The Master Gardner's Garden~ a month later

            So- I finally am getting around to posting the current pictures of Brian's Garden- aka- The Master Gardener's Garden-

           It really is coming along nicely here up north- I hear about other people already harvesting things and I get jealous- but then I just need to remember we are in Central Pa, where the garden doesn't go in until after Memorial Day.

           We - well Brian almost lost a tomato plant- it became a new nickname for him " the tomato whisper" when the plant actually came back to life.

Here is what the garden looked like at first

And here is what it looks like now:

All the lovely tomato plants, to the left are the beefsteak big sandwich kind and the other 2 rows are the Italian canners and sauce/salsa ones

Next to the tomatoes, are all the peppers- we did lose 3 habanaro peppers - but we have so many other hot varieties I figured it was fine.

At the top of the picture are the cucumbers for pickles and then my zucchini plants.

Pretty Zucchini blossoms!

A different view from the top of the yard

A banana pepper hiding, but growing!

Brian's self proclaimed "Salad Bar" of lettuce, radishes, onions and some garlic.

So how is everyone else's gardens growing?!

Jalapenos!!!! Not on a Steeeeick... Pickled!

            This week in my many travels to the local Weis Market, I noticed that Jalapenos were on sale for 99 cents a pound, to me this is a good deal. We have plenty of hotter varieties of peppers in the garden, but we would never produce enough to can actual numerous pints of pickled jalapenos... and the older boys and myself- are really beginning to love love love them - on everything! 

            At 2.99 to 3.49 a jar at the store, I knew I could make them cheaper. Brian was all for it- since he is a true man and canner- he actually woke up this morning and said " I can not wait to can those jalapenos, I actually dreamt about it".

            I purchased just over 12 lbs of jalapenos- you should have seen the look on the cashier's face....

We ended up using about 10 lbs of those and I am saving the other 2 lbs to make poppers for Brian's Aunt Mo's Fourth of July party Monday.

I am going to put the recipe first - incase someone doesn't to scroll thru all my pics- I was pic happy thru this procedure! 

Pickled Jalapenos:

Jalapeno Peppers (10 lbs)

Canning salt 7TBSPs

Vinegar (white) 14 cups- maybe a little more

Rubber Gloves- trust me - DO NOT DO THIS WITH OUT RUBBER GLOVES!!!

Wash and slice Jalapenos, pack into sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Bring vinegar and salt to a boil... Pour Hot liquid over jalapenos and leave the 1/4 head space there!

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

most people say wait at least 5 weeks to eat them, I don't know if I can keep the boys away that long!

Now I can start the pic show! 

I have to disclose that Brian is a hard worker- he totally does half the work when we can together!

Here are the peppers - well some of the 10 lbs, after being washed!

Brian slicing and dicing the peppers! With rubber gloves mind you!

The little buggers could get slippery wearing the gloves and being freshly washed- this one ended up on the rug!

My handsome helpful hubby cuttin away!

Aren't they pretty all cut- I wanted so bad to eat one raw- but I bailed!

packed in the jars awaiting the vinegar and salt mix that is boiling... I used a funnel to fill the jars- tapping them as i added handfuls to fit more in the jars.

Vinegar is almost boiling!

A nice ring in the jar after filling with the vinegar mix

Yes I lifted the canner lid- just for the action shot of the jars in the boiling water bath

21 pints- Yehawwww- and one Quart! I love this picture!

The only thing better than this picture is the Ping noise I hear every few minutes of the jars sealing... Oh and the fact that Brian helped me make sure the kitchen was clean too when we finished.

Shrimp on the barbie and grocery shopping with Pap!

             I went to the grocery store today, with my Father-in-Law... Pap.

Honestly I can not think of a more fun activity, since he reminds me so much of my Poppop. Pap doesn't drive anymore and when I took Max over to cut his grass today, he came out of the house and said, "Brian said you are headed to the grocery store?" I told him yes. He asked to go... well of course!

