Crafts, Canning, and Lots of Cat Pictures
canning tomatoes with my grandmother
photo courtesy of ramsey everydaypants via Flickr
photo courtesy of adactio via Flickr
sweet little cherry tomatoes
big ass tomatoes
I used Flickr photos for the fried green tomatoes and caprese salad because both times we’ve made them this week they’ve been eaten up before pictures could be taken.
What’s your favorite thing about summer?
Posted in eats
The basil I planted early this spring has been growing like a weed, so I seriously cut it back today and make some pesto cream pasta. I am too lazy and poor to make a special trip to the grocery store, so I just used what we had on hand and it turned out pretty well. The only change I plan on making next time is using heavy cream instead of milk if I have it. I tend to think that no matter what the dish is, heavy cream will probably make it taste better. I really like the combination of sun dried tomatoes and basil, and I like that pecans are subtle enough not to compete with those two stronger flavors.
i think I have a knack for cooking food that tastes better than it looks
To make this, you’ll need:
Put a big pot of water on to boil. While that’s heating up, combine the first half of the ingredients (basil through olive oil) in a food processor and blend together until they form a thick paste. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the garlic for about a minute. Add the flour and turn the heat down to low, constantly stirring. Once the flour has browned a bit pour in the milk and whisk well. The water should have begun to boil by this point, so pour in the noodles and let them cook as you continue to stir the sauce periodically so it doesn’t stick. Once the sauce has thickened up to your liking, add the pesto mixture to taste (I added it all because we like ours strong) and stir until well blended. Remove from heat, pour over drained al dente pasta, and serve.
Posted in eats
I snapped these pictures a few days ago; these guys have already doubled in size!
This one is not a baby, but a transplant who was not very happy in his former pot.
I'm not sure exactly what I'll use it for, but this little plant is so pretty!
Various types of baby lettuce.
These weren't doing so hot in another place I had them growing.
Since I transplanted them, though, they've been doing much better.
These little guys are basically what’s left over from my summer garden (as puny as it was this year, thanks to summer classes and work). I realize that at some point I will have to bring these in, but it should freeze here anytime soon. Chowder, too, tries to use my plants as a litter box, and there isn’t a ton of natural light in my apartment. So, naturally, I’m trying to leave these guys outside as long as possible. I haven’t done a ton of research about how any of these plants do in the cold, so I’ll keep you guys updated on how this goes.
On a semi-related note, I am going to be winterizing my garden soon, and instead of bringing all of my pots in and watering/mopping up spills from overwatering/trying to keep Chowder and Maxine out of them all winter long, I have been told that I can put some of them in big ziploc bags (like my Daylilies, for instance) and they will keep fairly well over the winter. I am wondering how well this would work for my other plants, like my mint, lemon balm, bee balm, etc.
Posted in garden