Happy New Year

A Personal Greeting for our Family to Yours

Bailey's Birds Fundraiser

Please Consider this fundraiser
Get a cool Long Sleeved tee Designed by Bailey
Help a good person.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Have you missed us
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder
Y'all must be loving me about this time.
I have several recipes from our holiday cooking
we tweaked and tried several new things this year.
I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's

Veggie Fest - Vegetarian Food Festival

Veggie Fest - Vegetarian Food Festival Visit this page for loads of information.
Attend this event, Eyeopening, Wonderful
EarthSource Services is a Friend of VeggieFest

Canning Granny: Pickled Banana Peppers

Canning Granny: Pickled Banana Peppers: My two daughters absolutely LOVE pickled banana peppers (I'm not a huge fan but I'll eat 'em on a sandwich or something), I&#39...

French Fried Vegetables By Grandma Rose

I have an issue with my batter sliding off my veggies
when I try to batter fry them. I think this recipe has just
the little tweak that keeps it on. Whipped Egg Whites.
It is a basic recipe with a great flavor that will complement
all veggies and dipping sauces.

For those of you that know me I will tweak it and make it my own.
This recipe came from a 1978 cook book given to me at an estate sale
of one of my neighbors last week.
it is called:
Grandma Rose's Book of
Sinfully Delicious
Snacks, Nibbles, Noshes, & other Delights
by Rose Naftalin

ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. dill weed
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup beer
2 Tbsp. water

Directions:
In a bowl combine flour, salt, sugar & dill weed.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Add the yolks & liquids, blend well.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into batter.

I fried up Thick slices of Ichiban Eggplant
Green Tomatoes, & a green bell pepper.

The batter worked equally well on all items and was
delicious with Catsup and a Greek cucumber sauce

Shoo Fly Strudel Muffins

Shoo Fly Strudel Muffins
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F



1/2 sick butter (soft)
3/4 c sugar (granulated)
Mix together well, until light and fluffy
2 eggs (large)
Mix in 1 at a time just blending into batter.
Then mix for about 1 min. until light and fluffy again.
1/2 c Sorghum or Molasses
Mix Well
1 1/2 c flour (All Purpose)
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix in until blended & thick
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c milk
Mix util smooth

Fill greased muffin cups 1/2 full

for Streusel topping
mix together 1/4 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c sugar (Granulated)
1/4 c fine chopped pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Sprinkle this on top of muffins BEFORE placing into oven

Bake for 10 minutes and check 1rst time
add time if needed, add no more time than 18 minutes total.
Makes 12 muffins

2 minute, Frozen Banana, Ninja Ice Cream

I know some are rolling their eyes saying
You Can't Make Ice Cream in 2 Minutes...

Ah... but I say yes you can make something even better for you
and maybe better than any of the homemade churn ice cream we
have ever made.



What You'll Need:
Old bananas halved and frozen about 3
about 8 - 10 ox of half & half
about 2 tbsp. chocolate syrup (to taste some may need more)
Ninja Blender
and about 5 folks needing a cool snack.

How to do it:
Put it all in the Ninja Blender
Blend just until it is broken down and has a nice color
do not over blend or you will have ice cream soup.



Scoop out about 1/2 cup for each person and see what they say.
It is softer ice cream not sof-serve you do not need the scoop.
Kids could do this. (I guess you could put it in the freezer for a few minutes
to firm it up)

Two Minute Ice Cream with a Ca + K punch :)
This was an accidental discovery one day when I was out of milk
and my after workout smoothie (which also contained Garden of life
Pure Protein) & instead I had a frosty...LOL
I have also done this with strawberries & cream,
Just freeze your strawberries.



Have a nice day
Desire is the Mother of Invention
& this mother is doing her best to twist some of the
snacks her family loves into something better.

