12 Low carb Thanksgiving dishes

well maybe not 12 but I did manage to keep ALL of my Thanks giving low carb. It was imperative since I gained a lot of poundage while at Reni's ( i wasn't a very good girl at all when it came to sticking with my eating plan)

we had a small dinner this year as all the other family had other plans already in place. Just Seymour and I, Seth and Peter, a friend of ours. It was very very nice.

Menu: with recipes to follow
Turkey and gravy
sage and onion stuffing
Cauli Mash
broccoli and cheese casserole
tossed salad with pomogranite seeds
sugar free pumpkin pie
lower carb pecan pie

I know that I had some appetizers, but I for the life of me can't remember what!

The dressing--which is a family tradition from my great grandmother-- is generally made with fresh breadcrumbs. It's just breadcrumbs, onion, sage and butter. This year I subbed low carb bread, flax meal and almond meal for the bread. it was delicious.

Cauli mash is steamed cauliflower processed in the food processor with about 4 ounces of cream cheese to one head of Cauliflower. add a little salt and and garlic powder and it's done. This is one of our favorite dishes and we have it a couple of times a week. Its wonderful with gravy. Or without!

The broccoli casserole was a variation of the traditional green been casserole, just for a change. I added some grated cheese to the recipe--the one with the French's onions on top. This is our new tradition, we liked it so much.

the tossed salad was romaine lettuce with cucumber , jicama, Pomegranate seeds and pecan halfs roughly chopped. the dressing is 1/4 cup of walnut oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 3 packets splenda, a dash of tabasco and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. this is my FAVORITE salad dressing. soooooo good!


for the pumpkin pie I use the Libby's recipe ( on the can)with the following subs-- half heavy cream and half water in place of the canned milk( saves 20 carbs) 1/4 cup xylitol and18 packets of splenda for the sugar ( saves 150 carbs) and I increase the spices by half again.--(thats just my preference.) bake as per the recipe.

for the crust I use:
1 1/4 cup almond or pecan flour
2 T oat flour
1 T xylitol
1 T poly dextrose ( optional)
4 T melted butter

mix it all together and then just press it into a 9 in pie pan like you do with a graham cracker crust

bake at 350 for about 10 min ( I put foil over the edge to keep it from burning) take out and brush the crust with egg white and bake for an additional 5 min to set it. pour in the pie filling and bake as usual--this is why the foil over the edge becomes important as you are baking the crust twice. but it doesn't work if you don't! this saves about 200 carbs. each piece of pie is under 5 grams carb--a normal piece is about 50!!!!!!!

The pecan pie was very complicated, used a lot of specialty products and wasn't as low carb as I wan'ted it to be. It was for Seymour and he loved it--he doesn't care as much about lower carb as i do as he doesn't have the same metabolic issues I have! if i get it tweaked to my satisfaction I'll post the recipe.

12 Delights of the ThanChristmanikah Newyear Season

ever since I left for Reni's my life has been a WHIRL and I"ve fallen really behind on blogging.

So much has been going on! So I'll attempt to catch up a bit with the next 12 posts!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I'm finally back home and back to my computer. which I really missed. I'm so excited to finish decorating for the Hols and to just be HOME. I did have a fabulous time visiting and vacationing in Oregon. Pictures to follow. Busy day tody as we got back last night and we are expecting about 100 people for a party Saturday night. I'm not in charge of the food, thank God, just having the place festive looking and clean. can do, but will have to turn and burn today.

about that nose dent

okay gusti just for you
My nose:

you will note that there is a flat space across the tip and in that space there is a faint shadow-- that is the dent. you can kinda see it in my profile pic as well.

aA rather longish nose with that kinda flat tip--with or without the dent --is the English nose I'm talking about.

I saw variations all over the place in London when I was there. Witness:


King Charles the 1st of England
















his son King Charles the 2nd














Anna Chancellor, modern British Actress (Duck Face in "Four Weddings and a Funeral") here seen in A&E's "Pride and Prejudice".

See!!! an English nose

Seven weird or Funny things

Okay I'll play

1. To continue Reni's tooth theme--all my teeth--100%--are capped or are bridges, due to a combination of getting hit in the mouth with a fast soft ball at age 12, and a genetic predisposition to decay and gum disease.

