An Egg In Time

A coworker brought in a huge bag filled with sweet banana peppers to work Thursday night. I took six large ones and then spent the rest of the night deciding what I wanted to do with them. I decided to make stuffed peppers, which normally requires bell peppers.

Since banana peppers are much smaller I had to cut the stuffing recipe in half. The recipe calls for one large egg, but I only needed a medium egg. I have five store bought eggs in the fridge, but I'm saving them for baking. What to do?

Rewind to earlier this afternoon. The boys and I noticed that Sweetheart, Derek's 19 week old Buff Orpington pullet, kept pacing in the chicken coop. She was hopping into the nest boxes and was agitated when I went in to clean the coop. She chose a nest and began rearranging the straw in it, then sat. It was hot in the coop and she was panting, but she wouldn't get out of the box.

I was busy making stuffed peppers in the kitchen and told Derek that I hoped Sweetheart was seriously laying an egg and not just fooling around in the nest boxes. I needed a medium egg to finish the peppers! Just about the time I was telling Derek to go coach his pullet, Ian rushed in with a lovely medium egg, still warm and damp, fresh from the chicken. Sweetheart delivered the goods! You just can't get any fresher than that! I cracked the pretty egg into the ground beef and finished making the peppers.

Sweetheart owes her life to Derek. If he hadn't named her she would be in my freezer right now. And I would be out of a medium egg!