I’m really quite bummed that the Tigers and the Indians didn’t break out in a little song and dance number during the 7th inning stretch when we went to the game last week. Then I saw this and was really disappointed that it didn’t happen.
I expect Corbin Bleu to be there next time. Fuzzy hair and all.
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The bee keeper came and trapped the bees and took them back to his farm. Maybe next time we buy honey it will have been made by the bees that swarmed our chair. He came out and did his thing and then explained to the kids and me why the bees swarmed and some other info about the bees. The kids were amazed watching him work. Here’s a short video of him collecting the bees.
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We had a swarm of honey bees attach themselves to our patio chair this morning. Luckily the lady we get our honey from at the Farmer’s Market was helpful in deciding what to do with them. Her husband is going to come trap them in a couple of hours. Maybe the next time we get honey it will be made from these bees.
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Beets are gross. They taste like dirt and grass. Take it from me, I’ll eat a lot of gross stuff, but not beets.
Anyways, Sammy is still peeing on the floor behind the chair and now in Austin’s room. It’s because I he doesn’t like the changes with bringing Grace into our house and he doesn’t get the attention he used to. So we bought him a new litter box that is self cleaning so he can’t complain that we waited to long to change the cat litter. I also ordered him a little pet drinking fountain so he will always have fresh water and can’t complain about that either.
I’ve noticed lately that he keeps sneaking outside and I don’t know what’s up with that. He’s 2 years old and has shown zero interest in going outside until last week. Now, every time we open the door he runs out. He never goes any farther than the front porch so I just leave him out there until he wants back in. He’s fixed so I don’t know what the deal is.
I almost wonder if they didn’t fix him all the way. When Albert got fixed, he got lazy and fat. Sammy is still skinny and active and agressive towards Albert. Plus, he pees in the house. Is that possible that they missed something? I don’t even know if that can happen…
Nothing much new happening lately. I haven’t read a book since The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Can you believe it?
We went to Greenfield Village yesterday with the kids. We had a lot of fun walking around and watching demonstrations. The kids got to play old time baseball with some other kids and with three of the guys who worked there. Our favorite part was the Firestone Farm with the animals and gardens and barns, etc. It kind of made us wish we lived on a farm. Jacob had fun chasing the chickens around the yard and baaing (is that a word) at the sheep. They were roasting beets in the oven inside the farm house as part of a demonstration and they smelled really good. When Ryan and I went to the farmer’s market this morning, we picked some up to try.
We’ve been doing pretty good in the trying a new vegetable department. We liked the swiss chard and the eggplant and this week we’ll try the beets. I picked up some basil at the farmer’s market and made up two batches for the freezer. I also picked up some swiss chard, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, green peppers, eggplant, and onions. Jason and I had “eggs in a nest” for lunch today with the swiss chard, onions, carots, tomatoes, and a zucchini from our garden. The eggs came from the farmer’s market last week. Here’s the way I make eggs in a nest.
olive oil or non stick spray for the pan
1 bunch of swiss chard, chopped
1 big carrot, chooped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small/medium zucchini, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
6 eggs
cooked rice (I add beef bullion to the water when I cook the rice)
In a large skillet with a lid, saute the onions in the oil until they start to get tender. Add the tomato, zucchini, and carrots and cook until tender. Add the swiss chard and cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to wilt. Make 6 “wells” for the eggs. Break an egg in each “well” and continue to cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes to poach the eggs. Serve over the rice.
I think that’s our new favorite lunch. You could probably use any vegetables you wanted. I’ve made it before with green peppers too. I think next time I’ll add eggplant.
We don’t have anything planned for tomorrow which is kind of nice. I think I’m going to make some salsa since my one jalapeno pepper plant proved to be very prolific, and also some bread since I ate the last piece a few minutes ago with some peach freezer jam. It was yummy!!
I’ve never had eggplant before and all I could think about when I bought it was that I have never heard the words yum and eggplant in the same sentence. Maybe it’s because whoever I heard talk about eggplant bought it in December when it wasn’t in season. I do have to say that my first experience with eggplant was indeed yummy.
