Harvesting!

Finally been harvesting a lot from the garden.  We have also come to realize that we need to double its size next year - the squash, melons, and cukes are all intertwined and too close (that is the jungle to the right/ rear).  They seem to be doing fine though.  Notice the dead eggplants in the bottom left - there were slug/bugs on them and I used Dr.Bronner's and water but at a much stronger dilution than was recommended online.  Oops.  Follow recommended dilutions!

I made the mistake of not realizing how FAST zucchini and squash can grow in just a few days and ended up w/some huge ones; not the best for eating grilled/sautéed due to the seeds, but perfect for baking.

Zucchini, summer squash, a head of romaine, 2 cucumbers (for pickling), and a teeny carrot!

I wanted to see how the carrots were doing/ how big they are, and I discovered they are still tiny :)  This is a heritage breed "Dragon Carrot".  Purple  on the outside and orange when sliced.  It has a slightly spicy flavor!

Broccoli - so good.  Will plant more towards the fall.

Broccoli, sugar snap peas, basil, slicing cucumber

And more lettuce!

Mixed Berry - Pretzel Icebox Dessert

I made this recipe from Noble Pig for the 4th of July and it was SO good.  I didn't change a thing, except used all fresh berries instead of some frozen.  Amazing!

Crust
2 cups finely crushed pretzels
3 Tablespoons sugar
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt (do not substitute regular yogurt, it will be too thin)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 (3 oz) packages strawberry gelatin
16 oz fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh blackberries
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400 deg F; mist a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. 

Process pretzels in food processor until finely crushed. 

Add sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine. 

Press pretzel mixture into baking dish and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.

Make filling using an electric mixer on medium speed, beating cream cheese with sugar until well blended. Fold in yogurt and vanilla. Spread over cooled pretzel crust, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2-3 hours.

In a large bowl, dissolve both packages of gelatin in 2 cups boiling water. Let cool in the refrigerator until mixture begins to get more jello-like; about 1 hour. Stir in strawberries and blueberries and pour over cream cheese layer. Chill until firm, at least three hours or overnight.

Cut tart into squares and serve with whipped cream.

As you can see, there was not much left by the time I remembered to take a picture!

Thai Basil Chicken

One of my favorites when we go out for Thai.  Came out pretty close to our favorite restaurant!
I made my own recipe based off of this one from TempleofThai and this one from Thaitable.

~1 lb chicken breast, cut into thin strips
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, sliced
peanut oil for sautéeing
4-6 tbsp soy sauce
1-3 thai chili peppers
1 cup fresh thai basil (not cut up) - be generous!

Saute garlic, shallots, and peppers in peanut oil until lightly browned.

Add chicken and cook through.  Add soy sauce and thai basil, stir until basil is wilted.  Serve over white rice.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

We finally tried this out tonight - my roommate from college provided me this recipe in the recipe book the girls made for me for my wedding shower.  So delicious and easy!

1 lb large shrimp (avoid farmed, imported shrimp)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried crushed red pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1-2 medium diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
3 cloves chopped garlic
Handful of fresh basil and parsley

Toss shrimp with salt and red pepper.
Heat olive oil in skillet and add shrimp; cook for about 2 minutes, remove from pan.

Add onions to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes until browned.  Add tomatoes w/juices, wine, garlic and herbs (I put the garlic and herbs in the food processor and then added them).  Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp back in and serve with your favorite pasta - we used whole wheat spaghetti.

Grilled Ribs with Dry Rub

Another allrecipes.com find - I followed this one exactly and it was really good, despite the meat being slightly charred!  Oops.

3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Rub on ribs

Wrap the ribs up securely in foil -

Grill at medium/low heat for approximately an hour and a half.  We had our heat too high, hence the charring...but will definitely make this rub again and keep the heat lower :)

Jerk Chicken Dry Rub

We loved this!  I was doubtful with the Cinnamon in it but it came out so delicious.  Adapted from this allrecipes.com recipe.

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Chicken (whole or breasts)

Rub on chicken

Grill and enjoy!

House History!

The man who grew up in our home stopped by 2 weeks ago, told us some interesting history, enjoyed checking out all the work we have done, and told us that he had a few pictures from his mother of the house.  In the mail a few days later, we received them!

The house in 1938:

Another from 1938 - with 3 front doors:

1938:  The well that she is pumping from is still out there and still works!

The family in 1954.  The man who came to our house is the baby!  The longer chicken coop in the background is still out there (the other buildings have been removed) and the 2 apple trees in the picture are now HUGE.

1954:  There was a screened-in porch on the front, and a storm took down the tree that took down the porch.  The ladder in the background is still in the barn, and the front door pictured is the same one we still have!

1954 family photo.  The fenceline location is now home to huge evergreens.

We were so appreciative of the former owner for sharing these with us - I'm still working on thinking of a nice way to display these in our house!