Haven't forgotten about you...

It has been a while, but life has been bizzzy. Today I took a mental-health afternoon and tried to catch up on many little things that kept piling up. Feels good to have those to-do items checked off.

Our garden is growing like crazy! We have so much lettuce we could eat salad for days. Our 4 stalks of okra are starting to sprout little plants! The carrots are growing, but I'm not sure how you really know when they are done. There is also a huge, sprawling vine where the watermelon seeds were planted - and I'm still hopeful a little melon ball will appear before winter. I'm excited to think about what we'll plant next spring.

Dinner was good tonight - cooked for the first time in a while. Sliced and roasted some butternut squash, baked up a pork tenderloin and made some salad. Felt good to have a home-cooked meal after a long string of quick meals. We've all been sick - me, Mike, and Gams. But think we're on the mend. Feels good to have the carpet vacuumed, laundry clean, and ready to face the week ahead.

Hope all is well!

October First Soup

Since this is a hodge-podge of a few recipes, I'll claim its new name as "October First" soup!

Really - it is Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot and Apple Soup. Adapted from "Wonderful Curried Sweet Potato Soup" - http://www.food.com/recipe/wonderful-curried-sweet-potato-soup-161324

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

1.5 T Curry Powder

1 t cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes

3 medium apples, peeled and chopped

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

32 oz. box chicken stock (or veggie stock)

1 t sea salt

2 t pepper

one shake of nutmeg

1/4 coconut milk (I used the So Delicious Coconut Milk rather than canned/sweetened milk - although you can probably use both).

In a large pan, melt butter in olive oil over low-medium heat. Add curry powder to form paste; add garlic. Add sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Put half of mixture into blender with half of chicken stock; puree and pour into soup pot. Repeat, and stir well. Add coconut milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and more of other spices to taste. Bring to boil; cover and let sit for about five minutes.

Soup should be a rich orange-yellow color and relatively thick consistency.

To freeze, let cool and pour into a freezer bag to allow for flat storage.

Dinner(s)

Today is the first day of October! And it's been quite a day - especially cooking-wise. After a crazy busy week, I was unable to prepare dinner hardly at all. It is hard to have a sense of groundedness when you eat out all week (lunch and dinner, sadly).

Anyways - I went with some fall dishes!

First, I made turkey chili. It is a standard recipe I've used, which I inherited from my mom, and this time I let it simmer in the crock-pot. I still had to cook the chicken, onions and garlic on the stove top, but it seemed to thicken up well in the CP. As I'm writing this, I realized I didn't include chili powder - but I did season the meat while it was cooking. Oops! :)

Second, I made soup! I'm trying to use up some ingredients as we're going out of town next week, and I had three big sweet potatoes left in our pantry. We had a lot of sweet potato fries lately, so I was trying to think outside the box. Seeing my curry powder earlier, I was trying to find a way to combine them. I found this recipe simply googling "sweet potato curry soup." In looking at a couple other recipes, I decided to cook up sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples. They all softened together, and then I blended em up with chicken stock in our blender. At the end I added some more spices and let it thicken some more as well. (I'll put my recipe in the next blog!)

Lastly, I wanted to have something on hand to pull out of the freezer and warm up some night. I poached some chicken and pulled it apart. I also cooked up some pasta, dumped some left over tomato sauce and mixed it all together. Slicing up some sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and excellent cheese purchased by my parents, I made a haphazard spaghetti casserole-thing. Sometimes they work out, sometimes not. Still fun to try!

Trying to stay away from baked goods this week - Mike and I are holding off from desserts. But I will definitely be making some pumpkin bread soon!!

Neglect

It is hard keeping up with my garden this week. I tried to rationalize this morning that since it is so humid, that counts as watering.

Truth is I'm not seeing much 'fruit' of my labors. There is lettuce, but it is still small. The cauliflower and broccoli was eaten up by bugs. The lavender I planted doesn't seem to be springing up. The instant gratification desire within me is not being satisfied. It is still on my mind, but in a different way...perhaps gardens are best for the spring.

The cooler air and shadier afternoons remind me that fall is almost here. I am excited to relish in the time of year meant for apples, pumpkins, and raking leaves. Just typing about the orange, red, and yellow shades inherent with the changing seasons makes me smile. I am happy when summer turns to fall, despite the hustle bustle that comes with it.