             My mother in law is not feeling well, so Pap was riding along with me to do the weeks shopping. I was going for Shrimp, and steaks to do on the grill... I know - an indulgence, but it was cheaper than going out to eat, and there are enough left overs for steak salad tomorrow!

             ... any way... a funny thing happened after I dropped Pap off.. Brian's whole family calls me Amanda. My Poppop always called me Mandy~ always. It makes me feel like a little kid- in a good way mind you.... anyway as I was getting ready to leave, Pap said " you want a diet pepsi for the ride home?" ( we literally live 4 miles away .. that is how much I adore this man, worried I will get thirsty in 4 miles) I told him no- I was good and he said, " Okay thanks, see you in a bit Mandy"... I got in the car and immediately teared up driving down the road. It was like having my Poppop here .. I adore my Father in Law, he is sweet, kind and caring and very fatherly.... but for a brief moment, I wished harder than I ever have since 7th grade that my Poppop had not had a stroke and was still alive, cause he would have loved Brian and Pap:)....

 Here is a pic of my Poppop

I don't have much of a good segway into my Shrimp recipe experiment ....

Soooo- on to the Shrimp.

I had no fresh cilantro- so I use my dried from my most favorite store in the world- Peight's in Belleville,Pa. I also used one of my newfound favorite spices- Goya Adobo 

Juice from 2 limes

A little olive oil

Four garlic cloves

anddddd- some lemon juice

Mixed it all up pretty looking huh?

Threw it in a ziplock and let it marinade for about an hour

Then on to the skewers it went...Brian grilled it and all in all - it was rather tasty!

We made the steaks and had a grand dinner I must say...

My Master Gardener

          So- it is garden time in our house.. I am NOT the gardener- Brian is.. I want to be really, I want to be. I have a deadly thumb- not a green thumb. It is a running joke my Mother says," How can you stand the screaming?" I tell her to be quiet and knock it off.. she is referring to all my house plants screaming as they die a slow death of dehydration. Last summer I was allowed to weed, once in a while Brian actually let me water and pick beans!

           I am okay with this- I figure it is my job to cook the bounty and figure how to preserve it all... and research how to plant what where. We make a good team that way, he loves the gardening. It works like the laundry in our house. I sort, wash and carry it up stairs after using the dryer or line drying - he folds and puts away, we both are doing a job we like and do not mind.

          So- this weekend we went to Belleville to a Green House- and got a massive amount of plants- close to 30 tomato plants, 12 pepper plants, cukes and some other ones.. for under 20 dollars.. that is my job too, finding the deals!

           Brian then decided to start his turning the garden, he actually expanded it this year, we ran out of salsa too soon for his liking.

            Isn't it pretty- all empty? I wanted to take the picture because every July and August we say, " Why didn't we take a before picture?" Well now I have one!.

           We also have a shed in the yard, that was pretty much surrounded by some old mint plants and weeds, we never did much with it, this year, Brian was determined to use the space to grow things, plus I said I wanted beans and zucchini and he told me I was killin him cause I also want garlic, asparagus, onions and potatoes....So now we have this adorable little area for well- I am not sure what yet- he still has to do his little OCD thing of writing all the plants down and plotting them out!

 

           I am so excited for this area- I wasn't home when he first started otherwise I would have a incredibly messy before pic.. but for all intent and purpose- this is the before picture, and the after will hopefully be full of plants and edibles!!!!

            I can not wait to start posting about the veggies when they start coming in, to show off all of Brian's hard work!.... then to post the canning! Yea!!!!!

Whoooooaaa I need a easy lunch to pack!

        So- It is 7:30 am and I have no idea what to make for lunch- let alone what I am wearing for work... yes I am that disorganized, it happens people, no reason to judge.... you've been there and you know it. This post is gonna help us all.. by admitting we are disorganized and just plain grateful that the kids teeth are brushed before we get them out the door.

See- All he needs is sneakers and a backpack.. the battle is almost over!

