Thank You, HolleyGarden!

HolleyGarden is a gardener in Texas with a marvelously green thumb especially with roses.  She's transforming her land as an artist creates a painting.

Earlier this year I sent her some irises and she returned the favor by sending pavonia.  Then this fall I sent her orange day lilies and in lieu of plants she sent me canned goodies.  They arrived yesterday while I was gone.  I found the box in the vestibule when I got home at 8 o'clock last night.

Thank you HolleyGarden!  What a treat these will be.  If you love to smell the roses, you will have to visit her blog.  You can almost get their lovely scent from her posts.

[This is my Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard post and you may find others at Gardener of Eden or Spring Garden Acre]

Leaf Composting

 Do you remember that pallet of stone I got in September?

After I emptied it I thought I'd re-purpose it as a leaf composter.  I rolled it to a spot along the glen that was clear of plantings and started to fill it last weekend with leaves.

Now the only part of my yard that I consider lawn is on the southside of the house between the deck and the glen garden, not more than 20 feet wide.

So the only part I will rake is there.  I did it Sunday and then again today.

 The re-purposed composter is filling up.  I hope it results in some nice leaf compost for the flowers and vegetable beds next spring.

P.S.  I guess you can pick out the photos that were taken this summer,  can't you?

Thursday Kitchen Cupboard

I came across a recipe for curry recently at Rock Recipes and filed it in the recesses of my brain to try some day.  Well, Wednesday was the day, except I didn't follow his recipe I went to this great book

and found a crock pot recipe that required less preparation time.
I had on hand tomato seconds from the farmers market,

 

sweet potatoes,

and these potatoes from the store purchased I don't know how long ago. You see I had to toss some of the potatoes in the compost bucket.

 Here's the recipe:

 I went with the small potatoes and tossed out all the mushy large ones.  Potatoes and cubed sweet potatoes went in crock pot along with 2 carrots chopped.

 Tomatoes chopped and added using fresh instead of canned ones.  I could use frozen ones next time.

 Chicken tenderloins cut up instead of the chicken breasts with the spices including the addition of a teaspoon of curry.

 Stirred it up with a cup of chicken bouillon poured over it.  Now it's ready to slow cook for 6-8 hours.

The house smelled delightful all day.  I added 2 tablespoons of flour to 1/2 cup of milk to thicken the sauce.  Here's the  crock pot with two servings removed.  There is a lot of sauce.

 I served it over rice and had peas on the side.

It is really a stew and it was fine though we both needed to add more salt and ground fresh pepper to flavor it more.  I made notes on my recipe that next time I will use boneless thighs, forget the celery seed, add more curry, salt and pepper and possibly add onions.  I think the long cooking process of the crock pot dilutes the seasoning and possibly a second seasoning needs to happen in the hour before serving.  I'm going to have it again tonight and see how the extra salt, pepper and curry helped it that I added before refrigerating the leftovers.

See what others are cooking or preserving this week at Robin's Thursday Kitchen Cupboard

Wordless Wednesday