Earthy Crunchy

pea pasta

When I plan my meals each week, I always try to go through my big binder of recipes to throw in something different.  You know, that one recipe that I've almost forgot I've had.  Now, if you don't like peas, you can stop reading now (mom!).  But if you like peas, this is a simple recipe that takes little time, is so different, yummy and requires only a few common ingredients.  My friend made this for us when I went to her house for dinner years ago.   

• 1 lb. pasta
• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 TB sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 C fresh or frozen peas + extra 1/2 cup for garnish
• 1/2 cup broth
• Parmesan to top

Heat olive oil in skillet.  Sautee chopped onion until soft.  Add sugar, salt and pepper.  Add broth.  Bring to a boil.  Add 2 cups peas.  Cool and puree in blender.  Add remaining olive oil and puree.

Cook pasta.  You can boil the 1/2 cup of garnish peas in this water.  Transfer cooked pasta to skillet.  Add puree and gently toss.  Top with Parmesan.

 

 

 

I've never tried, but I think this recipe might be good with a different vegetable.  Maybe spinach?  It might even be good with some walnuts tossed in.  Kind of like a pea pesto.  This is the perfect summer pasta.

our first garden salad!

We harvested the first greens from our garden today.

 

Yummy lunch!

the horse's mane

I'll cut to the chase.  Amelia decided she wanted to cut her hair off and donate it.....willingly!

Ever since she was little, she told me her hair was a horse's mane.  In first grade she drew a horse as a self portrait.  So, to voluntarily cut off her mane is quite shocking to me.  In fact, I shouldn't be so surprised because she's turning into a little woman and things change.

 

She had a BIG grin on her face.  She said she had never had a fancy hair cut in her life...Well, except for "that one when I was 5 but I really can't remember!"   My dear Amelia, it was over half a life ago.

 

We went for Thai food to celebrate.  Just us two women.

Hooray for change!

cherry ice cream is so good

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer, sitting in the back yard, eating delicious homemade cherry ice cream.  Eli came inside and announced that "this cherry ice cream is so good!" 

We should do this more often.

Speaking of the back yard, since the sun has come back to Nevada, we've been working hard on our garden.  It feels good to get this all finished.  Jonathan is leveling the dirt here to make a better home for our sod that's going to be delivered next weekend.  Last year at a 4-H raffle, Amelia won 500 square feet of sod!  Our small grassy area was looking so grim last year that I'll be happy to have our pretty oasis back this summer.  Whatever is left will go to the chicken yard for them to attack.  Our chickens love pecking at the grass! 

We all have our own areas in the garden to do whatever we want with.  This is my area with flowers that have come up from last year. 

We still have a few more rows to plant but it's coming together and it won't be long before this looks like a jungle.  I can't wait.  It's painful watching the seedlings grow at first.  I guess it reminds me of watching my children grow.  We just can't wait for our children to talk or walk, to be potty trained or learn how to read.  But, I should just enjoy this moment now when my garden is young.

Here are our potato plants that came back from the last freeze and our onions.  I am so looking forward to our onions!  See, there I go again.  I just love onion blossoms.

Our wee greens.  Jonathan planted two rows of greens.

I hope you had a nice weekend!

deep springs part two

What I enjoy about Deep Springs is its simplicity.  Well, at least as a visitor.  There's always work being done around us.  But as a visitor, we can just enjoy the peace, quiet and beautiful surroundings.  We barely saw Solomon because he was hanging out with the other boys who came to the reunion.  We walked a lot and spent time with the animals and talked with people.  The best part of the trip was being fed by the ranch cook and the students.  The bell rang and we knew it was time for our meal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we're freezing here!!

Brrrrrr, it's been freezing here.  This weekend made me want to curl under the covers and sleep away the winter! 

Today, I give you my garden's frozen and withered grape vines...

 

Jonathan turning over the soil to incorporate the pine shavings and hay from the chicken house that was in our garden during the winter.

 

Our poor potato plants, frozen in their tracks.

Our asparagus reaching for the gloomy and cold sky.

Wait!  Isn't it almost June?! 

We've been reading this book so I should be thankful we aren't dealing with swarms of grasshoppers.  We just have to wait a little longer to get this garden going.

Meanwhile, inside we had warm soup.....

and sunshine of course.

Happy Monday!

simple food

I love simple foods.  I can't be bothered with elaborate ingredients and preparation.  Maybe later when my kids are older?!  I do love to cook though.  Last Friday we made plain old (gluten-free) pancakes and added chocolate chips for something special.  Chocolate makes everything better.  There was no need for butter or syrup.  These were sweet enough as is!

bean salad

I'm rusty with my summer recipes and I had to search for this one.  It's a simple and delicious recipe you probably have the ingredients for already!  I like to make double batches of these kinds of things.  You can eat it right away or refrigerate it to let the flavors marry a bit.  If it lasts that long!

 

3 bean salad:

1. 6 cups of assorted cooked beans (I used garbanzo, black and kidney)
2. 2 celery stocks, chopped into small pieces
3. 1/2 red onion chopped
4. 1 cup parsley chopped
5. 1 TB fresh rosemary chopped fine

dressing:

1. 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2. 1/3 cup sugar or honey
3. 1/4 cup olive oil
4. salt and pepper to taste

Blend the dressing together and add to the salad ingredients.

juice

I am so thankful that I can have my children home with me and learn with them.  It's immensely rewarding.  Yesterday was a scene that made me smile widely and I needed to soak it all in because we all know that it's not always so rosy! : )  Amelia was at the sewing machine, making a duffel bag.  Solomon was sitting on the couch listening to "Gideon" by Linda Buckley-Archer on CD.  They both were deep into their activities.

Eli was causing mischief wherever he went...trying to get attention however he could.  That's when I knew I needed to engage him in some sort of activity.

"Do you want to juice some carrots Eli?!"

Eli is a good juicer.  He has strong muscles! ; )

It's quite messy.  But  Eli felt important and the other kids came over to taste his juice.  He was very proud of his accomplishment.  {Edit to add, why is it that we try so hard to keep things clean around the house but fun always involves a big mess?!}

Eli has been apprehensive about carrot juice.  He's not sure what this juicing thing is all about.  But, Eli, after being involved in the process decided that he should try the juice.  He said that his organic carrot, parsley and cucumber juice "felt very delicious!."

We are going on vacation Sunday and will be back later in the week.  I will be post some short things about what we've been up to this week.  I hope you like it!

I can't forget to wish all the Mama's reading to have to wonderful Mother's Day!  xo Kyndale

sprouts

I've been craving sprouts.

So, I made some and put them in my quesadilla today.  It was really good.