Ahhh the went by..

The week went by so fast!
Last week we attended Zach's graduation..from preschool. The co-op preschool has been a wonderful place for him to grow and learn. I have been told that its the second oldest co-op preschool in the United States..the first one of course is in Boston.
http://www.lcnsweb.com/index.html

We love this place so much! So Zach is going to attend summer school there, and move on to kindergarten in the fall.

Waiting on stage to sing


Singing


His teachers


Walking across the stage to get his "diploma"


Waiting to toss his cap


The tossing of the caps


The catching of said caps...

Whew! That was fun, I think he had two giant cookies and 3 cupcakes. Good thing we kept him up til midnight at the teachers party.

Here are some garden pics:

Strawberries


peas


here is where we grow our zach..errr cabbages


cauliflower


potatoes..25 plants!


the cherry tomato plant that I grew all winter is still adjusting


Radish and turnips

Yeah life is great here on the farm..I mean in town..lol.

Here is the menu just in case you were wondering:

Sunday:
Spaghetti and meatballs
green salad
Make extra pasta as some will be needed for Wednesday meal.

Monday:
Baked chicken
steamed cauliflower

Tuesday:
Spinach and potato curry

2 bunches spinach
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
1 onion diced
1 can green chilies (small can)
1/5 150z can coconut milk
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
10-12 med. to small red potatoes boiled and then diced
(make two batches of potatoes for potato salad later in the week)
olive oil

Soften onions in olive oil, then add ginger and garlic. Add spinach and more olive if needed. Saute all together until spinach is wilted and softened. Remove mixture and place in blender or food processor. Add half of the coconut milk and all of the curry powder, and a bit of salt and pepper. Puree adding more coconut milk as needed. Remove, stir in potatoes and heat if needed. Serve warm.

Wedsnesday:
Chicken Lo-Mein
Sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice --plus
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic minced

cooked linguine or spaghetti
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts --cut in strips
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion cut into rings
1 carrot shredded
1 yellow, red or green bell pepper sliced in strips
12 oz broccoli florets
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch --mixed with
2 tablespoons chicken broth or water
(you can mix it up with the veggies use whatever is in season or what you have on hand)

To prepare sauce: Combine broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and garlic in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir well to dissolve brown sugar.
marinate strips of chicken in soy sauce and lemon juice. When you are ready to cook, drain the chicken thoroughly; discard the soy-lemon marinade. Lightly coat a wok or large skillet with cooking spray. Heat oil in wok until very hot, then add chicken and onion wedges. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add carrot, bell pepper and broccoli; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until broccoli is tender but still crisp. Pour in sauce; bring to a boil.
Stir in cooked pasta; stir to coat evenly with sauce. Add black pepper to taste. Stir cornstarch mixture into the noodles and vegetables; cook about 30 seconds, or until sauce thickens slightly.

Thursday:
Stove top cheeseburgers
potato salad

Friday:
Crockpot citrus chicken

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup green beans
8 chicken thighs and legs
8 ounces orange juice
1/2 cup honey

Add lemon juice to the bottom of crock. Then cut green beans in bite sized pieces and add to crock pot. Add chicken thighs on top, pour over OJ and honey. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Soo yummy.

Have a great week everybody. Evie

happy 3 day weekend, menu for next week

ahh..the 3 day weekend. Not that I have anything special planned but I am looking forward to it anyways. The pool opens today and I am thinking about taking the boy for a quick dip.
here is next week's menu:

Monday:
Grilled pork steaks
Orzo pasta salad

1 pound orzo pasta
4 green onions, chopped
6 ounces cherry tomatoes (about 20)
1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 cup kalamata olives, chopped
½ cup feta cheese


Dressing:
2/3 cup light extra virgin olive oil
4 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sugar


Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Quartering the cherry tomatoes.Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a glass jar with a lid. Shake to mix.Initially add about 1/3 cup of the dressing to the salad mixture. Adjust seasoning and amount of dressing to suit your tastes.

