sad story...looking for the upside

Picked up this great, melmac, handmade bird feeder at a local art show. It is my first bird feeder ever! Yea, yea so I get excited about a bird feeder, we all have our little pleasures. I filled it with the finest seeds that Home Depot has to offer. It was, in fact, a special blend of seeds. Hand selected to attract the finest song birds one's ears will hear. The prettiest little beauties to grace one's yard will come seeking this exquisite blend of seed. It was at least two weeks before the birds found the feeder.

Not long after they were enjoying the tasty delights that I had set out for God's little angels, I found a scattering of feathers under the feeder. I mentioned it twice to Dan. He was quick to change the subject, due to boredom of topic or he really could not comprehend why I was asking. I say this because I finally pushed for a response and it went something like... (I can't really remember the exact words other than "3 yr old" and "killed" because of the shock)...so, something like this... do you have the mental capacity of a 3 year old and you really don't get that birds did not get into a fight and thus the feathers, something killed a bird there!

I was shocked and horrified and not by Dan (he's the sweetest guy who meant no insult) but by the fact that I aided in the death of a bird that I only wanted to feed so that I could selfishly watch and maybe listen to a "thank you, phoebe... for the bird seed" song. ugh

I have since been refilling the bird feeder but may look for a new home to hang it. I bought 2 books from Rodale on how to attract butterflies, humming birds, and birds into my back yard and will do the required research. I hope they have lots of pictures and big (font) words that are easy to understand...

ricotta gnocchi with garden veggies

This recipe is adapted from a favorite cookbook that I picked up in Rehobeth last summer with hot pants Dan. The book is titled, A Colorful Cookbook: Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros. Tess, unlike me, is world traveled and schooled in fine cooking. Like me, her father is Greek and she loves color, simplicity, and pure food. Paging through her cookbook is like walking through a scrapbook of her childhood while unwrapping the gift of memories that she is going to give her children. I am charmed by this book.

So, I'm tooling around in the white section and find a simple recipe to compliment the yummy tomatoes and basil that are in the garden. I only have to turn the stove on for a bit to cook up these babies, it should not get too hot in this kitchen.
It took less than 10 minutes to prepare these little cheesy pillows. The were amazing!

15 oz cups ricotta cheese (Russo's Gourmet Food Market, for locals)
5 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup, scant all purpose flour
garlic powder, just a sprinkle
salt, just a pinchMix all of the ingredients together. Place in the fridge to chill. I found it easier to work with when it was cold. You will only need a bit of flour on your work surface and hands to roll out the mixture. You want to be careful not to make these heavy with excess flour and don't press had when working with the "dough." be gentle! Divide the mixture into 4 parts. Roll each portion out until it is a little thicker than your thumb and cut into pieces about 1/2 inch long.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook for about 45 seconds, until they float to the surface. As they float up, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place them onto serving plate.

yard sale finds and artist goodies

50 cents each! The green glass globe was a Goggle Works artist sale goodie...$5.00 The flying saucer bird house (in the back) made from, collectible melmac, locally made. I am sure no birds will be using it...I have to read up on where to place birdhouses and hopefully get some tenants next season. Please put the word out, I'm looking for phoebe birds.

I'm going to be a cucumber

(I could be one of 3 varieties that phoebe planted...she lost track of name tags)

Maybe I need to find a new hobby. Shopping, fitness club junkie, baker, eating baked good, self pampering...

Gardening is back breaking, time consuming, requires planning. It all begins in the winter... picking seeds, ordering, starting them, keeping them alive and properly tagged. I am talking rotating crops, companion planting, bed spacing, layout, what time to plant which veggie, what goes in after the beans come out, tilling, retilling, soil health, attracting beneficials, keeping away the devil bugs without pesticides, fencing out rabbits and other hairy creatures, preventing blight, dreaming about blight killing the tomatoes, making sure the plants have enough water and at the right time of day, did I mention the amount of fluids lost in perspiration (not talking weight loss because I'd be back to my normal size by now)...or being a bit "dewy" - as the southerners would say)...I mean the amount of sweat equity is disturbing.

