Herb Pitas

I'm not a chef by any means but I do love to grow herbs and so when it involves my plants, I do like to make some eats.  This recipe is super simple and there's a lot of  room for creativity and for using what's available.  I went out this morning with my apron and clippers to see who was ready for a little trim.  I snipped some basil, blue african basil, dill, cilantro, chocolate mint, lime mint, lime thyme, marjoram, and some green stuff with red veins.  Each time I make this it's a little different because each morning a new plant has made a bunch of leaves that need pruning.  I suppose you could also try and juts use the ones you'd think would taste good together.

So I rinse them off in a colander and set them aside.  Also, check for little spiders.

My sis and I were at a Jewish bakery and that's where we found this pita.  You can get it at any grocery store or even use tortillas if you'd like.  We just happen to have a large bag of these giant pitas so it is my bread of choice at the moment.

My favorite vinegar to use is balsamic but I have this red wine vinegar I gotta use up.  Apple cder vinegar is also good to use.  Any ole olive oil is good.

I love love love goat  cheese.  If you hate hate hate it, you can also use mozzarella or your fave crumbly cheese.  I got this log at Fresh Market.

You can put the pita on a cookie sheet and toast it in the oven or toaster oven, but to make it super simple, I tear the pita into quarters and toast them in the toaster!  This also keeps from over heating the house if you live in a hot ass state like I do.

Once the pita is toasted, I drizzle on the olive oil and vinegar making sure I evenly coat it.  The vinegar is the best part because its tangy zing keeps me from using any salt of which I am a huge fan.  I pick the pieces up off the plate and move them around so the edges are covered too.

I then remove all the stems from the herbs and begin ripping them into pieces.  As you put it on the pita you will notice some spots will have sage or basil or a lot of mint.  This makes each bite a surprise and super tasty.  What will your mouth savor next?!

Then I use a fork to make cheese crumbles and sprinkle these on top.  You can also put on tomatoes if you have some or sprinkle salt and pepper although I don't.  The herbs give it such great flavor and Ive been trying for a while to not be such a salt fiend.

And there you have it! A super healthy snack using the fruits of your labor.  I'm already dreading fall and winter when I will lose such great plants right on my back porch.

Not Suitable for Young Sweet Tooths

In preparation for a party, I had a lot of baking to do.  I got a box of chocolate cake batter, followed the instructions, then poured the mixture into the pans.  You really need to do a good job greasing the pan first and make sure there is enough in the tip as that is the part most likely to cook too fast and be so thin it sticks and stays in the pan.

I made an icing out of powdered sugar, water, and vanilla as I knew it would give me the color and consistency I needed.  Beware of adding too much water! I ended up making 20 times the amount I NEEDED.  Start off with minimal amounts of water and by this I mean like a tablespoon.  I added about half a cup of water to a bowl and needed cups and cups of sugar to thicken it up.

After arranging them on the platter, I put on some coconut pubes and gave it a jizzle drizzle.  The tray was also good for some candy making.  I melted bags of chocolate for this one in a makeshift double broiler.

Success!  

And my husband thinks I can't cook...

Bird Houses

Visited the Arboretum where they were having a bird house competition.  There were a few categories, Adult Serious, Adult Fancy and children were divided into age groups. I took pics of some memorable entries.

This was in fancy and was a great tiled pieced.  You got a ballot slip and could mark the best in each grouping.

This was my #1 for fancy.  Like a great vintage piece of furniture

This was all wood and was an incredible example of modern design 

This was in the children's 7-9 age group and it was very creative.  Sometimes you could tell the kids had a lot of help from an adult, but there was one in particular that just screamed out, "i did it all by myself and in only 4 minutes!"

You can't really see in the pic, but they DID cross out the word tissues, and they used masking tape to get that popsicle stick perch on.  Off in the corner a dad was consoling an obviously upset child, telling him to look around at the other's to get some ideas for next year.  HEE-HEE.

Hippie Headbands

I have this great vintage Macrame book I've owned for decades and after admiring the images for so long I settled on a few pieces I wanted to master.  One was a sweet bikini and the other was a great headband.

