Oh boy….. been a LONG time.

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Yes, I have been gardening but no I have obviously not been blogging.  So I guess I should get back into it.

Have I been growing anything.  You know it!

Zukes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Tom (lots and lots of them), Peppers (lots and lots of them), CORN, and a few others.  The Tom’s came in nice this year.  I have had over 50 nice red and ripe ones.  Weird since it has been hell trying to make them turn the last few years.

Colored in left…. Hubby wants me to say this?  Plumbing.

I have corn!  I have a few ears again!  And they look great!  I was about to take them down until I realized I had little ears.  I almost did the same thing I did the year before.  I will be pulling my garden soon as the cold is coming in fast this year.  I see snow on the mountains already.

I also have a new blog…. As the Fireweed Turns ( http://asthefireweedturns.wordpress.com/ ) which is a spin-off of a blog I use to have.  Come on over and see what I am talking about if you would like.  I will be keeping this blog for my gardening adventures.

Already thinking fo gardening in January!

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Oh my, it has been a while since I wrote.  I am sorry to those who occasionally come and check this blog.  I will be updating more often as the sun is starting to rise slowly back up into the sky.  Which you know what that means….. time to seriously think about gardening again!

I did do some bulbs for the Christmas holiday around my office.  Amaryllis bulbs turned out wonderful and today I just put the stem and fanning leaves back to dry the bulb and using it for next year.  Other than the bulbs, Hubby and I didn’t celebrate Christmas, nor New Years as the house was finally closed on and we both got busy remodeling and moving in.  We are 40% moved in and it looks like we will be selling the cabin after all.

As for the new growing season, I won’t be able to do a whole lot.  A very small garden to start the new house off right and I am still deciding on what to plant as I have quite a bit of sun with this house and where I may put a new green house.  Broccoli and Cauliflower for sure and I have already started… green peppers!  I will be starting jalapenos and tom’s very shortly, probably within a week.  But I am not sure what else to grow. 

Anyone have some good ideas?

Peanut Butter, Pumpkin, Chocolate Pie! Oh yes!

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I have no clue if this recipe is new or old or even around.  But I came up with a very simple version… that everyone who has tried it wants the recipe!

So with that said, if you try to make it, let me know how it was accepted in your family and friends circles.

You will need:

2 cups Peanut Butter, 1-2 cups of pumpkin pie mix, Nutella spread, 1/2 stick of butter, 2  pie crusts (I recommend gramcracker) and some sort of mixer and a rubber spatula.

Warm Nutella in microwave for 30 seconds till nice and gooey spreading.  Take rubber spatula and spread Nutella generously on pie crust.

In mixing bowl add peanut butter, pumpkin pie mix, and butter and mix until the consistency of mud.

Add concoction to pie crust.  Make sure to have pie on a cookie sheet to help you put in and out of the oven.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes (no clue on convection oven), testing pie as if it was a pumpkin pie poking it with a fork until it comes out clean.

Let sit for 30 minutes and enjoy!  It WILL have the consistency of a pumpkin pie, but it sure don’t taste like one!  I also recommend chunky peanut butter.  It is a different texture.  Also, if you want, add 1 egg.  Watch for it to puff up like a pumpkin pie in the oven.  Tastes the same though.

Try it, and see if you like it.  Tell me what you think!

Chicken meatballs!

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I have a dilemma.  I have freezer burnt chicken.  Breast and thigh meat that, well, isn’t the best for normal consumption unless you marinate the heck out of it.  And here is the other problem, I HATE wasting food of any kind.  So, I thought about what I could do with it.  Well i have an old fashioned meat grinder that we bought to make home-made sausage from out hunting expeditions.  So why not use that to grind up the chicken? 

Hmmmmm and then I thought about how to make the meatballs stick together.  And here is what I am coming up with:

Chicken:  3 lbs raw varying meat (freezer burnt or not) and thawed out.

Spices:  1 Tbls granulated Garlic, 1 Tbls Onion Powder, 1 tbls Onion or Garlic Salt.  Chopped Onions 1/2 cup, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup bread diced, 1 egg.

Either some flour or corn meal in a bowl with some dried dill, chives and parmesan cheese …. this will be explained.

Take thawed chicken and grind into decent consistency into bowl.  Add all ingredients and stir until the consistency is gummy.  Make 1-2 inch balls per your tastes and to make the chicken ball not stick to your hand, take some flour or corn meal on a spoon and sprinkle your ball as you try to make each ball.

Put on a cookie or baking sheet and cook at 350 for no more than an hour (check as every stove is different) and taste.

I will let you all know how it tastes tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

UPDATE:

I made them last night.  But here is the problem.. I made them a tad large.  2 inch balls!  I also added Salmon Burger’s as they were pretty freezer burnt and Shrimp and left over hamburger.  It actually turned out pretty darn good and I have balls in the fridge for later.

