My garden is my Soul food.

We've had a lovely month of May in SW Kansas! Well, if you can forget about the snow we had on May 1st and the 100+ temps on May 15th...the rest of the month has been rather cool and just great for my garden! 

My peas and beans popped up super fast and are looking wonderful! 

I spent the morning weeding so now they look even better. 

Gosh...maybe I should have taken these photos AFTER I weeded. I didn't realize how many weeds I had in my photos. I guess that just goes to show I'm looking on the bright sides of things; my vegetables rather than my weeds :) 

Ummmm....I think this is Swiss Chard. I have a bad habit of planting things and not labeling them, thinking that I'll remember what it is that I planted. One of these days...ONE OF THESE DAYS I WILL label my garden....it just may be a few years! 

And look I even have a tiny bloom on my tomatoes! My friend in Texas is already harvesting grape tomatoes off her plants...I'm so jealous! 

Spring is wonderful, heck every season is wonderful but Spring is the time I look forward to my favorite smell; soil! I love getting dirt on my feet and under my nails. I know lots of folks think that I'm crazy working so hard for a tiny garden that economically probably isn't worth it. My garden may not be worth it money wise but the work is more than worth it when it comes to the good my garden does for my soul!! 

Spring is in the air. I just received some in the mail!!!

Today the weather in southwest Kansas is sunny and upper 40's, lower 50's. Tomorrow the temps might hit 60 and Sunday close to 70!! Don't ask about next week though, it goes downhill on Monday. Typical. 

No doubt about it though spring is on it's way. Spring in SW Kansas definitely come much sooner than what I was used to in northern Indiana. The first summer DR and I planted a garden here we did it much too late in May. May is good for Indiana but late March or April seems to be the planting season out here. In Indiana where we planted everything in May and had one garden harvest in the fall, Kansas is different. It stays so warm here for so long that last summer our garden was able to produce a double crop of vegetables like cucumbers  and beans. A double crop was something I'd never heard of in northern Indiana!! 

Though we can get a double crop out of our Kansas garden I really would prefer a single Indiana crop and Indiana rain. Please pray for Kansas. They've been in a severe drought ever since I've lived here and this year doesn't look to be any different. Who knew I'd miss 80% humidity? 

Despite the water woes, I am getting antsy to get into my garden. So much so that I already ordered my garden seeds...and received them just yesterday! How's that for a Valentines gift? I think I was more excited over my seeds than any candy/flowers/cards I could have received! 

Cucumbers and Zucchini...yes, zucchini. Carrots and Chard. Broccoli and Beans and Peas. 

That's not all though. I'm still waiting for a set of white onions and sweet potatoes. I think I've gotten DR into trying to raise the potatoes in a box built from pallets. We'll see how that goes. 

http://tipnut.com/grow-potatoes/

And of course, I couldn't have a garden without planting tomatoes for my Running Soup. We have a great greenhouse that I'll buy plants from. Last year she talked me into buying eggplants! Who knows what I might plant this year. Though I have ruled out okra, never again. That stuff just grows too dang fast to keep up with!

I'm checking out the calendar trying to decide when I might be able to get into my garden this year. I'm excited. I love going out every morning and working in the garden. 

What about you? Are you excited for spring? Do you have garden plans in the works? What kind of vegetables should I try? 

Foody Friday - Kale Chips

For a couple years now I've come across different articles here and there expounding on the healthiness of kale and how people should eat more kale, eat more KALE, EAT MORE KALE!!! (I've stumbled on a LOT of articles on kale.)

Alright already, I'll eat more kale!! Thus the decision to plant kale in my garden this year. I've never eaten kale before but it sure looked pretty with it's bright, sturdy, green leaves. 

"This will be great in salad!", I thought to myself. 

Then I tasted it. Ugh!! Kale is bitter!! It would take a LOT of salad dressing to cover up that taste! I seriously contemplated digging it all up...that's how bad raw kale is. I decided to give kale one more try and Googled some kale recipes to get some ideas and I kept getting results for kale chips. It was easy enough, why not try it? 

I set my oven to 350 degrees. While it was heating I heaped up kale on a round pan, as much as I could get piled on it. Then I drizzled olive oil and salt on top and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. 

When the leaves were getting crispy and brown I pulled them out. The leaves shrunk tremendously! I let them cool slightly, only a minute or so and then I tried them. 

Before I tasted them I couldn't imagine that they'd taste at all good, and was ready to pitch the whole batch, considering how bad kale tasted raw but I was pleasantly surprised! 

Kale chips are fabulous! They are lot like roasted cabbage but crispier. The flavor was great too with the olive oil and salt I could fake myself into thinking I was eating very light potato chips. 

