I've moved. The deed is done.

Find me at  Knittinpeace .

 I don't believe Wordpress will be redirecting traffic to my new blog because I made a mistake and left out the " ' " thing at the end of knittin'.   Oh well.   I'll post this post a few more times before I shut this blog down entirely.

 Blessings!

Meatless taco salad. YUM! (and it's cheap, too)

I'll start with a photo so you can get excited to try this.

Here it is before it is 'tossed' and mixed together.  Pretty, heh?

What you'll need:

2 cans of black beans
some pico de gallo or fresh salsa  (your choice)
tortilla chips (whatever type you like)
sliced olives
lettuce (torn into small bits or sliced julienne style)
grated cheddar
sour cream
avacado
Chipotle flavored Tobasco  (I love this stuff!)

Open the beans and heat them on the stove (don't drain them.  Just put it all in a pot) or in the microwave.

Assemble your items 'buffet style' on the counter or table and let everyone build their own.

Begin by putting a pile of chips in your bowl.   Press on them to crush them into bite-sized pieces. 
Next, in whatever order you prefer, layer on the available ingredients and don't forget the beans over there on the stove.

 Now stir it all together and take it outside to enjoy the sunshine while you eat.

This is such a yummy meal.   It's  so easy that my daughter enjoys putting it together. 

It would also be good with some taco meat, if you prefer to have meat.   I've done chicken taco meat before and it was quite tasty.

My Blog is moving! My new address will be Knittinpeace.com

It's a work in progress right now.   I'm still figuring out how to make the fonts and colors look good.

Let's have Tea (part 2)

Yesterday I gave a little of the history of tea drinking here in the USA.

Today I want to talk about the simple pleasure of drinking tea and offer some suggestions as to how to get the best tasting cup of tea in your own home.

 Keep in mind that these are just suggestions and you may prefer to do things differently.

 I will talk about my three preferred ways to have my tea.
1) loose in the pot
2) loose  held captive in an infuser
3) tea bags.

 1) Loose tea in the pot.    Heat the pot first by filling it with hot tap water while the 'tea' water is boiling in the kettle.   Then measure out the amount of loose tea required for the amount of water you will be putting in your pot.   Next, pour the boiling water over the loose tea and let it steep for about 5-8 minutes (this length of time is purely dependent on your preferences.  Longer steeping will make stronger tea - to a point...then it begins to get rather astringent).   If you like very strong tea it's best to just use more tea rather than simply rely on increasing the steep time.       Then put a cozy around your pot and let it steep.

See my nice big mug there peeking from the left?

I know that it is generally believed that tea should be drunk from a dainty tea cup.   I have a few of them and love them  but prefer to drink my morning tea from a nice sturdy mug.   It stays  hot longer.  This keeps me from feeling rushed to drink.   Rushing is bad.  Almost as bad as lukewarm tea!

I also warm my mug with hot water before pouring the tea in.  Do be sure to pour out the warming water before pouring in the tea.

When pouring the teapot which has loose tea steeped inside, it's nice to have a strainer of some kind to keep from having to dodge the leaves while you're drinking.  Better yet:  get this kind of pot with the infuser basket.


2) Loose tea in an infuser.    This method requires that you add the tea leaves to the basket of the infuser.   This method also allows the tea to be steeped right in the cup.   I like this convenience.

I used to have one of these Ingenuitea infusers.  But I broke it.  *tears*   I would even put a cozy over it during the steeping process to retain the heat.   (sniff...I miss that little infuser)

I recently added this little tea duckie infuser to my tea supplies stash!

I always pre-warm my cup no matter which method I choose.

Here's my well-loved no-nonsense ugly infuser.   

 I like this method best when I don't have time for all that goes with cleaning up after making tea in the pot.    All that is required to clean this little doo-dad is to hold it open and tap the contents into my compost dish.

lastly is 3) Tea bags.    I am not a huge fan of bagged tea  but it is possible to find pretty good tasting bagged teas without spending big bucks.   Stash brand makes good bagged teas.   My favorite right now is Tazo.    I've enjoyed almost every Tazo flavor I've ever tried.   Right now I'm hooked on Berryblossom  White.    mmmmmm

In MY cup of tea I usually put a teaspoon of honey and a splash of half-n-half.   If I don't have half-n-half I used powdered milk  (which is also a good way to keep the tea warm longer).       I am too picky.  I know it.  If I have to have sugar in my tea, I survive.  Honey is definitely preferred, though.

