With Daylight Savings rapidly approaching I've already been planning out my vegetable garden for this spring/summer. Though I'm working one (temp) job now I'm hoping to save up for seeds so later (actually pretty soon!) I will be able to get a head start.
Two warm days this week in the 60s is making me yearn to prep the yard. This will be my 3rd vegetable garden at my home and I hope to make it even better than before. Will be sharing pictures as what yummy vegetables I plant grow and/or wither this year.
And of course I shall be sharing my heroic tales of destroying weeds, picking up neighbor's trash that just happens to land in my yard, and other exciting adventures! (^.^)
Monday, March 5, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Gratitude Post
The end of 2011 was tough, see lack of posts, and 2012 is challenging from the start! But nonetheless here is a few things that I am grateful for this week.
1. Seasonal Work- My temp job is still temporary but so far I have avoided being laid off. My hours went from 30 to 12-15 a week. I am grateful that during the busy holiday season I pushed myself to be a reliable worker. Offering to cover shifts for sick co-workers, pressing to learn different departments and areas of the store, and never ever being late are what kept me on payroll into 2012. I'm glad that though it's tough work at times I haven't given up hope of finding a better job soon.
2. Interviews!-My first interview for the New Year is on Monday! I am grateful that despite 2012 starting with a flood of rejection letters that I was able to search everyday to find opportunities to purse. I had one phone interview and will have a face to face one Monday. It's a seasonal position til mid May but it would allow me to get back on my feet while looking for something more permanent.
3. Bread Machine- For Christmas this year I decided to take the plunge and use my charge with Amazon to get a bread machine. I've been making small loaves of fresh bread almost daily since I opened that huge box, that I still need to put in the garage. There are so many delicious looking recipes that I am stoked to try in the coming months. Though money is tight with hours being cut at my temp job I'm still able to budget in flour, and for what I save on not buying craptastic store bought bread it's worth it.
4. Beans- I think I've posted beans on lists before but they deserve another shoot out. I love adding beans to soups and stews to make them more filling and up the yum factor. These are one of the cheapest staples I have in my kitchen, usually $1 a bag or less with coupons or sales!
5. My Car- Though the gas tank seems to be forever dangerous close to empty I am grateful that I have a vehicle to take me to my part time job and interviews when I am lucky enough to snag one. I hope that soon I'll be taking my car everyday to a new job and will treat it to a full tank :)
1. Seasonal Work- My temp job is still temporary but so far I have avoided being laid off. My hours went from 30 to 12-15 a week. I am grateful that during the busy holiday season I pushed myself to be a reliable worker. Offering to cover shifts for sick co-workers, pressing to learn different departments and areas of the store, and never ever being late are what kept me on payroll into 2012. I'm glad that though it's tough work at times I haven't given up hope of finding a better job soon.
2. Interviews!-My first interview for the New Year is on Monday! I am grateful that despite 2012 starting with a flood of rejection letters that I was able to search everyday to find opportunities to purse. I had one phone interview and will have a face to face one Monday. It's a seasonal position til mid May but it would allow me to get back on my feet while looking for something more permanent.
3. Bread Machine- For Christmas this year I decided to take the plunge and use my charge with Amazon to get a bread machine. I've been making small loaves of fresh bread almost daily since I opened that huge box, that I still need to put in the garage. There are so many delicious looking recipes that I am stoked to try in the coming months. Though money is tight with hours being cut at my temp job I'm still able to budget in flour, and for what I save on not buying craptastic store bought bread it's worth it.
4. Beans- I think I've posted beans on lists before but they deserve another shoot out. I love adding beans to soups and stews to make them more filling and up the yum factor. These are one of the cheapest staples I have in my kitchen, usually $1 a bag or less with coupons or sales!
5. My Car- Though the gas tank seems to be forever dangerous close to empty I am grateful that I have a vehicle to take me to my part time job and interviews when I am lucky enough to snag one. I hope that soon I'll be taking my car everyday to a new job and will treat it to a full tank :)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Uber Easy Potato Soup!
Ingredients:
Potatos (shock)- cubed
1/2 onion chopped
Water
Salt/Pepper to taste
Milk (optional)
Peel and cube potatoes and place in pot. Add chopped onion and fill with enough water to just barely cover the potatoes. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Blend with immersion blender or if you don't have a blender use a potato masher to make a chunky version of the soup.
Most potato soups call for heavy creams but I thinned mine out with a bit of organic milk since I always have at least a pint on hand. Also for different variations replace water with vegetable or chicken broth/stock to add more flavor.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Simple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Alas there is no photographic evidence left since my familia polished off the pot of soup the night it was made! Some recipes I researched online called for heavy creams but I think the least amount of ingredients the more the butternut squash shines!
