...And He Bought Me A Camera

Before he took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner, and before he took me to my very first Circus...Peter gave me a gift I had been wishing for, for months.

A brand new Cannon EOS Rebel T3. A digital camera that is top of the line, and takes amazing pictures. Peter always inspires me to take up new things to expand my creativity. Now, my outlet is photography, just enough time now that my vegetable garden is at its end of life.

Because the only training I have ever had when it comes to still shots is my high school photography class, my pictures have many common mistakes which divide them from the standard of photographs my Aunt Lisa takes. But I can't wait to channel her talent and force her to educate me on the million things this camera is capable of doing.

At this moment I have realize I do not like taking portraits. However using my dogs as subjects or capturing landscape seems to be my forte.

Following is my first round of pictures that I am actually proud of...all staring Peter and I's amazing dogs.

...And Its About Time

(Last Garden Update)

I was extremely discouraged when it came to our very first vegetable garden. In previous posts I ranted about all the things that went wrong (and are still going wrong). Still our garden managed to produce some editable fruits and vegetables! While we still have at least 20 tomatoes and 15 peppers still maturing, I figured everyone was getting sick of hearing about the perils of growing your own food. So here is the closer to this summers main project.


Due to a severe heat wave (that is still continuing) some of our tomatoes split open before they were ripe. This "big boy" split open due to many factors, one being its tremendous size, and also because of a dry spell followed by a down pour of rain in one of our infamous summer storms. The water caused the tomato to swell, breaking skin. However we were still able to eat a few slices. There is a huge difference between store bought and freshly picked.


We had several varieties of tomatoes, this "Chocolate Jasper" was only one of two that this heirloom plant was able to produce despite fertilizing and adequate conditions.


The best part of fighting the elements of weather, bugs and worms, and unexpected issues (like Penny and Dexter) was that we could actually use these fruits and veggies in meals. From fresh salsa shared with family, southwestern stuffed chicken, and "lemon boy" bruschetta.


All in all, if was a successful first season, and I am already planing the contents of next years garden. I am hoping for a broader range of vegetables like squash, spinach, and whatever else comes to mind!

...And Then There Was Three.

Meet Idge:
Nick Name: Idga Widga, Skidge
Likes: Cat nip, midnight terrorizing, stalking "sprikets", and drooling while receiving attention.
Dislikes: Penny and Dexter




Meet Penny Lou:
Nick Name: Penny Woooo, Penny Weeny
Likes: Eating plants, scratches on the head, killing birds, digging to China, and playing in snow.
Dislikes: Water, baths, rain, or anything else having to do with water, air blowing from vents, and vacuums.



Meet Dexter Goliath
Nick Name : Dexta Boo, Eor
Likes: Belly rubs, Cheerios, licking house vents, snuggling, swimming, and eating rocks.
Dislikes: Not being fed, loud noises, and pillows.




(Idge refused to pose for the following picture...)

...And Living Here Doesn't Mean I Can Grow Corn

GARDEN UPDATE.
Peter and I have had a lot of fun watching seeds grow into massive tomato "trees" and food giving vines. All the hard work seems to be paying off, but when you look close at our garden you can tell...we're no Kansas farmers.


Our most recent addition, which is my favorite...he is low maintenance.


Our big boy tomato plant has about five others tomatoes growing, but none as big and beautiful as its very first...


These are the first of our Chocolate Jaspers, this plant along with the non pictured stripped roma tomatoes have been the most difficult.


Our first pepper off one of three pepper plants, the garden pepper.



Our first small harvest of bush green beans.


The first "premature" red onion, while its small it will still taste just as great after 2-3 weeks of curing.


This is onion flower, not what I was hoping to sprout from my onion bulbs but due to fluctuation in weather it caused some onions to bloom. The reason why I wasn't hoping for this is because the moment this stock sprouted it took nutrients away from the onion bulb, all energy goes to the flower to produce seeds, and in nature reproduce onion bulbs. I have harvested some seeds and will plant them in september which will remain dormant through winter and grow early spring.


