Peacock Orchard

Eggtastic Tuesday- Migas

Migas is a Mexican egg dish with tortilla chips. First introduced to me by my father-in-law it has become a frequently prepared breakfast dish at our house.

I like that it’s few ingredients, lots of eggs and is quick to prepare.

Begin by cutting the tortillas into strips and frying until crispy in an oiled skillet.

I suffer from an abundance of help while cooking.

Season and beat the eggs and add to the tortillas.

I used garlic and onion powder, chili powder and paprika as well as salt and pepper.

So easy a toddler can do it!

Serve with your favorite salsa or hot sauce. Enjoy!

Migas

Ingredients:

8 eggs
6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
3 Tablespoons oil
Seasonings of your choosing
Salt and Pepper to taste
Salsa (optional garnish)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet, add the tortillas and cook until crunchy, stirring frequently. Beat the eggs with preferred seasonings and add to skillet. Cook until eggs are no longer runny. Serve with salsa or hot sauce.

Springtime in Wyoming

Spring is in the air. A constant state of confusion lays heavy over the land. Will it be warm? Will it be freezing? It could be both, all in the same day. Summer clothes have already been donned this year. Now we’re back to snow suits and gloves. Back to animals too smart to leave the protection of the barn and me hauling water to them all.

Thankfully the barn is large and I’m healthy enough to be carting the necessary liquids. Solids too, since the pigs kept breaking into the food bins and I had to move them to the garage. Since we are currently in possession of an attack turkey the kids prefer to occupy themselves out of the barn while I’m feeding.

I’m particularly glad that weather has never stopped the kids from venturing outside. We are a tough lot, the kind willing to live in howling winds and unpredictable weather. A versatile lot as well. The wagon has been retired for now, in order to accommodate the snow. Strolls around the property have to be maintained, after all. Pictures must be taken! Trees checked.

Eggtastic Tuesday- Simple Onion and Pepper Fried Eggs

This has been shared before, I know. Still, it’s delicious and easy, so do it!

Just cut some thick slices of onion or pepper. Thick and even is key as otherwise there will be leaks.

I love to eat them on a piece of toast.

Eggtastic Tuesday- Breakfast Burrito Wraps

I’ve decided to do a new egg recipe every Tuesday. It is that season after all. Everyone is drowning in eggs.

This recipe used a dozen eggs but can be customized to fit specific needs.

Essentially all you do is cut up and cook your preferred fillings, cook some eggs and roll it all up in a tortilla.

We decided to try a different method to the egg cooking and rolling than normal. Usually the eggs are scrambled. We cooked them more like an omelet. Our skillet was the same size as our tortilla and thus the eggs fit our tortilla nicely. The result could be considered more of a wrap than a burrito but it still had that amazing burrito flavor. Actually it was better than any breakfast burrito we’d ever eaten before. I credit using a blender to fluff up the eggs before cooking.

These burrito/wraps can be made ahead of time and frozen to be used as needed.

Breakfast Burritos

Ingredients:

12 eggs
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups black beans
¼ cup green onions, chopped
2 potatoes, cubed and fried
¼ cup black olives
1 cup pork cracklings
2 cups breakfast sausage, cooked
6 tortillas
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbs milk
Salsa
Sour Cream

Directions:

Have all fillings prepared and waiting. Have 2 skillets heating over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into a blender with the milk. Add the seasonings. Blend until bubbly. Pour enough egg mixture into the skillet to coat the bottom. The egg will puff up. Add whatever filling you would like to the egg at this time. Cook until coming off the side of the skillet and then flip. If you are competent enough to flip the egg in one skillet, do so. Otherwise flip it into the other skillet and cook through.

Place cooked filling onto the tortilla and roll. If freezing, then wrap into tin foil. Otherwise, Enjoy!

Proof that Permaculture WORKS!

As if you needed proof, I know. Still, I am excited today.

A review of the orchard shows more trees that survived the winter than I had anticipated. The mini kraters and swales have done amazing things. We are set to have a bumper crop of plums this year, so long as we don’t get a late freeze, fierce wind, or some other completely likely weather event.

Why would I say this small 5 acre orchard is proof that permaculture works? It is dry here. Very dry. Made worse by the incredible wind we suffer from. We are high up, cold, besotted with pests. There is no genetic material available from our state to base our plantings on. We have everything going against us, including public opinion.

“You can’t grow _____ in Wyoming!” I hear it every single time I talk to a local about the orchard. When we are open to the public minds are going to be blown!

If I can grow trees here with little to no watering (certainly no irrigation), than permaculture planting techniques are a blazing success.

This winter we harvested so much snow we even created an ideal place for pests to hide.

I do hate those ground animals.

I’ve also been successful at growing garlic and onions for the first time. Ruth Stoute and mulching, a real winner!

I’d highly recommend permaculture planting techniques to everyone and you should too.

Spinach and Caramelized Onion Frittata

It’s egg season. We are currently getting 10 chicken eggs a day. Duck eggs depend on whether we beat the pigs to them or not. We waste a lot of these eggs. A lot are fed back to the dogs or pigs. So, I’m making an effort to learn egg heavy recipes and I’m going to share them with you.

This recipe is a big hit. Delicious and easy, it requires 9 eggs.

I also love this recipe because it reheats extremely well. Husband and I are the only real big egg eaters so we had a lot of this left over. We were able to eat it for breakfast another day and it tasted almost as good as fresh made.

Spinach and Caramelized Onion Frittata

Ingredients:

9 eggs

1 handful spinach, chopped

½ large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1tsp Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

Green onions (optional garnish)

Directions:

In a large cast iron skillet add the onions and cook on low about 5-10 minutes. Add fresh chopped spinach and garlic. Stir until the spinach has wilted.

Meanwhile in a small bowl beat the 9 eggs with the paprika and salt and pepper. Add to the onion and spinach and use your spatula to make sure the mixture is flat. Cook on the stove top until the edges are beginning to stiffen. Then transfer to the onion and broil on low an additional 10-15 minutes.

Prepping onions and spinach

Adding the eggs to the pan. I didn’t realize before this picture just how colored our eggs are.

Cooking the edges

Enjoy!

It’s beautiful!