Marshmallow Fondant

I may never frost a cake again



Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients
16 oz mini marshmallows
2 lb powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. Water
Shortening for greasing bowl & hook (Hands)


Directions
1.) Microwave marshmallows & water on high 1 min
2.) Grease dough hook & Bowl with shortening
3.) Put 3/4 of the sugar into mixer & add marshmallow
4.) Mix on low speed the check consistency (It will still be a little sticky at this point. If it is real sticky add some of the remaining sugar & mix a minute or so. #Repeat until fondant is firm & neither dry or sticky)
5.) turn out onto a clean & firm work surface. Knead by hand just a minutes until there are no flecks of dry powdered sugar remaining, Wrap in cling wrap or waxed paper & let fondant set for about 30 minutes.

to add color, add to marshmallows before mixing with sugar
to make it chocolate, add about 1/2 c cocoa powder be sure to sift it first.

This recipe makes 3 lbs. of Fondant


Compare the cost of $9 + per box from the store to just $3.77 homemade.

Adventures in Baking

This week we have had some Baking Adventure.
I wanted to make sure Bailey's cakes were AwesomeSauce.
Also this would be a trial run for my oldest daughter's
birthday in September.

We found an excellent pound cake recipe
It came from a lady's recipe box from
her mother's mother from England.
works great in a layer cake, & in cuppys.



This recipe makes 2 8" - 9" rounds
or 24 cupcakes.

6 oz Butter (soft)
13 oz Sugar (granulated)
Beat together for 5 minutes (Medium speed)
4 eggs (Lg.) room temp add 1 at a time
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Beat on Low speed 3 minutes (scrape bowl 3 times)
9 oz flour (All Purpose, Sifted)
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Sift flour into bowl & wisk in B.P. & Salt
1/2 C. Sour Cream
1/2 C. Whole Milk
Add flour alternately with milk & Sour Cream (Low Speed)
1/3 flour, milk, 1/3 flour, sour cream, 1/3 flour

Mix on med for 2 minutes
Bake at 350 degrees F until done
Start checking at 15 minutes until, no crumbs come out on toothpick
& top in light golden brown.

For cupcakes we filled 3/4 full and had to remove tops.
(for uniform tops for decorating, we simply laid a bread knife on the pan edge &
sliced thru & across. Common practice when cuppy grow too far out of tin cups.)
We also will only fill 1/2 full next time to see results.



We started checking cakes at 12 minutes &
added time in 5 min intervals till done.
Different ovens cook differently.

We removed from pans & cooled completely before
decorating.

I must add that I mix all my cakes with a paddle attachment in the
Large capacity Ninja Food System Blender, it works great

TIP:
all ingredients should be room temperature
for best results. (Old Tyme Baking Tip from my Nanny)

Finished Cupcakes


Finished Cake


Marshmallow Fondant coming up next.
I will share the decorating products used in this
particular cake.

Have a great day
If you try this recipe please share in the comments
your experience, or maybe a photo at our twitter.com/HerbGir1972
~V

What We're Growing ~ Tomatoes & Peppers

We thought we'd share our 2014 varieties of Tomatoes & Peppers with you
The garden has been ravaged by marauding goats, and is suffering from an overabundance of rain,
Back & for the Weather conditions from hot to cool &
I just can't seem to get rid of the weeds either.

Our tomatoes are doing great with little extra fertilization this year
I added Horse Manure into the soil in the fall only at a quarter coverage of the
entire garden space.
They did receive a side dressing after I cleared out the old chicken coop readying
them for the new chicks. So they got a little composted chicken manure (1 yr old)
as well as all the remanant eggs in the nesting boxes (enough for the entire row)

But anywho here's what we're growing.



