(Re) Chic

I've been dying to find a way to use the eggplant that I grew.  I tried it fried and it was ok, but I wanted something more creative.  So I did some research and found a few different recipes for Eggplant Lasagna.  That is, lasagna with sliced eggplant that replaces the noodles.  I mostly used the recipe from About.com  when I was making it but I pulled inspiration from this recipe on Country Living.   The Finished Product Since I only had two small eggplants I decided to make an experimental lasagna in a loaf pan, just in case it turned out terrible.  I would definitely recommend cutting your slices about an 1/8 an inch thick.  I sliced mine as thin as possible to get more slices but they just got overcooked in the over so they weren't very noodle-like in consistency.  I would also recommend peeling them, the skin was quite leathery after being cooked twice.  Also be sure to either blacken (as suggested in Countr...

I was really excited about the number of peppers I had been growing on my small pepper plants.  Every week I would get one or two of these little peppers and eventually I started getting bigger bell peppers and decided to try this great stuffed pepper recipe I found here  via One Lovely Life Blog  . They were delicious and it just so happened that since we used quinoa instead of ground beef they were vegetarian.  I added a few of my own extra peppers and tomatoes that I had and skipped the enchilada sauce, they were delicious.  Definitely don't cook them much/any longer than it says though...you don't want your stuffed peppers get to soft!   What's your favorite summer recipe?  You only have a few weeks left to get to make it!    

This seems like a silly thing to say on a day where its been 90 degrees. But here are a few signs that fall is coming: Football is here We celebrated with a "tailgate" at work today with food and Buck-I-Guy was here (I promise, I'll post the picture to Facebook later).   I'm getting sick  :-( Gardening is slowing down  Boots are coming back (and I want to buy them!) Pinterest is becoming obsessed with Halloween Don't believe me: take a look So say goodbye to summer and get ready for fall!  

I love having a garden plot. I think its one of the best things I've done since moving back to Columbus. However, it does have its drawbacks. This is what the extent of my zucchini gardening was before my garden plot:  I still had the benefit of growing delicious zucchini, it was right on my front step where I could check it everyday and the supply was limited by the plant size, which was in turn limited by the pot size (this pot was rather large but still did not provide unlimited zucchini).   Now lets turn to my current garden plot.  Since my zucchini started ripening a few weeks ago I have harvested 4 zucchini with another that's ready to be picked all at least a foot long!  I'm up to my eyeballs in zucchini!  I've been trying to pick them when they're smaller but they grow so fast that they're huge by the time I realize they're there!  (Due to my work schedule I haven't been making it to my plot everyday).   So what do you ...

Check out some of the great things that have been growing in my garden! I have pretty much seen nothing but these daylilies all summer...they're EVERYWHERE in my garden plot.  I left them because I didn't have it in my heart to pull flowers out...and they've taken over!  And then I was pleasantly surprised when these started to bloom:  6 feet tall and more of a coral color than is really shown in the photograph and most importantly, seemingly unbothered by the construction and moving of the waterline and beds right on the other side of the fence.   And then there's the world's most excited pepper plant: Yes, you're seeing that right...there are 4 peppers on that plant!  The other one barely has a little nub of a pepper on it and this one is about to be so loaded it can't hold them all!  I'm just hoping that these peppers start turning (they're supposed to be chocolate) soon...we've had some varmints getting into ...

May goals:  1. The KIND Project-one kindness everyday.  2. Word Count Blog-a-thon 3. Plant seedlings in garden plot 4. Take the "pump" test at work to get upgraded to CSR Level 2 Recap:  1. I think so far I've done pretty well.  I don't think I've written about a KIND-ness everyday but I feel like I've been making a point to do things for people and make the world a better place, so we're going to call that a win.   2. I have not blogged everyday, but considering how much is going on, I think only missing a few days is pretty impressive, I really only forgot one day, the other days I just didn't have access to blog-ness 3. I finished the last of my planting yesterday...hopefully my garden yields lots of deliciousness! 4. I took the pump test about two weeks ago and I should have the results hopefully tomorrow!

