The Easiest Pickled Peppers

There is never a shortage of peppers in the summer garden. Peppers LOVE the Texas heat and my plants usually produce well into late October.  My boys love pickled jalapeños and pepperochini on just about everything, so I’m sharing the easiest quick pickled peppers recipe. It’s my favorite way to preserve peppers. 

PICKLED PEPPERS 

1 cup of vinegar (either white or apple cider)

1 cup of water

Three cloves of garlic smashed

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs honey (optional)

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan and heat until boiling.  Remove pan from heat and add sliced jalapeños.  Give it a quick stir and allow to cool slightly before packing into clean jars.  Seal jar with lid and cool on your counter until room temperature. You can enjoy them then or put them in the fridge for a couple of days to let the flavors develop. 

These peppers will keep up to three months in the fridge...

IF they last that long!

Saving Summer, Saving Seeds

For the most part, the summer garden is done with.  The only thing that loves this Texas heat are my peppers.  Since getting my cast off, I've really wanted to get out in the garden (because who wants to garden with a heavy, hot, sweaty cast!).  So earlier this week, the boys helped me weed some beds and I gathered the last few bits of summer from the garden.

Beautiful and fragrant Holy Basil for winter teas.

Besides the peppers, my herbs are the only plants still going strong.

Due to the pandemic, many seed companies are sold out due to panic buying.  But if you already have a garden, it's as simple as letting a bit of your harvest dry on the vine.  With a handful of our favorite pole beans, we'll have way more seed than we need for next year.

Same with the cucumbers.  Just let them over ripen on the vine and harvest hundreds of seeds.  And although I wish I could say this was all an experienced gardener's calculated move...

in honest, I simply let my garden go to hell because it was to hot to tend to it!

I even harvested the sunflower seeds that the birds didn't take!

I love that the garden is so forgiving.

Even if you neglect it, you still can reap it's bounty.

One fun project I did was stringing chili peppers for drying.  It's the first time I've dried peppers this way and I can't believe I haven't done it sooner.  When these beauties are dried, it'll be just in time to make the mole sauce for our Christmas tamales!

And you better believe I'm going to be saving those seeds!

I might even just leave it hanging in my kitchen so I can save the remnants of summer just a little longer.

Ten Weeks Post-Op

I had my 10 week post op check on Friday and things are going GREAT!  I got my cast removed, x-rays taken, and I was deemed well enough to begin life in a boot with partial weight bearing.

In typical "me" fashion, I was sure that as soon as that *$#@ cast came off that I'd be able to walk in a boot without any aides.  

I was wrong.

My leg muscles are extremely weak, my foot is still half numb and just imagine with every step you take you have the WORST case of pins-and-needles known to man.  

Trust me, it's not as fun as it sounds!

Don't let him fool you, he's just after my coffee!

So I hobble with crutches and sometimes my walker.  

I do my exercises and foot massage religiously.  

I will see the doc in three weeks and begin Physical Therapy.

I'm ready.

I have a lot to do!

Thank you for your prayers and company during this journey.

Cucumber Salad

Our #4 son, Daniel, played in a summer baseball league. It is a little over an hour from our home, right in the heart of Houston.  We usually had time to kill before the games and we soon discovered a wonderful Mediterranean market and deli nearby.  The shopping was so fun and the food was amazing!  We started a habit of taking a picnic dinner to the ball field every week. 

Since I don’t eat carbs, my favorite thing to get was a cold cucumber salad with warm chicken shawarma sliced on top. 

Let me tell you, it is DIVINE!

 

Our season is now over and we don’t have an excuse to travel to Houston at the moment, but I still find myself craving this salad.  I set out to try to recreate it (thank you, Pinterest!), and I think I’m pretty close.  Thank goodness for a late season bumper crop of cucumbers in the garden!

MEDITERRANEAN CUCUMBER SALAD 

3 Roma tomatoes diced very small

2 English or 4 Persian cucumbers diced small

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 green bell pepper

2-3 TBS each of dill, parsley, and cilantro

1 TBS dried mint OR 1/2 cup fresh

Juice of 2 limes OR 4 TBS red wine vinegar

3 TBS EVOO

Chop all the vegetables finely and then dress with the herbs, oil, and acid.  I am not a great lover of mint, but trust me, you do not want to omit it in this salad!  Dried mint brings so much flavor to this and it makes it different from any other cucumber salad you’ve had.   

