Comments (28)

By kilax, August 23, 2010 5:30 am

We were pleasantly surprised to find ONE pepper growing in our garden (will this be all we get from SIX pepper plants?).

Hmm, too bad it is MINIATURE.

Oh wait. Maybe it isn’t, compared to this carrot:

Ha! So, you’ve been in the ground for over 3 months and that is all the bigger you get? Hmm. Maybe this carrot needs some sort of enhancing drugs.

We’ve been neglecting our garden. I am not sure if it’s because we’re busy, or lazy (Can you be busy and lazy at the same time? I say, yes). Either way, it is still* giving us some edible food (our first “big” tomatoes, and yes, a few more green beans!):

Do you ever start projects and lose interest in them?

That hasn’t really happened to us with the garden (although talking about it made me think to ask that). But like I said, we have been neglecting it and filling our free time with other activities.

I think I am less likely to start something and lose interest in it, than I am to make a huge to-do list and not get a lot of it done. Once I start something, I think I do usually like to follow-through (although, maybe I am not seeing a part of myself… people who know me should chime in). I tend to get pretty obsessed/compulsive about things I am excited about, and do them to the extreme. Hmm, could this be a relation to running injuries?

*And still an overgrown mess!

Comments (22)

By kilax, August 17, 2010 12:17 pm

CSN Stores has been really good to me – offering me a few giveaway and review opportunities! I almost always take them up on the offer because they have so much in their stores to choose from (dining room sets, workout equipment, and even pet supplies*). I have to let you in on a little secret though – I let Steven pick out the review items! He knows what we need around the house, and is really good at finding things online. So, should I be surprised that the last time I sent him an email telling him to pick a few things out within a certain price range, that he came back with a list of 12 product ideas, some with options? He was surprised to see that CSN sells equipment racks (we could use these for our AV shelves), rolling metal tool shelves (is this a birthday gift hint, Steven?) and extension cords (apparently, there is a lot to know about them).

Hmm. We’ll have to wait on a few of those items!

Of course, we decided to review a few more things that we need in the kitchen – the Pyrex Smart 6 Piece Mixing Bowl Set (for more bread making activities):

the Pyrex Four-Cup Measuring Cup with Plastic Lid (we only have one-cup measuring cups):

and a candy thermometer.

And I have my eyes on this waffle maker. I have another CSN review I can do, so maybe I will pick that!

I know we will love these items, especially the first two, since I already am a devoted Pyrex user.

Do you think you could use one of the items listed above? I would like to give one reader an item of their choice (from the three above) as well!

Giveaway Rules:

1. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling me which item you would prefer to have (the bowls, measuring cup or candy thermometer) and how you will use it.
2. To get an extra entry, link to the giveaway in your blog, and leave me another comment linking to your post.
3. This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Thursday, August 19. I will use random.org to select the winner. I will announce the winner on Friday, August 20th.
4. This giveaway is open to all readers.

*Sorry Data, maybe next time!

Comments (13)

By kilax, August 14, 2010 5:56 am

Does anyone else find it funny that the Round Lake police station is on Bacon Road?

Why were we at the police station? That’s where our garden is, remember?

I know, I haven’t written about it in awhile and you wondered if I gave up. Hmm. Not going to answer that.

The last time we were there was July 29th. We went back yesterday, and oops, it’s overgrown again:

Ugh. I told Steven we will have to wait until it rains then pull all the weeds out when the ground is nice and wet.

The same things are still growing – cucumbers and zucchini. The zucchini look like they are reaching their end though.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that our grape tomatoes are growing! (Please ignore the weeds in the photos!)

And some of the other tomatoes are growing too. Yeah, we’re a little late with the tomatoes. I hope they turn red soon.

So, what did we end up with? Lots of cucumbers, two zucchini, onions and a few tomatoes. I’ll be sharing some of those cucumbers at work.

Since this is our first summer gardening, I didn’t know what to expect. To me, it seems like we have had really intense sun and temperatures that dry up the crops, sometimes coupled with really intense storms that wash everything out. If we end up doing this next year, I will be interested in following the weather patterns to see how things are the same/different.

Have you had any extreme weather where you live?

