April 2012

Do You Want to Grow, Salvia, Salvia or Salvia? HUH?

April 30, 2012

Salvia or the common name Sage refers to a large group of plants, nearly 500 species, which are native to Mexico and South America. Salvia species include perennial, biennial, and annual plants. In my garden I grow a Herb Salvia ‘Common Sage’ and a Flowering Salvia ‘Victoria Blue’ Both Beauties! ***** One a banquet for your mouth [...]

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Grilled Eggplant with Mozzarella

April 30, 2012

When you serve it to them don’t tell them it was this easy! It will be our little secret!! 1 Eggplant, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 Fresh Campana Mozzarella Ball 1 cup of Marinara Sauce Basil Leaves Salt & Pepper Olive oil Preheat Grill to medium-high heat. Place Eggplant slices on plate lined with paper towel [...]

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My First Bee Swarm!

April 29, 2012

On Friday morning when I was writing my post “Why I have Bees” I thought I should add a photo of the Blackberry flowers because the bees help in their pollination. So, I grabbed the camera, put on my down coat and headed out to the orchard. It was a beautiful sunny morning, but chilly [...]

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My Trick to Really Moist BBQ Chicken

April 29, 2012

I love BBQ Chicken, but the chicken can end up as tough as jerky. My trick to ensure I get really moist BBQ is to pre-cook the chicken breasts on a broiling pan. I place the chicken on the top rack and fill the bottom pan with water. I season chicken with salt and pepper. [...]

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Baby Chick Progress, The Preschool Years

April 28, 2012

The baby chicks are only 18 days old, but man oh man they have really grown. They are definitely ready for a bigger pen to live in. They are all roosting at night and I feed them 3 or 4 times a day. I made a larger outdoor playpen for them to go in when [...]

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Blueberry Tart

April 28, 2012

I have made this for several special occasions, it is so beautiful and decadent. Like Heaven on a plate. I think because the crust has pecans baked into the bottom, it makes for a little nutty surprise with every bite. I last served this at my outdoor dinner party last May. I made individual tartlets two [...]

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Why I Keep Bees!

April 27, 2012

Why do I keep bees? Our last home sat on 47 acres overlooking the Ohio River. The home was built-in the 30′s and the original owner had cattle, sheep, and chickens. The chicken coop, which was huge, still stood on the property. That was one of the reason I decided to start keeping chickens. [...]

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Grilled Asparagus and Onion with Balsamic and Blue Cheese

April 27, 2012

This tastes so good you won’t believe it is good for you! The figs, sweet onion and blue cheese, OH-MY! I always serve this with a steak or a chop, you definitely need something big & bold to accompany something so sweet & savory! 1 pound of asparagus, trimmed 1 medium sweet yellow onion, trimmed [...]

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Euphorbia 'Blackbird'

April 26, 2012

I have this little beauty growing along the fence in my vegetable garden. It always surprises me in the spring with how beautiful it is! This plant is definitely one worth having! It is so unusual passersby who visit almost always do a second-take. The leaves are almost iridescent – they seem to shimmer with [...]

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Chocolate Almond Torte

April 26, 2012

This recipe is short on ingredients but has a few more steps. Don’t let the added steps intimidate you into not make this recipe. It is well worth the effort. If you have someone who likes chocolate, they will LOVE this torte. If you have someone who is so-so on chocolate (gasp) they will LOVE [...]

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I Needed a New Favorite Cereal. Do You?

April 25, 2012

I was so bummed! One of my favorite foods is cereal. I don’t really have it for breakfast but it is one of my preferred late night snacks. My go to cereal WAS Kashi’s Go-Lean Crunch Honey Almond-Flax. I loved the taste, the healthy ingredients (or so I thought) and the added protein. I knew that [...]

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Monte Cristo Chicken

April 25, 2012

This dish is simple and delicious! I used a lot of pre-made items, curious about what they would taste like. I was pleased with them all. The foundation sauce is easy to make on your own, but sometimes we are short on time and pulling out a box of already prepared sauce makes dinner go [...]