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.