jumping through hoops for a coop

While it's legal to have backyard chickens in my city, there are restrictions and requirements out the wazoo.

They must be confined in a coop that is at least 25 feet from any property line and has at least four square feet of floor space per bird. We must pay $40 annually for a permit, but before we can get the permit, the city has to send someone to inspect the coop. On the permit application, we must list all neighbors whose property touches ours so animal control can contact them to make sure they have no problem with our chicken raising and that it’s not going to infringe their enjoyment of their property.

These things are part of the reason we've put off undertaking such an endeavor. We haven't even met one set of neighbors, much less know their names! For now, we'll have to make do with grocery store eggs.

Have you ever used pasteurized eggs? Safest Choice™ pasteurized eggs not only have an extended shelf life, but they also provide peace of mind when it comes to food safety, particularly when preparing recipes that call for uncooked eggs. Eggs carry salmonella, which is the leading cause of food poisoning in the United States. Cooking kills the salmonella bacteria, but some recipes (like eggnog, Hollandaise sauce, and mayonnaise) call for uncooked eggs. Plus, even when preparing cooked eggs, you run the risk of cross-contamination. A little speck of raw egg on your hands or cutting board can be transferred to something else and ultimately make someone sick.

The solution is to use pasteurized eggs, which are gently heated in their shells, just enough to kill the bacteria but not enough to actually cook the egg. Pasteurized shell eggs are safe to use in any recipe that calls for uncooked or partially cooked eggs (think poached or sunny-side-up). While Safest Choice eggs aren't available everywhere, they're getting their products into more and more stores (store locator) across the country. Bonus: Their website has oodles of recipes making use of their eggs.

Does alcohol kill salmonella? I'm going to look into that. If it does, that stuff doesn't stand a chance in this drink, which is made with pasteurized eggs AND booze. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Pie Eggnog

Ingredients:

• 4 Safest Choice™ pasteurized eggs
• 1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1/2 cup rum, optional (but encouraged, if you like that sort of thing)
• Garnishes like whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, caramel ice cream topping, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, and apple wedges

Directions:
Combine eggs and apple pie filling in blender and blend on high speed until very smooth, scraping container as needed.
Add milk and apple pie spice; blend on high speed until smooth.
Stir in the rum, if you want your drink spiked.
Pour into glass or mug and top each serving with whipped cream and caramel topping. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon sugar and garnish with cinnamon stick or apple wedge, if desired. Top each serving with whipped cream and caramel topping. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon sugar and garnish with cinnamon stick or apple wedge, if desired.