Leaves

I see lots of leaves! Leaves of lettuce and carrot-tops! However, the leaves of the broccoli and cauliflower have disappeared. :( The ones that remain have many holes in them. Bugs? I don't know what I'm doing, clearly... but I still water the plants!

The flowers I planted last week are also starting to sprout, but the lavender has yet to sprout up. On Saturday morning I bought new seeds: oregano, rosemary, and other spices. I hope to plant them some time this week and set them alongside the lavender. Or I might start the garden inside. It is supposed to be a rainy beginning to this week, so that could prove beneficial for plant growth!

I did an OK job of keeping things watered despite the 5 days of classes. It is a good way to stay grounded, as I've said previously, but admittedly it is tough to add one more thing to a busy morning routine. I did pretty well with keeping up with devotions this week also; I am reading "The Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It is awesome. I've also kept up with my exercise routine and I'm feeling like the legs are holding up alright!

One thing I hope to do LESS of this week is snack. Being back in school makes me crave munchies while sitting in class. My appetite hasn't really changed, so I hope this careless grazing stops!! :)

Hope all of you have a great week!

Mary Mary Quite Contrary...

...how does your garden grow?

It is a BEAUTIFUL morning. I am saddened to think school starts, but summer is not over in my book. It's a cool 70*ish - and I'm outside watering plants and such. I am noticing that the spinach is not coming in yet - maybe it takes longer? The watermelon, conversely, is sprouting right up! How fun :) It is Mike's favorite fruit - and would be fun to have an October watermelon dish!

This morning I finally got some lavender plants into little seedling plots! They are to begin indoors, but since it's starting to "cool" off down here, I'm going to chance it. At least for today. Would be fun to use in the house for fresh scents. And in home cleaning products.

Oh yes. I found a book at the library on green housekeeping. I'm blossoming into an environmentalist before your eyes. I suppose being in my first home and seeing how much cleaning products cost and the do-it-yourself'er in me wants to try some new things. We fill up our recycling bin a week ahead of time, so this week unfortunately we are pitching some cardboard. I'm going to try and rescue it, but we'll see...

I also planted some zinnia seeds. They are in our little bin that we once used for herbs. Interestingly, there are some little basil sprouts that are popping up. In making room for the zinnia flowers, I thought about uprooting the basil. I was reminded of the verse in Matthew -"Let both grow together until the harvest" (Matt 13:30). So this will be fun to watch. The windows are open and Gambler and I are enjoying a quiet Cary morning. More to come!

Growing Basil: Hurricane Edition

As we anticipated the storm, I chose not to water the garden the day before. Predictions were for 2-5", and I didn't want the fresh seedlings to float away! Unfortunately, rain was less than extraordinary - in fact, the wind was the most intense aspect of Irene's visit to Cary. It did eventually rain, and was a nice, gentle shower.

I didn't pull the basil plant in, as it was a free-standing pot. I should have! I guess I wanted to chance it and see - ha. Anyways, it hung in there as well. Following the "storm", I checked on everything and it seemed great.

In fact, I made a wonderful dish last night, the recipe for which my mom passed along to me. Summer Garden Pasta! It was a marinade of cherry tomatoes and basil, among other spices and olive oil. It was perfect. I last hoorah for summer before school starts tomorrow!

It was an incredible summer to say the least - I will miss you Summer of '11, but know this new year will bring lots of new adventures and blessings. :)

Cute site!

Here's a great blog I found of cooking nearly everything in a crockpot! This woman is going through recipes for a year - much like Julie and Julia (Child).

Click here to access an alphabetical listing of recipes!!

This is so exciting - a great way to start a meal and have it ready when I get home!! :)

Sprouts!

Exciting things are happening in Cary!!

Last Friday I began our fall garden. It was a lot of fun - turning over the soil, dirt in my fingers, the whole bit! We are attempting to grow cauliflower and broccoli (were pre-grown sprouts) and from seeds: lettuce, carrots, okra, spinach, and the wild-card - watermelon! So far, the lettuce is peeking through. If even one of these things comes to full fruition, I'll be ecstatic. The whole thing is still a grand adventure.