Alright Kale. You are safe in my garden, I won't dig you up. 

But....can you grown any faster please? 

Foody Friday - Hearty Lentil Soup

A friend of mine gave me this recipe a couple weeks ago. She and her husband are on a gluten free, dairy free and sugar free diet (Whew, can you imagine!) and this is a dish they fix quite often. I haven't eaten lentils much but I really enjoyed fixing this soup because the lentils didn't require soaking overnight or a long cooking time. 

Hearty Lentil Soup

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

2 T butter

6 cups of water

1 can diced tomatoes

3/4 c. dry lentils, rinsed

3/4 c. pearl barley

2 T chicken bouillon

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/2 dried rosemary

1/4 t. pepper

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

In a soup kettle, saute celery, onion, and garlic in butter until tender. Add water, tomatoes, lentils, barley, bouillon, oregano, rosemary and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils and barley are tender. Add carrots, simmer for 15 minutes or until all is tender. 

I couldn't find barley at my little grocery so I doubled up on the lentils. Besides, I've never been a fan of barley soup and it turned out just fine without it. The directions said add the carrots last but I they weren't quite cooked through so next time I'll saute the carrots with the celery. The boys loved the soup, surprisingly! 

Sunday Devotions - Daniel's Diet

Daniel 1:8 Daniel made up his mind not to harm himself by eating the king's rich food and drinking the king's wine. So he asked the chief of staff for permission not to harm himself in this way. 12 Please test us for ten days. Give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. 15 After ten days they looked healthier and stronger than the young men who had been eating the king's rich food. 




With the debate on "pink slime" and other food related issues, recently I've noticed a variety of "diets"  for healthier living gaining popularity on the Internet. There is the Caveman diet, Hormone diet, Gluten Free diet and even the Daniel diet which is based on the prophet Daniel in the Bible as well as Vegetarian and Vegan. Although they all differ in what is and what is not allowed on their diets for the most part all of these diets tend to emphasize eating real food. In saying real food I'm referring to unprocessed, not from a box, food. You know, food that actually requires preparation. No donuts, chips, or Kraft macaroni and cheese. Rather these diets emphasize more fruits, vegetables, nuts and other foods that are grown rather than created in a factory. 


For the last few months I've made some major changes in my diet. Not that I can get my husband convinced to make the same changes but I am starting to see the effects of my brainwashing on my kids. I've given up pop and practically all sugar and I've tried to load my meals with fruits, vegetables, nuts and less meat. It hasn't been easy, especially when it seems my generation and that of my kids seems to have been raised on nothing but processed foods. 


Since making the diet changes I've felt so much better! I've been sleeping better and have had so much more energy and haven't had that afternoon slump that before would have had me brewing a pot of coffee just to keep me going. I've gotten to the point, finally, where I barely crave sugar (candy or pop) any longer. 


A lot of people don't think there is anything wrong with the American way of eating processed and fast foods but the Bible backs up the wisdom of eating better. Daniel asked his Babylonians captors for a diet of vegetables and water and ten days longer he proved that his diet was healthier. When we are healthy we have more energy. When we have more energy we work better for God. This body and this life was a gift by God for God. We are put on Earth to work for him and to get our jobs done to the best of our ability we need to be as healthy as possible. We wouldn't put milk in the gas tank of our car. Then why would we put junk in our bodies? 




Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us these bodies and the right foods to fuel them for Your work that needs done. Help us make the right dietary choices today for ourselves and our families. Amen. 

Foody Friday - Crock Pot Veggie Broth

I seem to use a lot of broth (or at least wanting to) but then never finding any in my cabinets. I'm not organized enough to plan meals and actually have all the ingredients I need for the week on hand. People who can do that amaze...I bow at their feet.

But, I do keep an old coffee can in my freezer for spare veggie parts; celery leaves and stalks, onion and potato skins, mushroom stems. Then when my coffee can is full I toss all those veggie scraps in the crockpot with water and some thyme and basil. I turn it on low at bedtime....

...and by morning I have a pot full of broth that just needs to be strained through a cloth.

The veggie scraps get tossed in the compost bin and all I have to do now is decide how to use my beautiful brown broth today.

What is your favorite recipe that calls for some sort of broth or stock?

Foody Friday - Hot and Cold,Mushroom, Squash, Avocado, Cilantro Salad

You are probably thinking,

"With a title like that, this post has to be an April Fool's Joke!"

No joke. But it is a dish I came up with all by myself...and I'm pretty proud of it. Especially since it contains squash!!!

Hot and Cold Mushroom, Squash, Avocado, Cilantro Salad

Melt some butter in a skillet. None of that fake margarine stuff, use the real thing!! Butter is natural...remember that so it HAS to be good for you right? The less you like vegetables then the more butter you should be a throwin' in the skillet! A couple tablespoons should do it.