For dinner tonight we had whole wheat spaghetti tossed with homemade pesto and roasted green peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini and we also had stuffed eggplant. All of the veggies either came from the farmer’s market or from our garden.
Here’s the recipe for the stuffed eggplant:
1 medium sized eggplant,sliced lengthwise
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 big cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 big leaves of swiss chard, chopped
1/2 cup cooked rice
2 tsp bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheese
olive oil
salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to taste
Preheat oven to 400.
Scoop the pulp out of the eggplant and chop it up. Coat a medium sized skillet with olive oil and cook the tomato and garlic for about 3-4 minutes or until the tomato gets bubbly. Add the chopped eggplant and the zucchini and cook for about 6 minutes longer or until the zucchini is tender. Add the swiss chard and cook for about another minute until the chard starts to wilt. Add the salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to suit your taste. Add the rice and stir. Fill each half of the eggplant with the mixture and place in a baking dish, cover and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. In the meantime, mix the bread crumbs and cheese. When the 15 minutes is up, lightly brush the eggplant and stuffing mixture with some olive oil. If you have olive oil spray, you can use that. Top with the bread crumbs and cheese and bake uncovered for about 15 more minutes.
Next time I make it I’m going to use homemade ricotta cheese in the stuffing and use more tomato and add some basil.
I’m almost done with The Ominivore’s Dilemma and I’m not sure what book to read next. It takes me forever to read nonfiction and I’m looking forward to a no-brainer type book next.
We took Ryan to his opthamalogist appointment today which was the last step in the NF1 diagnosis. They said his vision was perfect and that there was no indication that he has NF1 as far as his eyes are concerned. That’s great news and that means we are done seeing the geneticist and the opthmalogist!!
I finished reading Wuthering Heights the other day and have since been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Wow, what a book.
Jason and I went to the farmer’s market in Ann Arbor on Saturday and picked up more veggies, eggs, meat, and even some stone ground wheat flour from a local farm. We’ve made a couple of really good meals with our finds. I made a veggie fritatta this morning with eggs, kale, and broccoli and for dinner we had homemade pizza with whole wheat crust. The crust was made with the flour we bought and was really good. We topped our pizza with ham, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, kale, zucchini, and peppers. I made some mozarella cheese last night and that was also one of the toppings. It turned out really good. On the kids side I added veggies and just chopped them up really small. They both ate it and said it was really good and then I told them what was on it. That’s one way to get them to eat their veggies.
Oh yeah, I stopped and got more peaches, strawberries, and blueberries today and made more freezer jam. I seriously have no more room in my freezer. I need to get the garage cleaned out so I can go buy a big freezer.
i went to the Thursday Night Farmer’s Market in Tecumseh tonight. It was actually only one vendor, but they had a lot of veggies and it was pretty cheap too. I got an eggplant, a “cheddar” cauliflower, and 2 green peppers for $3. I’ve never actually had eggplant before, so that will be something new to try. The lady selling the veggies suggested that I make eggplant parmesean, so I think that’s what I’ll do. The cheddar cauliflower is supposed to taste like regular cauliflower, but it has a lot more antioxidants. I figured I’d give it a try since I love cauliflower.
Today I made freezer jam with the peaches I bought the other day. It turned out really good and the kids got into it before it had time to set all the way. I think I’m going to give one container of it to our next door neighbor since she’s always doing nice things for us.
Oh, and when I was leaving the farmer’s market, I noticed that there is a new used book store in Tecumseh. I am so excited since I love used book stores. They had quite a few books, but most were older. I have a few books sitting around here that I don’t care for, so I think I’ll take them up there and get some store credit. I did get The Corrections: A Novel
Categories: books · cooking · farm stand finds
I got the cheesemaking kit that I ordered from New England Cheesemaking Company! I’m going to make some fresh mozzarella for our homemade pizza night!
I also got another book. The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I have been told that I’ve moved from OCD knitting to reading. I guess that’s true, but knitting is a winter thing and I’ll be back to doing that soon enough.
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