired.

Use immediately, refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze for up to six months. To can, ladle salsa into sterilized pint jars leaving 1/4 inch of head space; top with clean and sterilized two-piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Store in a cool, dark place.