http://parkseed.com/parks-whopper-cr-improved-tomato-seeds/p/05380-PK-P1/
Park's Whopper Tomato 65 days from setting out transplants. Indeterminate. The original Whopper was an American classic, and its successor is simply the home gardener's dream tomato: greater disease resistance, higher yields, a longer season, and better taste! These big, juicy, crack-resistant tomatoes, 4 inches or more across, ripen uniformly (even when the weather is overcast!) and finish 5 days sooner than the old Whopper. Then they keep right on coming in huge quantities until frost -- none of your smaller, greener end-of-season fruits here! And because they're meatier, you get even more succulent tomato flavor in every slice! Resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Root Knot Nematodes, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, and 2 strains of Fusarium Wilt.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/ROMA-VF/productinfo/5168/
Roma VF #5168 One of the most popular varieties for paste, sauces and canning. Compact vines yield large harvests of 3 inch long, bright red fruit that may be pear-shaped or plum-shaped. Thick walled and solid with few seeds; slightly later than Roma with heavier foliage. Determinate. 78 days.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/BLACK-KRIM/productinfo/4864/
Black Krim #4864 (30 seeds) Dark brown-red tomatoes are large, 10 to 12 ozs., and very richly flavored with just a hint of saltiness. Color is darker in hot weather, and fruit seems to set well even in the heat. Prone to cracking, but a very heavy producer. Heirloom from the Black Sea of Russia. Indeterminate. 75-90 days.

http://www.tomatogrowers.com/JUBILEE/productinfo/5312/
Jubilee #5312 (30 seeds) Plentiful harvests of bright golden-orange, large round fruit. Delicious taste and solid, smooth substance. Adds bright color to salads. This tomato's good looks and good taste make it a favorite with market gardeners. Indeterminate. 80 days.

I only have a couple Suddeth's Strain Beefsteaks for the late tomatoes
http://store.tomatofest.com/Brandywine_Sudduth_s_Strain_p/tf-0080.htm
Days: 85
Size: Indeterminate
Color: Pink
Season: Late-Season
Type: Heirloom


As for Peppers the goats pruned them by half but we're still harvesting Sweet Bananas
I plan to give them a boost with a light Epsom salt spray, starting a regimen every other week.
(Mixture 1 tsp to 32 oz of h2o) This gives them a little extra magnesium for higher
fruit production.

I only planted two varieties of peppers in 2014



http://www.tomatogrowers.com/SWEET-BANANA/productinfo/9316/
Sweet Banana #9316 (30 seeds) Profuse harvests of 5-1/2 to 6 inch long, tapered peppers that are wonderful fried or cut up into salads. Light green at first, they turn yellow and orange, and finally ripen to red. Compact plants. 72 days.


http://www.tomatogrowers.com/RED-BEAUTY-HYBRID/productinfo/9197/
Red Beauty Hybrid / Baron #9197 (30 seeds) A red bell pepper widely adapted to reliably turn red in almost any area of the country. Very thick-walled, heavy fruits are blocky, and about 4 inches long. Heavy yields of bright red sweet peppers. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. 68 days until mature green; red about 2 weeks later




Our Garden This Week
Needs Weeding
~V
Keep It Green

We're Growing Our Own

I thought I'd share a few ideas or how we planted our food garden this year.

This year we have two rows of beans planted different ways to see what works best.
Our Tri Color String Beans are planted in a double row, they were older seeds
so we had to go back after about a week & 1/2 and replanted in between with some
purple queen bush beans. We planted colored beans to make picking easier,
especially for the younger gardeners.

We also planted a row of Blue Lake Bush beans, in a single row.
Both are doing well

We planted Bush Pickler Cucumbers, at the front edge with Marigolds in between plants.
We already see the tiny cukes forming.

We planted Tomato transplants of Roma & Park's Whopper. The weather was so strange
that we lost a couple roma's and had to replace. We replaces with Black Krim
& Jubilee, tomatoes. All have caught up with one another and all are flowering
We should be picking before July 4th if we don't have another cool snap to stall growth.
We also will be tilling in some old eggs and nesting materials into the soil side
dressing the tomatoes with a dose of Calcium. We have used no additional fertilizers
on anything this year except Worm Castings.

We're looking up info on Black Krim & Jubilee to post this week, Just a little Tomato
FYI>

For peppers I backed down to only 2 varieties Sweet Bananas & Sweet Red Bells.
Due to unforeseen weather twists in the past I've had quite a loss & been
disappointed in the past. So I planted what I know everyone can eat or pickle.

