Lisa Steele's Blog, page 10

6 Best Natural Plant Dyes for Easter Eggs

It's easy to dye Easter eggs using natural plant dyes made from foods you probably already have in your pantry or kitchen. 

Dyeing eggs at Easter is a time-honored tradition in many cultures. You can make it even more natural and creative when you use veggies and spices from your kitchen and pantry to color the eggs. 

There's no need to use commercial dyes or food coloring. It's healthier for your kids and chickens, and more economical to use plants - specifically vegetable peels and skins - espec...

Adding Ducks to your Backyard Chicken Flock

Adding some ducks to your backyard chicken flock is as easy as just adding water! Well, not really. But it's not difficult at all, as long as you follow these tips.

Since releasing my new cookbook, The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook, I've been receiving lots of questions about cooking and baking with duck eggs.

I do discuss using duck eggs instead of chicken eggs in the cookbook - and explain how duck eggs are actually better for baking because of their higher fat content. 

I've also been getting lots o...

The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook

The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook includes more than 100 fabulous recipes to use eggs in unexpected ways. The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook  is coming out on Tuesday (finally..... I'm SO excited for you all to see it!), so if you want to find a copy in your mailbox next week, it's time to get your order in!  Available at bookstores nationwide and even overseas, you can get a copy wherever you normally buy your books. 

Whether you order from one of the larger chains online or yo...

Chocolate Pots de Crème

Who doesn’t love warm cream and chocolate served in individual cups? Surprisingly light, pots de crème are rich, creamy, and silky smooth like a mousse.

Pot de crème is a French dessert whose name literally means "pot of cream". Served in individual cups or containers, it’s usually looser than custard or pudding and baked in a water bath to ensure a creamy result.

If you're a chocolate lover, you will adore this decadent dessert that's deceptively simple to make.

The creme de cacao is optional, bu...

Decadent (Almost) No Bake Chocolate Cream Pie

This rich, creamy, decadent chocolate cream pie doesn't require any baking except for the crust. So look no further for the perfect Valentine's Day dessert.

Nothing says Valentine's Day like chocolate, and this decadent chocolate cream pie is not only super quick to make, it's soooooooo delicious. 

Rich and creamy and delicious, my Almost No Bake Chocolate Cream Pie doesn't require any baking other than the crust - and it doesn't call for any eggs - so it's a great option to make when your girls a...

The Best DIY Chicken Tractor for your Hens

There are many ways to build a chicken coop, but this A-Frame Mobile Chicken Tractor is one of the best options if you want to free-range while keeping your flock safe.

It’s that time of year when we chicken-lovers are either planning out our first backyard flock or thinking about how we want to expand our existing flock. 

With all the planning that goes into starting out with chickens, how to build a chicken coop is usually at the top of the list. 

The Best DIY Chicken Tractor for your Hens

There a...

How to Herbify Your Chicken Flock

Several years ago, I chatted with Justin Rhodes about adding herbs to his chicken flock management program - in other words, how to "herbify" his flock. Here are some of the highlights of that conversation.

Justin Rhodes, author of The Rooted Life coming soon to bookstores nationwide, and founder of Abundant Permaculture has emerged as a leader in the permaculture movement over the last couple of years. I have had the honor of meeting him and his family several times since we both began our chick...

Cheesy Mushroom Pie + Butter Crackers

Whether or not you are looking to replace some of the meat in your diet, or just love mushrooms, my savory Cheesy Mushroom Pie is sure to please. It's so hearty and robust, you won't even miss the meat.

The earthy mushroom has been named the "ingredient of the year" for 2022 by The New York Times, so in honor or that, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes from my new The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook.

For this hearty “pie,” you can use any type of mushrooms and cheese, though I prefer Fontina c...

Writing a Cookbook for HarperCollins

The experience of writing my first cookbook for HarperCollins was a mix of excitement and low-level panic.

I had wanted to write a cookbook for years - and finally that dream was coming true! I would be lying if I didn't admit that along with the excitement, I felt a bit of low-key panic as well. This was really happening!

I had barely reconciled the fact that I had just signed a cookbook deal with the Harper Horizon imprint of HarperCollins in the spring of 2020 when an initial zoom call was set ...

How I Got a Cookbook Deal with HarperCollins

Writing a cookbook was only a dream, until it became a reality.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to write a cookbook. 

I remember as a little girl, I would sit with my mom looking through Redbook and Better Homes & Gardens, ripping out recipes I liked the looks of and then carefully cutting out the photo and instructions and gluing them on index cards I kept organized in a little recipe box. 

As a young wife years ago, I collected all my husband's family's favorite recipes and put them ...