2.My nose has a dent in it at the bottom--a very English nose. Seymour thinks it's weird--but HIS nose is a very Jewish nose--total opposites!

3. I am a Christmas FANATIC. I put up my main tree the day after Thanksgiving ( it's artificial), play xmas music 24/ 7 for the whole month. have at least 2 other trees --real, for the smell--and have decorations ( a Christmas village , a miniature carousel, santas etc etc ) pretty much everywhere you look. I watch all the Christmas movies, multiple times. I make special homemade christmastime only food--particularly homemade candy...and it goes on. And now I have Channukah decorations as well. I loooooove the holidays.

4.my favorite thing to do is to eat out--preferably at fabulous, one of a kind, creative restaurants. favorite cuisine-rustic fusion.

5.you cannot share a meal with me and NOT have the conversation eventually come around to low carb eating and the evils of grain and sugar.

6.I don't like to cook. Everybody thinks I do Because I do it well, but the only thing I really enjoy cooking is desserts and candy. I just really like EATING good food soooo... ( and hence number 4 above)

7. I talk to my cats. A lot. Outloud.

so there.

I tag Ashley, Kylee and Pam Kimball ( I know Pam you don't have a blog yet --so START ONE already!!!)

one of the little projects we have been working on while I've been here has been potty training Asher. He's doing fabulous, thanks to a little idea Reni got froma suggestion Patience made. he had been resisting even sitting on the potty at all always saying " I don't want to". with great emphasis--and tears if we tried to force the issue

Soooo we started a little game with everyone. After enlisting everyone to hlep, we would set a timer and when it went off we would ask " who needs to go to the potty?" First Reni and I went, then a couple of the kids would go and we would get Asher to come and watch. after a bit we convinced him that it was his turn and he willingly went and we got peeps in the potty!!!! He got a sticker and i did a silly little potty dance. sfter that everytime he would get peepee in the potty he would ask for a "Silly Fanny Dance"

below is an example. so Anyway--threee accidents the first day, only one the THIRD day and today--the fifth day--he even managed to keep a diaper dry on a whole day out at the mall and etc!!!

witness the Fanny Potty dance

Asher story

on Friday we spent most of the day shopping a driving around in the car. it was a long day for everyone so at some point I started playing twenty questions with the kids--which they loved ( and never want to STOP!!!!) we played for alot of the afternoon--Mostly Kensi and Sa,em of course.

along towar evening I was driving with just the boys in the car-- (Reni and Kensi were t a bridal shower and I was fetching Abe from work so....) Salem and I started a game--the other boys werea lseep--or so we thought.

after a bit Asher pipes up from his seat " I want to do one"
okay I said " do you have an animal in your head?
yes he siad " I have an aminal"

salem asked how may legs does it have
" four" Asher replied ( he'd obvioulsy been listening very carefully all aftrnoon!)
" does it have fur?"
Yes , it has fur" ( pronounced foo)
does it have a trunk?
"no, my aminal doesn't have a frunk"
is it a lion?
"no it is not a yiyon"
I give up, what is it?
"um....a balloon!!!" and then gales of giggles

It deteriorated quickly after that--the next animal had four legs and shoes and socks and ears and a Butt!! oh, and a frunk and a chair-thingy on its bottom. (an elepahnt with shoes and socks sitting in a chair, perhaps?

much laughter and amazement from all. he really is quite the two year old!

adventures in Fannyland

So I;/m here in Utah at the little red cabin with Reni ans the kids.

you've seen pictures of the baby so I don't need to tell you how pretty he is and , as newborns go, he's a pretty easy one.

we've gotten lots of projects done( Reni painted the bathroom yesterday) but we've also had some mishaps--I mangled the tip of my middle finger on my left hand with a power saw the second day here--so that hurts! gonna be a nice hunk of scar tissue!!! and yesterday I had some kinda stomach bug ( the egg burps YUCH) and Abe has it today. but we've also had some fun

Asher the two year old is as charming as a two year old can be. He talks very well but uses some interesting intitial consonants--mostly f--for a variety of sounds, hence Thaddeus is Faddeus and Grampy is Frampy. So I am Fanny. Makes me laugh.

