Quick Garden Tour

While out in our little garden the other day, I took a bunch of photos. We added the better part of one yard of soil to the beds and had the deer fence rebuilt.

This is looking back at the upper bed (as they are on a bit of a hill). From left to right, we are growing: cucumbers (plants), tomatoes (plants), corn (seeds), carrots (seeds), pumpkins (seeds) and string beans (seeds).

This is looking down at the lower bed. This one is quite loaded. In the lower right corner, you can see how my black mint, oregano and thyme not only came back from last year, but has taken over. Behind it, we planted peas (seeds) and morning glories (seeds). On the left side, we planted basil, chives, dill, cilantro, and strawberries (all plants). I had a ton of parsley come back from last year which was a huge surprise. It was the last herb to die off before our first frost, and I never pulled it up. It was the first herb to come back in the early spring and has already gone to seed. (need to do some major trimming) We also have some marigolds, vincas, petunias, a lone cosmo that reseeded from last year, and Girly's sunflower from school.

We planted two small rows of string beans last year and they produced enough for at least 6-8 dinners. This year we planted three larger rows since they were so delicious last year.


Peas! I think they are such beautiful plants. The leaves remind me of clover, and I love the way they send out the tendrils to grow upward. Can't wait to see how they come out!

I'm excited about the pumpkins. I hope they are here in time for Halloween. The corn I'm doubtful about, but it was a huge request from my girl. Our carrots last year were the best I've ever tasted, but take a LONG time to grow. Our herbs are growing so quickly that many have seeded. I dug all the holes, my girl planted nearly every seed.

So now, we water and watch. It's such a rewarding thing....a garden, even our small 8x4 foot plots. And I would be remiss not to mention that our garden gate is greeted by a huge patch of four and five leaf clovers. We discovered this last year, and it is a constant reminder of how beautiful and lovely things that are "different" can be! We love our little garden. I promise to post more photos as she grows.

P.S.

(something has enjoyed every strawberry!....I'm guessing a bird or chipmunk)

Welcome Summer

Summer officially begins today, according to the calendar. I'm happy to report that the sun is shining and my baby boy is feeling much better. I'm happy to start the summer with the important things in check. I can already feel how our routines and rules have shifted. Bedtimes and wake times are changing up a bit along with structure. Food choices have become looser, and so meal planning is a must.

This marking of summer is bittersweet for me. It signals time for relaxation and fun and time home with family. But in the back of my mind, it also marks the last season of me being home with my babes full time. I want to make the most of everyday. Even if that means not doing much, just enjoying the lazy days. I've come up with a Personal Summer Goals list of things I'm challenging myself to do. I've listed it on the side. September 1st is the deadline, or when summer starts to come to an end for me. Our whole family lives and breathes by the "school" calendar. The year begins in September and ends in June. That's the only way I remember it, and the way it will continue.

The time in between is NOW!

Papa's Day

Happy Father's Day!

My children have an amazing Daddy, wonderful Grandpa's, and super Great Grandpa's. Blessings for sure!

Sweet Baby Girl with Daddy as a newborn (2005)

Sweet Baby Boy with Daddy as a newborn (2009)

He is happy to give them a ride when they are tired out.

He is always up for playing.

The babes with Pop. (love ya Dad!)

Girly with Grandpa (early reader)

Girly with Grampy

Girly with Grandpa Mi

Girly with Grandfather

The Light

I'm drawn to natural light. It affects me deeply. When we've had consecutive cloudy days, I can feel my mood shift. I love the feeling of the sun on my skin. Things have been busy and a bit crazy around here this past week. Lots of end of the year celebrating, Mimi was here, wrapping up school for Scott and one little babe feeling under the weather. Been spinning my wheels and not getting too far, so to speak. Keeping things at status quo gets to me. I want those piles of wash put away. I need to have all the "stuff" taking up space in my house either put back in the right place, or I want it gone.

When I glanced out the window, later in the afternoon a few days ago...I saw the most beautiful light. It had already gotten darker, gray clouds looming and my energy was spent. I stopped in my tracks, grabbed my camera and ran outside. These photos really don't fully capture what I was seeing. The breeze was blowing and this beautiful light was shining across the valley; it looked like a spotlight. I was reminded of God's love. I felt touched and lifted up.




I hope I can remember this day. I need to remind myself of the beauty that surrounds me in so many ways. Sometimes noticing the light is the first step.