I made a first batch of just chicken/salmon/shrimp that are very little fat and very good.  A tad fishy, but it actually worked out as there is a lot of flavor. 

The second batch (as I only had a little chicken mix left) with the hamburger, my husband loved.  They had just enough fat in the hamburger to give it a kind of meat loafy taste BUT it turned out pretty well as he loves meatloaf.

I also cooked the ball for 2 hours … as I don’t want anyone to get sick from the fish and chicken.  The shrimp was already cooked.  So… if you try it yourself, just a helpful reminder… the chicken will be very squishy and very wet.  Adding bread is a sure bet and helped with the chicken sticking together!

I made altogether 40 2 inch balls.  32 of them are now in the freezer and will be used for appetizers for Thanksgiving!

Sarah Palin’s Alaska… an Alaskan Overview, Part 1.

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I had it recorded as I had something going on, but it is put on hold.  So I am watching it and smiling.  It is cute so far… but I want to make sure that people know, Sarah and her Family have it a little better than most Alaskans.  Most Alaskans do not have a small airplane.

So watching the fishing was cute.  Piper saying she was never going to catch a fish … was typical for most Alaskans.  It is a streak thing, sometimes you catch bunches and other times you don’t catch for years it seems like.  I remember having a 2 yr run with very few salmon caught.  It is okay Piper.. most people will understand!  But watching the bears was fun and made me smile.  Both small brown bears, one with cubs and all very hungry. 

On too where Sarah and Family are going to be climbing.  Well the Alaska Mountaineering School is in Talkeetna and is renowned to be a very good climbing school.  You meet people from all over the world due to climbers going for the gold.  It is a neat little building.  As it is not huge.  And it is on coveted land as it is across the tracks.. on the east side of Talkeetna.  The little shots you got of Talkeetna as of the little town and the Fairveiw Inn.  If you want to learn some cool history, look for the book “The Mystery of the Cache Creek Murders” by Roberta Reeve Sheldon.  She tells the story of Talkeenta and Trapper Creeks first Serial Murders…. which the FBI couldn’t investigate as the start of WWII.  Or google Roberta Reeve Sheldon…. as she is a bit of history all herself.

So Sarah Palin is climbing the glacier.  Well I have to say I would be a tad worried.  It is a tad slick due to the rain.  It rained and rained and rained up here this summer.  It was the rainiest ever for south central for decades.  But Ruth Glacier is very pretty and you can only get there by little airplane.

Now here is a little trivia that NO ONE will tell you about on TLC or possibly even on any other blogs.  The guy that takes Sarah Palin and Todd up in his plane, is a well-known trapper who has taken many other men and women all over and in the bush.  But can you guess who he is?

All in All it was cute.  It was cute.  Any other Alaskan who saw it, please chime in and tell use what you thought as well.

And for those who wonder when this was going on… July 15th.  Enjoy!

shopping for the new house wares….

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I am not sure how or why, but I felt the need to get some items for the new house and the best place is usually Wal-Mart.  I got things like a noodle strainer, potato peeler, measuring cups (I am looking for a Pyrex one too) and the normal items needed.  But I was disappointed by the dinner ware selection.  And I really don’t see the need to pay over 25 dollar for a setting of 4.  Does anyone else?  I did happen to run into canning items and Ball Freezer containers for a BUCK!  Oh yes, you know I was all over that like white on rice!

SO I went to Costco and say some nice plate settings for 4, again.  They were white but they were not the square plates.  Honestly I think the square plates are neat, but not functional as they spill and dribble at the corners. 

Now I have looked online, like overstock.com, macy’s.com and others and they do not deliver up here.  Ugh.  I have also gone to Bed Bath and Beyond and the prices were sky-high.  SO I am going to Target to check and maybe find something I like that isn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg.  I am also looking for utensils and haven’t been impressed.

Is there anything that you all have tried to find and just couldn’t find anything you liked?  Or couldn’t order?  And any tips on sites that will actually send glassware to Alaska would be appreciated!!!

Did you know?

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If you have an off or bad odor in a carpet or even on a floor, that using small amounts of ground coffee (used or not used) sprinkled liberally in the area and left for 15 minutes or so, will absorb the smell and leave a nice heady coffee smell when you vacuum it?

Sprinkling salt on your wooden cutting board, pro-longs the life as well as take some of the bad stuff out of the cutting board… such as mold? 

using lemon, warmed in your microwave and in a bowl with some normal dish soap, with a kitchen rag, is better to use for grease on your stove and counters than those wipes you buy at the store?

Newspaper won’t streak on your windows?

using straight baking soda once a week when you brush your teeth cuts out 50% of plaque and helps your gums heal faster if they bleed a lot?

