Cucumber and Cottage Cheese Toast ~ Support your library ~ More Spring Blooms

Nothing is tastier and more satisfying, than picking freshly grown cucumbers from the garden.  In anticipation of summer garden goodies (trying to pump myself up, because I'm lacking garden mojo this year), I'm trying a new recipe.  More so, I wanted to taste this combination, because it would be great for a hot summer day when eating a full meal seems too much work.

 The credit goes to the cook book "Come Hungry" by Melissa Ben-Ishay. I borrowed the book from the library.  It has a lot of good recipes, and some repeat instructions I already know, but one caught my eye for a high protein snack.  It's nice to have a hearty snack available when we come in tired and worn out from garden work.

If you have dill growing in your herb garden, that is a plus to make this.  Along with a few pieces of homemade sourdough bread.

In the making of this, cottage cheese was one cheese I never got around to making when we had dairy goats here at the homestead.  Do you make your own cottage cheese?  Any recipes to share?  Until then, I'll be buying it, unless I can locate fresh goat milk (most unavailable in our neck of the woods).

Try-it results:  Fantastic!!  We both loved it, and it's the most simple meal/snack you can make.  I hand diced the cucumber and used an entire English cucumber (recipe called for another type, but good luck finding them in stores, and organic). Anyway, this recipe is a keeper for us.  I'm going to borrow the book from the library again.

I told my husband, that if I wasn't already writing a blog, I would be writing one just solely based on recipes tried from borrowing free library books (could still happen so don't go stealing my idea).  I'll admit, when it's a good recipe to keep, it's a happy moment.

More Spring blooms to share:

Blooms from another variety . . .

Red roses gifted to me (and delivered on surprise).  Yes, I was all giddy and all, considering I was feeling pretty low at the moment.  He's working the worst hours a human can possibly work right now (or so it appears that way anyway).  The words "this too, shall pass" are roaming about my brain.

Until next, time, I hope you borrow the book from your library and give the recipe a try.

Cucumber and Cottage Cheese Toast ~ Support your library ~ More Spring Blooms  ©  April 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Spring Blooms

 

Our weather continues to go up and down, but the spring flowers are either blooming or about to bloom.  The herb garden is waking up from it's winter slumber.  Although we had a 73 degree day early this week, it went quickly back to 36°F and very windy.  I am sure my blooms are struggling with  29°F weather.

Daffodils with orange centers.

And for a bit of foraging . . .

Purple dead nettle.

Wild violets.  Dandelions are coming up too.

Spring Blooms  ©  April 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Spring is in the Air

Spring air is such an intoxicating aroma.  The best part of March is being able to open the windows and let in fresh air.  However, this weekend is bringing in stormy weather.  

First sign of spring daffodils popping up.  They are coming in much later this spring.

Green onions in the herb garden are starting to spring back into delicious-ness.

Spring is in the Air  ©  March 2025 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Spring Flowers

 

(wild violets)

The flower beds are full of spring blooms, but boy are they full of chickweed and other weeds.  I took these photos over two weeks ago, and forgot about them.  Other than tulip photos.

 We did not mulch them last year for some reason, and we will be this year.  It will be hit or miss, as the rain comes and goes, and everything continues to remain wet around here.  I do have plans to add some new spring colors for next year.  The only reason I have very little tulips, is due to moles.  The new windmill is going up soon, and hopefully we can fall plant some more tulips next fall.

Many, years ago, I was out weeding the flower beds, and a van pulled into the drive.  The older gentleman opened his window, and said not to mind them, as his wife loves to drive thru and see the flowers in the flower beds. He said it made her happy.  It was a couple that lives down the road from us.  That was a feel good moment.  

We woke up to rain again.  I mean, it's great for all the spring herbs/veggies and flowers, but it's very wet out there.

Spring Flowers © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Mid Week Medley ~ Question for Condiment Canning Aficionados

 The rain is slowly bringing the outdoors back to life, and we see more green again.  We have had snow flurries, which deterred me from harvesting any of those baby green onions coming up, but everything is brighter outside for spring.

The Daffodils were blooming like crazy, and I would love to cut some to bring inside, but the snow just keeps on coming.  Not a lot, but enough to remind us that winter is still not over with.