There has been a lot of flooding and unusually high temperatures in the mid-west this summer. It’s very different than last year’s cool and mild summer!

Comments (14)

By Steven, August 10, 2010 5:23 am

This is Steven’s first guest post!

This is a bread recipe I have been working on for several months. It started as a quest to find the perfect whole wheat bread recipe and turned into a weekly project. I tried a few different recipes, but after a few let-downs I decided to make my own recipe.

When the recipe got pretty close to the final version, I decided to convert it to weights (instead of volume), so I could make it the same every time and eventually share the recipe. So when Kim asked me if I needed anything for the kitchen for her upcoming CSN product review, I said “ooh, ooh get a kitchen scale!” Then I spent a few hours learning about scales and searching through all of the scales on the CSN website. I decided to get the Cuisinart KML-15 digital scale. The main features I was looking for were its 11 lb capacity, its ability to display ounces or grams, and the “tare” feature which lets you weigh ingredients one at a time as you add them to the bowl. Overall the scale is very nice, and I love it, but it does turn off too quickly when I’m not using it. When I turn it back on it resets itself to zero, which is frustrating if I am opening a new bag of flour or I just got distracted while I am in the middle measuring something. I contacted Cuisinart and they said there was nothing I could do to “fix” this. I just have to remember to tap it every once in a while to keep it from turning off!

So here is the recipe. This is a hearty, rich and tasty whole wheat bread that is great for sandwiches, toast, for a slice with butter, or just a just plain slice for a snack:

Honey Flax Wheat Bread
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 11 oz (2 cup) whole wheat flour
• 14 fl oz (1¾ cup) hot water
• 6 fl oz (¾ cup) warm soy milk
• 1 oz (2 tbsp) sugar
• 1/4 oz (2 ¼ tsp or 1 packet) active dry yeast
• 24 oz (4¼ cup) bread flour
• 3/4 oz (1 tbsp) salt
• 1 oz (5 tbsp) milled flax seed
• 3 fl oz (6 tbsp) honey
• 4 fl oz (½ cup) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp wheat bran (or seeds, flax, whatever – just for looks and texture)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix the hot water and whole wheat flour together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 4 or more hours.
2. In a small bowl (when step #1 is done), mix the sugar with the warmed milk and proof the yeast.
3. In a large bowl combine the bread flour, salt, and ground flax.



4. Add the yeast/milk, honey, and oil to the soaked whole wheat and mix until even. Add the bread flour mixture and mix until combined into workable dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky.



5. Place the ball of dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled in size – 60 to 90 minutes.



6. Prepare 2 loaf pans with a light coating of oil. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half (about 2 lbs each). Shape each half into a loaf and place them into the prepared pans. (This is the video I used to learn how to shape sandwich loaves) Cover the pans loosely with plastic, and set aside to rise again until doubled in size – 60 for 90 minutes.



7. Preheat the oven to 375º.
8. Wet the top of each loaf with a wet paper towel, and sprinkle the wheat bran over the tops of the loaves. Press them in lightly with your dry hand. If you want a split-top loaf, use a sharp knife to slice to top of your loaf lengthwise ¼ – ½ inch deep.



9. Place the loaves in the oven, and bake for approximately 40 minutes until the internal temperature of the loaf is around 190º. Remove the loaves from the oven and let rest for a few minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack.
10. Wait 20 minutes for the loaves to cool, if you can, then slice and enjoy. You can also freeze a loaf and thaw to enjoy later.

Do you have any favorite bread recipes? Have you ever made homemade bread this way (without using a bread maker)?

Comments (32)

By kilax, July 26, 2010 5:20 am

Why the exclamation point (especially since I didn’t know what a “pocket pie” was before Wednesday)? Because these are awesome!

Gina* sent me an awesome package for my birthday – three pocket pie molds (lattice, star and apple) and pocket pie filling from Williams Sonoma!

I had never seen these before, but knew that I would love using them. I love baking fun things in the kitchen.

And they’re actually quite simple to make – make dough, cool it, make pies and fill, freeze, and bake! Of course, it will take me some time to perfect their appearance.