Our pole green beans started to show signs of Halo Blight which is a disease that there is no cure for. Small brown spots appear on the leaves and each one is surrounded by a yellow "halo". Unfortunately this causes our growing Green Beans to produce fewer pods and the plants themselves become stunted.
This issue has nothing to do with over watering or poor soil...its was in the seeds that we purchased and sowed. These plants have to be pulled in order to protect the bush green beans from catching the disease.

And who said this would be easy?!?!

...And My Cooking Skills Came With

I have to start off by acknowledging all those great cooks I have in my life.

There is my Dad who is often imitated but never duplicated by me. He is the master of baked mac n cheese (my Grandma G's recipe) and rotisserie chicken, honey mustard grilled Brussels sprouts, and his many other mouth watering talents that have included lamb, from scratch Cesar salad dressing, and bacon wrapped shrimp.

My grandma Mary whose spaghetti sauce is a favorite of my childhood. I remember weekends at her house, spaghetti on Friday nights, pizza on Saturdays, and grandpa Bills pancakes on Sunday. I always asked for extra butter on those, typical butter obsessed me.

Then there is Grandma G who I constantly call asking "what temperature to I bake chicken at?" or "how do I make that one thing you made that one time?". No offense to my dad or anyone one else but Grandma G has my heart when it comes to home cooked meals. Every birthday she makes my favorite Swiss Steak and mashed potatoes. She also has the best stuffed bell peppers and salmon patties anyone has ever had.

Then there is my newest mentors in the world of cooking. David and Paula Burger. I secretly stalk them during their cooking endeavours. If its David manning the grill or Paula making homemade pizza sauce...I am taking it all in. Asking for recipes and advice, storing all the information to claim it as my own.

So with all of them being credited to my "cooking education" here or some of my own kitchen projects that I am proud of.





(Baked Garlic and Herb Chicken with from scratch creamy pesto sauce and angel hair pasta)



(Sorry for the foggy picture, it came out steaming hot, from scratch chicken Parmesan in tomato and garlic sauce, and farmers market sourdough wheat bread)


(Ribeye steak courtesy grilled by Peter with sauteed garlic green beans)



(Broiled lemon salmon with seared zucchini and brown rice)



(Sausage and bell pepper omelets with country potatoes)

...And Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

(Garden Update)

I m an extremely impatient person, so it's obvious I have been overwhelmed with the slow progression of our vegetable garden. For months I have dealt with relentless weeds and issues like blossom drop, early bright, and poor pollination. I've watched two plants wither from erratic weather, poor soil drainage, and issues I can't seem to pin point...

But like I have always been told "good things come to those who wait" and finally good things are coming.

Here are a few pictures to show our growing vegetable garden, and all the good things that will turn to better things...like peppers, tomatoes, and green beans!

(Big Boy Tomato)

(Fresno Chili)

(Okra, prior to its slow withering death)

(Carrots)

(First blossoms on our Salsa Pepper Plant)

...And I've Learned A Thing or Two About Tornadoes

Although I have been in Kansas City for two years now (not including the two years I lived here in High School) I have never quite experienced what I did yesterday.

On May 25th, 2011 at approximately 11:45am I endured the exciting yet stressful process of hiding in a basement. It all started when the gut wrenching sound of tornado warning sirens began to scream.

At this point for me it was pure terror, I was away from Peter, my dogs, and my dad, and multiple cells in rotation seemed to be hovering over all of their locations. My boss wasted no time rushing us to the basement, and all I could think was this wasn't going to end up with me and a bunch of midgets having a sing a long.

While most of my coworkers remained calm (they have been through this many times) I paced the basement trying to get service bars on my cell phone, which ended up useless. I have this amazing piece of technology I spend nearly $100 dollars on a month to be informed and connected to the outside world when things like this happen, then it turns out a basic 20 dollar radio is all you really need.

I wish I could vamp up this blog entry by telling you we barely escaped the twisters with our lives, that I ended up meeting a talking lion in a far away world...somewhere over the rainbow. But truth is, I spent 45 minutes stuck in a basement with my coworkers. Only to emerge from there to blue skies and singing birds.

However, as serious as those warnings were and how boring it turned out to be...I am truly thankful. Some areas over the past few days weren't as lucky.

Joplin, Missouri/Ozarks Red Cross News & Donation
http://www.ozarksredcross.org/