I've planted the Ichiban Eggplants, because I love Eggplant and sneak it into
all sorts of dishes in the summer, and have even blended into my smoothies.
They are a beautiful plant with beautiful flowers, and with other varities
more beautiful colors even hot or fuschia pinky and white.

Detroit Red Beets, & Thumbellina Carrots as well as some Zucchini have just been
seeded in this past Thursday. As well as a variety of Sunflowers
Music Box, Valentine, Mixed Black Oil, & Alien Sunflowers. (I already see some of these
popping up out of the ground.

Here is a photo of my garden before I get to till this afternoon, if there is no more rain
and the winds keeps up to dry the garden out just a bit more.

So I've gotta get to making a quickie lunch so I can be ready to work this afternoon.

Oh wait we're going to pick up some local eggs from a neighbor too...
I'll take pics of the chickens and coop, I'd like to help him sell his eggs too
He also sold Daylilies at one point as well, Better carry my cash in case he's got a couple
earlies blooming...:)

Have a Nice Day
Here's My Garden



I'll definitely have to come back with an after picture when I get things cleaned up.

The weeds embarrass me...LOL

One Year at A Time: Gonzo & The Flock

One Year at A Time: Gonzo & The Flock:

Gonzo will be 1 month old on Tuesday, June 3rd. We will be having a Corn Biscuit B-day Party and all chicks are invited. Here's a...

Biscuit Pizza

We needed a quick, satisfying, fun dinner last night
so the little one & I came up with this.
It was a suprizing winner with the whole family.
We also used up some leftovers.

Here's our Leftover Fried Chicken Biscuit Pizza



What you need
Cutting board
Knife
18-inch Pizza Pan
Oven or grill

Ingredients:
Crust: 1 roll butter flavored Grands Biscuits

Pizza toppings:
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
2 pieces of leftover chicken, we used one breast & one thigh fried, thinly sliced
about 2 ox cheddar cheese, grated
about 1 oz asiago cheese shaved thinly
1/4 cup small diced onions (Vidalia)
salt
pepper
garlic, granulated
oregano
spice to taste
about 3 large basil leaves, rough chop
about 3 stems of cilantro rough chop for garnish

Assemble:
preheat oven to 400 degreesF
open and separate biscuits (this is fun for the kids) smash or roll them flatter
and spray pan with butter flavor spray lightly, place flattened biscuits onto pan
and close what holes you can, it will cook together.
Start with placing the tomatoes on the biscuits we worked in a circular fashion.
Then sprinkle on just a little cheddar cheese.
Add onions Let the young ones help & they'll eat the onions.
Add thin sliced, chicken pieces, make sure each piece will get a little chicken.
Now sprinkle your spices on as desired.
Top with cheddar cheese then the slices of asiago, arrange so each slice gets an
even amount.
Bake in oven for 21 minutes or until edges look golden brown and top is bubbly.



Sprinkle with chopped herbs as desired, we gave the option of yea or nay, as folks
like them. the herbs give it a fresh taste and just adds that finishing touch.

I hope you try this recipe and let us know what you think in the comments
Have a Blessed Day
~V

I apologize for the lesser number of postings, we've been quite busy with the chickens,
working, end of school, as well as trying to make a go at the food gardening with back
and forth weather patterns. Oh and we've rescued a baby mallard duckling this week.
Also our computer has been on the fritz
So we've been in the weeds pretty deep.
We'll try to do better

Spanakopita

Spanakopita

I've been promising this recipe for a little while
I hope you like it. It's the basic. Be sure to read
more at the link at the bottom, & try some of the other recipes
suggested. Please comment if you use this recipe as is
or tweak it.

preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:
1lb mozzarella cheese, shredded/grated
3 10 oz boxes frozen spinach
1 12 oz container of Feta cheese pieces
4 eggs
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1 1lb box of phyllo sheets


