Greenhouse Clean Up

It was time.  My greenhouse was a mess.  Not a mess really, just very disorganized.  Something that drives me crazy.

All summer long, I just kept putting stuff in there and now that the weather is about to turn very cold, I needed to move my patio plants into the greenhouse and there was no place to put them!

Last Friday seemed like the perfect day to get out there.  I had the puppies spayed on Thursday and they were still groggy and needed rest and quiet.  It was also a beautiful, sunny, warm day.  With the the pups sleeping peacefully in their crates, I went out to the greenhouse and got to work.  I took everything out of the greenhouose, except the heaters, and reorganized it and put it all back in its proper place.  I can be very anal about stuff like that (ask my sister!).  I'm the same way in my kitchen :-}

While I was working, a little wren came  to visit me.  She's so cute and loud for such a little bird!

I then hauled my trusty little yellow wagon down to the back patio and began loading up plants.

 

The bees and butterflies were all over my Stock plants!  Such an added bonus to the day :-} But they wouldn't let me get close enough for better pictures :/

After about 9 trips up and down the hill from my patio to my greenhouse, I was done!  It looks so good and I'm very happy :)

When my husband got home, he and I moved my lemon tree into the greenhouse, which is still full of lemons and even some blooms, all under the watchful supervision of the puppies who were most interested in what was in my greenhouse!

I worked *very* hard that day as I also put my garden beds to rest for the winter (but that's for another post).

Reflecting on my hard work of the day, I once again recognized how blessed I am to live the life that I do,  being able to do the things I love, and being surrounded by all the loving, caring people in my life.  
 

My greenhouse at sunset.

 

First Brussels Sprouts

Remember I told you I picked a couple of Brussels sprouts stalks for Christmas dinner?  I didn't tell you I practically had to use an axe to cut through the stalk!  Look at the size of this?  It's at least 2 inches in diameter!

But look at this stalk of Brussels sprouts!

Outside in the garden, we (sister and I) knocked off all the leaves and threw them over the fence line for the deer to feast upon.  Inside the house, we picked all the sprouts off the stalk, removed the ragged outer leaves and rinsed them really well.

Then we made this delicious and very easy dish: 


Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from Molly Stevens, All About Braising
1 pound of Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 lemon

Trim the Brussels sprouts at the base, peel off any ragged out leaves, and cut the Brussels sprouts in half, and rinse very well in cold running water.

Melt the butter in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium high heat.  When the foaming stops, add the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and white pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts being to brown in spots, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the cream, stir, cover and reduce to a slow simmer.

Braise over a low heat until the sprouts are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30-35 minutes.  The cream will have reduced some and turned a fawn color.

Remove the cover, stir in a generous squeeze of lemon juice and taste for seasoning.  Let simmer, uncovered, for just a few minutes to thicken the cream to a glaze that coats the sprouts.  Serve hot or warm.

We added a sprinkling of that Truffle Salt to finish it off...delicious!

Buon Appetito!

Edible Bird House

Isn't this cute?!  A friend gave me this edible bird house for Christmas and I think it's wonderful!

I wondered how long it would take the birds to find it?  How about only 24 hours!  I saw this beautiful Lady Cardinal perched on it the morning after I hung it out.

The birds that frequent my feeders throughout the seasons are an integral part of my life in the Texas hill country.  This lovely bird feeder not only adds a whimsical element to the landscape, it also provides food for my feathered friends. 

Thank you Tisha!

Baby Beet Salad

I picked a bunch of baby beets the other night and made this delicious salad for dinner.  The recipe is an adaptation from one I read on Cat's wonderful blog, The Whimsical Gardener.  It's easy and so very tasty. 

The ingredient list is pretty simple:  baby beets, goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds and if you really want to gild the lily, add a sprinkling of Truffle Salt over the salad. 

A quick aside about Truffle Salt:  In a word...fabulous!  

My good friend Linda brought some roasted winter vegetables to my house as part of a dinner party one night and she had sprinkled the vegetables with Truffle Salt after they were roasted.  They were delicious!.  I couldn't believe how much flavor this finishing salt added to the vegetables.  Unbelievable.  My sister bought a jar of Truffle Salt on a recent shopping trip and we thought it might be a tasty addition to this salad.  It was. :)

OK...back to the beet salad.

I cleaned and scrubbed the beets, placed them in a foil pouch, sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, and roasted in a 400F oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Pretty simple.  While the beets were roasting, I placed about a cup of pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and put in the same oven and roasted for 15 minutes, keeping a close eye on the pumpkin seeds because they can go from perfectly roasted to burnt to a crisp in seconds.  

I then peeled the beets...(a rather messy job, but so worth it :)

...thinly sliced them, sprinkled some goat cheese over the beets, scattered the toasted pumpkin seeds over the top, topped with a little extra virgin olive oil and pinch of Truffle Salt (a little goes a long way) and voila...Baby Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Truffle Salt!

Buon Appetito!

Bonding with Puppies

I promised I wouldn't turn this into a puppy blog, but I wanted to post a quick update on how the girls were doing.  In a nutshell, they are doing great.  They are growing and putting on weight, although we are wresting with some aggression issues with Gretchen.  I don't know what the first three months of her life were like, but she is having a very difficult time getting along with the rest of the pack.  But we're working on it.

I'm working with a wonderful dog trainer and one of the things she recommends is at the end of every day, I do a  bonding exercise with the pups.  What she wants me to do is to have the pups settle down and have quiet contact with me and Harry.  We've been doing that pretty much every night for the last two weeks and to be honest, it's become my favorite time of the day.  And this is what it looks like:

 

 Sweet Laci

Beautiful Gretchen

Gretchen

 

 Laci

Laci

Raising these pups is like having babies again...no kidding!  Up at 6:00 am (which is OK since I'm a morning person anyway) and it's constant attention, stuff-to-do throughout the day...walking them (3-5 times a day) feeding them (3 times a day), breaking up too rough play (5-8 times a day), training them on feeding habits, working on getting along within the pack, free play outside, picking up dog poo...ya da ya da ya da...(you get the picture :)  But honestly and truly, it's all good.  I'm lovin it and the pups are happy, healthy, safe and warm.

With the New Year upon us, I'm excited to see what it will bring with these puppies and how I integrate them into my spring and summer gardens.  I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm excited and optimistic about this coming year.

 Happy New Year to all of you!