First Garden Produce Of 2017

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Deborah

Radishes are always fast producers as they prefer the early, cooler Spring days to germinate and grow. I pulled these beauties out this morning and after a dip in a bucket of water to get the dirt off, I squirreled them off to the kitchen for further washing and get them tucked into the fridge.

If left too long in the ground and once Mother Nature heats up, radishes will bolt (go into flowering mode) and the root will then get woody. So best to harvest these ruby gems as soon as you see a large portion of the root

Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms and Kale

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Deborah

I think last night was one of the best creative nights in the kitchen that I have had in a very long while. I turned out a fabulous vegetarian dish packed full of vitamins and protein that can be used as a stand alone meal or be a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or salmon. Sometimes I amaze myself with my ingenuity. Believe me though, I have had major flops too, so I take this win as a small victory.

Looking in the fridge I knew I had a container of leftover roasted squash, not enough for soup, but enough … Read more...

Chipotle Fish Tacos ala Deb!

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Deborah

Yay! I am finally getting my world-famous Fish Taco recipe on the interweb-thingie! You know, that thing that a certain Billionaire said wouldn’t catch on? I wonder what he thinks about that statement now?

Anyway, back to fish tacos….yum..yum..yum! Ramona ~ This is for you, so go ahead and share away!

This recipe is great when you need to whip up a dinner fairly fast, the only part that needs time to percolate (love that old fashioned term) is the salsa, it’s basically being pickled to develop the favours. It is also fairly waist friendly when the chipotle sauce * … Read more...

Not So Rainy Day Blues

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Deborah

As the skies opened to overdue and highly welcomed rains on Friday morning (we have been in a drought of late) and the rain forecast for well into Saturday, the outdoor gardening tasks were wiped off the whiteboard for the weekend to be replaced by indoor ones.

Hubs had a passle of work planned for us in the crawlspace, but the deluge of rain meant the inevitable rise in water down under and within a couple hours, there was an inch of standing water in the front portion of the crawlspace. He still managed quite a bit of work down … Read more...

Strawberries and Spring Water

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Deborah

Here in Canada, June is a special month. It is when our strawberries come into season. The short, and I mean a very short season lasting barely 3 weeks, weather depending. So when the berries are ripe, people come en masse to pick their own or buy ready picked baskets and gorge themselves until there are no more. IMG_20160630_084240

The local berry farm is about a 10 minute drive away, down a dusty dirt road made dustier by road reconstruction along the way. Arriving at the farm, I pull into the gravel lane and head over the front lawn which serves … Read more...

Meet Alexandr McIntosh

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Deborah

He is a handsome fellow, showing very few wrinkles for his age, considering he was born in 1867. He is of slight build and heavy for his actual size, which would be the dense hardwood that makes up the bulk of his body. Although he may be heavy, he is delicate at the same time. Lovingly carved spokes on his drive wheel, curvacious turnings on the maidens and legs, remind me of Marilyn Monroe…perhaps “He” is a “She” after all. Ah…there you go, I have found her new name. Marilyn.

I discovered Marilyn when I was least expecting her. I … Read more...

I’m Not A Deer Hat & Scarf

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Deborah

I thought I made a post last Fall about the hat that I knit for deer hunting season….but upon close inspection of past articles, nope, found nothing.

To back track a wee smidgeon, last Fall I went for a walk, around the first week of November, or whenever deer hunting season (with guns) starts in Ontario. As I am walking down the road (my daily ritual), hunters in full gear on ATV’s whizzed by me with their guns strapped to the backracks.

Hmmm I thought, not a good place to be out walking with all these hunters around with nothing … Read more...

My New Planting Table

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Deborah

I love my hubby.
He is resourceful.
He is creative.
He is a very good problem solver.
and he can build just about anything.

Now that we have downsized to condo life, planning and planting my seeds for this years garden came with a bit of a dilemma. I had an enormous window sill in the living room at the house that pretty much handled all the plant pots and trays. The condo…not so much. I could use the floor I guess, but with the sectional couch in front of the window, it would be a pain to gain access … Read more...

It is that time of year again!

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Deborah

Seed planting time!!!

I am all ready to roll, well, almost. First I need all my little pots and seed starting mix which is up north currently, but we will be going to get them in a week or so, as well as my new plant table that hubby built for me. Since we moved last Spring, I lost my big window sill in the living room that held all the plant trays in the warm sunshine.

So hubby put together a long, tall, narrow table made from 2 x 4’s and plywood (very elegant looking, just you wait and … Read more...

2016 ~ The Year of the Wheel!

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Deborah

Happy New Year to everyone! Yes, it has been awhile, but how many of you had the time to try and keep up a blog AND do all things Christmas-y? Baking, cooking, shopping, wrapping, visiting, etc?

That is my defence and I am sticking to it.

I can also add spinning, knitting and weaving into the above as many of you who follow me on Facebook can attest to as I regularly post pics of FO’s or WIP’s (Finished Objects or Work in Progress) to brighten the days of those cruising on FB.

Now that the holidays are fading in … Read more...