Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Saturday I did what many others also do every May long weekend, plant a garden. I went plant shopping with my mom and daughters.
P.S. don't do that, leave the kids at home. At age 2 they must pick every flower they see in the greenhouse.
I bought tomatoes plants and green pepper plants, basil and pansies (to bribe my daughters to leave other flowers alone). I bought lettuce seeds as well and a big pot to put herbs in. This is all in preparation for my lovely produce for the summer. I can't wait to eat toasted tomato sandwiches and salads with basil. I love to do canning especially my salsa. My parents are planting potatoes, onions, squash and beets for us. My inlaws grow lots of cucumbers. So my garden is in. I learned a few things this year from my mom. Pansies like cool shade. Petunias and marigolds can take the heat. Geraniums are in between. Last year my neighbour said if you pluck the dead heads off your marigolds and leave them inside over the winter (I used an open mason jar) you can plant them in the spring. It worked and Ashley loves seeing the little green shoots that she planted come up.
I am looking forward to enjoying all the fruits of the season. I want to pass on a link to those of you who are new to gardening. This is a rough guide for those in Ontario for what is in season and when. I encourage you to enjoy the fruits of the season as well. Feel free to raid your local farmers market or fruit/veggie stand and let someone else do the work.
http://www.foodland.gov.on.ca/english/availability.html
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Great rhubarb cake recipe from the united church cookbook. This is by far my favorite cookbook. everything in the cookbook had turned out right and the ingredients are everyday items I have in my home.
Rhubarb cake
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 egg, beaten
vanilla
1/2 cup of margerine or butter
2 cups of flour
1 cup of sour milk (just add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to make it sour)
1 1/2 cup of fresh rhubarb
1 tsp soda
Mix together. put in a 9x13 pan. Top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake 45-50 mins at 350.
Today I made this with my girls. They just LOVED picking the rhubarb and adding all the ingedients and stirring.
Rhubarb cake
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 egg, beaten
vanilla
1/2 cup of margerine or butter
2 cups of flour
1 cup of sour milk (just add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to make it sour)
1 1/2 cup of fresh rhubarb
1 tsp soda
Mix together. put in a 9x13 pan. Top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake 45-50 mins at 350.
Today I made this with my girls. They just LOVED picking the rhubarb and adding all the ingedients and stirring.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Time sure flies...don't it! I am way to tired to blog anymore. I am afraid my entries will turn into venting so I have kept what I was always told true. If you don't have anything nice to say - don't say anything. I can tell you many wonderful things that are happening in my life. My children are healthy and growing like weeds. They are hilarious and beautiful beams of sunshine (with minor fits of rage). My life is full of dairy farm life and fresh air. My house is not under construction anymore and though we have a few more boxes to unpack and furniture to move, my kitchen is REDONE and beautiful!
My time in the kitchen has come to hault. I run the same 12 meals through this house. I rotate the order depending on what I have on that day but the grocery list is the same. I can tell you I don't mind not having to think much about food right now. I occasionally look for more crock pot recipes but the desire to cook is gone. For right now....
My 12 meals are:
BBQ hotdogs, hamburgers
Pizza (sometimes just a frozen one)
BBQ porkchops with rice and salad
Homemade battered sole fish with salad and oven fries
Roast in the crockpot with mashed potatoes, frozen peas and corn. This is a weekend meal and often can be stretched into 2 nights. I put a can of mushroom soup with the roast and add beef stock to make it's own gravy in the crockpot.
Speghetti ( I use the leftovers to make a lazagna and I freeze it for next week)
Taco's or meatloaf or chili or sheppards pie (no one else in my family likes these anymore because I used to cook these too often so I rotate them)
Stew or Beef Stroganoff. I make this after we have Roast beef and use up the leftovers. Also can be made and froze for a crock pot meal in the future.
Chicken fingers and fries with veggies and dip (for the kids)
Chicken legs in a roasting pan with carrots and potatoes. Very easy and cheap to make and surprisingly quick to cook. It is always a hit in my house.
Ham and scallop potatoes. (more of a once a month meal)
BBQ Steak and microwave potatoes finished in foil on the BBQ.
I write my menu on the calendar for that week. Things change daily but it keeps me from having to panic at the end of the day when I am too tired to think - What are we going to eat tonight. I find most of these meals easy to make. Also everyone in the family will eat them. I don't make substitute meals for those who want something else. If Gary is looking for brownie points he will look on the menu and pull out the food from the freezer the night before. I really appreciate him doing that. The other nice thing about this plan is that we don't run to the store to buy groceries at the last moment. I buy what is on sale and most of all these items can be frozen til you want to cook it. If you need to pack a lunch for work, leftovers from the night before really help on the budgeting. Over all a little planning goes along way. You could almost make a whole months worth of meals out of this list. What is you family's 12 favorite meals? Make a list and make meal time easier for you.
My time in the kitchen has come to hault. I run the same 12 meals through this house. I rotate the order depending on what I have on that day but the grocery list is the same. I can tell you I don't mind not having to think much about food right now. I occasionally look for more crock pot recipes but the desire to cook is gone. For right now....
My 12 meals are:
BBQ hotdogs, hamburgers
Pizza (sometimes just a frozen one)
BBQ porkchops with rice and salad
Homemade battered sole fish with salad and oven fries
Roast in the crockpot with mashed potatoes, frozen peas and corn. This is a weekend meal and often can be stretched into 2 nights. I put a can of mushroom soup with the roast and add beef stock to make it's own gravy in the crockpot.
Speghetti ( I use the leftovers to make a lazagna and I freeze it for next week)
Taco's or meatloaf or chili or sheppards pie (no one else in my family likes these anymore because I used to cook these too often so I rotate them)
Stew or Beef Stroganoff. I make this after we have Roast beef and use up the leftovers. Also can be made and froze for a crock pot meal in the future.
Chicken fingers and fries with veggies and dip (for the kids)
Chicken legs in a roasting pan with carrots and potatoes. Very easy and cheap to make and surprisingly quick to cook. It is always a hit in my house.
Ham and scallop potatoes. (more of a once a month meal)
BBQ Steak and microwave potatoes finished in foil on the BBQ.
I write my menu on the calendar for that week. Things change daily but it keeps me from having to panic at the end of the day when I am too tired to think - What are we going to eat tonight. I find most of these meals easy to make. Also everyone in the family will eat them. I don't make substitute meals for those who want something else. If Gary is looking for brownie points he will look on the menu and pull out the food from the freezer the night before. I really appreciate him doing that. The other nice thing about this plan is that we don't run to the store to buy groceries at the last moment. I buy what is on sale and most of all these items can be frozen til you want to cook it. If you need to pack a lunch for work, leftovers from the night before really help on the budgeting. Over all a little planning goes along way. You could almost make a whole months worth of meals out of this list. What is you family's 12 favorite meals? Make a list and make meal time easier for you.
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