Halloween party

Great fun was had by all, but I think I had the most fun--all week-- getting ready for it was just a blast!!!!! The idea started with the fact that I grew enough pumpkins for each of the grand children that live in the area to have one. I have always loved Halloween but since Ashley grew up and we get no trick'r treaters I had no excuse to decorate. A party was the best idea I've had in a long time.


visitors were first met by scarecrow

and then proceeded through the graveyard

to be met by black cats and skeletons

then... on to the pumpkin patch

I'm not sure whose funeral this is--but Mike ( Seymour's son) seems to be giving the eulogy and Stacey is doing the burying. LOL

witchy poo in the pumpkin patch

our masterpieces
for some reason we got no pictures of all of us carving--too sad

then it was time to eat!

Calvin and Leo playing in the witches brew

witch fingers ( soft pretzels..pretty yummy)

the eyeball deviled eggs were pretty good, but no one touched the boogers on a stick!!

for Dessert--Devils Food Graveyard cake and I Scream

I really was such fun--were hoping to make it an annual tradition.

new window

We finally got this project done!

before

and after

another angle

so you can see that it is still not finished. But the window is in-- Joy joy joy glee glee glee!!!!

it's been unfinished, open to the studs wall ,since I move in 7 years ago. The wall will eventually be a faux finish like the bottom half of the hall. this wont happen till mid December --Then the tiling needs to be finished--which won't happen till spring or summer when we aren't using the stove. we actually need to replace the stove and the floor tile so hopefully that will happen in the summer as well.

Sarah Palin

So here is a little something that made me laugh really hard. (note: I'm NOT a Sarah Palin fan. If you are you'll prol'ly wanna skip this post)


Here is a link to the original guy who created it--bigger so you can read it better! --AND...you can even buy T-shirts and MUGS!!!! whoo-ooo

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

okay--one other blogworthy incident ( I guess..) I burned the crap out of my forearm taking a pan out of the oven a couple of days ago. about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide deep 2nd degree and it hurts like &*^% he**--well ALOT. so stupid!!!

o-KAY Reni--just for you! I promise its pretty boring!

we have pretty leaves!

then there is the saga of the " Ugly Pilgrim" seen here to your left.

Last year I bought this guy at Hobby Lobby for about a dollar--he was on clearance for 90% off or something and he is was the only one left--no matching lady or Indian. Everybody thought he was hilarious and he was dubbed the "Ugly Pilgrim". (Well, he IS kinda ugly, LOL.) And I determined that he is now an essential part of Thanksgiving--Kinda like the "Ugly Turkey Plate" (which Patience now has BTW)

I've been on the lookout since the season started this year, hoping I would find a matching Pilgrim-ess, but until yesterday no luck. I was afraid he would have to remain a bachelor forever.


So...... yesterday I FOUND her--and on sale too!


She isn't nearly as Ugly as he..he is so gray looking compared to her. Kate remarked that at least the Ugly Pilgrim had a hot wife! So I guess I can't call them the "Ugly Pilgrims". They will remain "The Ugly Pilgrim and his Wife" ( or maybe she's his daughter--or as Seymour just commented: Perhaps she's his mistress?--Hester Prynn maybe?)



It really doesn't seem possible that it has been two weeks since I updated, but I've been really busy--with the house of course--I told you already that's pretty much all I do! I haven't blogged about the projects yet cause nothing is finished . LOL we did get Kate's new room painted but it is still a mess. so photos as soon as she gets it all cleaned up.

Other incidental projects are also pending--got the top of the balcony railing finished and trimmed. Those of you who know the house know that is has been open drywall and unfinished wood. It is now topped and trimmed in white.

Seymour said he had planned to finish it in oak--but I figure he had his chance--20 years!!!! Now its my turn! I'll get some pictures up soon I promise.

Also ( Ashley if you are reading this, sit down. ) The WINDOW by the wood burning stove is getting put in and FINISHED!!!!! OMG.!!!!!!!!!

so anyway I've been waiting to post till I got everything done, but, well... you got some silliness too. Thank Reni!

I find it hard to update--compared to all you young people--with all your kids and their "doings" and cuteness--my life seems very pedestrian. Everyday is pretty much same-ol' same-ol' and all I have exciting to show is pics of my house! (I'll be posting soon about my cats and I will never hear the end of it from Emily who is convinced I'm already sliding into my dotage and "crazy cat-ladyhood!" LOL)
Anyhoo... her are some pics of my HOUSE!

