What's cookin' from your garden?

The other day I decided to take whatever I had ready to been picked from the garden, and roasted them all with dried herbs from the herb garden.  I tossed in salt and lots of pepper and they were delicious.

That same night I had many roma tomatoes, so I decided to make the kids favorite dip for crackers.  I have not made this in 2 years, so it was time to have it again.  I took the photo before I topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese.  I believe I got the recipe from the wheat thin box.  This one is similar, only I use mozzarella cheese for ours:  Easy Layered Tomato Dip.

And today I have made a new recipe with zucchini.  Zucchini Pie with Crumb Topping.  Although my pie does not look anything like the one on the recipe photo, we will be digging into it for a family tasting.  I'll be back to give you an update.

 

Back with a rating for this pie!  It was was delicious! 

93°F in my house today ~ Upstairs is sweltering

I'm so glad that the stray puppy found us last Tuesday, before this extreme heat wave became worse.  She may have not made it if she had not found my daughter.  The doggie swimming pool, which is a simple small plastic portable pool, has been used hourly today.  I'm so glad we could offer the dogs a way to cool off.  After today's newspaper article that is on the front page, I have doubts that the humane society will take the pup (if we don't find the owner).  The article talked about all the animals they have taken in, had surgery on, and those that still need homes.  All we can do is hope.

I'm about to take the garden hose to the girls because they are getting ornery. The heat is making the bees go crazy too.  My 11 year-old daughter got stung by one just sitting still today.

The dogs aren't the only ones we worry about in this heat.  Thanks to the wonderful information from my farmgirl sisters, I have found out that our chickens can die from heat exhaustion.  We have a fan running in the barn and have even given them bowls of crushed ice.

The barn cats are cooling under shaded plants and won't come out until the rain cools the air.  

The garden has blessed us yet again, so many meals are planned when the temperature drops.  Including my mother's zucchini bread.  Yum!  I'm not turning on my oven until the rain arrives.  I am seriously considering the costs of a summer kitchen.  It would work perfect for us during hot summer days.

Ice cold sliced watermelon sounds pretty good for dinner right now.

Meet "Molly" ~ Stray Dog

Meet the newest addition to the homestead.  So far, we have not received any phone calls for this stray dog my daughter found.  We've checked bulletin boards and so far no one is claiming her.  The kids have already taught her to sit and shake, and are in the process of house breaking her.  Luckily we had a dog crate from when the other dogs were puppies.  She is just a cutie and the family is getting attached to her.  She jumped out of a creek when my oldest daughter was out for a run early yesterday morning.

The kids have given her a name because we can't just say "come dog" etc.  When my daughter found her she was starving and dehydrated.  She will lay down beside the water bowl, place her paws (one on each side) around the bowl, and rest her chin on the opposite rim of the bowl and covering it.  Almost acting afraid that we'd take the water away, making us wonder what had happened to her previously.

Now that she knows we won't take her water or food away, she is content.  She will even go inside the crate to take a nap during the day.  She's free to go where ever she wants and is never taken outside without a leash.  Luckily, we still had some out grown collars, so one went on her.  We went out and bought her puppy food and a few toys.

If no one calls, she may very well be the newest, and permanent, member of our homestead.

Cute picture from one of my kids

I laughed when I went to the computer and found that one of the younger girls left this for me.  She created it with paint features on the computer.  A treasure for sure!  Any Mom who writes will find this worth keeping.

Herb drying and mixing it up

With the help of a book I borrowed from a library, I located a recipe for a dry Italian mix.  I used dry herbs, as many as I could, from my herb garden to make it.  We then used it to flavor a cucumber spread to top slices of pumpernickel bread.  We toasted the bread, topped it with the herb flavored spread, and topped that with sliced cucumbers. 

There is no end to utilizing my herbs, eating healthy, and saving money.  I can't wait to mix up another dry herb mix.

Turnip and Beet Casserole ~ My own version

If you are a pioneer at heart, and have turnips growing in your garden this year, you'll like this recipe I created.  The only thing the kids complained about, was the appearance of it.  I think I may make this again, by boiling the beets and turnips separately, and then layer them, but that would mean mixing ingredients differently too.  Here is my delicious version of a Turnip and Beet Casserole.

TURNIP AND BEET CASSEROLE

4 med. turnips, peeled and diced

3 small or 2 medium beets, peeled and diced

Boil turnips and beets in a saucepan with just enough water to cover them.  Once it comes to a boil, cover and turn the temperature down to low heat until turnips and beets are tender/soft enough to mash.  Approximately 15-20 minutes.

Drain and mash them together.*

Mix in:

1 farm fresh egg, beaten

1/3 cup of white granulated sugar*

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. organic butter

 Transfer mixture to an 8-inch by 8-inch (2 qt.) glass baking dish, sprayed with non-stick organic olive oil spray.

Sprinkle dried Thyme and chopped Rosemary over the top.*

Bake casserole at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Notes:

~It is just as delicious to hand mash the vegetables, leaving small bits in it.

~Sugar substitute can be used or amount can be lowered.

~Use home grown herbs, grown without chemicals.

Simply re-heat any leftovers for delicious flavor.  My husband told me I should not change a thing on this recipe, but if I do, I'll be sure to post the changes.

Girls Pampering Day and Herb Drying Day

I decided I better get some more herbs dried before the summer is over, so I cut oregano, marjoram, lemon verbena, sage, rosemary and some basil.  Once those are dried and stored, I'll cut some others.  And speaking of herbs, the girls have announced that they need my herbs to pamper themselves.

They looked over my bookshelves and found my book, 50 Ways to Pamper Yourself, by Stephanie Tourles.  I think I picked this book up for under $1.00 at a thrift store. They looked it over and found face mask recipes and other soaks that require herbs and even items from our garden such as zucchini. 

I'm glad they are finding things to do this summer.  Even if it means using my veggies and herbs for other purposes.