Mulberry Street

Life around here keeps going and going.  At the end of each day I wonder what I've accomplished and at the end of each week I wonder where all the time went.  The reality of all that wondering is that I spend my time on meal prep, laundry, yard work, homework, LEGOS, video games, reading, etc, etc, etc.  I snap a few shots here and there to help me remember our goings on... In the course of two weeks I managed to back into the opening garage door and sideswipe the van door.  The damage of incident #1 was minimal and already fixed/taken care of.  The damage of incident #2 is yet to be determined.  Seriously, someone needs to take my license away.  We got new plates or "tags" as they call them in VA.  I thought the decal was fitting for our family and I decided it would help tell our black van apart from all the others.  If I had just waited another two weeks I wouldn't need tags to help me tell the van apart...  DOH! Genevieve kee...

It may already be mid-April and I may not have planted much, but I am happy to report that I managed to get my hands dirty. I feel like such a light-weight this year, but with my late start and a baby on the way, I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew. So this year we'll have three varieties of tomatoes, green beans, herbs, and beautiful flowers. I am still on the search for zucchini seeds or starts, but I might not get to grow them this year. The kids were great helpers - especially when it was time to water all the plants. I hope they fund joy in hard work and growing/caring for plants. Hooray for sping! Does anyone know what this plant is? (The flowers are light blue.) It grew from some tinker belle wildflower seeds a couple of summers ago. I'm just curious to know since it is so delicate and pretty. It keeps reseeding itself and I hope to keep keeps that up.

With the warm weather we've enjoyed tolerated this week, I haven't been in the mood to cook much.  And, since I served breakfast for dinner at least three times this week, I figured it was time to pull out some grilling recipes.  I want to share three things that I found on kalynskitchen.com - two recipes and some tips on grilling chicken breasts.  Ever since I found the tips, Eric has complimented me on the juicy tenderness...as long as I don't overcook the breasts ;)  Enjoy! Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/05/recipe-update-grilled-chicken-with.html (Makes 6-8 servings, recipe can be cut in half. Recipe created by Kalyn many years ago.) Ingredients : 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Marinade : 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup olive oil 1 T dried parsley 1 T dried shallots (or 2 T minced fresh shallots) 1 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp...

 

After suffering flower rot, derecho, and deer, my tomato plants have finally yielded some fabulous red fruit.  I love the color and flavor of home grown tomatoes.  And this, my friends, is why I have 21 plants in the backyard.  Excessive?  I think not! Now, come over and help me eat them.  They are all coming on pretty fast and I have had so many different tomato salads that I can't keep them straight.  

If you are, then try out these two fabulous recipes.  A big thank you to Wendy and Alexandra for sharing!  My family likes the flavor so much that we have both dishes frequently.  It helps that naan is on the menu, because Genevieve will eat all her chicken if she gets to use naan to scoop it up and eat it with.  You should know that I am NOT a cook and I can easily handle making these dishes.  They are that easy.  I usually have all the ingredients on hand, especially now that I have cardamom, kasoori methi and naan in the house at all times.  A note on naan.  Have you ever had it?  It is delightful.  It's like a cross between a pita and a tortilla...sooo good.  I buy the Stone Fire brand naan from Costco, because they have the best price for the quantity.  I freeze the naan until I am ready to use it.  When you take it out to thaw, take each piece out of the plastic bag so the moisture can escap...

Watching fireworks with my family on the 4th of July. Genevieve in her "gangster" get-up.  Don't ask me where this came from, because I don't have any answers for you. A handwritten advertisement by Genevieve.  I'll translate for you - "Fabulous Boutique.  Love.  ???.  Homemade.  Genevieve.  Mom and Dad.  Emory.  Love.  Love.  Fabulous." Yummy ice cream treats. A quick trip to the mall before bedtime to expend some pent up energy. Emory and Genevieve playing "sleep". Holiday items on clearance.  Luckily all Genevieve requested was a photo with Mrs. Claus... An impromptu trip to West Virginia. Emory hiding in the lockers at Oak Marr. Making homemade pizzas on pitas. My fabulous kitty. Grumpy goo.  It might be time to work on breaking the thumb sucking habit... Genevieve dressing her sister brother up. Me.  Once in awhile I put on makeup and a blous...