I’m really feeling a little down in the dumps today… I feel very left out (or left in, as the case may be).  My caregiver is really a very nice person, but honestly, she would go traipsing about the garden all morning long, watering this, pruning that, without even thinking about including me.  Life can be tough and just downright cruel sometimes.  I smell sweet basil, lemon thyme, scented geranium, rose, sage… this is just agonizing.  I’m stuck in here… with all those wonderful herbs… out there.  Just a few hops and I could be dining sumptuously.

Not that I couldn’t exercise some restraint.  I mean really, could she just let me out in the garden, I’d behave… really I would.  I just want to sniff the plants.  Honestly, I wouldn’t nibble on a thing.  I’ve been a good bunny all morning, I haven’t raided the trash bin, I didn’t pee once on the floor.  I ate all my veggies (of course, I always eat all my veggies), and I didn’t pull anything off the coffee table… not one thing. 

Please may I come out now… I took my nap!

Oh, wait, here she comes… the door is opening, she’s inviting me out.  Oh joy!!!!  Basil, thyme here I come… I’d better behave, I could be in the rabbit house if I don’t mind my manners… but everything is so tempting. I'll just wait patiently... until she's not looking! 

What’s that she’s doing?  She’s picking SWEET BASIL!  Is she going inside with it?  I’d better follow her to make sure she doesn’t do something silly with it, like making pesto.  Wait!  She’s sitting down on the back step.  Who?  Me?  You want me?  I’m supposed to just hop over like nothing ever happened?  As if you didn’t ignore me for hours on end while you paraded around the garden right in front of me?  Now what is she doing?  She’s holding out some SWEET BASIL!!!  Honestly, just one leaf?  Well, here I go.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a taste test.   mmmmmph… oh, the joys of fresh picked SWEET BASIL!!! 

I guess life really isn’t so bad after all!  For this bunny anyway!   

Now between you & me, I prefer my sweet basil straight off the bush, hold the olive oil, please.  But, if you must, here's a nice recipe for Sweet Basil Pesto. You can use it over pasta or as a spread on a sandwich.  You can even use it on pizza, in place of tomato sauce, if you wish.

 Sweet Basil Pesto 

Fresh sweet basil washed & patted dry(about 4 cups packed)

1/3 cup pine nuts (for a more economical pesto, use walnuts)

1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 3/4 to 1 cup to keep the mixture blending easily

Toast the pine nuts just a bit in a frying pan over med/low heat.

In a blender place the half the olive oil, pine nuts, basil leaves & cheese. Blend on medium low, adding olive oil as need to keep the mixture blending smoothly.

Blend until the mixture is a paste like consistency. 

Refrigerate in a clean glass container with a little olive oil drizzled on top to keep the pesto from turning brown.  If you wish, the pesto can be frozen.   

Surf's Up!

My daughter left her boogie board in the family room. 

Chip thinks he might like to give it a go, but he has

some serious questions ~


Do wetsuits come in his size? 

Should he buy SPF 15 or SPF 30? (for his ears!)

Hang ten, Chip!  

Rabbit Weather

Chip doesn't have too much to say today...  a nice friend (she'll know who she is) gave him a coupon for Honey Nut Cheerios yesterday... solving his dilemma over the empty box.  It's "rabbit weather" so he's relaxing by the back door, taking in the scent of sweet basil just outside.

Although he doesn't eat chicken, Chip wanted me to share the roast chicken recipe I was making the other day.  He did like that dollop of herb butter that fell on him!

Herb Roasted Chicken with Apples & Onions

Slow roasting gives time for the flavors to blend and keeps the chicken really moist. 

1 whole chicken

1 apple chopped into pieces

1 onion, halved & quartered

Fresh herbs:  parsley, thyme, tarragon, sage or whatever you have in the garden

½ cup brandy

1 cup water

4 tbsp butter, softened

4 tbsp olive oil

Chop fresh herbs and mix well with butter & oil and salt & pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Salt & pepper inside of chicken and place in baking dish.  Stuff some of the apple & onion pieces inside the cavity along with a few sprigs of herbs.

With your fingers or a sharp knife, carefully lift the skin off the breast and legs of the chicken but do not remove.  Be careful not to tear the skin.  Rub the herb butter mix over the breast and legs underneath the skin. 

Pour the water & brandy in the baking dish and add the remainder of the apples & onions around the chicken. 

Slow roast in a 275F oven for 3 to 4 hours or until done.   



Will someone please help? 

I’d like a bowl of Cheerios! 

Life can be very frustrating when you’re short….



What will Chip do?  How will he solve his problem?

Super Chip

                                 Super Chip to the rescue

     Able to leap trash bins in a single bound!

                                              Chip’s Nemesis

                    Stay put and nobody gets hurt!

Hot Cross Bun

Today was a hot one!  Almost 100F and Chip was feeling the heat.  Poor little fellow, he was out of his hutch most of the afternoon, sprawled on the family room floor.  At one point I went out to the garden to pick some fresh basil.  When I returned to the kitchen, there was Chip, stretched out in the middle of the kitchen floor like a rabbit skin rug, trying to catch as much cool surface as he could.  His floppy ears were hot so I swabbed them several times with a cool cloth.  It seemed to perk him up temporarily, and he resumed begging for a short time while I prepared dinner, before once again flopping down.  For a rabbit, even the potential for fresh veggies loses its allure when the temperature soars.   