Directions:
add cheeses to a large bowl and mix together

thaw and squeeze all excess water(very important step) from spinach and chop finely

add to cheese and mix thoroughly break up any small parts to have an even blend.

in another bowl crack and whip your eggs, add about 1 tsp. salt and1 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

pour into spinach & cheese mixture and mix together.



open your phyllo and flatten on working surface.
(scoop out a heaping tablespoon for hor d'vours. or for entree about 1/3 cup onto one corner of dough.)



for appetizer fold 1 sheet over top & proceed to roll in a triangular fashion over spinach mix to end. The same folding method is used for larger portions use about 3 sheet for entree. (see photos for folding technique like paper footballs)







traditionally oil or an egg wash is brushed onto the dough to give it a nice color, I spray with a light layer of nonstick spray



for appetizers cook 11 minutes. then flip & cook an additional 6 minutes.
for entrees double these times.


These are the appetizer sized portions I made for my daughter's class this morning)


I always serve with a small amount of salad and another vegetable as a meal (as first pictured).

I do not get creative with more herb or onions in this recipe it is the basic.
Please feel free to tweak to your tastes.

this recipe made 4 full sized + 36 appetizer sized portions (you can pre-make this and freeze your triangles in wax paper) although phyllo is a fickle bird. if left out it gets brittle, if wet it get super sticky.

It is mostly eaten as a snack in Greece
In rural Greece, smaller amounts of spinach are used, with the missing part substituted with leeks, chard, and sorrel
The pastry is similar to torta pasqualina, a traditional dish from Italy's Liguria region, that is very common in Argentina and Uruguay.

It can also be made with puff pastry

Read More about Börek style pastries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burek

Have a Nice Day
~V
Keep It Green

One Dollar Challenge

Please Support EarthSource Services and accept our

One Dollar Challenge

all you have to do is go to

http://gofundme.com/keepteamessfree

and donate Just One Dollar



One dollar for us will buy a pack of seeds for an 4' X 4' square of
raised bed gardening, & who knows how much produce from that one small plot.

One Dollar for us will print the handouts we need for the kids at 1 Workshop
Fun Informational Take home inspiration
(They might inspire their entire family)

What can you give up so you can share Just One Dollar with us.
An unhealthy candy bar
One less plastic bottled drink to add to a landfill
Less than 1 whole beer on college night or happy hour...LOL
A pack of Gum

Please help us
We want to teach the next generation to be more considerate of the world around us
maybe making them a more Organic/Sustainable society
of Generous, Caring, Intelligent, & healthier Young People.


^^This address works too http://gofundme.com/2weyus^^

We only have one planet Let's not Blow it.
Thanks for your time and consideration of our Challenge
Please Share with Everyone
~V


One of our seminars is also about how lots of people giving just a little
can really make a BIG difference.
You'll be a part of that when you Donate Just One Dollar.

(If you'd like to share more with us, we understand, and proudly accept)

Victoria's Healthier Cookie

Well this recipe was born because
Dates was the new taste of the week for the little
one, & I wanted something different under my
Strawberry Shortcake.

I also had a small amount of green smoothie that I didn't want to waste

So here are
My Cookies



Ingredients:
2 slight c flour
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c chopped dates
1 c rolled oats
1c chopped pecan

1/4 c raisins
1/2 c leftover green smoothie (ours was almond milk, chard, strawberries, & apple)
1/2 c coconut oil soft not liquid (can use margarine if you must = 1 stick)
1 med banana smashed

Preheat oven to 350

Put dry ingredients in bowl & mix well
(tip: coating the raisins, dates, & nuts in flour help keep them from sinking in cookies. Perfect disrtbution in cooked cookie top to bottom)
Add wet ingredients.
Mix together & spoon 1 tablespoon full mounds onto greased cookie sheet
cook for 10 minutes, then flip pan (around not over) & cook for 12 more mins
(Tip always rotate cookie pans for even cooking.)
(Tip: Always watch new recipies your oven temps my vary from original)

These get a crispy edge on the bottom & golden on the top.
They're cakey, chewy, & crisp all at the same time.
Plus the fresh ingredients, look at the healthy you're getting.