Slice up a yellow summer squash and a few fresh mushrooms and throw em' in on top of all that yummy butter.

Leave the veggies and dice up half an avocado and put it in a bowl.

About this time check on those veggies and toss in some salt and pepper and give em' a good stir.

Wait a few more minutes and a few more stirs until the squash are getting nicely browned. About this time your mushrooms will taste more like hot butter than like mushrooms!

Pour those hot veggies right on top of your avocado and give em a quick stir.

Squeeze the juice of half a lime on top.

Top with a generous handful of fresh cilantro. Add more salt, pepper

 or lime juice to taste.

I don't know about you but this dish just oozes summertime. Clean and fresh and light. Maybe I'll even put a squash plant in my garden this summer just for this dish.

Now, does anyone have a better title for my new salad?

Foody Friday - Roasted Vegetable Muffins

Thank you Amy for sharing this recipe; these muffins were awesome!! I ate four of them and then didn't have room for the rest of my lunch.

Roasted Vegetable Muffins

from Celebrating Cupcakes and Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Roasted vegetables:


1 cup assorted vegetables (Amy used eggplant and zucchini, but I used broccoli, carrots and celery...great!)


2 Tbsp. olive oil


Salt, to taste


Black pepper, to taste


Dried rosemary, thyme, or oregano, to taste


Toss vegetables with oil and seasonings and then roast (on a lined cookie sheet) for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven until cooked and/or golden.


Muffins:

3 oz. butter (I used a couple tablespoons..it worked)


1 large egg


1 cup whole milk


1 cup mozzarella (or whichever) cheese


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


2 1/2 tsp. baking powder


1 tsp. sugar


1/2 tsp. salt


1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used shredded cheddar)


1/4 cup pesto sauce (I'd never made pesto before and it turned out great. Yap loved it! I combined basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds in my food processor until paste like.)


•In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together butter, egg, and milk. Gently fold in cheese until just combined.


•In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.


•Fold flour mixture into egg mixture just until blended.


•Spoon two-thirds of the batter into greased muffin cups (or use silicone ones like I did) filling each cup about one-third full.


•Top with half the roasted vegetables and all the (feta or whatever) cheese and pesto.


•Add remaining batter and vegetables.


•Bake for about 20 minutes at 350, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.


•Transfer pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for about 15 minutes.


These were just awesome! DR, of course, wouldn't try them. The green pesto freaked him out. That's fine...more for me!!

Foody Friday - Coffee Beef Stew

For Christmas my brother in law gave me The Flavor Bible off my Amazon wish list. It's not a cookbook but rather it gives ideas on different flavors to combine when cooking if you don't necessarily want to follow a recipe. It gives a main ingredient and then lists flavors that are compatible. Some of the compatible flavors are ones that you wouldn't think of like beef and coffee. I've been experimenting a lot lately with different flavor combinations with success and a few failures.

I decided to create some beef stew last week and I must say it turned out much better than I expected! I didn't measure anything but I thought I'd share with you what I did and guess at the amounts.

Coffee Beef Stew

In a large soup pot heat 2-3 T of olive oil very hot. Heat cubed beef, about 1 heaping cup, until cooked through. Remove from pot. Heat 2-3 T more of olive oil. Add 2-3 cups of diced vegetables. I used carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Cook until browned. Return meat to the pot. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup of flour, 1-2 t. salt, 1 t pepper, 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. cloves. Stir until vegetables are completely covered, keep stirring for about a minute. Pour 1/2 c. coffee and beef broth to cover vegetables by about an inch. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cornstarch can be added if the stew isn't thick enough.

The stew with the cloves and cinnamon felt as though it left a slightly warm sensation after you were done with the meal. It was a nice feeling for a cold winter day.

It's been fun trying to create my own dishes without referring to a recipe. Well, except for the caramel pecan sauce I was trying to make that came out a giant clump of burnt sugar....sigh, you can't learn without a few failures right?

Foody Friday - Ratatouille

Have you seen the movie Ratatouille?

It's a pretty cute movie about a rat who likes to cook and helps out a hopeless chef in a Paris restaurant. For the most part I loved this movie, but the scene where hundreds of rats are scurrying through the kitchen at night made me shiver....I don't care if they DID wash their hands. EEWWW!

So in the movie Little Rat Chef fixes up the dish Ratatouille. It looked yummy to me but of course Pixar can make anything look good can't they? Well, except for a herd of rats crawling over grapes and cheese; they couldn't pull that one off. Purse Gurl left her Culinary Cookbook from Johnson and Wales at my house (or maybe it just slipped out of her bags when she was packing...whoops) and I found a recipe for Ratatouille! I couldn't resist. A dish full of vegetables to eat all on my own because I really doubt anyone in my family will be too interested in it.

