Project: Chalkboard Plant Tags

Here's an easy project to get you in the mood for gardening this spring:  chalkboard plant tags!

Work in a well-ventilated area

You will need:
Popsicle sticks (collected or purchased from a craft supply store)
Chalkboard spray paint
A surface on which you can spray paint (newspaper, butcher paper, etc)
A well-ventilated area in which to work

 

Instructions:
Lay all the popsicle sticks out on the paper.  Spray with a light coat of paint.  Let it dry, then coat with another light coat of paint.  2-3 coats should cover.

After the first side is completely dry, turn the sticks over and repeat.

I wrote on my sticks with a white charcoal pencil.  It has poured rain for several consecutive days since I stuck these in the ground, and they are still easy to read!

seedlings

Kale seedlings are coming up.  I think spring is finally on it's way!

Have I introduced the ladies?

These are the four new additions to my urban homestead in-the-making.  Hopefully they will be supplying me with eggs starting in July.  They are now about 5 weeks old, but in this picture they are more like 3 or 3 1/2 weeks old.

I'm excited that spring is almost (almost!) here.  I've got my three raised beds composted and ready for seeds, all my seeds are purchased, a few are started indoors.  I just need the stars to align and give me a weekend day where it's not dumping rain or blowing wind for a few minutes, so I can get my early seeds planted!  I have visions of an idyllic garden, where crops burst with vitality and color from the raised beds, pumpkins sprawl lazily on their vines, and the berry bushes are full of juicy, ripe berries for months on end.

We'll see how it turns out.  I realize that this is quite possibly a daydream.

The chickens should have a coop up in the sideyard in a week or so.  They are getting feathered out and are almost ready to be "hardened off" to the reality of living outside.  Yay!  They were all cute and fluffy in that picture above, here they are now:

Oh, what a difference ten days can make.  They grow up so fast.

Protein-Packed Breakfast Bars

I came across a version of this recipe in the comments section of a post on the kitchn.  I modified it based on what I had, and I think it's a keeper!  There is lots of potential for yummy variations, and best of all, it was fast.

You will need:
1 1/2 C. Oats
1 1/4 C. protein powder (any flavor you like/have)
1 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. honey

Directions:
Melt the peanut butter and honey together over a double boiler or in the microwave, until combined.  Add the protein powder and oats.  The mixture can get a little dry, so you may want to knead it a bit with your hands (be careful if the mixture is still warm).  Press into an ungreased 8x8" pan.  Cover loosely with waxed paper and put in the fridge to cool for at least one hour.  Cut bars for serving. Makes 9 bars.

Easy, tasty, and quick in the morning.  I plan on eating these with some fruit and a mug of black tea.

A sampling of the latest dishes

Stir-fried sirloin with garlic, tomatoes, and broccoli

Baked chicken with lemon, tangerine, and fennel

Mexican hot chocolate made with coconut milk

DIY Laundry Detergent

So, I know this isn't food, but I'd like to branch out to include other crafty home projects.  This is one I started a while ago.  I'd thought about making laundry soap for a while, but never took the steps to do so until one of my friends from work told me how easy it was and how well it worked (thanks, Kerry)!

the ingredients

You will need:
1 bar of Ivory soap, grated (I used the fine grate on my box grater)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda (the only place I found washing soda was Fred Meyer, so look there)

this is me stirring fast

Directions:
Grate the bar of soap with your grater.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Put in a container with a lid (a 24 oz container or larger should work best).

the finished product, in its natural environment

And there you have it!  I suppose you could add a few drops of an essential oil if you wanted it to smell scent-y, but I prefer unscented laundry soap.  The soap itself smells like Ivory, but I've found that after washing and drying, the laundry doesn't have much of a smell at all (other than the smell of clean!).  Try it, it's easy and cheap considering how many jars of the stuff you can make after the initial purchase of the ingredients.

Oh, and I almost forgot, you only need to use about a tablespoon of detergent per load.

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

1/2 C diced bacon

4 medium potatoes chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 C water

2 1/2 - 3 C corn (creamed or frozen - I used a combo)

2 t salt

pepper to taste

2 C half-and-half

shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

Saute bacon until crisp; add onion and potato and cook for a few minutes, until onions are translucent.  Add water, corn, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the half-and-half, stir.  Serve with cheese to garnish.  If you want it to look even prettier, reserve a little bacon and chop up some green onions or chives to garnish as well.

A New Year's resolution and some olive oil granola

So I have been very, very bad at posting all fall.  As in, no posts.  Well, guess what my New Year's resolution is?  You guessed it, to post more!  I know it's the same resolution I made last year, but I'm going to go for it again.  If all goes to plan, I will post consistently every Monday.

So, with that said, I found a fantastic granola recipe that I love.  I found it at the kitchn, where they reviewed it over a year ago.  It was originally published in the New York Times.  The link is http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-review/watch-out-dangerously-addictive-olive-oil-granola-recipe-review-092132  If you follow this link, it will lead you to the original recipe.

This granola uses pistachios, raw pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, and cinnamon and cardamom.  I was going to include dried blueberries, but decided at the last minute to leave them out.  I'm glad I did.  This granola is fantastic, free of dried fruit.

The resulting granola was full of delicious chunks, caramelized, nutty, and cardamom-y.

I made a few modifications from the recipe, due to what I had on hand.  It calls for raw pistachios, but I only had roasted/salted.  They worked fine.  I also didn't have any dried apricots, and thus included no dried fruit.  I had dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar, but I think that just lended itself to the caramelized finish at the end.  Finally, I lined my baking sheet with parchment, which made transferring the granola to a jar that much easier.

I took this granola to work this morning for a co-worker's birthday.  I also brought some ricotta and fresh blueberries to serve with it.  Yum!  I will be making this one again for sure!