I got very ambitious after the Bedroom got done and fixed a couple of small areas that have been needing attention ( ie were bugging me!)

I did the hall way to the basement first--so here are the before and after pics of that. I don't know how well you can tell from the photo, but the update colors are both faux finishes.
they turned out very nicely and I LOVE that wall now. Before it was just blah and it bugged me!
It also had no finish trim--baseboard or around the door so that got done as well. I'm getting to be a pretty good trim carpenter if I do say so myself!



I also got the curtains on the wall near the couches finished--they were just strips of cloth hooked up and had been that way for several months. Sewed, rehung at the right height and I also changed the color of the wall-- Less aggressive and more elegant. Much better! I had too much " purple and orange; orange and purple" going on. More interesting , better design now.

The next project is moving rooms around.--with some painting going on I'm sure. My craft room is moving down to the basement, Kate is moving into my craft room--she has been such a good sport about living in a tiny space but with this change she'll have a normal size room. the grandkids toy room goes back into the fan room ( where Kate has been) and the workout weight-cage and related equipment moves up to the landing ( out of the space where my craft room is going) where it will be accessible to all for excellent workouts this winter! whew. Did you get all that?
We hope to get that all done before I leave for Utah--where I can apply my excellent skills and well developed muscles to Reni's "little" project. LOL

I finished the bedroom and here are the after pics. this first one basically from the same spot as the before pic Then the photos kinda travel around the room counter clockwise. New curtains, new artwork new lamps and bedside table and new closet door. wheee! I really love it.

Since I published a pic of some of my sculptures in progress, I thought maybe I should show you something a bit more finished. this Santa was the head on the left in the previous photo. he has no hands yet and he will eventually have elves and a sleigh.


Here is a full body shot and one with my hand so you can see the scale. I have such a good time doing these dolls, I almost feel guilty doing it!

For those who may not have seen my work before--the faces and hands , and anything that is "skin" is sculpted from translucent polymer clay. The body is a soft body over a pose-able wire armature.

I design and sew the costume and make the boots--real leather--and any additional details and accessories--whatever is needed to complete the vignette.

BLOG GAMES

Okay, Gusti. I'll play (even though I wasn't really invited and I'm not a photographer lol I'm getting even pushier in my old age!) .
let's see...fourth picture in the fourth file....

This was taken in about march of this year. these are two Santa Claus heads I was working on. I took a bunch of pictures to document that my work was original and one of a kind in case it ever comes up! Now I'll need to go and take pictures of the still-in-progress Dolls. All I did this summer was landscaping! I tag Reni and Quinn and Ashley

I had the most extraordinary experience yesterday--I hardly know how to begin to share it.


The day began with an audition (always a bit of an ordeal emotionally) for "Wit", a play I would really really love to do. audition went fine. I felt that I read well ( made them laugh a couple of times) but got no clues from the director --as per usual--so.... just waiting to hear on that.

THEN, I didn't want to go home yet, as I was still petty wired from the audition, so went looking for a coffee shop or something near by. I invited Seymour to join me, but he had an appointment so would try to meet me, but later rather than sooner, so I was on my own.

I ended up at the Denver art museum complex, only a couple of blocks away from the theatre, and chose to treat myself to lunch in the rather upscale, very pretty restaurant in the museum.

As I was ordering, the hostess seated another solitary woman nearby.

I have always wanted to be the sort of person who would invite a stranger to share my table, but I've never had the guts to do it, (always second guessing and concerned about looking foolish or WHATEVER!) but this time--maybe the audition made me brave--I just did it.

The woman, rather delightedly I thought, accepted my invitation--actually, she asked me to join HER as her table had a more picturesque position--and we were off.

I met the most fabulous woman! I don't think I've ever met someone with whom I had more in common. She is from Sante Fe, and was only in town for the weekend. She teaches art for the Waldorf schools, recently got into sculpting, has 5 children ( would have had more but started late) has a very metaphysical philosophy of life--and a delightful personality. we are , of course, planning to keep in touch!

Like Reni mentioned in her blog--it is so wonderful to find a new friend! and what a dramatic way to find one!

Seymour showed up at the end and met her , her name is Chris, and of all things, had his camera along so we have PICTURES! what a riot!