Mimi's Here

{Here's a photo from two summers ago....it's such a happy one!}

I love my girl so much!

Mimi's here and we are so happy about that. The babes are eating up the attention, especially my girl. I'm always grateful for the distances travelled to be with family for special occasions. Girly graduates from preschool tomorrow. Can hardly believe it!

Seems like we are winding up before we can wind back down around here. Finishing up with odds and ends.

Ran a mile in 11 minutes 2 seconds today, slowing only once for 5 seconds to catch my breath. Making progress one day at a time.

Tonight's dinner was really delicious so I thought I would share.

Roasted Vegetables and Fresh Mozzarella with Homemade Vinaigrette

(make wraps if you wish)

Preheat Oven: 425 degrees

Ingredients:

zucchini diced

eggplant skinned and diced

Vidalia onion sliced

fresh garlic cloves

red pepper sliced

orange pepper sliced

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh mozzerella

vinaigrette (fresh herbs, juice of 2 lemons, olive oil, salt, dijon mustard)

whole wheat wraps

Directions:

Cut up vegetables so that they are all about the same size. Toss with olive oil and Kosher salt in a large pan. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Be sure to toss every 15 minutes or so. Slice fresh mozzarella. To make vinaigrette, I used small amounts of finely chopped fresh chives, oregano, basil and parsley. Mix in pinch of salt, lemon juice, about 1/4 cup olive oil and teaspoon dijon....mix well with a whisk. I had whole wheat tortillas on hand (which Scott used to make a wrap) but I layered the vegetables, mozzarella and a small amount of the vinaigrette.

Notes/Thoughts:

Wow! What an outstanding meal! It was so fresh and flavorful.

You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand to roast. (same goes with herbs to make the vinaigrette)

Carnival!

*C*A*R*N*I*V*A*L*

I'm not entirely sure who had the most fun. Our local little carnival totally marked the beginning of summer for us. Funnel cake, cotton candy, bottle ring toss, rides and people watching! The bright flashing lights, smell of frying dough and pirate ship swinging....big time old memories for me, new ones created for my babes...

Daddy and Girly in the "Dizzy Dragon"

Beating Daddy at the water squirt game

(the little man riding in the backpack cheered him on)

First solo ride

Orient Express Dragon ride....

Some things never get old!!

Remembering Junes Past

I often go back through my old blog to see what my girl was doing at this time of the year. I'm so glad I kept all those photos and memories recorded.

This was from June 2005

(chair is now little guy's favorite!)

June 2006

(this was a beautiful day in the city, and I think she was done having her photo taken!)

Taking photographs has always been a way for me to preserve memories.

Photos + Words = Story

Summer List, Cool Find, CC Cookies

I was so inspired to make a SUMMER LIST from a beautiful blog I read (Thanks Megan!). We made one last night. It was fun, and the poster board filled up quickly. She really wanted me to put on there, "get a dog" and I would love to get her one....just not this summer. I added one of my personal goals, "run a 5K". But this list is mostly about the babes.

Have you seen or used the Ball brand Freezer containers? I stumbled upon them at Wal-Mart while shopping for canning supplies the other day. We've pretty much done away with plastic containers for drinking or storage use in our home. Anything plastic that had gone through the dishwasher or was used to freeze or reheat something was recycled. We replaced all of those with stainless steel drinking containers and glass storage. Anything left that is plastic in our kitchen is hand washed and never put in the freezer or microwave. These Ball brand storage containers are plastic, but are BPA free, come in various sizes, have screw-on tight lids and stack.

I made THESE chocolate chip cookies. Thank you Martha! They are THE BEST recipe I've ever made when it comes to cookies. Classic and delicious. I doubled the recipe and made some mini-logs rolled in wax paper and am freezing them for an instant treat. If you live nearby, come on over and you can have one! :)

I need to charge my camera battery so I can take photos and share our growing garden. Last Friday of preschool for my girl!

Guacamole Salad and Old Bay Baked Chicken

So here's what I made for dinner tonight....both are new versions of old recipes.

Guacamole Salad

(inspired by Stacey's version)

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados diced up

1/4 finely diced Vidalia onion

3/4 cup grape tomatoes cut into fourths

1 can black beans (rinsed off and drained)

Juice from 2 lemons

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 package Guacamole seasoning

few sprigs of fresh cilantro and parsley (finely chopped)

**you can totally change up the amounts of each ingredient to your taste!

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients as stated in the list (chopping/dicing, etc.).

