The Vegetable Garden In August

We have had a hot, sticky summer, which is very rare for us up here in the mountains. 

I can't say I like it much....but  my veggie garden sure does!

The Easy Peasy Way to Grow Potatoes

It was a busy, busy weekend around here and I have tons to show you....but I have to get outside before the rain comes to give my grass the first cut of the season. 

On Your Mark....Get Set.....GO!!

Are you ready? 

It's time to get started!!

Busy as a Bee

Did you know that Deborah means BEE in Hebrew? 

Via

And that I'm allergic to bees? Well, wasps and yellow jackets anyway...we haven't tested it on bees yet, thankfully!

And I have a postcard on my fridge that is covered in bees?

And my older daughter loves the symbol of the bee?

And both of my daughters love honey but I can't stomach it at all? The smell makes my stomach turn instantly. 

Are you wondering where I'm going with all this?

I'm just trying to tell you that I've been as busy as a bee all weekend.....which is really nothing unusual for me! There are always a million things to do around here!

But I've missed being here and sharing with all my blogland friends! So I wanted to come by and give you a littler recap of what's been going on in my busy bee life.

This was a rare 4 day weekend for me, which I am so very grateful for. Thanksgiving was absolutely fabulous - my sister and brother in law are the best hosts and we always have such a fun time when all 7 of the cousins get together! Such a wacky bunch they are, but my sisters and I get such a kick out of watching them all interact together. The youngest cousin is 8 and the oldest 25 (but acts like 8!) So you can just imagine the goofiness when they are all together!

Friday was HOT here on the mountain top - it was weird weather, topping out about 60 or so, probably more in the sun. 

Via

I tell you, it was tough to get motivated to start decorating for Christmas!! But we put on some nice Christmas music on Pandora and browsed around for some inspirational images online and got started. 

Via

I would love to share some photos with you but apparently my camera is away on vacation right now. Ahem. No comment. 

I'll give you just a tiny sneak peek:

Remember when I bought this? It has the prime location on the tree this year, front and center!

So, the inside of the house is nearly done....I have a bunch of boxes of Christmas decor I haven't used in years that I need to look through and figure out what to keep, what to toss. That will get started today. 

And the outside? I don't really know. I don't like ladders....not even stepstools. I have zero sense of balance. 

I remember painting the hallway in my apartment in the city a number of years back and was on the 3rd step of the stepstool and fell completely backwards with my head landing in the paint roller tray....which of course was full of paint. 

Yup. That's me. The original spazzmatazz. 

So I tend to stay on the ground whenever possible. 

Whatever I do to decorate outside will be easy peasy. And idiot proof. 

Aside from decorating the inside on Friday (which WIPED ME OUT!) it's been non stop around here. Saturday was the last farmer's market/holiday market of the year - see you in May! It was lovely - live music, beer tastings from a brand new local brewery, tons of baked goods, the last produce of the season (mushrooms, garlic, onions, potatoes) and lots of preserved goods. Also local beef, pork, and chicken from two different farms - all organic, grass fed. Wreaths, paintings and photographs from local artists, pottery, hand made soaps and jewelry - you name it! Great day! 

Some of those potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onions and beef went into a beef stew last night - mmmmmmm - leftovers went home with my sweetie for his lunch today as well as another meal for two that I popped into the freezer. That will be a treat on a snowy mountain evening!

I used this recipe from Once Upon A Chef as a base...only with half as much wine, no water, twice as much broth. And some crushed tomatoes instead of tomato paste....about a cup....because they were already open. It was GOOD!!!!

Via

I also made turkey stock from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass that my sister sent home with me. Same general idea as the chicken broth - just obviously replacing the chicken carcass with the turkey. I only used about half the carcass - the other half is in the freezer for another batch. I started it yesterday around 4 pm and it needs to go at least 24 hours - I'll strain it sometime either this evening or tomorrow morning. 

And the final ripened batch of the giant tomato harvest is on the stove simmering right now, in my easy peasy tomato onion butter sauce. 

