Got Squash!!?

So the garden is groWING!

I have packed alot of plants in this year!

So far so good no tomato worms like last year!

The yellow squash is out of control.

Look at the size of these leaves!

So far the producing plants are, beets, zucchini, basil, cucumbers and lots of yellow squash!

We have eaten the squash, sauteed, grilled, roasted.

Then I remembered a recipe for Yellow Squash & Basil Soup.

My old neighbor from Naval Housing (more than 10 years ago) made it for me.

I got the recipe.

I went thru my box and I found it!

It is so easy.

I know you will love it too!

It is hard to think about soup in summer sometimes.

But, it is yellow squash a summer vegetable.

Serve it with a a crisp cool salad.

Delicious!!

Recipe:

4 Tbsp Butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 small yellow squash, sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced.

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a 4 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, squash and carrots. Saute for 8-10 minutes.

Add chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Puree in batches in blender, cuisnart or better yet use a emulsion blender. Add basil as you go so it gets blended into soup. Return to pot and heat, stir in half and half and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Fall -- Apple Cider Recipe!

Look what I picked from my garden just yesterday!

Not bad for the end of October! Fall is here!

And it seems that this time of year is always busy.

School is in full swing.

We are getting ready for the holidays!

(I would have uploaded more pictures but I am having some technical difficulties.)

I would like to share a recipe for Apple Cider.

It is a family favorite this time of year.

It makes the house smell great!

And it warms you up.

Perfect for Halloween night after trick-or-treating.

Hot Apple Cider

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 quarts apple juice

1 t. whole allspice

1-1/2 t. whole cloves

2 sticks cinnamon sticks

Put brown sugar and apple juice in crock pot (if you don't have a crock pot just put it in a pot on your stovetop.) Add spices, if desired wrap whole spices in a cheescloth. Cover and cook on low 2 to 8 hours in crock pot. On stove top bring to a simmer and it will be ready in approx 45 min.

I reuse the dried spices....you can just keep adding more juice and brown sugar as needed.

Happy Fall!

Weekend ....birthday and a garden invasion

We celebrated a birthday this weekend!

Here is the "birthday boy" enjoying the backyard living room with a beverage.

Notice the blanket...yes it was a little cool in San Diego this weekend especially at night.

We made homemade barbeque pizzas!

A Chocolate Cream Pie from Hans and Harry's!!
(I usually make something but my oven is broken!)

We also had a garden invasion!!

Can you see the culprit!

No it is not "E"

You can see it better here!

Tomato Worms!

Yuck!

I hand plucked over 20 of these guys!

I looked it up on the internet...

they turn into large moths the size of hummingbirds!

Gross!

So we bought some safe spray...and I will start vigilant supervision of the garden!

Hope you had a good weekend!

Misc....trip...craft...project!

We are back from Hawaii!!

Great family trip....there was the beach, the pool, relaxing, snorkeling,

fireworks....what more can you ask for?

Already planning our next trip!

We have been back a week already yikes! It took a day or two to get things organized again. (Never quite as organized as I would like but you know how that goes.)


We found a fun craft over at the Pink and Green Mama, Cornstarch Sidewalk Chalk Paint. This is easy cheap fun. All you need is cornstarch, food coloring, a muffin tin, paint brush and water. It entertained the 2 year old and the 13 year old! Got to love that!






Next project...filling this void. This was a grassed area but when they put the pool in this is where the bobcat trekked back and forth, back and forth, so the grass died. I have been wanting some raised garden boxes and was inspired by my friend Shannon to get moving on it. (See her post on raised gardens here.)

So this weekend by handy-husband built me two garden boxes. We used Douglas Fir, (non-pressure treated wood...we did spray a water sealant on the wood to protect it a bit.) Yesterday I unloaded two cubic yards (or two truckloads of soil) to fill the boxes. (I did get a little help unloading the second truck!)

Next step some soil additives, chicken manure or something of the like....and then garden plants. You may think it is a little late to start a garden in San Diego, and it probably is. I am hoping since it really isn't warm yet it will work out just fine.