Have you signed up for our Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits yet? Every week, I get a delivery of ingredients for three delicious, nutritious, and time-saving dishes that are just perfect for lunches or dinners here at the farm.
Recently, while I was away traveling for business, my housekeeper, Elvira Rojas, cooked one of the meal kits I selected from the week's menu - my own Classic Lemon Chicken Pasta with Spinach & Parmesan. It's an easy, satisfying, and flavorful meal that is so quick to prepare. The entire dish was cooked in 30-minutes and every bit was devoured. Our Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon delivery meal kit service features so many inspiring recipes and cooking ideas, and you can choose the recipes that best fit your family's busy lifestyle. If you haven’t yet tried Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, please go to the web site right now and subscribe today and see our flash deals!
Here are some photos.
Every week, when we cook our Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits, we remove all the ingredients included and place them on the counter. These ingredients are pre-portioned and come in easy to open packaging. All one needs to provide is the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
One of the great things about our meal kits is that we include a large recipe card with the photo of the finished dish on the front with the estimated cooking time listed…
… And images on the back showing each of the main preparation steps. Plus, we include the ingredients list, the tools or supplies needed, and a rundown of the nutrition values. These recipe cards are great to save for future use.
The first step is to zest all the lemon. Elvira uses a microplane and runs the lemon up and down over the surface, scraping off the yellow skin into the bowl. Lemon zest, or the zest of any citrus fruit, refers to the outermost layer of the peel known as the flavedo. This layer contains natural oils that are full of sweet citrus flavor.
She also uses my own citrus press to squeeze two tablespoons of lemon juice into a separate bowl.
Then, Elvira prepares the marinade. This Tuscan Spice Blend is included in the kit with all the other necessary dry ingredients for the dish. A Tuscan spice blend includes ingredients such as dried basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, fennel seeds, and garlic powder.
In he bowl, Elvira combines the spice blend along with three tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of the lemon juice.
We sliced the chicken breasts into strips before cooking, but one can also cut them after the chicken is cooked.
The chicken is cooked through in a skillet with two tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. This takes about four-minutes per side. Afterwards, it is transferred into the bowl with the marinade and set aside.
When ready to cook the pasta, be sure the pot is filled with enough water to cover the pasta. Use about four quarts of water for every one pound of pasta. In general, the more pasta one is cooking, the more water is needed to prevent the pasta from clumping up too much in the pot. Also add some salt to the water and make sure it is boiling before adding the pasta.
Elvira cooks the pasta until al-dente. For this specific pasta, that’s about eight to 10-minutes.
The kit also includes a pre-portioned amount of Parmesan cheese. Elvira grates all the cheese and sets it aside.
The pasta is ready. In cooking, al dente describes pasta or rice that is cooked to be firm to the bite. The exact translation from Italian is “to the tooth” and is the ideal consistency for pasta. Molto al dente is the culinary term for slightly undercooked pasta.
Then, after one cup of the pasta cooking water is reserved, the pasta is drained over the spinach – also included – which cooks it just enough until it wilts.
The remaining pasta water is poured back into the pot and heated again over medium-high heat until it is simmering.
All the mascarpone is added and stirred until melted. Mascarpone is a soft Italian acid-set cream cheese.
Elvira adds in the lemon zest, remaining lemon juice, and all but four tablespoons of the Parmesan. It is all stirred completely and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
The pasta and spinach are added to the sauce…
… and then tossed to coat and sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, the chicken is served over the pasta with any remaining marinade spooned over the top along with a sprinkle of the remaining Parmesan. This dish was so easy to prepare and so delicious. The final result looks just like the photo. These meals are so flavorful. Nothing was left over. Please go to the web site and sign up today!
This time of year is breeding season for the peafowl and geese, but I also have some very young residents at my farm that are already thriving - three baby Silkie chickens.
I love raising all kinds of chickens, but among my favorites is the Silkie. The Silkie, also known as the Silky or Chinese silk chicken, is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy, satin-like plumage. This breed is very calm and friendly. I have quite a few in my flock, and last month another three hatched right here in my incubator. They came from the 2023 Northeastern Poultry Congress - a poultry show held every year in Springfield, Massachusetts. Now, several weeks later, they're strong, alert, and will soon be ready to move into their new coop.