It is the perfect summer salad. 

Now If I could just figure out how to make shawarma without the giant spit oven!

North Georgia Candy Roaster Pie

Every year I try to grow something unusual.  But since I don't have BOTH my gardening legs in use, I decided to grow an oldie but goodie ~ the North Georgia Candy Roaster squash.

This is a winter squash which means that you actually grow it in the summer and it keeps through the year to eat in the winter.  If you imagine that a pumpkin and a sweet potato had a baby, that's what it tastes like.  They are huge, great for months of storage, and delicious!

To make this pie, you'll start by cutting the squash open and scooping out the seeds.  Place the cut ends on a roasting pan with a lip (these things tend to be a bit "juicy").  Cook at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes depending on the size.  

The squash should be fork tender.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash with a fork.  Like I said, these tend to hold some water so I choose to drain the squash, but you certainly don't have to.  You'll need 2 cups of squash for the pie recipe, any extra can be frozen in two cup portions.  From these two squash, I got six cups of flesh!

NORTH GEORGIA CANDY ROASTER PIE

2 C. Candy Roaster squash puree

1/2 C. Sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 C. Evaporated milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 Tbs. melted butter

2 tsp. Cinnamon

Your favorite pie crust

Combine all ingredients (except the crust, duh) into a large bowl and beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth.  Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Now if you can't get your hands on a Candy Roaster, no problem!  You can use ANY sweet-ish squash like pumpkin or acorn, 

or you can use sweet potato or yam. 

Candy Roasters are super easy to grow,

and even easier to eat!

 

Now will somebody please pass me the whipped cream?

Five Things

I’m in a cast and can’t do much right now, but life isn’t all bad. 

Here are five things that I’m loving right now. 

1.  Day trips to the beach.

We live about 40 minutes from Matagorda beach so it’s super easy to pack a bag and take off for the day. There is no better therapy than to sit with your toes in the sand, close your eyes, and listen to the waves crashing.  It restores my soul. 

2.  DouglasCreamerPhotography.com

My husband is resurrecting his photography business.  

It allows him to be creative, make extra money for our family, and we’ve met so many wonderful people through this venture. 

If you’re in need of a photographer, give him a call,

3.  Lunch dates with my husband.

At least once a week we have to leave our small town and travel to Houston for doctor appointments, shopping, or any host of errands.  We’ve decided to turn those days into dates, no kids allowed!  

Now while my dream date doesn’t include walking the aisles of Costco or Tractor Supply, we can at least do it hand in hand.  We have lunch, talk, or just be quiet and enjoy each other’s company.

4.  Tea

If you follow me on Facebook or IG, you know I’m a sucker for iced tea (Buc-ee’s iced tea in particular!). But I’m branching out, y’all!  

I am currently LOVING fresh teas from my garden and exotic dried teas.  Whatever mood I’m in, I have a tea that suits me!

5.  The Fall garden.

My summer vegetable garden is spent so now it’s time to get ready for fall planting. Seed starting begins in August for October planting. I should be out of this cast and walking well by then and I’m so ready to get my hands back in the dirt.  I’ve ordered sturdy new seed starting trays (from Bootstrap Farmer) and lots of new varieties of seeds. I’m really loving sketching out my garden plans for the fall, so many possibilities!

In this crazy time that we are living in, 

it’s important to find things that make you happy. 

Be it food and drink, people, things or places...

what are you loving right now?

At One Month Post Op...

I am exactly four weeks post op from having a Triple Arthrodesis Revision.  And according to my surgeon, it was a crazy difficult surgery to perform with lots of manipulation to my foot and bones.  This same time with my last surgery I was still in bed praying for death!  

But this time....

We are hitting the beach!

Doing double header baseball games!

Heading to church for this girl's 

First Holy Communion!

And I'm in the kitchen processing the garden peppers and tomatoes into gallons 

(literally gallons!) of salsa!

I have little to no pain at all, and simply can't remember the last time I had to take any medication for pain.  I have another six weeks, at least, in this cast but I cannot wait to get it off and get walking again.

And when I do...y'all better watch out!

Ice Cream

Who doesn’t love ice cream?  