         I pack lunch for Brian and I - at least 4 times a week, I say 4, but most weeks it is everyday. This can get annoying, since we work in the same building, I will carry our lunch in a larger soft cooler bag with ice packs in it, so I do not use the employee fridge (don't ask..trust me it isn't worth the answer). Now- most days- I pack our left overs from the night before, sometimes there are no left overs and I am left standing in the morning trying to figure out how to produce a lunch that Brian will eat from the limited contents of our fridge. Not that he is picky- but he certainly would not call a hunk of bread and some cheese lunch like I would. He wants a sandwich, soup or something of substance to eat, and I can't blame him.. 

         This morning I was at a loss cause even though we had left over Mandoori Chicken, Brian and Max ate it for dinner last night. I almost cracked and figured- hey.. it is Friday we should eat at Sheetz or Burger King. Then it dawned on me.

I had a lunch - easy peasy... PB&Jelly...

I could consider it homemade right? I was using the Strawberry lemonade jelly I made last summer. That counts! I only needed to add a coupla more things to the lunch bucket.

Bread

 And a Diet Pepsi for me....which would be gone by 10 am anyway

        

  Lunch was saved- and so was about 10 bucks when you figure running out for fast food costs.

Other quick options for lunch?

~I have made a salad out of the pre-made bagged coleslaw, frozen tilapia from Gordon's,1/2 a lime, salsa and a cuke... quite good. All I did was microwave the fish planks according to directions and flake it over like 2 handfuls of the slaw then squeeze the lime over it, add the salsa and cuke.. like a beachy lunch! Crumble some tortilla chips over it and Voila!

~Left overs- you can never go wrong with left overs, when I cook dinner- what ever is extra I will literally pack in the containers to take to work the next day just to make it easier on me.

~Tuna fish sandwiches- mmmmmm

~Boca Burgers or any other meatless burger- they microwave really well.

~Hardboiled eggs- for egg salad

~Ham salad from left over ham- put ham and mayo and a little sweet relish in the food processor- even Max like this for lunch on the weekends.

~Chicken salad from left over grilled chicken.

What are your favorite go to quick lunches?

Mandoori Chicken.. an experiment

            Yes- you read that right- Mandoori Chicken- not Tandoori Chicken. I was trying to come up with something for dinner that we have never had before, I was reminded in the Weis Market about Tandoori Chicken, that my cousin Irene had made at our family camp last year on her night to make dinner. My boys loved it. Well- in the international area of the grocery store, there was the pack of seasonings to make it, I allllmooosttt bought it.. but it was like 4 dollars and being the frugal frannie I am, I decided to read the ingredients, then thought.. Duh~ google it!

           Which I did, once I got home, I started the prep last night since this needs to marinate... now- why you ask I call it Mandoori Chicken? Well- I have adjusted the seasoning levels and the ingredients a bit... so I am claiming it!

I will post the link for the original recipe at the end of the post for those of you who want to actually follow directions- but I gotta tell you- my boys ate this up!

In a large bowl I combined 1 Cup of Sour Cream, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 TBSP of lime juice,2 TBSP dried minced garlic, 1 TSP ground ginger root, 1 TBSP ground cumin, 1/2 TSP cayenne pepper, 1 TSP dried cilantro, 1/2 TSP ground cloves.

Here is a close up of all the wonderful smelling spices

I then put 4 ice glazed frozen chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and added the sour cream mixture to it

I placed it in the fridge overnight, then in the morning before I left for work, I flipped it so that the other side would be able to marinate in the amazing mix- which I was half tempted to dip pretzels in last night!

When I got home from work, I started some rice to serve the chicken over, took the chicken outta the bag and sliced it into long strips and placed it in my beautiful new All-Clad grill pan, which - I got at a Yard Sale for 5 Buckaroos!!!

Okay Okay- here is the chicken- I had to show off my new 5 dollar pan though!

I let them cook until they were no longer pink and the juices were clear....I had to add about a cup of water to the pan so that they would make more marinade, and not simmer all the juices away. Then I added rice to the bowls, cut the chicken into bite size pieces and plated it up!