Most of the “dust” in Alaska is actually glacial silt finely ground and volcanic dust!

Spider Plants and Mother Tongue Plants help clean the air the fastest, but do not clean the air the best!  Always remember that.

I hope everyone is doing well and having a good start of the holiday season.

A Frightful Tale of Tales for this All Hallow’s Week…. for the home buyer!

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 Once upon a Time, there was a newly married couple who enjoyed fishing, hunting, gardening and other outdoor recreations but needed to buy a house.  They found a cute little house that either could take care of if anything huge happened to it, and within a reasonable price.  The wife called the realtor, twice, in which the realtor selling the house never called her back. 

The couple decided to get a different realtor, in which they called him Larry and Larry got them in to see the home the couple wanted.  Cute and small but with good bones and skin, the couple wanted it and asked for Larry to draw up the offer to send to the realtor, who we will call the WW. 

Well, here is the story in a condensed version.  Larry sent in the offer which took 72 hours to get back to use that they didn’t like it and said no… no counter offer, nothing.  The couple walked away upset but scratching their heads.  After a hunting trip, they came back and asked Larry to draw up another offer, sent it to the WW and another 72 hours later got an offer back.  The couple talked it over and excepted it and hoped to get the ball rolling and got a mortgage loan on the roll… hahhhahhahaa!

The Couple and Larry worked together to get the inspections and appraisal and other items in the window of time posted. While the WW Realtor dragged her feet and didn’t return calls for important meetings with the Appraisal person or the Septic Inspectors and did not return calls concerning questions for the Mortgage nor the buyers requests.  And all the while Larry and the couple worked and slaved to get this house.

When the time came to sign for the little house, to make it theirs, the bank couldn’t let them and the Title company was bare!  The WW Realtor had been screwing up the paper work, had stopped calling people back on questions concerning the house and nothing had been inspected.  Which made the couple not just sad, but very very mad.

SO the Couple was stressed and began to fight, the lady was more upset for the WW dropping the broom and letting all the work, and money go to waste and the couple both hated waste.  Larry their Realtor was more than upset, as the WW was completely unprofessional and come to find out yelled and cussed at the Couples Mortgage Broker and would not give him vital information. 

So, with all the fighting and all the waste and all of the agitation beyond the color of things, the Lady said I am done and went to the bank and talked to her Mortgage Broker about the problems at hand.  The Mortgage Broker felt bad for the couple since the Bank and had screwed up some of the paperwork as well and told the couple they didn’t have to pay for their bank fee!  Some good news was always a plus in a very hard mortgage year.  She asked him when they were ever going to close as it had been a month since the couple was supposed to sign… in which the mortgage broker made some calls and got a hold of Larry and they worked out the paperwork to close the house for the couple.

If you are wondering yes it is I and my wonderful Hubby.  We closed today and get the golden key tomorrow.  As for Larry we will be doing a surprise for him as the seller is paying his fees, but he worked miracles and his own magic.  But as for the WW Realtor….. that is going to be the next frightening chapter in this Horror Story in which she will wish she would have been…. a little nicer!

…… to be continued……..

An entry from a Canning Blogger.

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I am going to admit it.  I have NO CLUE how to can.  BUT I have an excuse (don’t we all)!  I am trying to buy a house (still), I have no room to spread out for canning (which is the truth), my garden in not where I live (which is another truth) and I want to get the house done before I start canning, as I like a clean environment. 

But, when I stumbled upon these people’s blog, I had to put them on my blog roll.  1. is because they have some interesting recipes.  2 is due to their straight forward way of explaining how to can certain items and how much in metric details.  and 3. they are really nice people.  I recommend you go and check them out after you read the plug I am going to put into my blog. 

Without further ado:  Putting up with the Turnbells

Top 10 Reasons to CAN and PRESERVE

I am getting ready to host my first canning party and although most of my friends are really into gardening and canning there are a few that could use a little persuasion.  In order to attend my party you must CAN or preserve at least one food item for this year.  My goal is to get more people excited about canning and preserving their own food.  This party is for beginners as well as the more experienced canner.  It is time to EAT UP what we’ve PUT UP!