This one was taken just outside the museum

This one was just after we realized we had nearly identical sunglasses--and hairdos!!

So, a day I was rather dreading--I'm not having much fun with auditions lately--turned into one of the best days ever.

Pretty cool.

Grands

I've got Bailey and Lennon this morning-- Patience has a business meeting. Here are a couple of pics of the cuties in Granny's playroom. I love that I have to buy toys for the Grand's . I get to buy all the stuff I coveted as a kid! heeheehee.



notice that Bailey has a doll baby and Lennon has an incredible Hulk hand on. All girl and all boy. LOL

THIS AND THAT

Well, the bedroom is finished--except for the new drapes I ordered on-line ( found the PERFECT thing at TARGET!!!! ) As soon as they arrive I'll post the after picture. oh it looks so good!

I've got my plans for travel this fall all made and booked. NOv 1-23 with Reni for the new baby. then home for thanksgiving. THEN the day AFTER Thanksgiving, Seymour and I are flying to Eugene OR to spend several days with Seymour's sister Marilyn and family. We always have a great time with them ( hi Marilyn!) and I'm looking forward to that a bunch.

Still trying to decide if and/or when to go out to California--I've spent several Christmases with Caleb and Julie and Max and Emily and that is always pretty much a blast so I may do that. Seymour and I do our holiday family thing at Channukah, so he doesn't care if I'm away for Christmas. Actually, I just about talked myself into it! gotta go check flights.

I had to take a break from working on the bedroom for a minute this morning (painting is done--trim next) to make a batch of raspberry jam. I bought a flat of berries at Costco so they needed to get done before they spoiled. Our own berries produced plenty this year and I could've easily gotten enough for a batch of jam in three days--but we just kept EATING THEM! They were soooo good.

I was amazed, however, at how quickly the jam went together. Start to finish it took less than an hour. And the clean-up was done while the jars were processing. (It helps a lot that I already have all the jars and lids and paraphernalia.)
It is really so easy to do--and I didn't use my canner even--just a medium soup pot.
I've made lots of jam before but don't remember it going so fast. Practice makes perfect I guess!

I make my own because, of course, I don't use sugar. This batch was sweetened with a combination of xylitol and splenda. (FYI anybody who's interested--xylitol works with pectin very much like sugar does so you get a nice gel, unlike the non nutritive sweeteners alone i.e. splenda, aspartame, saccharine.) I used about 3/4 cup xylitol and 30 drops of the liquid sucralose mentioned before--equivalent to about 2 cups of sugar--for 6 cups of jam.

I feel very accomplished.

"YOUR NEXT MISSION...

...should you choose to accept it."

If anyone else has built their own home as Seymour and I have ( Reni Take note) you understand when I say it is NEVER "done". Currently we have about 15 projects ongoing! With the big outside projects being finished and the weather changing to autumnal, I have moved inside. Today is finish the bedroom day.

This room has been in this partially finished state for going on two years now! (I was waiting to finish painting until we got the glass doors in--but that happened last summer--LOL)

here is the before pic:

all the pink will be painted the same green as the other walls and woodwork will be painted and installed. I'll post an after picture when its all done. maybe in two days? Ihopeihope

The sunroom you see through the glass doors has been in progress for about 4 years ( at least!) Thats the next thing that's getting finished!

CRAZY DAY

so...yesterday was the craziest day.

It all started at 7:30 with a a call from Patience--she was stalled, out of gas, on the highway with a car full of kids needing rescuing--so I took her some gas and waved to the kiddos who were being very well behaved considering they'd been sitting in the car with nothing to do for a half an hour--sometimes it would be better if we lived a bit closer!

second in the middle of the day Stacey ( my sister, who lives with us) needed a ride to a bus stop about 15 min awau. she started a new second job and didn't have the bus schedule wored out so...

THEN...Katie ( my niece, age 16 Stacey's daughter who also lives with us) stated having really severe pain in the rib cage area--so bad she was white and shaking and throwing up--so I ended up taking her to the emergency room--Mom Stacey was more than a half hour away so I was glad I was home. She had been sick with a weird virus for a couple of weeks so they checked her for pneumonia--she was clear of that, but they did treat her for a sinus infection and for the pain--which was caused, we think, by all the coughing from her virus causing inflammation of the rib cartilage.