1-2 butternut squash (depends if you wish to make a small or larger pot)
Chicken broth/stock
Salt/Pepper (a dash)
Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half length wise and scoop out seeds. Lightly oil flesh sides of butternut squash and season with salt/pepper as desired (just a dash will do for each.) Bake for 1 hour.
Allow to cool til safe to touch and scoop out flesh into pot. Slowly add chicken broth/stock and blend with immersion blender. May also use a blender in small batches. Depending on how thick or thin one desires the soup to be depends on the amount of chicken broth/stock added. I added two cups for one butternut squash.
Optional topping of a spoon of sour cream may be used. Is delicious either way!
1-2 butternut squash (depends if you wish to make a small or larger pot)
Chicken broth/stock
Salt/Pepper (a dash)
Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half length wise and scoop out seeds. Lightly oil flesh sides of butternut squash and season with salt/pepper as desired (just a dash will do for each.) Bake for 1 hour.
Allow to cool til safe to touch and scoop out flesh into pot. Slowly add chicken broth/stock and blend with immersion blender. May also use a blender in small batches. Depending on how thick or thin one desires the soup to be depends on the amount of chicken broth/stock added. I added two cups for one butternut squash.
Optional topping of a spoon of sour cream may be used. Is delicious either way!
Monday, September 19, 2011
My Allergy (Medicine) Free Summer
I survived this summer. I think.
Last summer I used to take knock off over the counter allergy meds before starting heavy machine aka my lawn mower. My eyes and sinuses would be clear but after an hour I would feel like I was in a fog; grasping aimlessly at lawn clippings and weeds.
This summer I wanted to see how long I can go without having to medicate myself to do yard work and though fall hasn't officially started yet I'm calling it early and saying that I made the whole summer without allergy meds! I was able to get more done this summer, yet still much cleaning I want to do early fall, in that my garden was doubled and I got more weeds slain than ever before!
Though when my allergies would flare up I would either take breaks indoors and go back outside for another round or call it quits for the day. It helped to learn my own physical limitations where before I would just keep going til the allergy meds, often exhausted and out of commission for the rest of the day.
Everyone is different. I've always been odd but besides the point I wanted to be at least semi-alert while doing yardwork, since for me it is a labor of love to see my vegetable garden both blossom and wither.
I'm not advocating that one needs to stop taking allergy medications if they are working for you, I just want to seek and learn natural alternatives so I may make the most out of my fleeting summers with my beloved veggies. Oh and the weeds, my love for them knows no bounds.
Last summer I used to take knock off over the counter allergy meds before starting heavy machine aka my lawn mower. My eyes and sinuses would be clear but after an hour I would feel like I was in a fog; grasping aimlessly at lawn clippings and weeds.
This summer I wanted to see how long I can go without having to medicate myself to do yard work and though fall hasn't officially started yet I'm calling it early and saying that I made the whole summer without allergy meds! I was able to get more done this summer, yet still much cleaning I want to do early fall, in that my garden was doubled and I got more weeds slain than ever before!
Though when my allergies would flare up I would either take breaks indoors and go back outside for another round or call it quits for the day. It helped to learn my own physical limitations where before I would just keep going til the allergy meds, often exhausted and out of commission for the rest of the day.
Everyone is different. I've always been odd but besides the point I wanted to be at least semi-alert while doing yardwork, since for me it is a labor of love to see my vegetable garden both blossom and wither.
I'm not advocating that one needs to stop taking allergy medications if they are working for you, I just want to seek and learn natural alternatives so I may make the most out of my fleeting summers with my beloved veggies. Oh and the weeds, my love for them knows no bounds.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Recession Staples
Being unemployed during a recession has taught me a few things when it comes to kitchen stables. Here's a some things that if I don't have on hand I would go hungry without!
BEANS! Yes, they deserve caplocks. My friend gave me two bags of beans and I was able to make 6 different meals out of them! And no they weren't all soup recipes either. Since meat is rare while I'm unemployed beans have been taking their place in some dishes that I make, and even when I am gainfully employed I think it will stay that way.
Flour: I can go without sugar but flour is a different story. Though I may combine both when baking sugar isn't needed in every single baked good which is why it takes priority to have flour vs sugar on hand. I've made some breads, fresh pizza doughs, and some muffins without sugar and they all came out quite well :)
Rice: No matter what the finances may be I always need rice! I can eat it plain (and I have many of times) or as a side dish. Sometimes I like to make fried rice ( with coconut oil) with random frozen veggies I may have on hand. For me there are many recipes I can use rice in to stretch meals even further!