2. I saved my avocado pits (I heard they keep the avocados from turning brown).

3. Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl.

4. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Notes/Thoughts

*I made mine ahead of time so I can pull it out for dinner.

*I used Concord Foods brand Guacamole dip (MSG free) and Organic Eden brand black beans. I was happy to see that their cans' lining is BPA free.

*I made a little bit of mezza rigatoni pasta to go with this salad....loved it.

Old Bay Baked Chicken

(inspired by a recipe I saw and now can't find! classic!)

*As noted, although I was trying a new seasoning with a recipe I make all the time, you can use whatever spices you like and use the same directions.

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

Time: 1.5 hours or longer if you want

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts, skin on, bone-in

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons salted butter (softened)

olive oil

4 cloves garlic sliced in half (8 total pieces)

1/2 -- 3/4 cup water or chicken stock

Directions:

1. Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Mix Old Bay with butter to form your rub.

2. Slide fingers under skin to loosen. Rub chicken with the rub! (both under the skin and on the skin)

4. Puncture two holes in each chicken breast and insert garlic clove halves.

5. Using a heavy bottom, oven-proof pot (I have a generic version of a Le Creuset from TJ Maxx), heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Lightly sear both sides of each chicken breast to lock in flavor. This should only take a few minutes, as you don't want to burn your seasoned chicken. Slide chicken breasts over, add chicken stock or water (don't dump directly over chicken), scrape up brown bits/seasoning with a wooden spoon and bring to a simmer quickly.

6. Add your lid and put in the oven.

7. Let it bake for 1.5 hours on 350 degrees. Let it sit on the stovetop for at least 15 minutes before serving. The meat should pull right off the bones.

Notes/Thoughts

*I loved this meal because I love baked or roasted chicken. It's moist and flavorful and yields a lot of chicken. Great for leftovers. (Scott prefers grilled skinless/boneless chicken breasts)

*You can easily (as I do often) use this same method and use different seasonings. I LOVE Crazy Jane's seasoning! You can also make a quick gravy out of the drippings and juice.

*I cooked mine for 2 hours in the oven and then let it sit for an hour on the stovetop. The meat pulled right apart.

Strawberry Picking and Freezer Jam

Strawberry picking this year was outstanding! The babes had an amazing time. Much different from last year when I had little guy in my pack. He loved roaming free, eating tons of strawberries and chasing his big sis! I love when our adventures turn out successfully.We picked the better part of 8 pounds of strawberries. The berries are smaller but sweeter this year. My girl searched for the biggest, and my little man was happy eating. Dropped berries were picked up (hay included) and shoved back in. I (and Grandma) totally enjoyed watching the two little ones having such a ball. There is something magical and wonderful about watching your children enjoying an experience as much as you did at their age. And, remembering it as if it were yesterday! (THanks mom for all those years out in the fields every June!) Mom would take us out of school one day every June to go pick strawberries and then send in a tray of chocolate covered strawberries the next day. There is nothing better than a hands-on experience to capture the pure essence of something. Strawberry picking definitely stimulates your senses!

This is Buddy the very BIG Mastiff. His birthday is in August and he will be two. Buddy is HUGE! Girly is 44 inches tall, so you can get some perspective on how big he is. She would have brought him home if she could. I told her one day when she has a farm, she can have a giant dog.

Evidence of lots of eating and laughing hard!

He would take a bite, drop it, pick it up (along with lots of straw) and try to continue eating it.

He would chase her to the ends of the earth....LOVES his big sis! I think she LOVES him too!

I’ve decided to try making Strawberry Freezer Jam. I looked through the many blogs I read (and their canning experiences). Inspired by tips and tools...here it goes. THIS POST made the most sense to me (thank you Erin!). I used the Sure Jell instructions and it was super easy.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

(recipe from Sure Jell package)

Ingredients:

1 pack of 12 (4 oz) Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars

1 Canning Funnel

4 cups sugar

1 box Sure Jell

2 cups mashed fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. Boil jars/lids 10 minutes to sterilize, set aside to dry

2. Cut up 2 cups of strawberries into little pieces

3. Mash with a pastry cutter until mushy

4. Pour 4 cups sugar into strawberry mash, stir and let sit for 10 minutes (stirred once or twice) smell is unreal!

5. Boiled 3/4 cup water with one package of Sure Jell, stirring constantly until dissolved

6. Poured into strawberry/sugar mixture, stirred for 3 minutes until mixed well

7. Used canning funnel and soup ladle to pour mixture into jars leaving 1/2 inch at top

8. Screwed lids on tightly

Wait 24 hours--Freeze

Notes/Thoughts

*smell after strawberries were mashed was unreal (intensely sweet!)