Tuesday:
Sloppy joes
raw veggies and dip

Wednesday:
Crock-pot chicken curry
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ teaspoon each – salt, black pepper and paprika or to taste
1 large onion, thickly diced
8-10 small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 cup chicken broth
1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1 ½ teaspoon curry powder, or more if desired
½ teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Place chicken in the skillet and sprinkle each side with salt, black pepper and paprika. Brown chicken by cooking over medium heat 3-4 minutes per side.Place browned chicken in a slow cooker.
In the same skillet you used to brown the chicken (don’t wipe it out!), sauté onions and potatoes on medium heat for 4-6 minutes, stirring often. It’s alright if they get a little brown. Add the sautéed onions and potatoes to the slow cooker with the chicken.Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Make sure the cornstarch is completely stirred in, as it often settles to the bottom.
Add the liquid ingredients in the bowl to the same skillet you have been using and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken. Pour this mixture over chicken, onions and potatoes in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.Serve over rice.

Thursday:
Green salad
Tuna and tomato melts:

2 slices of multigrain bread
can of tuna
1 tbsp of mayo
a dollop of spicy brown mustard
1/2 a small vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 a Roma or plum tomato, chopped
Muenster cheese slices

Toast bread,Meanwhile, chop about half a sweet Vidalia onion and half a Roma tomato into bite-sized chunks. In a small bowl, mix the drained can of tuna fish, a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and a squirt of spicy brown mustard. Stir in onion and tomato. Place the bread on a baking sheet. Spread half the mixture on each slice of lightly toasted bread. Cover each half with one slice of Muenster cheese. Place the baking sheet under the broiler on Lo until the cheese has melted and the bread crust is starting to turn dark brown.

Friday:
Tacos
refried beans

Enjoy.
Garden pics to be posted sometime this weekend.

Back after a long hiatus!

I have been gone for so long..But now I am here. I was busy getting ready for my jam booth and then I have been sick. Time for review!
Well since I have not blogged for a while some pics are due.
Zach and Gene went to the kids fishing derby. While Zach did not get a big one, he did however win a new hat and had a great time with our friends from the Parker-Timms family.

We also attended a really fun May Day party, complete with May Pole. Here are some pics of the kids walking around it:

Amadeus and Daniel

Eli and Nonni

Zella and Ameera

Zach and River
The party was a really good time and where I picked up my wonderful illness. Too much meade sharing I guess.
The chicks are turning into fine ladies here are some new chick pics:

The ducks: Toot and Puddle and Big Bird

Zach's chicken Mariette

Tabitha our Barred Rock chicken (my favorite)

Breakfast time for the ladies

And now for the menu!

On Sunday we had a corned beef with new potatoes and baby carrots. And the leftovers will be recycled into a mid-week meal.

Monday:
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
coleslaw
baked beans

I am using leg quarters because they were .30 a lb for 10 lbs, I broke the bag into 3portions so I can get three meals out of them.

Chicken:
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 large onion sliced into rings
3 leg quarters or assorted pieces of chicken
garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 bottle BBQ sauce

Cut chicken quarters into two pieces each. Put butter into bottom of crock, lay sliced onions on top. Salt and pepper, and sprinkle chicken with garlic powder. Brown on all sides. Place in crock, and cook on low for 6 hours. Cover with sauce the last hour of cooking. Serve with coleslaw and baked beans.

Tuesday:
Slow cooker beef and broccoli
steamed rice
2 lbs round steak, cut into small cubes
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef broth, divided
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger root(i use the jarred stuff)
1 bunch fresh broccoli cut into florets

Coat the meat with flour, paprika, salt and pepper.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. When hot, add ½ of the flour coated beef.
Brown the meat on all sides.
Place browned meat in a slow cooker.
In the same skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Add ½ cup of beef broth, the soy sauce and ginger root. When this liquid is hot, pour over the beef in the slow cooker.
Cook on low 5-6 hours for ½” beef pieces. If beef is in 1”pieces or larger, cook on low at least 7-8 hours or until beef is tender.
Stir in steamed broccoli when meat is done. Mix well. Serve over hot rice.

Wednesday:
leftover meal
Corned beef hash
scrambled eggs
fruit

hash:
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked corned beef
2 cups frozen hash browns(the cubed style)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 finely minced small onion
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Saute the onion in a small amount of veggie oil until just softened, add the potatoes and a more oil and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the corned beef and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the beef broth and cook on high until the liquid is absorbed.
Cook until a soft crust forms. Serve hot with scrambled eggs and fresh fruit.

Thursday:
Homemade clam chowder
garlic bread

Chowder:
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste

Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Friday:
Spaghetti and meatballs
green salad


I had an uneventful jam booth at the preschool 5K. I made far less than I expected, but I have some people who want jam, so I won't worry too much.
The garden looks wonderful and prospect of yummy veggies makes me very happy. I will try and post some pics of the garden soon.