Hello October

Lasagne

The Lawson family loves Lasagne as much as Garfield the cat. I used the most recently harvested onions and basil to enrich this delicious recipe.  

Learning new skills

So....Benson is nine. And the summer time is usually when we introduce new skills and chores around the house. On Benson's goal chart is to learn to prep and cook vegetables. As you can see, we're off to a great start!

PEAS

The first harvest of summer yielded nearly 10lbs of peas. The young peas would work perfectly in this recipe. click here.   The larger peas are great for prying open and exploring the inside cavern for the sweet goodness...at least that is what me boys could spend hours doing. 

Strawberry Pizza

This recipe is one of the first desserts I learned to make. My children look forward to it when strawberry season rolls around. I do not use the 'glaze' in the last step...the strawberries can sing on their own. 

Watering & Strawberry Love

Working hard....

Getting ready to plant a 2014 crop!

Herb Infused Butter

Butter is an essential ingredient in our kitchen. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity when it comes to my food--so I go straight to the good stuff. This recipe for Infused Butter can be found here. (click). You can change this up and use any herb you love, or even berries.

Christmas Dinner Veggie Side

The green beans from the Parkside Garden were added to our vegetable side medley to accompany a beautiful and tempting 2013 Christmas dinner. I prepared the veggie a couple months prior when they were harvested. I cleaned and cut them and put them into a clearly labeled ziplock bag in the freezer--I pulled them out just in time for Santa. I roasted them with heirloom carrots, olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. 

A Kinder-Garden Jack-o-lantern

Halloween 2012 was an excellent pumpkin harvest. We carved Luther's to match his new smile. 

Music/Garden Class

Luther usually prefers to play rather than work when it comes to the garden. On this day I caught him deep in the yard long beans, deep in imaginary play. He's playing his 'piccolo' . 

Basil: My favorite Smell on Planet Earth

Since I can't keep basil alive in my own garden to save my life, I am grateful that I can take some home from the Parkside Garden. I l o v e the smell when I chop it. 

Tip: store fresh cut basil in a vase so it can drink. 

Oven Roasted

I use the oven roasting method at LEAST once a week. There are few veggies I do not roast. I may even throw in spinach or kale the last 10 minutes for added nutrition. 

Set oven to 425*. While the oven is heating cut all the veggies for your evening menu into bite size pieces. Spread the cut veggies onto a lined cookie sheet with lip. Using your clean chef hands coat and mix the veggies with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.     Bake for 20 minutes or to desired tenderness. 

Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

Try it today...(click)

The Garden's influence

Luther may not help a lot in the Parkside Garden, but he's absorbing the influence for sure. The photo above was taken on our walk home from Bi-mart one day. While there he insisted on buying a primrose. On another occasion while at a fancy toy store with miles of options...he told me that this miniature greenhouse is definitely what he wants for his birthday. 

2014 opening day!

Getting right to work as the weather warms. 

Roasted Broccoli (Luther's fav)

Set oven to 425*. Cut broccoli into bite size pieces. Spred onto a lined cookie sheet with a lip. With your clean hands coat and mix the broccoli with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes. Do not burn...which I do regularly with broccoli. 

Lickety Split Kale Prep

Add needed nutrition to any pasta meal lickety-split. While cooking the pasta in boiling water add kale the last 3 minutes of cook time. Drain all together and serve with any desired sauce....creamy tomato is our favorite. 

Egg Salad with Chives

The chive bed in the Parkside Garden is always begging to be trimmed. There's plenty for everyone. The children like to trim it and pick out the dead pieces. 

When I get it home I use it for a variety of things....finely chop it and add it to egg salad for added depth of flavor. 

Easy Asian Noodles with Broccoli

Use the Parkside Garden broccoli in this delicious dish..(click)