Tomatoes by the BOATLOAD….

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Deborah

I think. Just maybe. I planted too many tomato plants. For one person. Me.

NAH……Impossible….

I have just cleaned off everything from all the plants (both regular and cherry toms) and sorted them by level of ripeness…..

A nice, pretty rainbow of tomatoes gracing my countertop.

The Cherry Tomatoes are representing the colours of Italy…or Mexico even.

I now have lots, and lots, and lots of tomato recipes to look through…. and use.

First up, roasting some more cherry tomatoes for the freezer (they are great as a topping on pizza, or tossed into an omelet).

Once the larger tomatoes … Read more...

Fall is Around The Corner…

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Deborah

I love Summer and hate to see it come to an end. I know my days of roaming around in flipflops and shorts are almost over. My wild flowers are fading and the flower heads are getting ready to scatter their seeds for next years re-birth. Even the leaves of a few Maples are already showing their Fall colours…way too early for my liking….they are pretty though.

The past couple weeks have seen the nights cool considerably here on the Homestead. I even had to break out the sweaters on a couple days last week, much to my dismay…. and … Read more...

Vegetarian Italian Meatballs

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Deborah

My daughter is a Vegetarian. Which can be challenging at times. I think she decided to be one just to make life difficult for her husband (the cook of their family) and myself. Maybe. OK, maybe not. But it sure seems like it at times.

She is a VERY picky Vegetarian too. Any dish prepared for her can NOT have any mushrooms in it, and believe me, there are tons of recipes that use mushrooms as a base of vegetarian meals. She hates the fungi. She refers to them as ‘that dark chicken’ from leftovers I gave her of a … Read more...

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies….

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Deborah

Is there anything more annoying than a cloud of fruit flies swarming your kitchen? Unless you consider your husband and his buddies swarming your kitchen searching for Super Bowl noshes just as annoying, but I can’t help you there.

I hate Fruit Flies. Yes, they have a purpose in this world and that is to feed upon rotting fruit and be Mother Nature’s garbage disposal (along with ants…but that’s another column for later).

So how do you get rid of these teeny, fast-flying, prolific little buggers?

2 ingredients and a shot glass is all you need. HA! I am sure … Read more...

Abra Cadabra-Presto its Pesto!

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Deborah

If you are like me, you are probably wishing you could wiggle your nose like Samantha Stevens and turn your seemingly endless supply of Basil leaves into cute, little bottled jars of pesto in an instant. Complete with bows on the lids and fancy labels. But the reality is, you are not a witch like Samantha Stevens, apparently they only exist in tv land. Therefore you must roll up your sleeves and deal with the Basil acreage on your own. Dammit…why is tv make-believe only?

I have 2 Basil plants at the Homestead and one in my garden in the … Read more...

I Can, You Can, Everyone is Doing the Can Can….

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Deborah

No, not the dance. But something equally as exciting and so much more self-satisfying. Unless you’re a gentleman watching some lovely French Ladies perform the time-honoured dance of the same name. But we won’t go there….

I am talking about Canning. Canning is preserving home-grown foods for consumption during the long, drawn-out, cold, miserable, kill your spouse for being cooped up with you for far too long Canadian winters.

Kinda makes you appreciate all the efforts you expended tending to that garden in the nine-million degree heat all summer long. Dealing with the cabbage worms that were eating your lettuce, … Read more...

How to make your own Pizza Dough…and Make it Healthier too.

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Deborah

HA! No way…she’s crazy you say. But it’s true. It is much easier than you think to make your own pizza dough. Especially when I have taken all the guesswork, time trials, marginal successes and some downright failures in perfecting this Pizza Dough recipe for you. I had gradiose ideas of wanting to use just whole wheat flour, but it ended up being just like making 100% whole wheat bread. It turned out heavy, chewy, no flavour and was almost suitable for boat anchor material (*almost* – it wouldn’t be because the fish will have eaten it once you threw … Read more...

Chiles Rellenos….Meets a Jalapeño Popper

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Deborah

How many things have been invented over the years that have actually come about from either a mistake, or the crazy notion that putting two seemingly oddball things together just might be the next best thing since the day someone dunked a hunk of chocolate in a jar of peanut butter.

I had that revelation today after heading out to the garden and picking the first 2 Poblano Peppers that were ready, and as I looked at the Poblanos, dinner popped into mind.

Chiles Rellenos – Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Chiles Rellenos (pronounced Chi-leys Rey-yeh-nos) are an extremely popular Mexican … Read more...

Garden Harvest # 1…Peppers, Tomatoes, Garlic…and what is that in my pool?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Deborah

I arrived home yesterday to a mini-bounty of vegetable goodies after being up at the Homestead for almost 2 weeks. Usually when I have to leave the Homestead, I drag myself to my car kicking and screaming (not easy to do and the neighbours look at me funny) and then I proceed to pout for the entire 3+ hour drive. I am not kidding, its true. Happens every week. I can’t help myself.

But yesterday I was actually a little… just a *little* excited about coming home. Because I knew after such a long absence, there would be beautiful, colourful … Read more...

Heirloom Pickerel Dinner

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Deborah

Our family loves to eat this tasty freshwater fish. So much so that we eagerly await opening season in May and head out to *try* and catch dinner. Sometimes we come back empty handed and therefore resort to cooking hamburgers for dinner, and of course sulk the entire time we are eating.

But when we are able to bring back some of these tasty morsels of the fish world, we are like kids at Christmas time. Absolutely and positively excited about the dinner that is soon to hit the table.

This recipe is from my husband’s grandmother. I was introduced … Read more...