I have to admit - I'm kind of glad to be tackling the last of the tomatoes....after all we've been using fresh tomatoes in a million meals since about July! On the other hand, I'm kind of sad, too - supermarket tomatoes just don't compare. Not even close. 

But it's time at this point to have a little break from dealing with the garden harvest.....it was a long, busy season. 

And a long, busy weekend. 

Mountain Mama needs a nap. 

Puttering

It's a damp, cold, miserable kind of a November day in the mountains today....but I don't really mind that much. It's a good excuse to be indoors doing one of the things I love most on my day off - puttering. 

I love when I have a rare day that I don't have to go anywhere. Nowhere. No deadlines, no timetables, no schedule. I can just putter around my house doing bits of this and that. 

At my leisure. In between checking out blogs and rambling around the internet. 

Best kind of day EVER. 

I started my day with a cup of Cappuccino, as I love to do on my day off. Super awesome weekend treat to myself. Perfect way to start my morning. 

After feeding the birds I made a nice weekend breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheddar, a side of crispy bacon, and raspberry white chocolate scones. Decadent! And no, I didn't make the scones - my sister brought them when she came to visit a few weeks back and I froze the leftovers. Yumzers!

After washing up the pans I decided to make Sunny Simple Life's Homemade Bleach Cleaner - it was so easy to make! 

I took everything off my kitchen counters, sprayed them down with the cleaner, let it sit for about 15 minutes while I bounced around blogland, and then wiped them down. They came out great!! And I really feel like they are SUPER CLEAN - I'm always a big fan of using bleach to kill any germs. And I am one of those people who actually likes the smell of bleach so that's a plus. It definitely killed the smell of the bacon in the house which is a big bonus for me!!

That went so well I decided to try out Sunny Simple Life's Super Frugal Easy Way to Stretch Your Laundry Soap. 

Sunny Simple Life

I have to tell you, I'm very impressed! I ordered the Fels - Naptha Laundry Soap on Amazon  since I don't have a dollar store around here but even at the Amazon price this is is most definitely a super frugal easy way to stretch the laundry detergent. I got two bars for under $6 and I think they will easily last me for MONTHS!

I was a little worried about how it would smell since I have never tried this product before...I thought perhaps it would smell like petroleum jelly or similar. Nope! Lovely fresh citrusy smell - I'm lovin' it!!

The stretched laundry detergent is getting the first workout on the fur-babies blankets. Even if I just use this "stretched" detergent for sheets, blankets, comforters, bath rugs, towels....the stuff that doesn't really get stains but just needs freshening - it will still save a ton of $$$ on laundry detergent. Thanks, Sunny Simple Life!!

My next task was to blow off the deck and deck stairs - I have such a great blower that I love - as a matter of fact I bought a bunch of their garden tools when I bought my house. I didn't want to have to mess with gas/oil mixtures, winterizing machines, etc. I read about the WORX brand tools somewhere and had to give them a try. 

Via

I have to say I'm very pleased with my little blower. It's so light and easy to use - even my daughter who is about 90 lbs soaking wet has no problem using it. When I beg her. 

Anyway. 

I wanted to get the leaves off the deck so I could put down these mats and stair treads I got from Improvements Catalog. 

Via

I ordered 6 stair treads and 2 mats for the top of the stairs. Let me tell you - those mats are HEAVY!! I had to have my daughter help me carry them up the stairs!

Here's how they look on my stairs - I'm loving them! These old wooden stairs get mighty slippery and I was nervous we were going to tumble down them in the winter. 

My sweetie will have to figure out how to trim that bottom one to fit around the moldings - I don't even know if that's possible - they are so thick and heavy, made from recycled tires. 

I'm really happy with them! And I was just finishing up this little task when a storm blew in with mixed rain and snow....so I ran into the house and put on the kettle for a cup of tea. 

Brrrrrr. 

My next project is going to be in the kitchen - I'm trying out a new recipe that has been up on my fridge for a while - Slow Cooker Gigante Beans with Tomatoes and Pancetta from Alexandra's Kitchen. 

