Apple Bourbon French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

½ cups Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Bourbon

3  Large Baking Apples, Cored, Peeled, And Sliced

6 slices Day Old Bread, Sliced Thick

4  Eggs

1 cup Milk

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon

1 dash Nutmeg

1. In a small pan melt butter and sugar together. Whisk to combine. Cook until slightly thickened. Add bourbon and whisk again. Continue to cook for about 1 minute.
2. Pour butter mixture into a 9″ x13″ pan. Arrange sliced apples on top.
3. Arrange slices of bread on top of apples.
4. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour mixture over bread.
5. Cover dish and refrigerate overnight (see note below). In the morning, place casserole dish in the oven. Heat to 350ºF. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until apple slices have softened and bread is golden brown.

Note: If you are preparing the casserole the morning you are serving it, dip bread slices in egg mixture before putting them in the pan. Pour remaining egg mixture over the top of bread slices. Bake at 350ºF for 40-45 minutes.


Copied from the Tasty Kitchen Website: http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/11/apple-bourbon-french-toast-casserole/

Mink in the chicken coop

Well, it has been a long 4 days at the Mosier Farm. We have lost a total of 5 hens.  This makes me so sad. The Buff Orphingtons are a very docile breed, they often become a pet.
Walking into the chicken coop the first time and seeing 2 of my hens dead, was disturbing. Papa Bear and I did some sealing up and repair work on the coop. We believed we had everything buttoned up and the hens should be safe. I still dreaded opening the coop door Sunday morning, but all was well, everyone was safe and sound. We felt pretty good about what we had done the day before.  Not so much on Monday morning. Opening the door and finding 3 more hens lay dead. That was IT for both of us, something needed to be done and it had to be handled right now. I found a business in Eureka that makes all sorts of mini barns and sheds, Countryside Barns. When I called them, I found out that they already had a chicken coop made up. It will hold 20~25 chickens AND we would get a discount if we took the display model AND free delivery! Can you say SOLD!!! Delivery on our new coop is this morning at 10:00AM. I am so excited and will post pics soon!
After we knew that a replacement coop was on its way, we decided to do some damage to the old coop and see if we could find out what was slaughtering our hens. After tipping up the old coop, a mink ran out from underneath and of course Papa Bear took aim and pulled the trigger. I can rest easy now, knowing that they are safe and sound in a new coop and the predator creating all this damage is now gone.

Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer

I love Coffee-mates Peppermint Mocha creamer.  It is only seasonal and right now is the time you can buy it. However, I already have a couple of jugs of flavored creamers that I need to use up before purchasing anymore. My desire to pour the Peppermint Mocha into my coffee cup has gotten the best of me and it is a desire that needs to be satisfied, ever since I caught site of it in the grocery store.  This morning I couldn't stand it anymore.  I put a scoop of hot chocolate mix and a tablespoon of Andes peppermint baking chips into a cup of coffee and was in complete heaven!!

Unwanted Visitor in the Chicken Coop

It's a sad time at the Mosier Farm.  We have had a predator visit our chicken coop two nights ago.  2 of our girls were laying inside the door, dead.  The poor things were so upset, I'm not sure when they will start laying eggs again.  We believe we have found where IT got in, however I am just about as nervous as my girls are!