Top 10 Reasons to CAN:

1. Know what you are eating.  When you CAN your own food you are in control of what goes into each jar.  And, although you may need to source the produce from your local farmers’ market, veggie shop, garden co-op, a friend or the grocery store you are the one responsible for cleaning, preparing and jarring your food.  It’s empowering!
2. Eliminate the preservatives.  Too many of us eat too much fast food, over prepared food, frozen junk and food that is more filler than anything.  I’m not saying I don’t like a good cheeseburger but we’ve got to find a healthy balance.  Do away with additional preservatives so that you can enjoy that burger as a treat…guilt-free.
3. Better than TV.  I’m an artist by profession and used to spend my evenings painting my wood carvings in front of the TV.  I calculated that in an average day I had the TV on for about 5-6 hours.  Now, that does seems excessive and maybe impossible to believe but it’s true.  This left very little time to enjoy the evening communicating with my husband.  Now, Matt and I spend most of our free time growing veggies in our garden, forging the back roads, and canning everything we can get our hands on.  Time well spent. 
4. Cut down on your CARBON FOOT PRINT.  Growing your own food to can or canning locally produced fruits and veggies cuts down on the fuel emissions spent moving fresh produce around.  Has anyone seen that new show 100 miles?  It’s an experiment with several British Columbia families taking part in a challenge to only eat food that is grown within 100 miles of their home.  Although, this would be impossible for most of us because of our endless need for sugar and vinegar the concept is great.  Why not incorporate as much of this idea as we can and try to be more conscious of where our food is coming from and try sourcing more local produce.
5. Eating GREAT food is GOOD.  When you are at the helm you can create the food that you enjoy most.  Take the time to season it perfectly or experiment with a new recipe.  Lots of times you will be pleasantly surprised with how good it turns out.  This year I’ve tried lots of new foods and recipes with both successes and failures but it is finding that one great recipe and those favorite ingredients that can turn something in a jar into something you can’t live without.  Like the Tomato Jam…mmmmMMMdelicious!
6. Reuseable Jars and Lids.  Part of the reason I first started canning was to cut back on our household waste.  Buying food in plastic and tin cans is not only harmful to your health but the by-products and waste just don’t make good sense.  We’ve all got to do our part to cut back on adding to the landfills.  Canning jars are reuseable help to eliminate a great amount of waste.  And I just found out about these cool reuseable lids from Tattler.  Now, that makes canning even better.
7. Great gifts.  There is nothing in the world like getting a great home-made gift.  Something that a friend or family member took the time to make is better than anything money can buy.  And, although not all of us can paint a master piece or sew an amazing quilt…all of us can read.  So there is no excuse not to follow a recipe to create a unique jar of preserves to give to that special person in your life.
8. Rewarding.  There is nothing more satisfying that opening a jar of your own home-made preserves.  The time spent putting up countless bushels of tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh fruits and veggies will satisfy you for many months to come.  It’s like having a grocery store with stocked shelves right at your finger tips.
9. Support Local Agriculture.  These days nothing seems more important that supporting the hard-working men and women that grow the food we put in our mouths.  Why not go to them directly?  You get food that is freshly picked and bred for its’ flavour while preserving agricultural green space.
10. Because it is just plain fun!

A Contest where A Military Squad and You as a person wins. :)

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So, I was thinking, I am going to be doing a couple of care packages to a group of guys for Christmas.. which I always do every Christmas.  They need the Moral Boost, and all of us need something to do with our extremely precious time during the Christmas Season to give back to the community as well as making someone smile.  So what do I usually do for care packages? 

Now here is where I (and last year Hubby) had a blast.  I got puzzles.  You know those hard brain teasers types where you have to take a bent nail and try to take it off a twisted metal piece, WITHOUT using power tools to put it apart.  Oh yes, I found those type of gifts at Target for a buck!  I also sent a “Fire” on disk, a Tiny christmas tree that had little lights, candy canes, some little video games like pacman all wrapped in socks to the guys to open up on Christmas day… and of course, home-made cookies.  Yeah I am THAT person.  And man did I enjoy the hell out of it.

But this year, I never adopted a Marine or Army squad like I usually do for their whole tour in Afghanistan or Iraq.  We were just too busy.  But, I want to try something different and I want EVERYONE’S help.  As there is a contest involved:

1. DO you have a family member over in the Sand Box with his/her squad, who will NOT be able to come home this Christmas  2. Are they able to receive care packages?  And can they give their FOB address out?  (In some cases, some are unable to give out their FOB addy) {FOB = Forward Operating Base}  3. And what are their favorite cookies?

Oh yes, home-made COOKIES!  With fun goodies (Socks will be part of the surprise) and just reminders of home-ish.  I will also send some Alaskan fun things.. like moose nuggets on a string they may be able to hang on the tree as ornaments.  Oh come on!  Last years guys thought it was funny!

Now here is the deal…. I will need for people to help me out so I can give the widest chance to a lucky group of men and women in the Military.  You need to copy and paste this WHOLE post on to your blog thread with my blog site: www.gardeninggonebad.wordpress.com , so people can come back and tell me that they have someone.  These people need to tell their story on their friend or loved one in the Sand Box, with their name and an email address to get a hold of them.  On Nov. 19th I pick a winner and ship the boxes of goodies out to the winners Military Hero! 

SO:  You will need to COMMENT on this page, give me a good email addy for you and why you think I should send a package to your friend/loved one.