Ratatouille!

Olive oil

onions

garlic

tomatoes

eggplant

zuchinni

green beans

tomato sauce (unseasoned)

salt

pepper

Dice up all your veggies. Now it would have much better if I'd had fresh green beans and tomatoes but canned worked really well too.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute onions until they are clear. Add the rest of the veggies and saute for about 5 more minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and season. Pssst...go easy on the salt because the veggies will quickly absorb the flavor.

Then stick it in a 350 degree oven until veggies are tender, 30-40 minutes.

This tasted even better than it looked! I had two heaping servings. And guess what! Yip, my picky eater, even said it was good!! Jackpot!!

This is a recipe I think any combination of veggies could be used. Peppers, corn, peas...whatever floats your boat. I'm thinking next time of adding some ground sausage before I put it in the oven. The possibilities are endless!

Break Out the Beano! We're Roasting Vegetables!

Oh, folks! Have you ever roasted vegetables? Let me tell you...I am addicted!! I kept reading in various places how roasting is such a healthy and tasty way of preparing vegetables. Yeah, I'd roast carrots and potato wedges and they were pretty good but that was as about as far as I'd ever gotten. Then, somewhere, sorry can't remember where, I read about roasting cabbage wedges.

"What the heck?" I thought. "A head of cabbage costs less than a dollar. Not a big loss if it tastes lousy and I throw it out." While Yahoo and I were grocery shopping we hopped on over to the produce to pick out a head of cabbage and while we were there I loaded up on all kinds of veggies. Cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes...we'll roast em' all!


Preheat your oven to 350. Spread olive oil on pizza pans or cookie sheets then line up the veggies. Use a 1" paint brush, paint free please, to spread more olive oil along the top too. Don't be afraid to use too much. The paint brush really pushes the oil in amongst the cabbage leaves and makes it so much better.


Sprinkle ground black pepper and Kosher salt all over the veggies. I tend to use a lot of salt. The healthiness of the veggies counteracts the sodium, right?


Roast in oven about 20-25 minutes. Feel free to turn the cabbage over about halfway through...sometimes I do..sometimes I don't.


And..oh my!! These veggies were so, so, so good!! The tomatoes melted in my mouth. The cabbage was sweet! My kids ate cauliflower!!!

I am not ashamed to say, I ate a whole head of roasted cabbage in 24 hours! I am ashamed to say, my husband wouldn't let me sleep in the same room with him after those same 24 hours however. Next time, I won't forget the Beano.

Zuchinni Pie

When I was growing up my grandfather raised zuchinni....ACRES of zuchinni. Now if you know anything about zuchinni you know that it grows fast. In a backyard garden you pick zuchinni about every other day. In a FIELD of zuchinni it has to be picked EVERY DAY..sometimes twice a day! What better work force at my grandfather's disposal but his grandchildren. I remember two or three summers where we picked zuchinni everyday and then packed them in boxes to get hauled off to who knows where. The final destination of the zuchinni wasn't on the mind of a eleven year old.

What did all the grandkids think about the mountains of zuchinni we picked and washed and packed everyday? WE HATED IT!!! There was always zuchinni around and of course Mom and Grandma thought we should eat zuchinni too. How DARE they entertain such a thought? By the end of the hot summer day picking zuchinni there was only two things we even thought about doing with one of those vegetables of death.

We carved boats. I wished I had a picture to share with you of our zuchinni boats. When a zuchinni was really large it lost a lot of its flavor (zuchinni has flavor?) and couldn't be sold. So the grandkids would carve them up and float them in the cattle's water tank. It was quite gratifying to carve those big green veggies up!!

The only other thing we enjoyed about zuchinni was Grandma's zuchinni pie! Wonderful! As much as we hated zuchinni, my sisters and I would actually fight over this pie. Normally you would throw away the peel but we always talked Mom and Grandma into leaving it on. If it's left on the pie turns out green and relatives at family reunions aren't too keen on trying a green pie...which meant more for us!! This pie tastes just like a sugar cream pie with a bit of texture. Try it out! It will be a bigger hit than you can imagine!

ZUCHINNI PIE

1 cup Grated Zucchini (about 2 small zuchinni)
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Evaporated Milk
1 whole Egg
2 Tablespoons Flour
1-½ Tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 whole Pie Crust
Preparation Instructions
Blend all ingredients together and pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Pie is done when a knife inserted comes out clean. Time may need to be adjusted if you are using a deep dish pie crust. How easy is that?