Creative Meals ~ Eating Empty Pea Shells ~ Handiwork ~ The Garden Grows

Another creative week of stretching meals - used up the last two organic sweet potatoes I had on hand.

I had green onions and dill in the herb garden, so I made us some creamy sweet potato salad.  Yum.  The dressing is half yogurt and half mayo.  We love this stuff. 

Fish was pulled from the freezer (so thankful for that), and we still have veggies in the freezer from last year.   That bumper crop of green beans has been useful.  I still have a few servings of broccoli too.

And because I bought that antique (square cake carrier and haven't used it lately), I baked a double layer homemade (from scratch) chocolate cake.  I had recently tried a new baked chicken recipe (good but not worth making again nor saving the recipe), and on the same page was this lurking cake recipe.  Frosting included.  Lucky for me, the recipe is also online, so I don't have to type it out.  You can find it - (Family Circle Magazine) here.

Funny how things work out too. The only butter I have on hand this week, is organic-unsalted.  I need 2 sticks - one for the cake and one for the frosting.  Yeah, I didn't need it, but I needed recipes that didn't require a box of this, a can of that etc.  Now if I can just per-fect my peanut butter cake recipe.  It is too dry, but this chocolate one was pretty darn good.   It got all "thumbs up" from the family.

 (two luscious red raspberries)

The peas are still producing, and today's rain should bring on even more...shelled peas on the porch.  By the way, if you have a way you like to eat the empty pea shells, I'd love to hear about it. I know I can save them for broth making, sliver them into salads, and make a puree for other dishes, but if you have another suggestion, I'm all ears.  Lately the hens are getting the treats.  Oh, I know you can make pea pod wine too, but I'm not really interested in doing that this year.  Maybe next year.

The walnut cracking resumes.  The kids put them in my utility room for the grad party, and when something is out of sight....well....they are back on the table.  I needed some for oats, so I got to crackin' them, and they are (thankfully) still good.  I just don't like to sit that long, so I'm cracking in intervals.  The kids can't seem to remove the center hard part, so Mom is doing all of the cracking this year.  And very late I may add.

I took a few minutes to browse a borrowed magazine, sip on some healthy nettle tea infusion, and actually work on my crocheted doily.  It may have only been 15 minutes, but it was 15 for me.  The weather has been gorgeous.  

Then this happened another day...

I finished the doily.  This was mainly for practice to increase my knowledge and skills with this thread.  It measures about 12 x 16 inches - largest one I have ever done.  It's not perfect, but I'm doing better each time.  I just need to sew in ends and block it.  I only got this done because the weather was humid, about to storm any minute (which took all day), and there was nothing I could do comfortably in the gardens.

Zucchini is on.  So is the yellow straight neck.  The only issue is, I like to make zucchini salsa, and I won't have paste tomatoes on just yet.  I hope my farmstand neighbor has some when the time comes.  I will be very busy soon again.  There is even purslane growing next to it.  Hm.  Breakfast? 

The kids have been helping me with dishes and household chores, but one graduate is about to be employed (and I'm about to lose the freedom of a vehicle at the same time).  Hopefully it will all work out, and she'll be buying herself a car sooner than later (because the last child is about to get her permit to drive sooner than I'd like).