Where to find loose teas?   I've had good success at my local health food store.

Online I've purchased great loose teas from;
Adagio
Arbor Teas
Cup of Indulgence  (which seems to no longer be available)
Harney & Sons

I generally prefer to buy organically grown tea.

 Do you have a favorite tea?

*Note:  These are my opinions and I am not being compensated in any way for offering them.  

Let's have tea!

I'm a pretty devoted tea drinker.   I've got a couple of friends who are equally enthusiastic about their tea.   But I often run into people who swear they hate the stuff.  Honest.   It shocks.  Truly.   *wink*

Most people picture lovely teacups when they think "tea".

For some it's the flavor of the tea that they have problems with.    I'm tempted to suggest that they haven't been exposed to good tea...in fact, I AM suggesting it right now.    If you're one who firmly believes you don't like tea - this post and the next one are for you!   

I suspect that you don't appreciate tea because you've had negative experiences with that horror of horrors...instant tea.   [insert gagging here]  or (often just as bad) bottled premixed teas that are usually sweetened with high fructose corn syrup - and LOTS of it.

In my reading on the history of tea drinking in the USA I've discovered that tea fell out of favor mostly as a result of the events that led to the Boston Tea Party.  There were already Americans who were touting the notion that tea drinking was UN-American but that idea didn't really catch on until the events of the Boston Tea Party had played out and Revolution was well under way.

 So an alternative needed to be found (since tea had been integral in the daily lives of people around the world, including those early dwellers in America) and coffee was quickly adopted.

 Over the last several decades tea has enjoyed renewed enthusiasm here in the States.    Yet, there is still a bit of misunderstanding about the different teas available.

 Did you know that Black, Green, White and Oolong teas are all from the same plant?     Did you know it even helps burn fat and improves your immune system?    What's not to love about that?  

Drink more tea! It's great for you.

My next post will be about the nitty gritty of brewing your own and where to find good stuff instead of settling for the tea dust that is usually in your average tea bag.

Coke in a GLASS bottle.

Look what I found!   It was at a little grocery store here in town.  I was so excited to see Coke in a glass bottle.    I dont' even drink soda that often anymore  but when I spotted these I bought 2.

Just a little blast from the past.

Carry on.

Sprouting. The easiest form of vegetable gardening - EVER.

I love the fresh 'green' taste of sprouts.  They're also very nutritious.   I do NOT love the price of store bought sprouts.   So I do my own.  I have a fabulous little sprouter that I use to keep a fairly steady supply of sprouts at the ready.

I couldn't find this online.  But if you google Kitchen Crop you'll find similar models.

A plain old mason jar also works perfectly fine.

I mix my own seed blend.  Our family prefers a blend of broccoli, radish and alfalfa seeds.  The radish gives it such a nice little boost.

Here's what I do:    Make sure your tray (or jar) is clean and also be sure the little siphon valve is also scrupulously clean.

 Measure one tablespoon of the seed blend into the clean tray.

Remove the siphon valve and cover the seeds with water. 

We also enjoy sunflower sprouts but prefer to do them in their own tray instead of adding them to the mix.   I measure 2 tablespoons  (double what is normally used) of sunflowers seeds into the tray.

 Be sure to pick out any broken seed or hull-less seeds.  They'll rot and give you trouble.

We're not thrilled with Bruno's blend.  But love the sunflowers.

If you need a suggestion on where to buy your seeds, I recommend Sprout People.   I've used their tutorials on sprouting as well.  I don't own any of their sprouters so I can't say how they work - but I feel safe in assuming they work just dandy.

 Word of advice.  DO NOT JUST SPROUT ANY OLD SEED.   Be sure you're using organic seed.


Anyway.   Let the seeds soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.    Replace the siphon valve and give them a good rinse.    The directions on the sprouter say to fill gently with water and let it drain into the next tray.   I didn't like the results with that method.  The sprouts didn't get rinsed well enough.   So, now I just hold them under running water and give them a gentle shower until the tray is filled with water, then I sit each tray on the edge of the sink and let them drain into the sink.   The seeds should be rinsed morning and evening every day until they're ready to eat.

Those tiny fuzzy places are roots.  Not mold.   They look this way for a few hours.

The sunflower sprouts.