Chip also gets a little grouchy in the heat.   As I swept up around him, he seemed to resent the intrusion of the broom, and summoned enough energy to mount an attack on this bristled creature invading his personal space bubble.  The battle was over before it began however and, crumbs swept, a hot Chip flaked out on the floor, the momentary wave of energy having evaporated.  Super Chip’s nemesis, the broom, will have to wait for a cooler day.   

We ate dinner, fresh Swiss chard from the farmer’s market and potato salad, out in the garden.  A lovely summer breeze accompanied our meal bearing the scent of lemon blossoms and roses.  My daughter let Chip out onto the back steps where he roosted, nose twitching nonstop, enjoying the gentle breeze and the cooler air.  He contented himself with my daughter’s attentions while cooling off before venturing back into the house, his hutch and his rabbit chow waiting and his appetite revived.

It's 4th of July weekend and we hear the occasional pop of a firecracker but the noise doesn't seem to concern Chip too much.  He does want to wish everyoe a safe and happy 4th of July, and he hopes you'll all enjoy grilling fresh veggies and sipping lemonade.  

Cheers from Chip!

Roasted Potato Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs

2 lbs red skinned new potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes washed and sliced into quarters

A good quality extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Fresh herbs of your choice

Placed quartered potatoes in a baking dish.  Drizzle olive oil to coat and mix thoroughly with salt & pepper.  Roast in a 425F oven until tender and light golden brown, but not dried out.

Cool to room temperature and toss with any favorite combination of chopped fresh herbs such as basil, chive, tarragon, rosemary, dill, thyme or parsley and a little more olive oil. 

We like the following combinations but don’t be afraid to experiment & come up with your own! 

·        chopped fresh basil with grated Romano cheese and olive oil

·        chives & dill with a dollop of mayonnaise, mix well to coat potatoes thoroughly

·        tarragon & parsley with olive oil and a dollop of Dijon mustard (you can add a little honey to this too)

·        dried oregano with plain nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil; add chopped Kalamato olives for an extra zing!

Rabbit Days

There are days that are busy beyond belief; days when there are not enough minutes in the hour, not enough hours to go around.  Chip does not like these days and neither do I.  I like productive days, days when I feel satisfied and content that I’ve accomplished something but still have time to breathe.  These are the days when Chip spends his mornings contentedly lounging in the morning sun that streams through the back door.  If I am fortunate enough to have time to spend in the garden, he’ll roost in this spot, watching me weed & water, prune & putter.  His nose is a study in perpetual motion as he drinks in the the delicious aromas of rosemary, basil, scented geranium, lemon verbena to name a few that I can actually smell, and most likely many scents we cannot even imagine. Occasionally he’ll even come out for a well-supervised romp to inspect said herbs.  For those of you who contend with wild rabbits eating their way through your garden, you’ll know what I mean when I say “well-supervised”. It would take Chip no time at all to eat through the herb pots on the back porch, or nibble every carrot top in the veggie bed.       

All in all though, in spite of those days when Chip cannot enjoy free reign in the family room & kitchen, life is pretty good for this little guy with a big personality.  He has a double-decker hutch in the family room, with an access door that is more often open than not, fresh veggies, hay and rabbit chow and human companions that live at his beck & call.  Some say he is spoiled.  I like to think of him as “overly indulged”.  How could one possibly "spoil" a rabbit like Chip?     

A great gardening link!

http://sharonlovejoy.com/CultivatingWonder/Home.html

Meet Chip

This .... is.... Chip.  How can you not love a face like that?  How can you not love a baby bunny that fit in the palm of your hand when you were first introduced?  Chip is now almost 3 years old, he's only slightly grown into those large hind feet.  They kind of grew with him.   They are advantageous in that he can jump into the kitchen garbage pail in a single bound.  Welcome to Chip's Clips... life from a bunny perspective.  He's more than just vegetarian.  He's more than just cute and soft and a trash bin raider.  He's a companion and great fun.  He's a whole lot of personality stuffed into a small package.   He' stubborn, but loyal, pesky, but commits daily acts of cuteness.  I cannot imagine my house without him in it. 
     Chip shares my love of gardening.  Not that he gets out there and digs in the dirt with me, but he enjoys the fruits of my labors: carrot tops, herbs and the occasional strawberry.  He's a strict vegetarian & eagerly awaits each morning with anticipation of raiding the produce bin in the refrigerator.  The bin is clear and it's on the bottom shelf, so whenever the door opens he worms his way between my feet and the bin, stands there and looks longingly at whatever is inside.  Vigilance is required at all times; bags of carrots have been known to disappear if one isn't careful.  Did I mention, he is quick, too?  
     Today, as I was dressing a chicken to be roasted, I returned from the garden with parsley and thyme for the herb butter.  Chip has a discriminating and sensitive nose, so he instantly detected the scent of herbs.  Positioning himself conveniently (or inconveniently, depending on your perspective) underfoot, Chip waited for something to drop his way.  As I was preparing the herb butter he kept hopping back and forth, creating a tripping hazard, but it's his way of letting me know he is there, waiting & ready.  He's cute, but he's pesky.  As I was rubbing the herb butter on the chicken, he became increasingly insistent on receiving some herbs for himself and we almost tripped each other up.  As he sat on his haunches and began begging, shamelessly, a blop of herb butter splattered on his fur.  I reminded him to mind his manners or I'd be rubbing him with herb butter, instead of the chicken.  He failed to find this amusing, and hopped away, leaving me to finish the work on the chicken.  What a grump!
   Chip has forgiven me now; he sits at my feet roosting companionably as I type this blog entry.  Rabbits have short memories.