Alexandra's Kitchen

I'm going to start with this recipe but adapt it (as I usually do with recipes) to suit my needs - I am going to use fresh tomatoes to use up some more of the billions of green tomatoes that are ripening slowly in the dining room. 

And bacon instead of Pancetta, since that's what I have. 

Doesn't this look absolutely scrumptious?? I love her blog....you should go check it out!

This will be tomorrow's dinner. From what I read it's even better the second day - and this means no cooking for me tomorrow evening, which frees me up to run to the market after work. 

Perhaps. If I feel like it. 

Depending on how my Monday goes. They aren't always good days. . 

Tonight's dinner will be roasted chicken in my new best friend  - which I absolutely adore, by the way. It's been over a month now since she came to live with me and I tend to reach for her first before any of my other pots. It heats up so evenly, cooks beautifully, and cleanup is an absolute breeze. I'm so thrilled. 

Martha Stewart

So, spiced roast chicken, sweet potatoes, stuffing, carrots from the garden - who's in?

Happy Sunday, Friends!!

My First Quiche

I can't believe with all the cooking I do that I've never made a quiche before!  I don't know what I was afraid of - it was actually quite easy and came out INCREDIBLE!!!

What prompted the quiche was the influx of fresh eggs we received both from a coworker and also from a neighbor of my sweetie's. So what's a girl to do? 

Our billions of green tomatoes  have been ripening slowly and as they ripen I try to think of ways to incorporate them into our various meals. I decided to make another batch of that amazing Roasted Tomato Soup I made a while back and dinner would be soup and quiche. And some more soup for the freezer. Love that!

I wasn't quite sure how the quiche would turn out since it was my very first kiss I mean quiche. I was a quiche virgin. 

Sorry, I had to. Forgive me. 

I started by dicing up 1 medium onion. 

And a medium red pepper. 

And a handful of shiitake mushrooms, stems removed. Small dice on everything as I wasn't pre-cooking any of the veggies. And I didn't want big chunks of veggies, just evenly dispersed flavors. 

I mixed them all together in a bowl. 

Isn't that pretty? 

And then came the bacon. Because, I mean, come on - hello - BACON!!

Nuf said. 

The bacon was pre-cooked that morning with breakfast - I usually cook up the whole pound of bacon - this way it's only one mess in the kitchen yet multiple meals. I stick the cooked bacon in a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer for bacon emergencies. 

What, you've never had a bacon emergency? Fess up. 

I think this was 4 or 5 slices of pre-cooked reduced sodium bacon. That's the only kind I buy. 

I got out my frozen pie crusts - yup, frozen. These are so good and so easy to use that I haven't made my own pie crusts in years. Centuries even. 

And there was cheese. Not sure why it didn't make the photos ....I may or may not have been too busy slicing off chunks and shoving them into my face. I love cheese even more than I love bacon. 

I used about 3/4 cup of grated Asiago and 1/2 cup of grated Swiss. 

Mixed it with the veggies and the bacon in a bowl and then dumped it into a frozen pie crust. 

Isn't that just gorgeous? 

The oven was already good and hot since I was roasting the tomatoes for the soup. When I took the tomatoes out I raised the oven to 400 to get it ready for the quiche. 

I took 5 of my fresh eggs (they weren't large, if you have large or jumbo 4 may be enough) and whipped them up with a cup of organic half and half and some salt and pepper. 

And poured them right on top of all that gorgeousness. 

Sorry about the shadow - that was my head drooling over the bacon. 

Into the oven on a foil lined baking sheet for 15 minutes at 400, then dropped the temp down to 350 and cooked it another 35 minutes. 

And then we had this. 

And all was well with the world. 

I let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving. The quiche and the roasted tomato soup complemented each other so amazingly well it was frightening. Scary good, even - just right for a Halloween night supper. 

I encourage you to try making a quiche - it was so fantastic we didn't even mind eating it again for breakfast this morning with a little yogurt and berries and my home made cappuccino. And it was super easy!! 