After trying FOREVER to get down macrame basics I finally started to make one only to find out you need MASSIVE lengths of hemp and I ended up with just enough knotting for a choker.  Since I have a million crocheted roses I was making pins and barrettes with, I just made them into the hippie headbands I was craving for so long. 

I have a pic of myself from when I was about 4 with a piece of leather tied around my forehead and it was such a good look then, I'm gonna go with it.  Seems to be "in" anyways.  Plus these  can be worn 4 ways.  As a regular headband, hippie headband, choker, and wrist corsage.

I'm having so much fun adding the beads to the end for finishing touches.

I have about 30 of these made and I've got to get around to selling them.  Started posting them online and I have the opportunity to sell at an event today but I miss having Artisans Alliance with me at craft events.  Selling Solo is like mama bird throwing me out of the nest.

Cookout Recipes

My arm is still itchy and feels like a bruise where the idiot wasp got me.  I told my sister to torture it for me when she catches it.

I forgot to get a final pic of the ceiling tiles I painted for a local eatery, but this was taken the day before completion.  I fixed his hat to be a sombrero.  Here, it's more Asian than Mexican.  I also put the details in the roses before handing these in.

Today I made some sides for a cookout and started transplanting seedlings.  What I think is spinach is doing AMAZING!

My favorite cookout recipe: Pasta Salad!

Two boxes of tri-color rotini pasta, cooked according to box directions
One cucumber diced
Two roma tomatoes diced
Half an onion diced
Can of black olives diced
Jar of green olices diced
2 cup bag of shredded cheddar cheese
2 bottles of Italian dressing

I add the cheese LAST because the warm pasta will melt it.  Also, I add one bottle of dressing to let it soak in and the second I will add just before serving so it has a nice coat.  It was pretty cheap since I got everything from Walmart.

Then, I made the Carrot Salad.  For this I bought:

Bag of carrots

Box of raisins

Can of pineapple

I send the  carrots through a food processor but you can save time (just not money) by buying it already shredded.  Super simple, mix ingredients to your liking

And of course, the Southern Favorite of Banana Pudding, Hooray!

Bananas

Nilla Wafer Cookies

Vanilla Pudding

Milk

Prepare your pudding according to box instructions

Slice yer bananas

Begin lining your casserole dish

I do round side down so you get a nice flat surface for the banana to sit upon.

Now after you've covered the bottom of your dish, add a thin layer of pudding:

 I use the back of the spoon to smooth it out being careful not to disturb my first layer.

Then you start another layer of cookies and 'naners on top of this.  When you do your second layer, you can do the sides as well but using only cookies.  

.

You continue to do this until you have filled your dish or run out of ingredients.  I used two big boxes of pudding, a box of cookies, and three bananas

For the finishing layer, I just did a layer of bananas yet neglected to photograph it.  At the moment I am in my room nursing a belly ache from eating so many of the ingredients of all my masterpieces.  Gotta get better before the main event!

Owie!

I felt a weird sensation on my arm, like a bite.  I didnt see anything and upon further inspection found a wasp crawling on my dress.  Ow!  The warm weather is still worth it.  Tank top dresses, sandals, and growing herbs.  My sis and I looked up wasp bites on youtube and promptly put a freezer pack with a teddy on my arm after not seeing a stinger.

Maybe it was the one I smacked from earlier.

Stumbling Blocks

I wore my new crocheted rose hair clip out today and I am just so in love with it.

When we moved, I got rid of 4 shelves which had held my fabric.  I'm barely getting along without them.  Most of my material is still in boxes and it makes it so difficult to go through and work with my inspiration.  Plus, the boxes don't stack so well since they are from such different places and of varying sizes.  Right now my machine is on the floor in the family room and my supplies are upstairs which makes finding matching patterns hard.  Everything I've made since I've been here has been from the same pieces.   Oh well.  So much else has been going in my favor.  Once Easter comes I'll have to push it off to a corner since people will be staying in that room.  Frustrating... 

I love how many hippies are here in NC.  I drove by a couple of them today and they had a sign looking for a ride to Greensboro.  Had it been my car, I probably would have picked them up, just for the adventure and to explore a new place.  Instead, my mom locked the doors.

After thinking I had killed off my seeds by planting them too early, today I spotted growth!!  Finally something identifiable as Purple Basil cannot be mistaken for cilantro or chiles.