Though I still have lots of pasta on hand I haven't found it to be essential during this "Great" Recession. Honestly plain pasta isn't all that appealing and I rather save what butter I have for toast (from either store bought or fresh breads I make) than buttered noodles. I love homemade sauce for pasta dishes but it can be costly which is why I haven't had it for a long time. Sometimes I'll get bottled sauces to use with the pastas I do have left in my cupboards but if I had to buy the pasta and sauce I doubt it would end up in my cart, because surprisingly there are cheaper meal ideas out there.
One thing I do know if that my kitchen stables will change once I have a steady/unsteady/anything income again! I'd love to stock up my freeze full of frozen vegetables and overdose on stir fry bliss :)
BEANS! Yes, they deserve caplocks. My friend gave me two bags of beans and I was able to make 6 different meals out of them! And no they weren't all soup recipes either. Since meat is rare while I'm unemployed beans have been taking their place in some dishes that I make, and even when I am gainfully employed I think it will stay that way.
Flour: I can go without sugar but flour is a different story. Though I may combine both when baking sugar isn't needed in every single baked good which is why it takes priority to have flour vs sugar on hand. I've made some breads, fresh pizza doughs, and some muffins without sugar and they all came out quite well :)
Rice: No matter what the finances may be I always need rice! I can eat it plain (and I have many of times) or as a side dish. Sometimes I like to make fried rice ( with coconut oil) with random frozen veggies I may have on hand. For me there are many recipes I can use rice in to stretch meals even further!
Though I still have lots of pasta on hand I haven't found it to be essential during this "Great" Recession. Honestly plain pasta isn't all that appealing and I rather save what butter I have for toast (from either store bought or fresh breads I make) than buttered noodles. I love homemade sauce for pasta dishes but it can be costly which is why I haven't had it for a long time. Sometimes I'll get bottled sauces to use with the pastas I do have left in my cupboards but if I had to buy the pasta and sauce I doubt it would end up in my cart, because surprisingly there are cheaper meal ideas out there.
One thing I do know if that my kitchen stables will change once I have a steady/unsteady/anything income again! I'd love to stock up my freeze full of frozen vegetables and overdose on stir fry bliss :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
What Happened to Summer?
Alas! Summer is rapidly ending and that means the end of my fresh vegetable garden. This year I planted a few things from seeds that didn't take, poor green beans never had a chance, and some ol' favorites like tomatoes. With each year of gardening I try to learn what I can do better the next time around.
Next year I hope to:
*Plant more plum and cherry tomatoes. I discovered this year that the oh so friendly neighborhood gopher likes beefstake and other larger varieties of tomatoes as opposed to the small plum/cherry kinds. I don't like tomatoes unless they are cooked in sauces or soups were they become one with the broth. My pet tortoise loves the plum and cherry tomatoes, I bought two plants just for him (one of each) but next year I'd like to double it.
*Prep early summer for fall harvest. Some of the kale seeds kinda got washed away from all the rain that came after I planted them. Next year I'd like to plant kale, lettuce, and some fall root veggies so at least in the beginning of October I'd still have some fresh goodness to munch on.
*Pots! I had one pepper plant in a pot this year I'm already on the look out for them to be marked down for end of summer clearances (if I get a job soon.) It was easy for my disabled parental unit to tend to them and a great way for them to be involved with gardening without having to get on the ground and dig! Plus I would like to have more pots so I can have room for my ground garden for plants that are punks and take up lots of space ;)
It's sad to see my 2nd year of gardening come to an end but I'm already thinking warm thoughts for the months to come when I can do it all over and then some!
Next year I hope to:
*Plant more plum and cherry tomatoes. I discovered this year that the oh so friendly neighborhood gopher likes beefstake and other larger varieties of tomatoes as opposed to the small plum/cherry kinds. I don't like tomatoes unless they are cooked in sauces or soups were they become one with the broth. My pet tortoise loves the plum and cherry tomatoes, I bought two plants just for him (one of each) but next year I'd like to double it.
*Prep early summer for fall harvest. Some of the kale seeds kinda got washed away from all the rain that came after I planted them. Next year I'd like to plant kale, lettuce, and some fall root veggies so at least in the beginning of October I'd still have some fresh goodness to munch on.
*Pots! I had one pepper plant in a pot this year I'm already on the look out for them to be marked down for end of summer clearances (if I get a job soon.) It was easy for my disabled parental unit to tend to them and a great way for them to be involved with gardening without having to get on the ground and dig! Plus I would like to have more pots so I can have room for my ground garden for plants that are punks and take up lots of space ;)
It's sad to see my 2nd year of gardening come to an end but I'm already thinking warm thoughts for the months to come when I can do it all over and then some!
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