Here's the recipe in case you decide to give it a go:

Bacon - Cheese - Veggie Quiche

5 medium eggs (or 4 large or jumbo)

1 cup half and half

5 strips of bacon, cooked and diced - I use reduced sodium bacon

1 medium onion, small dice

1 medium sweet pepper, small dice

1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, small dice

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

1 deep dish frozen pie crust

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Dice onion, pepper, and mushroom and mix together in a medium bowl. 

Dice the pre-cooked bacon and mix with the veggies in the bowl.

Add both cheeses into the bowl and mix 

Dump the mixture into a frozen pie crust

Whip the eggs and half & half together with salt and pepper to taste. I left out the salt and don't think this dish needs any additional salt - you get enough from the bacon and the cheese. 

Pour the egg mixture right over the ingredients in the pie crust

Bake at 400" for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 35 minutes. 

Let cool for about 10 minutes prior to serving. 

Enjoy!!


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Sharing at Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday

Autumn Passing

Via

This has always been one of my favorite photographs. In my marital home I had a framed print, which I loved - I'm not sure why I left it behind except that things were so incredibly difficult at that point and leaving was so hard. 

Anyway. 

Many of my blogging friends report heat waves and leaves just beginning to change. Things are different up here on the mountain top. 

The weekend started off on Friday like this - beautiful foliage, just past peak. 

And by Sunday morning I woke to this: 

Check out the snow on the top of the mountain - and that white sky, a sign of more snow to come. 

A short while later we looked out to what looked like a blizzard! 

It was hard to capture in photographers (sorry!) but oh, so beautiful! I had a cozy fire going and was so happy to have the day off to enjoy the first snow flurries. 

The strawberry plants  didn't enjoy it quite so much. 

Nor did the mums. 

These poor mums never even had a chance to open their blooms! 

The temp was below 30 when we woke on Sunday and stayed in the 30's pretty much all day. 

Fortunately I had followed the advice of my friend Deb from Frugal Little Bungalow and picked the last of my blooms for a little kitchen bouquet. She also suggested cutting some hydrangea blooms and putting them away to dry for after-Christmas decor.....

That's me in the down jacket and wool hat, hiding behind the hydrangeas! They are now drying in  my utility room. She's a smart woman, that Deb!!

I spent hours on Saturday getting ready for the hard frost by putting the vegetable garden to bed. I stored all these bins in the garage overnight and knew I had a TON of work to do on Sunday. 

Look. At. My. Kitchen. Oh boy.

Totally overwhelming at times, trying to figure out what to do next. I always try to preserve as much of the bounty of the summer harvest as possible to use in the winter months. I also gave some to my sister to take home for her beautiful family. 

The tomatoes were about 4 inches deep in the bottom of my sink. I separated out all the ones that had actually ripened on the vine thanks to our warm temps last week. They will be in tonight's dinner, which is repeat of this super simple weeknight meal.

After hours on my feet sorting, scrubbing, washing, trimming - this is the final harvest. Not too shabby for a girl born and raised in the city!

I always knew I was a country girl at heart. 

The herbs are processed and stored in the freezer in freezer bags to pull out as needed. I try to get as much air out of the bags as possible, rolling them up and then zipping them closed. And the herbs must be clean and dry. Woody herbs get stored on their stems, like the rosemary above. Leafy herbs take more time as I need to pull all the leaves off, chop them very fine, and then freeze them. You can break off chunks as you need them to drop into recipes. Last year my fresh garden herbs lasted all winter!

The beet greens were rough chopped to throw into soup. Also in the freezer, same method as the herbs. 

Some of my beautiful harvest went into a big pot of chicken noodle soup. Just the thing for a snowy, cold mountain evening. I used half the broth I made Friday and the other half of the broth went into the freezer also. There's a good reason I have multiple freezers!

Chicken noodle soup and toasted sandwiches with Muenster, Cheddar, and sliced garden tomato on an Onion Ciabatta......mmmmmmm, guess what's for lunch today? Leftovers, yippee!