Cutting out the shapes is fun. The cutters are double-sided, so you use one side to cut it…

… and the other side to hold it while you fill it up!

When it’s all full, you put the other piece on top and crimp it.

Voila!

Like I said, I have to work on the appearance a bit. Even after making one, I realized I needed to make the dough thinner, and put flour in the cutter so it was easier to get the pie out.

You freeze them a bit…

… then you bake them. Yum-o!

What a fun, easy and tasty treat! Thanks Gina!

What other type of filling do you think I should try besides peach? Keep in mind, they could be sweet or savory!

*It’s worth noting that I have never met Gina in person, but have known her, and our friend Courtney, online for over 4 years, and the three of us have been sending weekly emails and gifts back and forth since we met. It’s amazing that you can meet such awesome people online. AND I finally get to meet Gina in person this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now if  only Courtney could be there too!

Comments (22)

By kilax, July 24, 2010 4:36 pm

This is what happens when you haven’t been to your garden in over a week:

You find a HUGE zucchini. Oops. Not sure what we are going to do with that. We didn’t like the taste of the first few zucchini we picked.

We also found a ton of cucumber. We picked 10 of them, but there were probably at least 5 more we could have taken. Hopefully I will be able to share these with some people in my office. I like cucumber, but I don’t think I could eat more than 3 or 4 by myself in a week.

Since the cucumbers are growing on vines above the ground, it’s really fun to look for them. It’s like looking for a hidden treasure! I am sure we will end up with a humongous one at some point too.

And… the green beans. Wow. We had so many to pick.

Sarcasm.

I am not even sure why I picked these. It’s about 1/4th of a serving for one person. I am so sad our green bean plants didn’t take off.

We’re still waiting to find out if a lot of the other produce will grow. The sweet potatoes are spreading out all over the place, and we have some green tomatoes. I pulled up a “carrot” today to take a peek and it was about the size of a pen cap. Maybe smaller. The rest of the produce is questionable.

At least we have had success with our cucumbers. I love the test of them, and think it’s awesome that we can just go to the garden and pick a cucumber (or 10) when we need one.

Any ideas on what I could do with all of these cucumbers?

I love putting them in salads. I have been eating a huge salad every day though. I like veggies and it, but it’s getting a bit old.

Comments (28)

By kilax, July 12, 2010 5:31 am

New rule: go to the garden before buying groceries.

When we visited the garden on Sunday (after buying groceries on Saturday) we had quite a few things to pick: (from left to right above) cucumbers, green beans (!!!), zucchini, onions and lettuce (and basil, not shown). We had already bought lettuce and zucchini at the store. Oops.

We did a bit of weeding and watering on Sunday, along with the veggie picking. You can tell from the photo above that the ground is super dry. It is cracking in big clumps, making pulling weeds a bit of a pain. I wore the new gloves my mom gave me to pick weeds,

but soon discovered that sweat + gloves + weeding tool = ouchy blister in my hand. Duh.

(And unfortunately, I have to post things like this so I remember not to do them again. Okay okay, and I like to share the pain! Side note – notice the blood on my hand – yeah – I killed about 39139874 mosquitoes while I was there, and have 3980808 bites from them.)

Some things are doing better than others in the garden:

Doing well:

1. Cucumbers
2. Zucchini
3. Lettuce
4. Basil

Looking like crap:

1. Green Beans (this may be the only time we get to eat them, sad face)
2. Broccoli
3. Peppers

Questionable/too early to tell:

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Carrots
3. Tomatoes
4. Onions

Only time will tell what happens!

For now, I am excited that we were able to eat something from our garden! We took our produce home and made a yummy salad with the lettuce and cucumbers, and steamed the green beans.

The cucumbers and green beans were especially good! The lettuce took forever to wash and was a bit bitter, but was good with all of the toppings on it.

I feel so happy that we are actually able to eat the stuff we are growing. Not sure why I was worried about it… guess I was just doubting myself!

Do you have any fun basil or zucchini recipes to share with me? We love zucchini on pizza, and sauteed with pasta… but I like to try new recipes too!

I’ve included some more photos of our garden in an extended post below.

Continue reading 'The Garden Project: It’s Edible!'»

