July 29th, 2010 / No Comments » / by mandyadmin
Fresh herbs are inside and drying.
With all this warm and humid weather we have been drinking iced tea by the gallons.
Homemade granola from the Farmer’s Market.
Painting with weeds.
Deer in serious conversation.
Wishing you a great week!-mandy
July 26th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by mandyadmin
Today was surely a day kept in the kitchen. It started out with pesto. Our squash plant is taking over half of one of the gardens and covering some of the other plants in the process. One of those plants was one of the many basils we have going. I also had some expensive pine nuts that I had used for something else and needed to use the rest. 1+1=2. Basil+pine nuts=pesto.
I made 2 batches. One for the freezer and one for the fridge.
Then we had to do something about the big squash plant. Obviously it’s not going to produce a thousand fruits, although I really wish it would! So with all of these flowers growing just for fun, we had to pick some to eat.
I had some goat cheese (of course) and just mixed in some fresh chives, marjoram, and oregano. Then stuffed the squash blossoms with the cheese mixture, dipped them in some egg, then corn meal, and there you have it. One tasty treat! I made these for dinner later and added some hot peppers.
I didn’t stop at lunch today, I just kept going. Up next, focaccia bread with rosemary out of the garden.
Here it is bubbling on top and rolled up rising on the bottom. Of course I forgot to take a picture of the final bread.
Then came gnocchi. I made a pretty simple gnocchi and then sautéed it in fresh sage butter sauce. Which I of course forgot to take a final picture of too. I guess we were so excited to eat it!
Today was full of good eats and even better company! Followed by a chocolate martini! What are you making with your fresh herbs these days? -mandy
July 9th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by mandyadmin
I need a bloggy break for a few weeks. I have tried to keep up with blogging but it’s just not working. So instead of posting once a week I think I will just a take a break and come back when I actually have time to keep up with it.
Thanks for understanding!-mandy
July 4th, 2010 / No Comments » / by mandyadmin
I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We sure are. We started the day with eggs and bacon. (can’t go wrong there.) Then the girls were in a float at a parade in a neighboring town with their dance group. They did a great job, plus the parade went in a circle so we saw them in the beginning and then just walked one block over to see them come back the other way. Mary was really nervous because she had never been in a parade and she wasn’t sure that she would know what to do, but afterwards she said she loved it and that she wasn’t nervous anymore.
The girls were hot so I treated them to some icees from the convenience store, while John and Jared stopped to get some hot dogs for lunch. We got home, grilled, ate, and had a relaxing afternoon. Then, for dinner our friend who drives a semi was rolling through town so we picked him and brought him over for dinner. Filets wrapped in bacon, ribeye, and a sirloin. Brussel sprouts, beans with jalepenos, corn on the cob, and grilled bread. Oh man am I full! I probably won’t need to eat again until next Sunday!
The night also ended in a lot of rain, so we didn’t do fireworks, but the girls loved riding their bikes around and getting completely soaked! Summer rain can be so fun.
What do you do for the 4th?-mandy
July 1st, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by mandyadmin
John’s sister is in town from Colorado and we have had the greatest time! The other night we went out to a nice farm pond and did some serious fishing. Mary caught the first 2 fish and then Harriet caught one. After that Jenny and our nephew Noah just kept bringing them in every time they casted out their line. By the end of the night Mary was casting herself, reeling in, and cleaning the muck of her hook
. 
Anyone else been fishing this year? -mandy
June 30th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by mandyadmin
I’m sure I have shared this before but I love video so too bad.
June 14th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by mandyadmin
Mary had been wanting an American Girl doll for awhile but we told her she had to wait until she was 7. Well, she is 7 now. What a lucky girl she was when her Grandma gave her one for her birthday. She had always thought that she might want Kit but when it was time to choose she decided on the Girl of the Year Lanie, because of her hobbies. Lanie is a total out doors girl so Mary thought that was a perfect fit.
She gardens…
She loves the tire swing…
And of course she is huge tree climber…
Like 
