Gardening

It's been nice here, finally, so we have put down all the seeds in our garden. We're doing something more ambitious this year, as we have the entire lot next door to work on. Here is the start of our project--mostly seeds :) We did corn, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers, beans and pumpkins. We also got some blueberry bushes and strawberries. Here's hoping some of this will grow!

We made the beds with a variety of plates, skateboard, rocks, other plants, bowls, and various lids.
Decided to get some tomato and pepper seedlings to make it look a bit more garden-y.

Strawberries have such pretty blooms...

Our cacti are also blooming. We have about 5 baby cacti and a bunch of propagated spider plants, too, to give to friends.

Petunias in every container we could put some dirt in.

Ahh, I love spring.

ING Georgia Half Marathon

Clock time says 2:22 but I actually started in a later wave, so my chip time was 2:14:47. Hooray!


Surprisingly enough, that is 40 minutes faster than last spring and 30 minutes faster than last fall.

Glenwood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-YZQDOw12k

DIY fun

Homemade Mayonnaise

This is a fairly random post, because we have the before shots--but no shots of the finished product, lol. What happened is this--on Saturday morning, we had some friends over for lunch and then we all went to a class about raising chickens in your backyard. Both of the gals that went with us plan on getting chickens. Tavo wants chickens very, very badly--but I admit that I'm still on the fence.

So, lunch was to be a simple affair--sandwiches and a salad. I got sandwich meat, cheese and tomatoes at the store. Tavo got some shots of the lettuce..

Then, 15 minutes before anyone showed, I realized I had no mayo. Before reading Marjie's blog, I'd never even considered making homemade mayonnaise. Now, I ran to the computer to pull up her recipe.

Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet Mayonnaise:
(from Pierre Franey's More 60 Minute Gourmet)

1 egg yolk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup vegetable oil
pinch salt
dash of pepper
1 tbsp water

We used a whisk--Don't do this--it takes forever!! So, if you are smart, use a food processor to beat the egg yolk. Add the Dijon and lemon juice, salt and pepper, and beat until combined. Slowly drizzle the oil in. Whisk until very well combined, then add the water and beat until smooth.





And now you'll just have to use your imaginations for the rest!! It involved homemade honey wheat bread, baby swiss, tomatoes, lettuce and for the non vegetarians--smoked turkey.

Have a great Wednesday!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I don't think much instruction is needed, here. Our friend stopped by and brought a box of the most beautiful strawberries I've seen since last summer. I broke out my stash of dark chocolate and melted a bar.

There was one odd one with a growth on the side...can I plant this?

We ate all of them...except for six.
Those we sent home in a care package for our friend's wife :)

Happy Thursday everyone!

Brunch--Crustless Quiche

I am once again planning on running the ING Atlanta Half Marathon, and as it is in two weeks (!!!) I hosted brunch for our long run on Saturday. We went for eleven miles, through downtown, midtown, and the East side of Atlanta. You get to see quite a bit of the city if you run for eleven miles :) I decided to make a couple quiches and some challah for breakfast. You have seen my challah before, so I'll just talk about the quiche.

I went crustless because after using 5 eggs and 2 cups of half and half for each quiche, I decided they were rich enough to skip the pie crust. Here is a layer of panko bread crumbs and some grated parmesan.
While I am not often one for mis en place, it is useful when you are quick frying a pile of veggies, a pan of bacon, and whipping together the eggs all at the same time.
Baby portabellas and onions to go with before said bacon...
Broccoli, onion and more portabellas for the vegetarian quiche.
Add cheese and custard, bake at 425 for about 30 minutes. Start checking at 25...
Vegetarian Quiche -- Broccoli, mushrooms, onions and cheddar cheese
Meat eaters Quiche -- Bacon, mushrooms, onions and swiss cheese
I cooked both the night before and warmed them in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes the next day. Verdict? Delicious!

I based my recipe on the Crustless Quiche Recipe from Gourmet (via Epicurious).

This about sums it up...

Bocadillo and enchiladas

View from Lini's work on March 2nd.

All classes were canceled but staff is here until 5 pm...they should really send home the librarian, too, I think ;)

Even though it is snowing here today, last weekend was gorgeous. We met some friends at La Fonda Latina. Both Gustavo and I feel their salsa is some of the best in Atlanta.

Tavo's bocadillo latino (roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, mojo sauce and pickles on Cuban bread)
Lini's fish enchiladas


They also have EXCELLENT paella--here's old Lini with her long hair, eating waaay too much paella for one person.

Yum! The leftovers are good, too :)