Pioneer Woman at Heart

  Two varieties and they are all pulled from the grow bags.  Some roots where 6-7 inches long.  Just need to top off the grow bags with more soil and put new cardboard under the bags.   I tied up almost all of the tomato plants, and some already re-tied do to good growth.  Some tomatoes are already on the plants. It was too hot and humid to stay out in the garden, even though there is one more flower bed to weed.  I managed to plant two parsley plants and one more rosemary.  One rosemary died for some reason, and it's getting watered. I was walking on a small sidewalk we made between two flower beds, and I almost stepped on a slithering snake.  In my flip flops.  I am sure anyone driving by, got a kick out of my dance in the yard trying to avoid it.

  Although on the "rainy day" list, I got a batch of meatballs restocked and in the freezer.  I like to do this early in the year, before the freezer is too full to put trays of them in there to freeze. To help cool off the ladies, I filled a muffin pan with veggies and water and froze them for some delicious freezer treats. Our internet has been working, but it's slower now.  I hope they get all the bugs out soon.  Several people are having issues. More stores and restaurants have been closing numerous day.  They cannot hire enough employees, as no one wants to work. We tried another new recipe - Slow Cooker Jalapeno Dip .  I used frozen jalapenos from the garden (vs. canned as the recipe called for).   How did it taste?  Very good!  You can control the amount of heat by the amount of jalapenos too.  When I freeze my jalapenos, I leave the seeds in.  We topped this dip with freshly diced green onions.

We are still getting rain daily, but the heat is back too.  The garden is doing great, but the weeding is hard to keep up with (with the rain). We had a relaxing weekend. Sunday we played cards on the porch, and grilled steaks and corn on the cob.  Believe it or not, the organic ribeyes were way cheaper than buying other non-organic steaks at the grocery store. Once again gas was out at the other grocery store.  I am hearing it is due to lack of drivers to get the gas delivered. My to-do list is right back at it this morning.  We deserved to have a relaxing weekend, so it's back to work -master bath -restock freezer (that's a list of itself, ha ha) -dishes, run dishwasher -laundry before it rains -muck chicken coop I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. The weather . . . I'm told it will "feel like" 94°F today.  More rain in the evening. How I am feeling this morning . . . Frustrated after getting some news I wasn't expecting. On the breakfast ...

I took some photos while weeding flower beds a few days before we lost internet.  You are finally getting to see them today.  

  We were watching a movie one night and they were talking about dressing up canned peas for a delicious side.  One day I came in hot and tired from garden work and didn't want to run to town for fresh veggies, so I dumped a few cans of peas (drained and rinsed) and dressed them up with butter, onions, thyme and salt and pepper.  Yum! We have also mixed in yellow squash relish, but I don't can that anymore.  I have a list of items that need made and stocked back up.  I save these to-do's for rainy days. Pizza dough was restocked in the freezer.  Something I learned . . . Add cornstarch to your roasted vegetables for a crispier roasted side.  Suggested amount is 1 Tbsp. per pound of vegetables.  I'll update, regarding this new tip, after I try it. July is booking up fast with parties, gatherings, travel plans and get togethers.  July also is the month in which Daughter E's boyfriend and his best friend were killed in a car accident.  Ther...

I'm back!  I have discovered how much I can get weeded when we have no internet, ha ha!  Woke up to no internet on Wednesday morning.  Five phone calls later we were in town getting a new modem, only to come home and not have internet.  Again.   I got a text message yesterday that said "your system was restored etc."  It was not.  Ten minutes later I get a phone call to make an appt. for this coming Sat.  Last night the dogs alerted us and we find our internet provider in our driveway.  Hubby ran out to see what was going on.  He said something happened with their "system" and it sent a power surge to many homes knocking out their internet (hm?).  He was sending a ping to the modem.  Internet is back on finally. Got another text message.  It was correct this time, and to reply to cancel our Sat. appt.  Sigh.  Anyway, glad it's back on, but it made me realize that if we all went out, our quick and easy commun...

Woke up to a brisk 49°F (feels like 47°F).  Brrr!  Not good for the garden.  Sheesh.  Yesterday the wind was blowing so hard I chose not to use the clothesline in fear my bloomers would end up in the next county. Garlic scapes are part of the garlic plant that gets cut off to help the plant continue to grow.  By the way, if you do not grow garlic, check your local Farmer's Markets for garlic scapes.  Many gardeners sell them this time of year.   They are edible and we love to make garlic scape dip with radishes we grow as well. They also last a long time in the refrigerator, but this year I tried something new with the remaining scapes.  I dehydrated them into garlic scape powder. Dice scapes and use the temperature on your dehydrator you use to dehydrate vegetables. Once they are dried, grind to a powder using a coffee mill and store as you would garlic powder.  It's a milder flavor, but I'm excited to have it in my pantry this year....

We had a very muggy and hot weekend.  The humidity was so thick you felt like you were swimming in the air.   We attended our grand niece's graduation party.  So proud of her.  She's about the same age as Daughter E.  She has 2 jobs, bought her own car, and has bought her own trailer to live it.  Most kids her age are living on unemployment these days.  Oh, and she graduated with honors, just like Daughter E did. (hubby took a photo just after slicing he was so happy to get a blueberry pie) Anyway, about the only other thing I got done, was bake a blueberry pie (didn't get that crust pinched together though) for my husband for Father's Day.  He was overjoyed.  It was completely spontaneous too. Father's day was just us two.  It was also my first Father's Day without my Dad. The girls had to work and the others kids made no contact, so we took off on a motorcycle ride.  I thought it would be hard to get into a place to eat due t...