I made these up to replace the cake part of strawberry shortcakes one night.
Great breakfast cookie, quite healthy.

I think this batter would make a good mini muffin too.

I plan on leaving mine out tonight so I can crumble it into my Greek Yogurt in the morning.



Please let me know if you try this and love it.
Watch for flavor tweaks.
Keep it Green
http://gofundme.com/keepteamessfree
~V

Incorporate Edibles ~ Harvest Health

Incorporating edibles into your existing plantings is not
Rocket Science.
You can easily find something that will work with what
you annually plant.

I harvested this from a commercial planting bed
where it was my intentions for the employees to
take part and enjoy the benefits of having fresh
Swiss Chard at their disposal.

I believe a little leaf harvesting would have encouraged
more top growth and there in a larger show in the beds.
Alas they didn't take to the idea.

Thanks for the Chard, My family loved it, cooked the first night
and the rest will be in my vitamin packed Green Smoothies
& Saladworks.

This is Rhubarb Swiss Chard
(Harvested)


Cooking Chard is as easy at any other Greens

I washed the chard 3X to remove any grit, creatures, etc.
then put it straight from the wash water into the cooking pot, don't shake the excess.
add about 2 teaspoons oil of choice (I use Olive, you can use Bacon Grease)
1 tablespoon sweetener of choice
Then let set for starting 20 mins on med high heat covered.
Flip the greens in the pot after the first time is up. Set for another 20 mins. covered.
then taste, everyone has a different preference to how done they like their greens,
just test a little along, cooking in 20 minute intervals until done to your liking.

Serve as a side to most any dish.

I also let about half drain in a colander flipping a few times until mostly dry.
Then I put into a plastic zip bag for storage for raw use.
(Tip: exhale a small breath into the bag before closing for greens to stay fresh longer)


Lettuce 'Valerie' in containers
(25 Gal)


Jerusalem Artichokes/Sunchokes in containers
(25 gal, very invasive in ground)


Herbs work excellently in containers
Here's our Sweet Basil getting started last month
we've used off it 3 times already


We're featuring #Cilantro this week on our #TwitterFeed so check it out
@HerbGir1972


Have a Great day
~V

Green Week ~ WOW

So this week we had Earth Day & Arbor Day
Two celebratory reasons/excuses to Get Out And Plant Something
Did You?

We planted 100 rescued Tree Seedlings with the #GreenKids
Dogwoods, Pines, Cedars, & Silver Oaks.



On our own home front we planted a seed grown Teak Tree



as well as a couple of Lilacs .



and a Red Rocket Seed Grown Crepe Myrtle.



Planting trees are good for you environment in close as well as an
overall Globally good thing to do.
Greener neighborhoods are cooler neighborhoods.
Use trees to cut energy costs by solarizing your home.

Life on Earth requires Healthy Forests.

Please choose Greener Living practices so we'll have a livable Earth for future generations.

Hope everyone had just a Spectacular week.
~V

We've startyed a new Blog - Lots of Photos (Pin Us Bunches Please)

We've started a new photography blogger
It's simple lots of pretties
little 'Chicken Mama' Blogging
just check it out if you get a minute


http://agentgreenvyk.blogspot.com/2014/04/iris-luv.html

Thanks for your time
Have A Happy Earth Day

I Want My Nerd HQ ~ Dinner With Zac

Incentive for reaching $333,000
You get to meet Zachary Levi!!!
That's a pretty cool possibility

Anywhere in the world, Zac you're amazing!!!

Donate to iwantmynerdhq.com today
and get entered into this drawing

Resistance is futile, Join us

Campaign ends April 25th

So much Talent, So Much Heart, Meet Him!! heck ya!!! I'm in!!!