Feeling a little nervous about school starting. Hoping that the prep work I've done this summer towards meal-planning will pay off. Really hate the "busy-ness" of school life. Having something at home to water and nurture is fun and a good way to stay grounded. And a fun way to spend time with nature.

Mike was totally my inspiration. He planted tomato plants at the beginning of the summer, and seeing his passion and excitement when they started to grow made me feel so happy :) Hoping we both enjoy our second jobs as farmers.

Tonight

We tried a new recipe - Polenta a la Amie.

Basically I found a package from Trader Joe's of Organic Polenta and thought I could whip it up into something creative! Also, I was coming back from Duke and generally we do better if it's something quick and easy for dinner.

Knowing nothing about polenta, I read a couple websites and the instructions on the packaging. I popped the pre-cooked polenta out of the plastic, cut it into rounds (thin) and set them in a lightly oiled pan. Covered it with pizza sauce, some sauteed veggies and cheese and voila - Polenta pizza-ish.

The nice thing about our dinners is a. Mike will eat anything, and b. anything home-cooked generally tastes really good as we're both starving when we get home.

Seeing as polenta is pretty low in calories, I was hungry again at 8:30pm. But it was a nice, light and healthy summer dinner :)

Eggplant Parmesan!

So the "Casey" name worked until I had to pluck some basil leaves, and so we'll go back to an unnamed plant. :)

Tonight I made what seemed to be an excellent Eggplant Parm! Last time it did not turn out that well, but it tasted awesome tonight. Or I was really hungry...

I visited Trader Joes today and got the above tomatoes. I didn't end up using the tomato sauce, and the canned diced tomatoes/juice was really flavorful!

It took about one hour to make. By the time you slice/bread and roast the eggplant, and get everything else together, assembling it is easy!

The recipe is here!

Enjoy <3

Disappointed

Unfortunately, the herbs I bought from Target did not last when potted and placed outside. They came in a plastic container, and they still had the brown tangle of roots and soil at the boom - so I assumed they would be fine to place into some potted soil with some water.

I was wrong :-/

Thyme is a beautiful herb. Unless it's dead. Then it is a flattened, jumbled mess of...gross-ness. The dill similarly did not survive the summer in a pot, and is no more.

However, Casey is doing quite well and her leaves continue to be bright green! We will be going out of town this weekend, but fortunately the Stewarts will be caring for both our dog and our basil plant. And we'll be gone just overnight. Not to worry!

Last night we had an excellent dinner. It was not basil-based, but flavorful nonetheless. Here is the recipe for Chicken Almondine - it was quite easy to make and will be a quick go-to dinner when the fall comes in full force. Yum!

Tonight, Mike and I will be going to our favorite pizza joint - Namoli's. A taste of NYC right in...Apex! Should be a fabulous Wednesday night date.

Meet Casey!

Here's the star of the blog! I named her Casey, as it's a hybrid of Cary and Basil. No one ever said I was creative!

Anyways, she was outside for much of the early summer. I bought her at Fresh Market (much like Whole Foods) and it was in anticipation of a bruschetta dinner. Inspired by a family I babysit for, I decided to plant it in a pot and set her in the kitchen. Not too long afterwards, we created an entire grouping of herbs - rosemary, mint, basil and citronella (for the mosquitos). Interestingly, this particular basil plant was imported from Harrisonburg, VA - so yes, Casey is a Dukes fan!

As the summer went on, she grew taller and taller. She survived our siesta in Key West, but once the hot hot temps arrived, she began to dwindle. Turning brown and seemingly dead, I went to Home Depot to buy a replacement. Seeing that NO herbs were available, the man said that even if there's a hint of green it can still survive. Following his instructions, I trimmed down much of the branches and began watering her. Would you know the next day there were new green shoots.

The temps have persisted, and although Casey came back to life, she began to get too hot. What you see is a return to her pot and a safe haven in the double sink. She went outside this weekend to enjoy the insane amounts of rain we got.

We'll monitor things closely, but yes, Casey's doing quite well. Hoping to make another basil-inspired recipe soon!! Been busy doing home redecoration, but cooked a nice fettucini bolognese yesterday and sweet and sour chicken tonight! Mmmm.

From Scratch

The following is an entry in a United Methodist newsletter written by a former youth pastor of mine. I recently noticed she is attending classes here at Duke, and in trying to figure out if, in fact, it was her - I found this "blog entry." May be something that inspired these thoughts of my own. Anyways - enjoy!

