I've never been one to enjoy yard work, but sitting on a blanket with my baby and watching "dada" plant the garden..... that is nice! We had such perfect weather over the weekend and it was a great time to plant our veggies. I'm so excited to watch them grow and make food for Solomon with our home grown vegetables this year! Peter and I both don't like fresh tomatoes, so I'm really hoping that Solomon likes them, that way he can help eat them this year. They tend to go to waste since we don't make a lot with them, but I really want to learn how to can salsa and pasta sauce this year! It's so fun to watch our garden grow and eat the food, if only I wasn't so afraid of stepping on a snake in that jungle of a garden! 

those chunky baby feet.... kill me.

& I'm glad I didn't buy any salad mix for this week because all that lettuce below needs to be cut!

saying hello to the last two girls we have.... 

yup, these kind of afternoons with yard work are great!! The birds chirping and Solomon taking in all the sights and sounds around him. And I think we might have a salad lover on our hands by the way he wanted to eat all the grass, haha, we can only hope!

When Life Gives You Tomatoes.

For two garden growing people that don’t really enjoy fresh tomatoes, we always have a TON of ripe tomatoes and not much use for them. Over the 4th of July weekend I made a big bowl of bruschetta for an appetizer and had a small bowl leftover. I then had one of those light bulb moments when I thought, “hey! I’m going to bake chicken with the left over bruschetta since that husband and I both enjoy COOKED tomatoes!!”, and it was such a wonderful idea. Peter said that it reminded him of chicken that tasted like pizza, only healthier. It was one of the first times in a looooong time that I didn't run to pinterest to check on a recipe and I'm so glad I didn't. I just went with my gut and made up my own recipe and of course I have to share it with all of you!! So, if you want to eat chicken that tastes like a pizza (seriously, who doesn't want that?!?) then this is what you need to do....

Part One // the bruschetta

tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

basil leaves

fresh mozzarella

1 clove of garlic, minced

sprinkle of Italian seasoning

 

1// slice as many tomatoes as your little heart desires into tiny pieces

2// chop 5-6 fresh basil leaves and add to the tomatoes

3// normally I use the minced garlic in a tube for recipes, one squirt was plenty. Otherwise, mince one clove of garlic and add to the bowl

4// slice as much mozzarella as you want, I typically eye about 1/2 the amount of tomatoes

5// add a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

6// stir and refrigerate to combine all the flavors or eat fresh

 

Part Two // the chicken

left over bruschetta from an epic party (or fresh if just made)

chicken breasts

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

 

1// drizzle olive oil and balsamic to coat the bottom of a baking dish

2// place the chicken in the baking dish and add a dash of salt and pepper to each side

3// continue to flip and press the chicken in the balsami & oil mixture until it soaks in, normally for 2-3 minutes

4// pile on the bruschetta goodness

5// bake in over at 350 for 30 minutes

6// slice chicken to confirm it has fully cooked

7// enjoy the yummy, cheesy, juicy chicken

Spicy Goodness // pt.1

In honor of this wonderful holiday I thought I would celebrate with a tasty, cold drink. It may not be very American of me but I've always been a fan of margaritas. I like to think that I can make one heck of a classic margarita but I have recently become obsessed with a spicier version. I tell everyone it is like drinking cold fire and I absolutely love them. Since we planted some jalepenos in our garden this year I've been excited to make some homemade simple syrup for my summer cocktails. Here's how it all went down.....

Jalapeno Simple Syrup // Makes One Cup
1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 jalapeno peppers, sliced thin

1 // in a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook, 

stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until all sugar has dissolved

2 // reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer to three to four minutes, stirring frequently

3 // remove from heat and allow to cool for five minutes. 

4 // strain out the pepper slices and store in an airtight container. 

5 // the syrup will last in the refrigerator for up to three months

I can't wait to use this for some spicy margaritas! When I was testing the final product I used my pinky to have a quick taste. It was perfect, just enough heat to warm your throat but it faded quickly. Then I had an itch inside my right nostril and for some crazy reason I used that same pinky to scratch it. Let me tell you, that heat did not fade as quickly. Around thirty minutes later my nose finally stopped burning! 

I have a few ideas going on in my head for a fun margarita and I'm interested to see how the final product turns out. I did a test run last night (since I didn't have to wake up for work, and everything) and it was almost perfect, just a little bit of tweaking! Of course I will share part two with all of you once I have the recipe just right! Till then, you go find a cold drink and enjoy your 4th of July!!! 

I Married a Green Thumb.

I honestly can't take credit for most of this wonderfulness in our back yard. I mean, yes... when Peter is out of town for work I water the garden and take care of the chicks, but when he comes home on the weekend he is the one cleaning the coop and weeding the garden. I don't do the hard stuff. I guess it's a good thing that he enjoys it. It really is so gratifying to see the growth in our back yard recently.

All of the dreams that we discussed when we bought our house are coming true and that is the most exciting feeling. I know that God created everything that grows and He also created us to grow it. It is so much fun to be a part of that, thanks to Peter of course.

Anything that is harmed by animals or bugs from the garden instantly goes to the chicks and they always appreciate it!  

the cutest baby watermelon ever!

I know that if I were a single lady in a house of my own I would not have all of this. I wouldn't care to have chickens or grow THAT MUCH produce on my own. A few plants, yea... but the poor things would probably die quickly, so I'm thankful for that man. I'm thankful for his green thumb and I am so incredibly thankful that he chose to share it with me!

Our Backyard.

It’s pretty obvious that my husband was born with a green thumb. Some of my favorite stories from his childhood are ones that include him building irrigation systems in their back yard so all the plants could be watered evenly in the garden he planted. When his neighbor saw what he did, he asked Peter to come and do it in their yard also. Oh, and I forgot to mention that he was only six years old. See, green thumb. What six year old likes to garden?

For our entire dating life he had a garden so when we got in engaged and started to look for houses I knew where his concern was, the back yard. We would walk in each house and he would instantly walk through all the front rooms and head straight to the back windows. If he didn't like what he saw then there really was no point to see the rest of the house. It didn't bother me, I understood it. It was a big deal to him so that meant it was a big deal to me.

Since we have moved into our home with our big back yard I have the fun task of keeping him grounded when it comes to the plans. When I saw our big, open, treeless yard for the first time I imagined cookouts with family and friends while little babies ran around playing tag. Peter pictured rows of plants and chickens and fruit trees. Don’t get me wrong, I want all of those things too, but I also want a yard we can enjoy fully. So during the past few months we have been running over ideas in our head and walking the yard together to try and figure out the best position for our garden and I’m so happy to say that we agreed on a plan without any disagreements. High Fives all around! 

Our awesome compost bin that we have been adding to ever since we moved in.

It has been so exciting to start this adventure with Peter. We have enjoyed shopping for organic seeds and plants for us to grow together. It was so much fun to buy little baby chickens for us to raise for fresh eggs. Using our yard to give us as much of a self-sustaining life possible is the main goal. I can’t wait for the day when I come home from work, throw on my boots and walk out in the garden to pick some fresh produce for dinner. I know we are a long way from that right now but it is there in our future. We can see it, and that is so thrilling.