A Taste of Autumn ~ Homegrown

There is nothing better than a meal made with fresh from the garden produce.

A few of our brussels sprout stalks fell over this week on one of the rainy days. The leaves are so big and sturdy they act like buckets and collect the rain until they become too heavy and then down they go. I decided to pick one of the fallen stalks for dinner and stake up the rest. One stalk is plenty, especially since I am the only one that likes LOVES them. In fact, I think they are great no matter how they are cooked, even just steamed. YUM!

The first evening I made loaded quesadilla's, which included brussels sprouts. Easy Peasy! 

They also went well with our homemade marinara sauce (made with our homegrown tomatoes) over cheese tortellini and topped with grilled chicken. 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Have a Great Saturday!!

Tomatoes, Apples and Pears . . . Oh my!

It is harvest season and our tomatoes are on as well as our strawberries!

Fall is in the air and even my tea is ready for the change of seasons!

We pick bowls full of tomatoes every day so enough to make soups and sauces and even some leftover to give away.

Pesky moles are also wreaking havoc in our yard. UGH! This is one of many mounds in the front and backyard. YIKES. 

Can’t seem to stop them so meanwhile, we are cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

A lot of tomato soups and sauces made with our bounty of San Mariano tomatoes as well as other varieties.

Lots of Pears & Apples too! (Multiple varieties of both)

The hubs dried some and also is trying something new. He is fermenting the pear juice which is called Perry when it is finished. We will see how that turns out, as we have no idea what to expect. 

Pears, apples (at least 2 or 3 varieties), cucumbers, tomatoes, Brussels Sprouts, all still producing or will be harvested soon.

Lots of great produce just a few steps away!!

Happy Monday!!

Harvest Season is Quickly Approaching . . .

Our pears are big and plentiful this year.

We are hoping the old limbs and can hold the weight a little longer. As usual, most of the branches are propped up with stakes so that helps.

The same goes for our apple trees as well. 

It has a bumper crop so we are hoping the branches can hold the weight until they are ready to pick.

And, last but not least, our strawberries are still coming on strong!

The veggies are looking good as well so more garden updates coming soon.

Happy Tuesday!

Summer Chalkboard

Our chalkboard needed an update.

Sweet and simple seemed like a good idea so ice-cream it was!!

Happy Wednesday!

Homegrown & Baked with Love

Our tomatoes are getting ripe!

Mr. Wonderful picked a bowl full, hoping I would make some bruschetta. 

Our basil plants are big and beautiful now so of course he snipped off a little that too.

Oh my goodness, it smelled so good that we had to sample it immediately of course. It did not disappoint.

Meanwhile, I had homemade French bread rising for our baguettes and they were ready for the oven.

Just enough time for the tomatoes and basil to marinate just a bit longer.

The best part was that we had some leftovers to use later. Love that!

There is nothing better than the smell of homemade bread, except maybe the taste?! It is just great in every way. 

I must say, it was hard not to over indulge on such a yummy snack, which we did. 

From the garden to the oven to the plate . . . 

. . . the ultimate homemade treat!

Happy Tuesday!

Summer Baking

A busy week in the kitchen!

We had some peaches on our trees that were ripe so I made some Peach Cobbler cookies.

They were so good! 

We took some of them to a dinner at a friends house and they liked them too.

Our peach tree had quite a few peaches this year but not enough to can so a good reason to try something new.

The cookies were great ( at least we thought so 😉) so I decided to take them with us to dinner at a friends house to see what they thought. They were a hit!

I also made some cupcakes to take, so I made one of their favorites . . . German Chocolate Cupcakes! Both desserts were winners!

Luckily we had a few cupcakes back at the house as well as some cookies so we are set for a couple more days. 

Have a Sweet Thursday!

Not Your Average Lamb Loin Chops

Marinated lamb chops are always great however nothing beats the extra flavor they get when they are grilled.

 Sautéed vegetables make the perfect side.

Sorry, I can't hear you over the sizzle of the grill!

And then, a splash of Green and Glorious, for both taste and texture, to complete this culinary experience.

Now that was a great summer dinner, 

at least we thought so.

Happy Friday!

Homemade Blueberry Chutney and more . . .

Believe it or not, we still have blueberries to pick each day. That always gets me thinking about new ways to use them.

Last week it occurred to me that a Blueberry Chutney might be good.

So, I gave it a try!

All the ingredients were here so it was meant to be.

While the chutney was cooking I made a sweet treat.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake.

The cake(s) and the chutney finished about the same time.

From our blueberry bushes to the table, we enjoyed the sweetness of our berries in this delightful chutney.

It paired quite well with our grilled fish and mango salsa!!

In fact, it is also tasty by the spoonful as well.

{ Just saying  😉 }

May your day be as peaceful as this tiny hummingbird at rest in our back yard.