The rain is also giving us gifts from the Earth.  We have three wild growing mullein plants in the flower beds.  I need to dig them up to move them, so we can utilize them this year.  If I leave them in the flower beds, they will continue to replant in there, and the wild plants grow very tall.  We dehydrate this medicinal weed for tea.

We took a drive to do some hiking.  I have to admit, that outdoor hiking uses more muscles than what you may use on a treadmill.  Good gravy we were happy sore, and have plans to get more hiking in this year.

Although it is too late to start more seeds for the garden this spring, we attempted to visit a new non-gmo seed store (new to visit for us, but in business for a while). We should have called to double check their business hours.  What stated on their online website, for a closing hour, was incorrect.  We arrived just after they had closed for the day.  We do plan to go back. and take a look at what they have to offer folks.

What's been purged/donated?

The last four mugs I had, that I crocheted mug "hugs" and matching coasters for, were donated to another local senior center.  I also donated two smaller items to the local library, for prizes within the children's area.

One local (non-chain) thrift store, has put a stop on taking any Christmas donations until September of this year.  We still need to do a complete garage clean out this year, so we'll need to find more donation locations.  The kids left their Christmas decorations behind, and many other items we need to get rid of (left behind because they don't want them) .

A box of books is awaiting it's donation destination.  I'm still filling it up with books I am finishing reading, so I'm not in a big hurry on that.

Canning Question:  Do you have a tried and true way to can caramelized onions (boil seal method), without using a crock pot?   I just don't want to can after dinner time, and I do not want to run my crock pot all night.  It is the only recipe I have used once (trusted recipe source), and it was successful, but now I want to can them again. 

Or....have you frozen homemade caramelized onions?  I have read they only last 2 months in the freezer, and what is the texture when they thaw?

Mid Week Medley ~ Question for Condiment Canning Aficionados © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Tuesday Tidbits

 Due to a "stop and drop" that we did on Sunday, so we could go do something fun for ourselves, work rolled into the week full blown.  By stop and drop, I mean stop working, and drop the tools and go do something fun.

We are getting great weather for clothesline drying, so that is a bonus, but it's been one of those weeks.  In order to take the laundry outside, I had to go get the leaf blower and blow all the helicopters (from the maple tree) off the back patio, so I didn't drag them back inside.  It has been a start to the week like that - have to do something before I can do the actual job on the to-do list kind of week.

More spring blooms.

Questions~

If you own a cordless, rechargeable stick vacuum, with detachable handheld vacuum (with canister on top), which do you recommend?  We are almost carpet free.

I have searched reviews for days now, and I like the black and decker, but the reviews are not good.  I really don't want a Dyson.  I would prefer not to shop on Amazon either.  

I may just have to venture out and check Lowes, Menards, Home Depot and such, and I may have to just buy a good hand held vacuum separately.   Any thoughts?  I am looking for one to handle the whole house and one that can stand up on it's own (no screws in our walls to hold it up off the floor).

2.  Does anyone have a good homemade sourdough sandwich bread recipe?  The kind I can bake in a bread pan not a round dutch oven?

Let the planting begin!

Sharing some early blooms.  Don't mind the weeds, I haven't had time to get to that yet.

Planting the vegetable garden has begun.  All by my little ol' self, and I was not looking forward to doing it alone this year.

Spent the entire (well most of it) out there, and I'm not done.  I still have to plant the bell peppers and all of the hot peppers yet. There is a lot we are not able to plan due to my husband's miserable long hours.

He hired someone to till for us, and even tried to hire me help with the "take back the kitchen" painting project, and attempted to hire me help with the garden.  The truth is, is that everyone we know works, works and has a garden, has a garden, or is busy with other such stuff.

I'm more than exhausted and welcome today's rain. It better rain anyway.

We have had some beautiful 70's weather lately, and I'm thrilled we haven't had a reason to turn the AC on yet.  I got the vents cleaned, but not the filters and as I look inside it is dirty.  I will attempt to find a gadget to get that cleaned, but not sure it will work.  Anyway, the rain is to arrive today, and like I said, I much welcome it with all the planting I did yesterday. 

I updated my garden journal, because last year I was terrible at that.  There was so much going on in the fall that I just plum forgot.  My husband's sister passed away, then Mom's health declined.  It was just a roller coaster season for sure.