    In about 5 days they're ready to eat.   We just pull out a clump or two and eat them straight.  But you can add them to sandwiches or anything you wish.

My mixture of broccoli, alfalfa and radish.  You can see the pink from the radishes.

  

When the sunflowers get too tall to sit the top tray over them, I just flip it upside down and make a little terrarium for them.

Another helpful tip if you live in a cold area where nights are still chilly:  Use tepid (not cold) water to rinse.   When I switched to using tepid temp. water my sprouts began to thrive much better.

I hope you decide to sprout something soon.   You'll be glad!

Have you ever had sprouted sunflowers?

If you are reading this from your phone

Tell me how it looks.   I added the Mobile Template and it appears that you shoul be able to read the posts more easily now.

 I'd love to hear from you and get your feedback as to whether I should continue using this feature.

 Thanks everyone!

Stay tuned for a post on growing sprouts on your kitchen counter.

The Queen is not amused.

Lupin says, "If you're referring to the incident with the Hosta...I was barely involved."

Annabelle, "Hey.  Youze guys.  Deez here are amazin!"

I stood watching  like a LUMP instead of shooing them away.

Mmmm Hmmm.  Barely involved.

Lupin, "Psst.  Annnaaaaa.  I think she sees you."

Annabelle, "We gotta work fast goils!"

Chorus, "Nom nom nom"

                                        Uh oh!    Everybody run!!!

Less than 5 minutes, too.

Getting your gardening groove.

I'm going to walk you through  a small course of Gardening 101.

Are you someone who tells yourself the big gardening lie?   You know - the one that  says, "only people with green thumbs can garden successfully?"  I was...nineteen years ago.

I'm tossing in some pictures to inspire you. This is known as Speedwell  or Veronica.

 I had silently crafted myself a kooky version of the lie.   It went something like, "How hard can it be?  Put the plant in a bigger pot or the ground and it'll grow.  DUH."    I honestly believed that my plants would do well simply because I had inherited my Grandmother's green thumb.  Yeah.    Reality got through my hard head when I started to notice how quickly my plants would wane and fade away.   Even the expensive ones!


It made me mad enough to finally take some sensible action.

Roses are not recommended for beginners.  But if you're determined - Make them David Austin Roses!

Seriously.   I wish I could get back all of the money I wasted by walking into  garden centers on random sunny spring mornings;   Buying any plants that captured my fancy  (never even glancing at the little tags that would at least tell what sort of sun that plant required);    Taking them home and shoving them into the ground.     It's almost painful to admit that!   I was young and schtoopid.

This is an annual.   You should try Cosmos.  They're so easy!

I've since learned a valuable little recipe:  dig a $5.00 hole for a $1.00 plant and you will make yourself and the plant very happy.  Now this doesn't mean DIG A REALLY BIG HOLE.  It means - work good compost into your soil.  Now that I have chickens, I'm in the process of making my own compost.   Woo hoo!  But it's perfectly respectable to buy good compost.

So, after a couple years of disappointing results with my flower-growing efforts I was wandering around Home Depot one day and spotted  Sunset's Western Garden Book.   I credit that book  for starting me solidly on the path to becoming a REAL gardener.    It's mostly geared toward conditions here in the West but isn't a waste of money if you can get your hands on it - no matter where you live.

While we're talking about books, one of my gardening guru's is Anne Lovejoy.   Her writing is delightful and she knows her stuff!!  If you run across one of her books  BUY IT.   I own a couple and they're informative and fun to read.  One is Further Along the Garden Path  and the other The Year in Bloom .


Knowing which conditions are ideal for any given plant helps you determine if it's possible to recreate those conditions  in your own yard.   For example -  I live in the High Desert and no amount of soil conditioning and gardening voo-doo is going to make a fuschia look like the one I spotted in San Francisco a few years back.
   Fuschias are essentially annuals in my climate.   (Note:  an annual is a plant that only lives for a season; perennials are plants that come back year after year but usualy look dead during the winter months).   Which reminds me that it's also important to know the difference between annuals and perennials and which plants fit into which category in your area.   Some plants will be perennials in the right conditions  and some are just annuals no matter how well they're treated.   Knowing which is which will help protect your gardeners heart and keep you from developing a complex when your annuals die every year (when they're supposed to) but you blame yourself because you mistakenly believe you've caused it somehow.   The key to becoming a good gardener is knowing when the pitiful plant died from neglect or natural causes.    Neglect would be something you can control:  pests, poor soil, not enough light, too much water, etc...