Nothing real exciting to post today.  First thing I did yesterday morning was check laundry, run the dishwasher and wash any remaining pots and pans.  If the storms took out the power, we have no running water. Cell phones were charged, and water was put up for the animals.  Just in case.  Oil  lamps- check,  lamp oil - check, candles and matches - check, emergency lamp/radio - check. I also decided not to do more freezer cleaning, and to not use both dehydrators.  I didn't want to risk a freezer that wasn't shut and cold, nor have any electrical issues with any outages.  Those jobs remain on the to-do list. Early morning a steady rainfall began, followed by wind and thunderstorms.   The temperature dropped and it was too chilly (and not safe) to read on the porch.  Soon, around noon the rain stopped and the sun came out.  Two o'clock arrived and guess what?  No rain nor a bad storm.  In fact, no rain the rest of the ...

  I hammered the tomato stakes in good, but decided not to start tying the tomato plants up to the stakes until the storms pass today.  I was in fear that if the stakes go down, the plants would go down with them. Today's weather?  Possible thunderstorms, hail and possible tornadoes. First coyote sighting yesterday morning.  It headed away from our property. We discovered we still had a half of a quart canning jar full of home grown popcorn.  It was still good, popped almost all the kernels and was as delicious as ever.  I will be planting it again next year. Broke my hoe.  They never last long.  It says 15 year warranty, but I have no idea where I bought it, nor saved the receipt.  Tomatoes got weeded anyway.  We have 62 tomatoes, but two may not make it. New blooms in the flower beds.

  Santa Fe Chicken Fajitas 1 lb. organic boneless chicken breast, sliced in thin strips 1 red onion, sliced thin 1 organic green bell pepper, sliced 1 organic red bell pepper, sliced 1 organic orange or yellow bell pepper (optional if you want more veggies), sliced 3/4 cup home canned salsa (or picante sauce) 6 Tbsp. organic lime juice 3 cloves garlic, minced (we use home grown) 2 tsp. organic chili powder 1 tsp. organic oregano (we use homegrown and dried) 1/2  tsp. organic ground cumin 1/4 tsp. natural smoke flavoring (optional, see note) Salt Black pepper 1 Tbsp. organic olive oil 10 homemade tortillas Mix everything in a bowl with lid, except the tortillas of course.  Marinade the ingredients for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.  We like to let it sit overnight.  You can then cook the chicken and veggies in a pan or in a grill pan on the grill.  Top tortillas, and any toppings you'd like. Note:  Natural smoke flavor typically contains a color a...

  Monday was a very busy day, and there was much that didn't get done, however I boiled eggs. Daughter K came in the house from running errands, and I had just put the eggs on the back burner with the lid on and timer going.  I literally was so exhausted I went to the front porch to read for the first time in a long time.  I typically don't read in summer with the garden work, but I wanted to take a break and not crochet or knit either. I came back inside after reading for an entire hour and the timer was going off.  One hour later.  Daughter K was upstairs and couldn't hear it. I felt so frustrated that I let that happen. I do not regret sitting and reading.   The yolks were not that green either, ha ha!  I later got dinner baked, but I forgot how enjoyable reading was. Woke up to the most gorgeous weather.  I asked my husband, "why is the weekday weather always the best weather for camping, and come weekends it's not?"  Just for kicker...

I started some strawberry vodka.  It's good too, and it's nice to have an adult beverage in the winter (this recipe lasts up to 6 months in the fridge, and tastes better after it sits after straining). I had a lot on my plate yesterday.  Boy oh boy.  I had to water everything first (garlic was bone dry),deadhead flowers/roses. I had laundry to do and hang outside, bake a breakfast bake, wash dishes, get oregano out of dehydrator, marinate chicken/peppers, boil eggs, freeze strawberries....make dinner.  Long day for sure.  I also made a pitcher of spearmint/green iced tea. Breakfast - sausage, sweet potatoes (organic Hannah ones), garden green pepper, garlic, thyme, salt pepper, eggs.  It was so creamy with those sweet potatoes.  Yum!

  We've had a few days of fog here lately.  We are moving into a cool down weather-wise. Saturday we got the entire rose bed weeded, weed whacking done, and mailbox flower bed planted.  We also planted an ornamental apple tree that was growing in one of the beds. Yesterday was beautiful.  We finished up outdoor garden work, showered and took off on a motorcycle ride.  We went to a new town and a local eatery.  Delicious, but not cheap.  We'll go back, but to try their breakfast next time. Once home, we made a fresh strawberry pie, and played cards on the porch with adult drinks.  Great day for some R & R.  Today I'll be joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. The weather . . . 80's, slight chance for rain, sunny On my reading pile . . . On my TV . . . Heartland (long series for sure) On the menu . . . -Salmon Romanoff, green beans, fresh strawberry pie -grilled fajitas -walleye, not sure on a side yet -leftovers On the to-do list ....

I finally got to our post office.  Well, the one that is closer than our town post office.  It's only open 2 hours and day and quite a struggle to get there when they are open. New blooms in the flower bed.  The roses that are blooming were planted in memory of Daughter E's boyfriend that passed.  They were gifted to her and planted in the flower bed. Work resumes in the vegetable garden today.  The rain has stopped and watering by hand is needed. Yesterday we had a nice visit with my Mom and gifted her some strawberries.  She was tickled pink for our appearance and for the berries.  We retired our evening with playing cards on the porch and grilling burgers.