...but... oh my goodness, a baby cucumber makes me so proud and the sense of accomplishment, priceless! I'm finding that simplicity is breathing freely. Call me naive, it won't be the first time, but there are times when I step into the garden or by the flower beds and I just want to kick my heels up and scream just like Stewart, from MAD TV, .... "look what I can do!" My pockets don't have to be full but my heart should be light!

black garbanzo bean harvest

yes, please do adjust your screen because my harvest was itty bitty. This is the first time I planted garbanzo beans so there were no real expectations, just keep the plants alive until something grew. I planted about 8 plants. The beans grew in pairs per pod. Suppose I need to eat these black sheep of the garbanzo family before I commit an entire row for them in 2011.

I have limas that are still growing a few heirloom green beans to harvest. Those beds will be cleaned out for new plantings that will be harvested in the fall!

patty pan squash

Okay, we have all seen this before... stuffed summer squash but this is my,
"what's on hand" version. My kitchen has a wonderful scent wafting around in the breeze (it's hot and I have the fan on high).

I was excited to start these babies, heirloom benning's green tint squash. This is only my third year growing and I don't like the ordinary. These grow so quickly they are getting away from me. Dan picked these two this weekend and I plan on heading out to check for more when I'm done typing and the sun takes a break. So this dish is born of what I grew in the garden. It's pure love stuffed in a squash and baked!

• 2 squash, scooped out (dice up the scooped out part)
• Kernels from 2 ears of corn
• 1 sweet potato, chopped (neighbor's)
• 1 large red onion, chopped (okay, maybe not all from my garden...this is from Martin's...but I am growing onions)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup garlic bulbs, chopped
• 1 cup of cooked, organic sweet brown rice (try quinoa, spelt or kamut)
  
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 jars (approx. 3 1/2 cups tomato sauce...mine is roasted tomato sauce from last year)
• oregano, salt and pepper, to taste
  

saute ground turkey with a tablespoon of olive oil, onions, seasoning, and garlic. Just as the meat is browning turn the heat to med-low and add the sweet potato, corn, rice and tomato sauce. simmer for about 15 minutes.

okay... my oven is preheating now so wing the rest! I have the oven at 400 degrees and will cook, covered for 45 minutes but will check at 30 minutes. the squash should not be so overcook that it falls apart.

I have about 3 cups of leftovers. If you do, don't panic. Freeze it for later.

Growing Tomatoes - Dr. Weil

Growing Tomatoes - Dr. Weil

basil or fresh garden peas?

I know this is not a picture of basil but we all know what that looks like... I want to share a quick thought on what you can do with your basil! I made this for Christmas one year and my brother-in-law loved it.

I find it most efficient to make my pesto and freeze it in ziplock bags. I use a basic recipe of walnuts, garlic, basil, and cheese. I have been doing some googling to find out what people do to keep the color preserved. I have seen everything from quick blanch the leaves, citric acid to lemon juice.

Anyway, take some of your fresh or frozen pesto (about 1/2 cup) and mix it with sour cream or a blend of sour cream and yogurt. Whatever dairy combo that you use to make french onion dip should do. Of course, go by taste. Add a pinch of salt or a dash of soy sauce. Maybe you like it spicy so try some pepper flakes or powdered cayenne.

This makes a crazy good dip!

did you know?

• there are 60 varieties of basil
• it has anti-fungal properties
• it has anti-inflammatory properties
• the vitamin A in basil makes it a great at fighting free radicals
• check out this site to read more
  

what's better than roasted veggies?

fresh from the garden grilled veggies! Last weekend, during our heat stroke/heat wave, I fired up the grill and put on some fresh from the garden

• skewered red potatoes, onions and cherry tomatoes that were drizzled with some olive oil
• and corn on the cob
  
• summer squash
• beet greens (in an aluminum foil pocket with a little fresh garlic and olive oil)
  

I only tell you this, not so big revelation, to share that it makes wicked good leftovers, cold and over fresh greens with some feta for a great salad! Beautiful to look and and fab on the hips...unless followed by a mother-in-laws coconut cake...