Once you've armed yourself with the proper knowledge your gardening will begin to yield rewards.

Another abundantly important piece of information to have is the hardiness zone in your area.    Understand, too, that there are micro-climates within any given hardiness zone.  So, while your friend across town can grow tomatoes with very little effort, you may need to find a way to protect yours from chilly evenings.

One of the greatest educational resources you have access to is your local garden center.   NOT your local big box store garden center but a real locally owned garden center staffed by real gardeners who know your local climate better than any gardening book you'll ever own.      After asking your questions and getting some valuable professional input  PLEASE spend some money at that establishment.   I'm not saying you need to get all of your materials from them but at least buy the one item they recommend (if it's in the budget, of course).     We have a local garden center here whose owner is a local legend.   He's a delight to talk to and even has his own radio show on Saturday mornings.   His greenhouse sells an organic fertilizer that they blend themselves  and I buy a big bag of that every year as a way of thanking Doug for helping me be successful in this dry climate with moon dust for soil.


Start small.  Do not charge ahead planning to re-do your entire yard this summer (unless you can afford to pay someone else to do it).   Pick one bed and focus on that.   Probably your front entry would be perfect.   If you live in an apartment, use a nice container.  If you have a front door with a little flower bed area nearby - start there.   Make your entry more welcoming with a plant or a grouping of plants.

With any grouping - odd numbers work better visually.

I could go on and on.  If you have specific things you'd like for me to address - leave a comment.  I promise to get right back to ya  or even to create a post in response (if it seems that there is enough interest).

Are you ready to get planting?

My dog loves the chickens.

 

I imagine that this is what the chicken sees.

Pay it forward.

My friend Mrs. Wookie over on Wookies Wanderings had a lovely idea called Pay It Forward.
So I'm going to follow her example and do one as well.

The rules are simple.   I will send some small handmade item  (made by ME) to the first three people to comment.    I will send the item sometime in the next few months  (before 2011 ends).

Oh and I need to be able to contact you for your entry to qualify.

If you get inspired to do this - be sure to mention me.

The birdies have left the building!

Rejoice with me.

I couldn't resist scrawling a little color on the poor thing.

The girls are happily stationed in their new home and I have cleaned out the old one (an enormous box in the upstairs guest room) and will be vacuuming the 2 inches of dust eventually.    WOW  they made a lot of dust.   It was the airborne equivalent of silt.  Extra fine and everywhere!

 The girls have had to adjust to the harsh realities of life fairly quickly.   Our highs have only hit 60 since I moved them outside and the four of them have spent a good amount of time bundled together in the coop.

Between periods of sunshine they've spent most of their time inside.

Last night it rained continually.    I was anxious to find out if the coop was nice and dry inside, or if condensation had accumulated on the walls.  So I put on my Wellies and headed out there at 7:00am

It was dry!   I knew Batman had constructed a solid little home.

 If any of you are interested in venturing out to do chickens in your backyard I recommend two books;    Chick Days, Raising Chickens from Hatchlings to Laying Hens by Jenna Woginrich  This one is just the basics  but has great photos.   The other is  Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow.  This one is for the true chicken farmer but has all of the nuts-and-bolts information one will need even if only raising a few.   There is even a section on preserving eggs!  Directions on how to calculate the protein rations in the chickens feed, how to clean eggs for storage in the fridge, medical conditions to watch for,  etc...    If you only get one book  make it Damerow's.   I borrowed mine from a friend but fully intend to buy it. 

All the birdies agree that the grass is their favorite place to hang out.

When it comes to a coop/run.  Building your own is a LOT of work.   Our total cost came to $225.00.  If we had purchased a pre-made coop (equivalent to the one Batman built) we would have spent anywhere from $350-$500.00.   We looked at some that were smaller and cost $400 - without a run.  So, building your own is definitely the way to go.

I decided to paint ours to match the house.  Also because we already had the paint.  HA.    I mostly wanted to keep it from being an eyesore for the neighbors.  As you can see in our photos, the fences around here are rather short.   I was used to those 8 foot fences in San Jose.   These took a little getting used to.

We're supposed to have highs in the 70's next week.  I'll believe that if it happens.  *sigh*


How is your spring treating you?  Oh - I guess it's actually summer now.   I couldn't tell [note sarcasm].