Pesto Eggs on Crusty Bread

 

I froze several cubes of pesto last summer, and needed to use some up.  I just "melted" it down in a skillet first.

I then cracked a couple of eggs over it.  There is already oil in the pesto.

Cover the pan for a bit, and then flip.  Top crusty bread.  Next time I will add a layer of cheese over the bread first.  Maybe ricotta or something to go with the pesto. 

Good Day for a Pie ~ Dry Skies

 

Garden goodness yesterday.  More asparagus and first cutting of rhubarb this year.

Although I need a trip to the "big city" for supplies, I decided to surprise my husband with a strawberry rhubarb pie.  It's been quite a long time since I have baked any pie.  Oh my, I must not have had enough coffee before starting on this, ha ha ha!  I grabbed my deep dish pan and didn't realize it until I put the filling in, then I didn't cut the lattice pieces that even.  

However, I cut exactly enough rhubarb for the recipe.  I use the recipe found at Sally's Baking Addition.  I use pie crust crumble crust recipe from King Arthur (where you freeze the dough and add ice water when you pull it from the freezer to use).

Rain has not arrived as predicted, and things are very very dry outside.  Watering it all by hand, and thankful I haven't yet got the vegetable garden in.  However, the dry ground is making it difficult for tilling.

Tick Oil ~ Tea Infusion ~ Mystery Box

Gah, it may be a bad tick year here this year.  I mixed up some tick oil for us when we are outside (can be put on the dogs as well).  

I put my laundry out on the line (sheets/towels), and when I went to get them down, I saw my plush bath towels covered in ticks.  I have never (ever) in my time living here have had ticks on my laundry.  

I'm seriously considering getting some guinea hens.  It won't happen this year, but it's on the wish list.  The plan may be to use the coop I have for them, after building the new one for the chickens.

(photo taken on my phone and transferred to computer, and they transfer distorted now.  Ugh.  Sorry, will try and stick with my camera)

My poor husband is still recovering from working two midnight shifts followed by a first shift, so I made a nettle tea infusion for exhaustion.

It's time to give this mystery box (crafting misc./books) away.  Comment below(that you want in on it), and I will draw a name May 26th. USA only please, as this is a flat rate USPS box.

Snake and other random tidbits

 

I was weeding the mailbox flower bed and this guy scared the crap out of me.  I literally almost grabbed it thinking it was a stick.  I told my husband he has to weed it for me now. I literally did a back roll when I noticed it.  I'm sure anyone driving by got a laugh out of it.

The barn birds have been busy making nests in the barns.  They will be taken down soon.  They are bombing me on the front porch now.  Sheesh.

We bought a mole chasing windmill when we visited Amish country.  It works 75 yards in all directions.  I think we'll buy another one if we make another trip.

I found one last bag of garden zucchini, so I whipped up a breakfast casserole yesterday.  This morning I will have more time to get other things done.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Sunday morning we got some sprinkles, but not enough to really soak the herb garden.  I was thankful for it anyway.

While in town I checked the hardware store for a swivel hook I needed.  They had a single one for $6.99 for a project I am working on.  I however, did not buy it.  I went home and ordered 50 of them online for $8.99.  I'll be sharing that project soon.

I also found 3 hanging baskets at a decent price and added more beauty to the property.

So these are growing in my green onions.  I did not plant them.  What are they?  Wild onions?  I have no idea.  the tops are very tall and look nothing like my green onions.  I thought wild onion tops look more like chives, and these to not.  Any thoughts on this?  Wild garlic?  It has the smell of onions and garlic both.

The herb garden has been fully weeded and new pine mulch (minus 2 more bags I need for it).  I never thought I'd finish it by Sunday.  I was so tired and with my husband working another midnight shift and first shift this morning, I thought I would be sleeping in and resting up.  

Nope.  Daughter E had the nerve to bang doors and talk loudly to herself, which woke me up early.  Urgh.

Today I am joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather outside is . . .

79°F/61°F, cloudy

On my reading pile . . .

On the TV . . .

Heartland, Netflix

On the breakfast plate . . .

Sausage/egg/cheese quesadillas, coffee

On the menu . . .
-new recipe to try
-baked chicken, veggie
-baked mac n' cheese, green beans
-breakfast for dinner

....in no particular order

On my to-do list . . .
-make a breakfast

-bathrooms
-sweep and mop kitchen

-plant rosemary, weed corner of one flower bed

-laundry

-sweep off front porch

-water house plants, water flower beds, garlic, asparagus, and rhubarb (still not getting rain as predicted)

-vacuum

-write up a pattern that is only on a video to keep in my pattern binder

What I am crocheting, knitting or creating . . .

A lot.  Too many projects on the hooks right now.  I'm working on getting some photos and doing an update on them all.  Stay tuned.

Looking around the house  . . .

It's in shambles.  I've spent every day outdoors with yard work, garden work, etc. 

From the camera . . .

We named a resident ground hog "Harold" and apparently it's a she.  I spotted a youngin' out there.  I guess we need to take care of that problem before the garden is planted.

Something fun to share . . .

I seem to slack in this department.  I have nothing "fun" to share right now.  Other than I have more new recipes to try out.  Not sure if they'll get made this week or next.  I have more flowers to plant, and 2 new rosemary plants to plant and 4 more flower beds to weed (not to mention put in the entire vegetable garden.   

On my prayer list . . .

A friend's family.  They want their Marine son to come home for a summer visit, but there are some issues with allowing him to travel.  

Bible verse, devotional . . .

Trip into the Big City

 

We made a trip into town.  I was sent a coupon to our farm store, in my email.  They however, gave me 2 days to use it.  Luckily I needed chicken feed.

We needed some more glady posts (planted 20 this year), and stopped at the Home Depot.  It was him, not me, that created another garden project (photo up above).  I put together two of them for the south drive entrance.  They are much bigger than they look, and I was lucky to find enough flower to do it.  They were completely sold out of the larger marigolds I previously bought and I found 3 mad hatter hot pepper plants (the closest I will find the cherty bomb).

I barely got any more weeding done with the added project, but he mowed most of the homestead, and I got my 4 rain barrels in place.  The rain may show up briefly today, but according to the weather won't show up until mid-week now.  Sadly, I need the rain to soften up the herb garden.  I soaked it with the garden hose yesterday, but man it's already dry and difficult to weed.  Same with tilling.  We had hoped for just a bit to soften up the hard ground out there.

The cold weather prevented me from hardening off my seedlings, but today makes day 4, and I think they'll be ready by the time we finish prepping the veggie garden.

However, my husband (Till Man) worked the midnight shift last night so today's work time will be either zero out there or a teeny tiny bit.  He'll need to sleep when he gets home this morning.

The weather has be great the last few days, but this morning, the sky is gray.  My bum muscles were so sore the first 3 days of weeding, but I think I'm broke in for a good garden season now, ha ha!

Gardens and other random bits

Our night temperatures are finally going to be in the 50's so flower planting has started.  There is much to do to prepare the vegetable garden this weekend.  I got all of these planted, plus 20 glady bulbs.  I weeded the mailbox flower bed and will resume finishing up on the herb garden.

If you don't see a post, it's because we will be very busy out there.  Rain is coming and lots of it, which will make it too wet to work in, but the perfect time to get seeds in the ground.  However, we didn't get my raised bed built, so we plan to dig through the old barn rubble and see if we can use that wood first.

The mower belt took a poo, so we had to go pick one up last night before we could mow. We hired someone to do the mowing, but that was short lived.  He doesn't own an phone and we communicate through someone to get the message to him.  He was a no show.  Too bad too, because we both could have been out prepping the vegetable garden.