It’s just one of those summer time staples, like eating watermelon on the back porch and spitting the seeds into the grass.  Traditionally, making ice cream involves churning, buckets of ice and salt, and lots of time.  But I’ve discovered a way to make some pretty rich and decadent ice cream with just a few ingredients and a little time. 

I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but I found it on a wonderful YouTube channel called Mary’s Nest. 

Here’s her simple process:

Beat two cups of heavy cream into stiff peaks using a stand or hand held mixer, then add one can of sweetened condensed milk and mix until just blended. 

That’s it!  That is the basic recipe. 

You can freeze this mixture as a sweet cream ice cream or add in other flavors.  We added one cup of cocoa powder for a rich chocolate, spooned it into a freezer safe container, and freeze for four hours. 

So many possibilities 

So much deliciousness!

ENJOY!

A Very Good Day

This past Sunday was a two-for-one bundle of goodness!

Our Sunday Mass was celebrated with the Confirmation of our number three son, John Paul.

His classes were cut short due to Covid-19, but this month they rallied so that the young men and women in the parish could receive the Sacrament. Kyle, brother number two, was his sponsor. 

We are so happy for John Paul and trust that God will continue to do great things in his life and bless him abundantly. 

Sunday was also Father’s Day. 

All the kids came home, Kyle made a delicious dinner for the family of chicken fried streak and potatoes with gravy. Daniel made Doug’s favorite, chocolate pie, and a banana pudding. 

We have been blessed with beautiful children, a happy home, strong faith, and love for each other.  Today was a very good day to celebrate it all!

Healing

I had my correctional surgery on June 2nd. 

It went smoothly and I spent just one night in the hospital for pain control. 

Since then, my pain has been minimal and all I need now (at just two weeks post op) is an occasional Motrin.  

And now I spend my days watching Netflix like it’s my full time job. 

So far, recovery has been pretty easy. I keep thinking that THIS is how it should have been the first time I had this surgery. I am still so angry that a year of my life was wasted.

I read a quote a few weeks ago that said, You should never ask, “Why is this happening to me?”  You should ask yourself instead, “What is God trying to teach me?”  

God has a reason for allowing bad things to happen. We may never understand His wisdom, but we simply have to trust His will. 

I guess true healing doesn’t mean that the damage never existed. It just means the damage no longer controls our lives. 

I have a lot of healing to do. 

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Vampire Proofing the House

I have a confession to make. 

I don’t trust my kids...at least in my garden. 

I’m supposed to have surgery in four days and the garden is in full swing. Harvesting ripened tomatoes and peppers is pretty easy, right?  

Just wait for the pretty color changes and pick them. My kids understand this concept. 

But underground crops are a whole other learning curve. 

Garlic is ready in our area some time in July and I really don’t think I’ll be in any state of mind to care what the garlic is doing by then. So to prevent them from rotting in the ground, I pulled up all of my garlic and planted melons in the bed they occupied. 

I debated on drying it for garlic powder or pickling it for burgers. In the end, I decided on something purely decorative. I wanted to make a garlic braid for my kitchen.  

The garlic that was harvested is a hard neck variety but you are only supposed to braid the soft neck varieties (simply because it’s easier). 

I found this awesome YouTube video on braiding hard neck garlic and set to work. 

In about 15 minutes I had finished the "braid"

 and even decorated it with flowers from the garden.  

Now I have a sweet little reminder of the garden 

while I’m not able to work outside for a while. 

Plus, Mary Grace is super excited now that our house is "Vampire Proof!"

I Have Become The Crazy Tomato Lady!

Just call me, "The Crazy Tomato Lady."

I guess I could have worse names.

I am currently obsessed with the hierloom tomatoes growing in the garden right now. 

 If truth be told, I take care of them better than I take care of my children...

I check on them multiple times a day.

Feed and water them religiously.

I play Spotify for them while I'm weeding.  

They LOVE 'Panic at the Disco.'

I lay awake at night worrying if they're being attacked by horn worms.

And I have more pictures of my prized heirloom tomatoes 

than I have of my children on my Instagram account.

So tell me, what would YOU rather look at?

Glorious vine ripened tomatoes lovingly grown from heirloom seed...

Or this motley crew?

It's a tough call.