Here are some photos - and be sure to watch out for an entire show dedicated to hens and chicks coming up on "Martha Gardens" on the Roku Channel.
Down at the stable, we set up our incubating and hatching equipment from GQF Manufacturing, Inc. in Savannah, Georgia – a company that specializes in game bird and poultry supplies. There are several crucial conditions needed for proper embryo development in all birds. These factors include: proper temperature, controlled humidity, and sufficient air circulation.
The eggs are placed into the incubator where they are safe from other birds and closely monitored until they hatch. Chicken eggs take 21-days. While the eggs incubate, they are automatically turned once a day, 45-degrees each way, back and forth during this period. From days 17 to 21, they’re placed into this hatching cabinet, where it is still warm. Each egg has its own section, where it safe and cannot roll during the hatching process.
After the chicks hatch, they are placed into this cage in the same room. The room is kept very warm and the chicks are checked often.
Soon after, these three adorable chicks are hatched and walking around exploring their new surroundings.
This gray Silkie chick was a bit unstable at first, so we gently tape the legs for a few days until he gets stronger.
Fresh, clean water is always provided. In fact, every chick is personally shown where their food and water sources are, so they know where to find them.
The chicks are fed organic chick starter for the first six to eight weeks.
A heat lamp is placed into the cage to keep it extra warm. Baby chicks need constant monitoring until they are at least a month old. Chicks require an air temperature of 95 degrees during the first week, 90 degrees the second week, and so on – going down by around five degrees per week until they’re ready to transition to the coop.
Within days, they are all up and about and playing and interacting with each other. They also peck at each other playfully.
Wherever one goes, the others follow. There are eight Silkie color varieties accepted by the American Poultry Association. They include black, blue, buff, gray, partridge, splash, and white.
On the left is a stuffed toy we always put in with our chicks. They like to lie beside it and later use it as a perch. The red glow is from the heat lamp.
By the next week, these three are more curious and more vocal.
This one is also very interested in greeting any visitors that come by. Because they are raised here at the farm, they quickly become used to everyone on the crew and all the noises.
All these chicks have clear eyes and are very alert – signs of good health.
Here is a black Silkie chick – notice, Silkies have black eyes.
The chicks are now taller than the stuffed toy.
And look, one is strong enough to use it as a perch.
Meanwhile, Pete prepares the chicks’ next home – a small coop just outside the Stable.
Pete secures a galvanized steel eye bolt and chain from the ceiling of the coop to add another heat lamp.
The chain is adjusted to the proper height needed for the lamp – about a half foot, so the the chicks can safely sit underneath it if needed.
I also have Sweeter Heaters located in the coop. Sweeter Heaters are safe, energy-efficient, and reliable heaters for chicken coops and other animal enclosures. We got ours from My Pet Chicken.
I have two Sweeter Heaters in every coop at the farm during winter.
Here, Pete screws on the red bulb for the hanging heat lamp.
And gives it a test – it works perfectly. Any wiring will be safely secured away from the lamp.
The coop is now ready with sufficient heat sources. The nights are still quite cold here in the Northeast. Once the chicks are moved, they will remain here for another several weeks until they are big enough to move into the chicken yard to live with the others. They will still be monitored often to ensure they are comfortable and safe.
These three will be friends their entire lives. I am looking forward to seeing them grow and enjoy their time here at Cantitoe Corners. If you are interested in raising beautiful and productive chickens, please look out for my Roku show “Martha Gardens.” In an upcoming episode, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about hens, and chicks, and roosters, my favorite breeds, and give you a tour of my coops.
It’s a very special time of year for the peafowl at my Bedford, New York farm - it's the beginning of breeding season.
From now until early August, the peacocks display their stunning and iridescent tail feathers, strut back and forth shaking their hindquarters to produce a rattling sound, and make loud calls to the females. The peahens tend to choose males with the longest, most colorful tails. It’s always very interesting to watch these mating rituals up close - the "tail show" can be quite amazing. Many of you comment on how much you enjoy the posts on the animals at my farm, so I thought it was a good time to share this update on my gorgeous birds.