So it was Granny Deb's rescue and taxi sevice yesterday!
There are days when I'm really glad I don't have a day job 'cause what would my family do...LOL

SUGAR-FREE CREAM CHEESE PIE

We had friends over for dinner last night, and I made a great dessert. This sugar-free, low carb recipe is one of the best I've developed and I'm pretty proud of it. The guests each had two pieces and they aren't low carbers. That tells you how good it tastes. it also has several variations. last night I made the lemon cream cheese with blueberry topping. The Key lime is also excellent!

Lemon Cream Cheese Pie with berry topping
*notes on the weird ingredients at the end of the post!

1 1/2 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup lemon juice
18 drops sweetzfree liquid splenda ( or 18 packets)
1/4 cup xylitol
1 1/2 teasp unflavored gelatin ( do not use a full envelope--always measure. The envelopes are notoriously inconsistent in amount. You don't want a " bouncy" pie LOL)

First, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and let soften for about 5 min while you cook the cream. Separate the egg yolks into a bowl, whisk well and set aside. Put cream cheese into a bowl and allow to soften ( I usually use the micro to soften it) set aside.

Into a heavy saucepan, measure the cream and the sweeteners and heat to just under boiling. slowly add about half the cream to the eggs yolks, whisking carefully and then add yolks back to saucepan and return to heat , stirring constantly, till mixture thickens (this usually takes about 30 seconds! you'll see steam just starting to rise from the mixture and you know you're done--you don't want this to boil--you just want to heat the yolks to kill any bad bugs)

Remove cream/yolk mixture from heat and add the softened gelatin and stir til well combined--a minute or so.

add this mixture to the cream cheese --a little at a time-- then stir in the lemon juice. chill for awhile stirring occasioanlly until themixture is cool and starts to thicken before pouring into the crust. Chill pie for several hours. cover with blueberry topping and serve!

Blueberry topping
2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup water
sweetener to taste ( I use 1/4 cup xylitol and 6 drops Sweetzfree)
2 tablespoons Thicknthin Not Sugar* or 1 tsp gelatin softened as above in 2 T of cold water.
boil the berries water and sweetener for a couple of minutes till the berries are popped. Off the heat , stir in the thickener well then chill till ready to serve the pie.

Key Lime variation:
Use 1/2 cup lime juice ( I never have real key limes, though go for it it you can find them)and the zest of two limes ( maybe a tablespoon?) in place of the lemon juice. Top with whipped cream. that's it Amaze your friends!

Fabulous "crumb" pie crust:

1 1/2 cup almond flour
5 T butter, melted
2 T oat flour
1/4 cup polydextrose(optional but really helps the texture.)
2 T xylitol
5 drops Sweetzfree zero carb liquid sucrolose sweetener added to the butter ( or 5 packets splenda)

I put everything into a food processor and pulse it a couple times, but a fork works too! press mixture evenly into and up the sides of a 9" pie pan.

bake10 min at 350, then brush with a bit of slightly beaten egg white. put back in oven for 5 min or so to dry egg white glaze. ( this helps prevent the filling from soaking into the crust--can be an issue with nut crusts.)

*where to get the ingredients
I get my almond flour and xylitol at my local health food store but you can get them and everything else here (except the liquid sweetener) from netrition.com a wonderful on line store --with a flat shopping rate of $4.95 no matter how much you order.

the Sweetener I get here: http://www.sweetzfree.com/ I know it seems really spendy but 4 ounces lasts me 6 months and I use it in everything. 1/4 tsp equals 1 cup of sugar, it has zero carbs and IMHO zero aftertaste.
I highly recommend it.

GROWING FOOD

In addition to all the landscaping I did, I also had a large vegetable garden. I feel that growing food is just an obligation when you have as much land as we do! Here is the entrance to my "farm" ( with cat :D)
The area with the bridge is directly to the left (and that vine you see in the lower left corner of the picture is pun'kins!) and you are facing west.