So- this meal was pretty easy- and the prep was easy considering I did it at 9:30 last night. I made corn and green beans to go with it and all the boys ate it- to me... that is a success!

Here is an easier to copy version of the recipe:

 Mandoori Chicken

In a large bowl combine

1 Cup of Sour Cream

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 TBSP of lime juice

2 TBSP dried minced garlic

1 TSP ground ginger root

1 TBSP ground cumin

1/2 TSP cayenne pepper

1 TSP dried cilantro

1/2 TSP ground cloves

Place 4 large chicken breast in a ziplock bag and add sour cream mixture. Allow to marinate at least over night if not 24 hours.

Cook until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.. serve over rice.

For those wondering why I am calling this Mandoori Chicken instead of Tandoori Chicken- My family and school friends call me Mandy... :)

Here is a pic of Irene and some other family members from about mmmm 2 yrs ago?

Left to Right~

Front~

Irene~ Ira~ Me~ Patty (Kneeling)~ Brian~ Maddy

Back~

Satchel~ Josh~ Joey~

And here is a link to the original recipe I totally butchered... but in a good way:
Original Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Got Morels? I did!!!! and I shared them!

                Sooooo- it is apparently Morel season here in Central Pa. I know my Uncle has looked for them for years, I never bothered much attention, but now that I am older- I was curious.. the pictures were flying on facebook of all their basketfuls of mushrooms. I wanted to try them, noone was offering them so I figured, oh well such is life...but- then a Friend sent me a message with an invitation to their farmland to Morel hunt! Brian and I were ecstatic! We were going to get to some of the coveted mushrooms! That for some reason people act like the Davinci Code or the Holy Grail might be at stake if you share or take people with you... mmm yea- I am not like that, which is the main reason I think we got an offer to go to someone's hunting ground in the first place. I was just excited to go hunting and I actually gave a few baggies of them away, seeing those people's eyes light up was well worth it!

And get them we did! 

They were huge. And please ignore the fact that for some reason my hand looks like a chubby 9 yr olds, I am tempted to take another picture of my hand now...

              So now we had them- what to do with them? other than eat them? and how to eat them? i had no idea.. I started scouring the web looking for ideas. The best idea came from one of Brian's coworkers.. slice in half and saute in butter.

               We did and made Mushroom Swiss burgers. Max loved them, so did Pap (my Father-in-Law), my Mother-in-Law didn't try them she "didn't like the looks of them" . Cara and Max both decided they had an almost sweet maple flavor to them. They did taste wonderful on the cheese burgers!

                  I had read about dehydrating, freezing raw, freezing cooked all of the ways to preserve our harvest. I went with air dehydrating. Most of the sites recommended the air drying and finishing off in a 200 degree oven after a few day of drying to make sure all the moisture was gone. I read a few sites that did not suggest using one of those store brand, or "Ronco" food dehydrators, as they could burn the mushrooms- I was not about to take a risk burning these babies!

                  So - here is what I did....filled the sink with cold water with a tablespoon or two of salt and washed the mushrooms- we let them soak for about 2 or 3 hours, before we took them out and placed them on kitchen towels and let them dry a little. I knew it was late so I stored them in those Rubbermaid Fresh produce containers until I had time to slice them in half and lay them out to air dry. This was before I read that slicing them before you wash them helps make sure you have no hitchhikers in them (bugs) and helps make the cleaning of them easier.

I cleared the kitchen table (big deal for our household if you have read my previous posts), put clean towels down, then paper towels on top.. and put the mushrooms on them.

I put the ceiling fan on to kind of speed up the drying... in the morning I replaced the paper towels and the towel under it.. since they were pretty damp, from soaking up all the liquid.

This is how they looked after about 2 days. Yes it is a long process.. after most of the mushrooms seemed leathery- I put them on cookie sheets and put the oven on 200, put them in the oven for about an hour, and left the oven door slightly open to circulate air. They came our perfectly dry! 

I now have a quart of dried Morels!

Hopefully this winter I will be posting on using my little gems!