Comments (30)

By kilax, July 8, 2010 6:32 am

I love summer vacation food – hot dogs, chips, cookies, cake, pasta salad, potato salad, bean salad, fruit*, waffles, pancakes… and what else did I eat last weekend?

Oh yes. Onion rings.

My mom has been on the quest for the perfect onion ring mix for awhile now**. I saw a new mix at a store near our house, so of course, I brought a few boxes.

The onion rings turned out okay, but do you know what is even better fried? Cauliflower! My sister was craving some fried cauliflower, so she drove in to town just to buy some, and boy, was it good. So good, we ate it too fast to take a picture. And my mom made a brilliant mix to dip our fried goodies in – BBQ sauce and vegenaise (mayo). YUM!

So what else could we cover in batter and fry? Am I the only one who comes back from nearly every vacation feeling like I need to go on a detox diet?

Seriously, one year, I ate so much carnival food (parts of funnel cake, deep fried twinkie and snickers bars… maybe some other stuff?) and pizza that I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was going to barf. That didn’t happen this year, but I think we all felt a bit greasy the day after our fried food extravaganza.

I almost always overdo it with food when I am on vacation. I’m no good with the whole “moderation” thing. I don’t really beat myself up about it, but does anyone have any good tips on not going crazy with food while on vacation?

I think I should note, we brought some lettuce from our garden with all intentions to eat it. Oops. How could we have forgotten about it?

*Had to put something healthy on there!
**Hey mom, notice I didn’t mention how you went all apeshit a few years ago when the fryer wouldn’t work?!

Comments (16)

By kilax, June 29, 2010 8:14 am

Do you remember awhile ago when I did a giveaway from CSN stores? The place that sells everything – dining room tables, rugs, a ton of houseware items… Well, they are going to let us review something – a Cuisinart Digital Kitchen Scale!

Steven has been making a lot of bread, but we haven’t shared any of the recipes yet, since we don’t have an exact way to measure the ingredients – now we will!

Do you have a kitchen scale? For what do you use it? Do you like to make homemade bread?

Comments (23)

By kilax, June 22, 2010 5:20 am

Well, now that we are done weeding, we won’t have to do it again, right?

Before

After

Pile of weeds – not as impressive as it looked in person!

Ha, I wish!

It really wasn’t that bad. We spent about two hours on Saturday pulling weeds in the hot sun*. Then we went back Sunday morning and spent a couple of hours planting our sweet potatoes, and various tomatoes and peppers (yeah, we’re a bit late on those), in the not so hot sun.

We started our sweet potatoes at home on May 15th (you can see some process photos here). They were ready to plant about a week ago. And they take about 120-150 days to fully grow in the ground, so it was time to get those bad boys in there! Maybe they will be done just in time for Thanksgiving?!

Waiting to be planted…

… and in the ground!

The soil in our garden is so wet and dense right now. It was a struggle to break it up to plant on Sunday. I spent a lot of time breaking up the soil with a shovel while Steven did the planting.

We planted a few kinds of tomatoes  (8 total plants) – lemon boy (3), heirlooms, red beefsteak, better boy and bonnie grape (2).

And we planted a few kinds of peppers (6 total plants) – big early red bell, bonnie green bell (2), yellow bell, purple beauty, and wenks yellow hots. And a little tiny basil plant (above the second “p” in “Peppers” in the photo above).

I hope our new plants are successful!

And our “older” plants? Well, some are doing better than others. The cucumbers and zucchini are going strong – no surprise there! The lettuce and onions appear to be doing well too.

The green beans and broccoli though? They seem to be struggling. And the carrots are coming along fine, it seems… only time will tell. Honestly, we have no experience in this and no idea what to expect!

I’ve been having a lot of fun doing all of this gardening! (That is, until I am dehydrated and hungry… hours in the sun make me cranky sometimes!) Like I said, I don’t really know what I am doing, but Steven is giving directions!

Do you like to tackle new projects, even if you know nothing about the subject?

Steven is really good at that. And like I said… I take direction. I told Steven I am the “Sous” gardener. Ha!

*I only had to call my grandma once to identify a plant. We were 99% sure, but I knew she had them (green beans) in her garden too, so thought I would ask.