This year I had 5 finished 4x8 raised beds.
I grew 5 kinds of tomatoes, cabbage and red cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, swiss chard, beets, onions, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, cucumbers and radishes. I also have two 10x2 foot rows of raspberries, ( which were fabulous this year), a new strawberry bed ( 5 strawberries so far LOL) a peach tree, a pear tree and one brand new cherry tree ( the second one I planted died)

recently, getting ready for next season, I finished 5 more beds ( I'm standing on some of them) plus 2 other large growing areas near the picket fence, so my space for next year is more than triple. I'm putting in an asparagus bed
and will be adding a lot of veggies to the list, as well as growing just MORE of everything. I didn't grow enough to put up tomatoes or pickles this year-- though I did do several quarts of sauerkraut--and I want to add lots of winter squash and melons too. The straw mulch is really helpful--keeping down the weeds and sort of composting from bottom
This view is looking south--the entrance from the previous picture is to the left and center of the space.

One of the things I'm really proud of is finally getting compost heaps working. I have a total of 4 bins--two kinda behind the ones you can see here. and will probably need to add a couple more soon. With all the weeds and garden refuse and leaves--I'm going to have lots of lovely compost to add to the growing beds come spring. and yes it is a lot of work--but what else is an old lady gonna do?

Patience observed recently that growing and producing food really is ( or maybe ought to be ) the job for the grandmothers. When you are in the thick of childbearing/raising, there just isn't enough time--at least not the way we live in our western culture. I think she mentioned this after being up til the wee hours of the morning making peach jam--it was the only time she had to do it! I know I never managed do grow more than a few tomatoes when my kids were small.

Anyway, I'm glad I have the time and resources to do it now. I really love it.

WHAT I BUILT ON MY SUMMER VACATION

Most of you are aware that Seymour and I have a large yard! Almost an acre. And that most of it is (was) basically untamed--with a redneck, ozark-y weedpatch and rusty vehicle ambience. This year I decided the time had come to start getting it beautified and I picked out the front leftish quandrant as my focus for the year.

I wish that I had taken before pictures so I could really show the difference but....

the project began small--lay down weed block cloth and mulch and plant shrubs along a 12 foot by 20 foot swath next to the driveway. then I decided I had always wanted an oriental bridge and after seeing what one would cost (!!!!!!) I built one myself for a fraction of the cost! feeling very accomplished and cool, I went on to dig and build a 40 foot stream for UNDER the bridge.

here is a picture after that phase--with some plants in as well and the paths laid out:

And another view of the steam:
Then I decided we really needed a gazebo or pergola or something--a destination over the bridge......so I built one!


This is the finished area with the groundcover grown up and all. ( we are experimenting with dutch white clover instead of grass. I don't have time to mow this much property every week!)

we really love the space!


it is rather magical to sit out here with the stream burbling and the birds chirping. I have added a statue and a fairy or two as well. LOL. (The tree just to the right of the picture is a pear tree--more fruit trees will be going into the area next spring.)

so there you have it--what I did with MY summer ...uh...vacation?

SWISS CHARD QUICHE

Ingredients

1 T olive oil
1/2 of an onion, chopped ( about 1/4 cup or so)
1/2 cup cooked chopped swiss chard ( including stems)

2 1/2 cups shredded cheese

4 eggs

1/2 cup cream+1/2 cup water

salt

pepper

Directions

preheat oven to 375. grate cheese--(use a nice variety. I like a mixture of cheddar and jack and some of the mexican 4 cheese blend from costco ) Saute onion til translucent, then add chard and stir til warm. meanwhile whisk eggs then add cream and cheese then chard mixture. pour into pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray. cook 34-40 min til browned and set.

YUMMY

I served this with a mess of home grown tomatoes dressed with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. one of the best meals EVER.

GARDEN STUFF

So..this summer has been All About the garden- landscaping and planting etc etc. (more to come on all that) but wanted to show a bit of the fruits of my labor. This was the harvest yesterday. That is a BIG pile of Swiss Chard. Luckily it is one of my favorites...just steamed up and served with lots of butter and a dash of vinegar--like ambrosia to me! its also fabulous in a quiche. which is what I'm making for dinner today!




Patience came over with Bailey and Lennon and brought me another bucket of peaches from her tree--so that had to be dealt with immediately as they were dead ripe.



That's seven jars of peaches and some peach/plum jam--all sweetened with splenda instead of sugar of course. In total now I have 14 quarts of peaches from Pace's tree and 6 pints from my tree, plus the jam. That should be enough to last the winter I think!