Enjoy these photos.
As many of you know, I share my farm with an ostentation of beautiful peafowl – peacocks as well as peahens. Their pen is outside my stable, completely enclosed to keep them safe from predators. Here is a beautiful “blue boy” perched just outside the coop. Peafowls are very hardy birds, and even though they are native to warm climates, they do very well in cold weather as long as they have access to dry areas away from strong winds. These birds will spend most of their days outdoors, and nights in their coop where it is warm and cozy.
Peafowl are members of the pheasant family. There are two Asiatic species – the blue or Indian peafowl native to India and Sri Lanka, and the green peafowl originally from Java and Burma, and one African species, the Congo peafowl from African rain forests. All my peafowl are Indian.
Both male and female peafowls have the fancy crest atop their heads called a corona. Male peacock feather crests are blue or green in color, while female crests are a more neutral shade of brown or cream. This is a female – a peahen. All my birds are friendly and come up quite close to visitors.
During the mating season, the peacocks will do their ritualistic dance to attract the hens. Here, one of the youngest peacocks is fanning its tail in competition for the females. Although his tail is still very short, he does his best.
The stiff rear feathers underlie the front feathers and provide support when the whole tail is raised. At this stage, this bird’s tail is not very heavy, but it will grow longer and more showy as he ages.
During the dance, the peacock turns in circles showing off his tail. This display is known as “train-rattling.”
Another young peacock fans his tail nearby. He is also doing the ritualistic dance. These males start practicing their dances when very young.
Peacocks are polygamous by nature, often having several partners during the season, and after courtship, and mating.
Here is a white peahen, who doesn’t seem so interested in these young peacocks. Notice, the females are less iridescent with more muted colors and markings, and no long tails. She continues to forage for food on the ground. The birds get a healthy mix of cornmeal, soybean, and wheat. I also feed the birds spinach, cabbage, and squash. In the wild, peacocks are omnivores – they eat insects, plants, and small creatures. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and evening.
This hen is watching the activity from her perch. While these birds are ground feeders and ground nesters, they still enjoy roosting at higher levels. In the wild, this keeps them safe from predators at night. My outdoor birds all have access to natural perches made from old felled trees here at the farm.
Here’s a young peacock opening his tail inside the coop.
All peacocks and peahens will look you in the eye, but if you stare at them or seem aggressive in body movements, they will feel threatened. I love how friendly all my peacocks and peahens are with people.
And here is a mature male with his gorgeous tail feathers hanging behind him. After breeding season ends in August, the males lose their long tail feathers and then grow them back before the next breeding season begins. The train gets longer and more elaborate until five or six years old when it reaches maximum splendor.
Peacocks and peahens are very smart, docile and adaptable birds. They are also quite clever and very curious. This is a mature peahen.
The beautiful feathers of the peacock grow to five feet long when mature – that’s longer than the bird’s body.
And, a mature peacock can have up to 200 feathers in his tail, which can weigh about a half pound during mating season. Peahens usually choose males that have bigger, healthier plumage with an abundance of eyespots.
Here is one of my adult peacocks turning his body as he starts lifting his tail. Researchers found that the longer the train feathers, the faster the males would shake them during true courtship displays, perhaps to demonstrate muscular strength.
And here is a peahen watching with some interest – maybe.
Once a peafowl pair has bred, the peahen will usually lay about three to eight brown eggs. It then takes about 28 to 30 days for the eggs to incubate before hatching.
No matter the species, these male creatures boast impressively sized and patterned plumage as part of the courtship ritual – it’s so interesting to watch.
As beautiful as peafowls are, they don’t make very melodious sounds. Peafowls have 11 different calls, with most of the vocalizing made by the peacocks. Look at this bird’s train. One can see this “tail show” several times a day from each male in the enclosure during the season.
Here’s a closer look at the gorgeous eyespots on this mature male’s lower portion tail feathers.
Peafowls are stunning to look at, but do not underestimate their power. These birds are extremely strong with very sharp spurs – just look at the legs and feet of this peacock. Full-grown, peacocks can weigh up to 13-pounds. Females can weigh up to just under nine-pounds. I wonder if we’ll have any peachicks this year, stay tuned…
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