FROM SCRATCH

By Rev. Emily A. Moore

The tiller is too much trouble to use in my tiny garden plot. The weeds get tangled around the blades, and it is just as much trouble to get the vines and roots off the blades as it is to hoe the land by hand. So, I hoe the garden plot and pull weeds myself. Every year. Good exercise. Hard work. Then I let the dirt sit for several days before I start planting. The neighbor’s young cat comes over, as if on cue, to “help” me put the vegetable slips in the ground. Last year this creature was a diminutive kitten, and I dodged tiny claws and unexpected pounces while I worked. I was frustrated at first since it tripled the amount of time it required to plant the garden, but then I got over myself and had a ball playing with the little guy. A bit more mature now, the cat simply keeps me company while I work. I miss his playful complications. I mix organic compost in with the dirt and then repeatedly water each tender, thirsty slip: okra, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, oregano, and eggplant. Grass clippings from the yard function as both mulch and weed deterrent. Sometimes God waters the garden, and sometimes I water the garden. Of course God is the real overseer, but I think of myself as a co-laborer. I cannot wait to eat, share, and freeze what comes of it. Time spent on my knees in the dirt, with soil running through my fingers, is time I would not trade for much else.

There is something deeply spiritual about preparing, planting, and tending a vegetable garden. I know that I will not be able to eat anything from the garden until about two months after I plant it, much like how prayer yields fruit at God’s timing and not mine. I have already gathered recipes for eggplant parmesan, knowing that I must wait 80-some days before I can eat it. Growing vegetables teaches me about delayed gratification (when will the okra finally ripen?), abundance (does anyone have 47 different recipes for yellow squash?), and scarcity (the peppers have struggled for years). I am reminded how weeds can choke the good healthy plants, much like distractions, worries, and contemporary culture can choke a healthy prayer life if I let it. Day after day I look at leaves, watch for buds, and monitor the moisture of the soil. I learn anew of the importance of water and regular attention, much like Christ feeding us through regular Holy Communion, worship and prayer. And I am still just as excited now as I was when I was four to see the first sprouts start to grow, and to pick the first vegetable from the garden. It is a bit like seeing seeds of faith coming to fruition in someone else’s life for whom I have been praying. And how is it that the okra seeds always produce okra and not, say, English peas? The tiny seed goes in the ground, unseen like faith, and then pops up just about when we’ve given up on it. Tiny but incredibly vital, like that mustard seed of faith Jesus talked about. I feel like a wealthy woman when I can go home, pick fresh veggies in the garden, and then cook them while they are still warm from the summer afternoon sun. It is like relishing in the fruit of patience, sweat, diligent care, and knee-time in prayer. Nothing I can control, nothing I can merit, yet much grace to enjoy and share.

Gardening and the spiritual journey mirror much of one another. Hard work. Unexpected surprises. Lack of control. Time. Quiet, slow processes. Holy mysteries. Trouble and gifts in the same dirt and life. Tangled messes. And how God blesses.

Plant a tomato slip or two this year and notice the Holy Spirit at work in you.

Mark 4:30-32; Matthew 13:1-9, 16-23.

http://www.riverroadumc.org/clientimages/38289/newsletters/june-july%202011.pdf

New post

Every summer I attempt blogging. Generally I get to a point where I have lots of time on my hands, and feel as though my thoughts are worth sharing. Inevitably, life gets busy and I'll get to a month from now and realize this was my only post.

But in contemplating life - and my poor basil plant, which suffers so from this heat - I realized that life can only go as fast as you allow it too. I've become (somewhat) disciplined in many respects, but one is attending to my basil plant. Mike and I began a garden in the spring, and the basil flourished and provided seasoning to many meals. In this summer heat, and subsequent exhaustion on my part, it's gone by the wayside.

My thought in this blog is not only chronicling this and the other plants in our garden, but also allowing for stepping stones to other thoughts. Present hobbies include prayer and scripture study, exercise, cooking, and reading. Each of these can stem from basil - well gardening in general.

Knowing myself as I do, however, were I to overstep my abilities by beginning this blog and be unable to maintain it properly, I can at least notify my friends and family how my beloved basil plant is doing!

Here's to living out the remainder of the summer of '11!