So for those of you who know me you have probably realized that I pretty much completely failed at my April goals. Go to the gym- 0 times Deliver my sister's birthday gift- SUCCESS!  Get my seedlings in the dirt- Done!  AND I repotted them! Get my apartment respectable- Done (barely within April but done!) Blog once/week- Or never.  Complete crafting project- I don't think I even started one... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May goals:  1. The KIND Project-one kindness everyday.  2. Word Count Blog-a-thon 3. Plant seedlings in garden plot 4. Take the "pump" test at work to get upgraded to CSR Level 2 Today's KIND-ness I sent my sister a Mother's day card.  I know it sounds silly to send one to your sister-but I read this card today and it was too perfect.  So I'm sending it to my sister because I know it will make her day.  

Wow! April really snuck up on me! I had almost forgotten that it happened today...I probably would have had it not been for going to work.  So of course its time to take a look at March and see what was/was not accomplished.  1. Go to the gym (I really am going to get there eventually) -I went once... 2. Finish unpacking and/or at least make my floor walkable if I can't empty EVERY box. -the floor is definitely walkable...so I think that's a win! 3. Plan my garden and start my seeds (I put down my deposit on my community garden plot!) -I have a tentative garden plan AND all my seeds are started!  On top of that I went one day and cleared my plot out of all the old dead stuff and got it ready to plant as soon as my seedlings are strong enough! 4. Complete my desk corner in the spare bedroom -I would say we're 75% there.  The desk is all set-up but I think I'm going to need some shelves or something for additional space (although the seedlings are living there...

This is a rant about a recent lawsuit against Scotts Miracle-Gro.   You were warned.  Since working with Grow Food, Grow Hope in Wilmington, OH I have come to appreciate and love the organic movement for what I thought it was: a fad with a great idea.  Its all well and good to think that organic is the way to be and that you should only eat/shop/garden organic because its healthier and you're not subjecting yourself and the environment to all those nasty chemicals.  And I have totally agreed with that, but there was always that voice in my head saying 'that's what the EPA is for, they take care of these things and make sure they are safe even if they are slightly harsh chemicals'. Boy was I wrong.  This morning a representative of Scotts Miracle-Gro company plead guilty to violating environmental protection laws as well as marketing items that had not been approved by the EPA.  Those items were sold for TWO YEARS before being pulled off the market...

Unfortunately, I'm welcoming March and feeling a little bit like a failure.  I'm skimming through my February goals and they're not looking so great:  I didn't go to the gym (not once) There are still boxes all over the floor of my bedroom You can still hardly see my desk in the spare bedroom So I didn't do so hot there.  But there is internet in my apartment and its 7:30am and I've already cleaned up a mess in my kitchen, make lunch to take to work, drop Josh off at the law school so he can leave for Milwaukee, pack clothes to go home for the weekend, check Facebook, my email, and read a few articles so hopefully that's a sign that this month is going to be more productive!   So let's write some goals for this month that are actually do-able.   1. Go to the gym (I really am going to get there eventually) 2. Finish unpacking and/or at least make my floor walkable if I can't empty EVERY box. 3. Plan my garden and start my seeds (I put down m...

I thought that before I start seeds I should take a little bit of inventory as to what I have, what I want to eat this summer, and how much of it I actually want to grow.  With my new apartment I have a drastic reduction in the amount of space I have therefore I am either going to need to buy more of what I eat at a farmers' market, CSA, or Kroger or find an alternative planting spot to my current residence.   So lets start with my seed inventory: Flowers:  California Poppy (Orange); American Seed Impatiens (mixed color); American Seed Marigold; Harvested from Wilmington College Community Garden 2010 Zinnia (mixed color); American Seed Veggies: Beets (Detroit dark-red); Burpee Signature Beets (Detroit dark-red); Burpee Signature Broccoli ; American Seed Brussel Sprouts; Ferry-Morse Bush beans (white); local Wilmington farmer Cabbage; American Seed  Carrots (Darvers); Livingston Seed Chives; Horticultural products and services  C...

While I was staying with my wonderfully supportive boyfriend who was letting me borrow his car to get back and forth to work (I now have my own set of wheels again...yay!) he and I went for a walk around his neighborhood.   We came across what had once surely been a magnificent community garden complete with a children's garden, raspberry bushes, and herbs. But it was no longer the beauty it once had been.   You could hardly see the vegetables for the weeds and the grass and you could tell that no one had been taking care of it recently.   So this brings me to a frustrating question: should we really create community gardens?  I know you're all screaming "yes! Yes! of course we should!" but this is not the first garden I have seen get neglected by its creators.  Another baby community garden in Wilmington was overlooked almost completely this season, some of the beds were not even planted! Of course we all know the pros of community g...