And I'm so glad to have it because when I woke up today the temps were in the teens. I have a chill in my bones and it just won't leave. 

Stay warm, my friends. 

The Cure For What Ails You

I woke up in the middle of the night last night with swollen glands. Uggghh I don't have time to be sick! I guess that explains the general feeling of malaise I had during the week. I had a tough time shaking it, which is totally not me. I am generally a very positive person, happy in my life. Try to see the positive in every situation when possible. 

So when I have a day that I wake up and can't shake off a mood? Must be something my body is fighting. 

What's a gal to do? Make chicken broth of course!

It's really the easiest thing in the world to make at home and so much better by far than anything you will ever buy in the market. And if you happen to be a vegetarian you can eliminate the chicken and just double up on the veggies. 

Start by gathering your ingredients. This is much more a tutorial than an actual recipe....

Chicken carcass - (Note: Whenever I make a roast chicken I save the carcass in the freezer to make chicken broth at a later date. You can do the same if you buy one of those supermarket rotisserie chickens.) 

2 Onions

1 Head of Garlic (I used 2 because they were tiny....and because, well....garlic!! Yum!)

Celery - you can use either 2 - 3 stalks of celery or do what I do which is use the leafy top of the celery stalk that isn't good for much else (unless you want to use it for a garnish in a bloody mary....yes, please!)

Carrots - about 2 whole carrots. I didn't have any picked out of the garden so I left them out. 

Parsley - fresh if you have it, dried if you don't. A good amount. Probably a good tablespoon or more if using dried, a handful if fresh. 

Peppercorns

Thyme

3 bay leaves

I also throw in a little of the Vermont Country Seasoning shown below. Because I have it. Any herb based seasoning would really work. 

Water

Throw the chicken carcass (frozen) into the bottom of your largest crock pot bowl. My crock pot has 3 sizes so I use the largest....if yours only has one size just use what you've got. You can also do this on the stove in a large stockpot but I don't like leaving the stove on for 24 hours so....crockpot works for me!

Chop the celery very roughly into large pieces, same with the carrots if you are using them, and throw them right in on top of the chicken. I threw in a couple of string beans I had in the fridge also just because I had them and they needed to be used up. And in went the parsley. 

Cut the onions and garlic head in half and throw it all in. Leave the skins on . You're discarding eveyrthing but the broth at the end so you don't have to be fussy here. 

Add about a tablespoon of whole peppercorns, a half teaspoon of herbed seasoning, and a half teaspoon of dried thyme leaves. And 3 bay leaves. 

Fill the crockpot with water - I use water right from the tap since I have a whole-house filter. You may want to use filtered water if you don't. Your call. 

Plug it in, put it on low, and leave it for at least 24 hours. That's when the magic happens, when everything breaks down and comes together. It has to be left for a minimum of 24 hours. I've even left it for longer (about 36 hours) and it was just fine. 

It seriously takes about 10 minutes to throw it together into the crock pot (if even! That was with taking photos of each step!) and at the end you have a beautiful chicken stock you can use for the base of your soups, stews, whatever. I often do this in the morning before work and the following morning strain it out and put it in the fridge. 

When it's been simmering on low for at least 24 hours, let it cool a little and then remove all the larger stuff to a bowl to cool for a while before throwing out. 

I usually put as much of the chicken that came off the carcass aside for my pups. They love it mixed in with their dry food!

Then I put a large bowl into the sink, put a fine mesh strainer over it, and pour the broth into the bowl, emptying the strainer as necessary when it fills with scraps. 

It goes into the fridge overnight at this point. In the morning, any fat in the broth will have solidified and can be skimmed off with a spoon. The rest goes into quart size freezer bags and into the freezer to be pulled out as needed. 

And some of it will be going to make me some good old Chicken Noodle Soup this weekend to hopefully head off this cold that's trying to get me down. 

Our temps are heading into the teens this weekend as an overnight low and they are predicting snow showers. Nothing like a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a nice fire to make you feel right with the world again!

Enjoy!