*took about 1 hour (while feeding little man)

*filled 12 (4 oz) jars exactly with 1/2 inch left at top

*really easy, not too much mess, other than bowls and pot

**just tasted it....it is very sweet and delicious...a little bit goes a long way!

The best little helper!

Buttermilk Cornbread

We LOVE this recipe! I recently made it for a BBQ and it was very well received. It will make your house smell unbelievable, and best of all it's super easy! Although I've changed it up a bit from the original recipe, I like to give credit where credit is due, so I've included the original link. It's a great site.

Buttermilk Cornbread

(adapted from this recipe)

I make this with Scott’s Favorite Chili and eat the leftovers with my coffee the next morning. This recipe is sweet and moist...goes great with BBQ too.

Preheat Oven: 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1 cup stone ground cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup salted butter (melted, but not hot)

2/3 cup buttermilk (lowfat works just fine)

2 eggs

spray oil (I like Pam olive oil spray)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pie plate with Pam olive oil spray. Cut a circle out of parchment or wax paper and line bottom of plate.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour, sugar, and baking powder.

3. Pour in butter, buttermilk, and eggs, mix well.

4. Pour thick mixture into prepared pie plate.

5. Cook for about 20 minutes or until edges are slightly brown and center springs back when touched.

Notes/Thoughts

*I almost always use Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Salted butter, so I frequently leave salt out of recipes. I also don't like oil in my baked goods, so I substitute butter.

*I promise this recipe won't disappoint, and can be used in so many ways.

Scott's Favorite Chili and Buttermilk Cornbread

This is what we are having for dinner tonight. It might be Scott's favorite dinner (and there's plenty for leftovers for tomorrow's lunch) I've included where I found the original recipe that inspired me, but have changed them up enough to call them "adapted". Still like to give credit where credit is due.

Scott’s Favorite Chili

(adapted from this recipe)

This is one of Scott’s favorite meals. I pair it with cornbread (see recipe HERE), rice and a taco blend cheese. Layer the rice, cornbread, chili and cheese for a hearty meal. See notes/thoughts for a few tips.

Total Cooking Time: about 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 pounds 99% fat free ground turkey

1 box (32 oz) Pacific Beef Broth (I end up using 1/2 to 2/3 of it...freeze the rest)

2 cans or (16 oz total) tomato sauce (I use whatever I have on hand)

Batch One:

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Batch Two:

5 tablespoons red chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

Batch Three:

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

(If you have all of your spices sitting out and a measuring spoon, it is super easy!)

1. In a large heavy pot, lightly brown ground turkey (use a dash of olive oil if needed to avoid sticking).

2. Add tomato sauce and beef broth, mix well, chopping up meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Bring to a slight boil, then turn down low.

3. Simmer, uncovered for one hour, stirring occasionally.

4. Add all ingredients from Batch One, stir and simmer for 30 minutes (I cover at this point).

5. Add all ingredients from Batch Two. Stir frequently for the next 20 mintues.

6. Add all ingredients from Batch Three, stir and cook for another 10 minutes.

7. Take off the heat....you are done!

Notes/Thoughts:

*This chili is really good, spicy but not too hot.

*I like Pacific brand broth because it doesn’t contain MSG. I pour about 1/2 to 2/3 of the box in. If my ground turkey looks dry after an hour, I pour a bit more in.

*If you look at the original recipe, I’ve changed it up a bit, but feel free to add/delete spices or ingredients....my goal was no MSG, low fat, tasty.

*Don’t be intimidated by all the spices....just set them out, post the recipe on the fridge. It takes 10 seconds to measure and dump the batches in.

*The three batches really build flavor!

*Try the cornbread with it....it’s outstanding!

*This makes a lot...good for lunch the next day.

*If it gets too dry during cooking, just gradually add in a bit more broth.