My Adventures In Gardening - Starting Early, Starting Organic!

I've been trying to gain a green thumb. I am really excited about growling organic vegetables in containers. I'm a newbie at this, so I figured container gardening would be a good start.

I guess it all started when I went to target, and found some potting mix on clearance  and it just peaked my interest.

I ordered some seeds on Etsy, that are organic and non-gmo, and on etsy, they have wonderful choices. I got all different kinds of vegetables to try, as well as herbs.

I got basil, rosemary, dill, thyme, chives, sweet marjoram.

As for my vegetable seeds, I have broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, and bell peppers. Later this summer, I'll be starting cantaloupe, and pumpkins.

And as for flowers, I started marigold, and lavender.

I bought these awesome elevated planters online on sale, so starting my garden just  seemed right.

My lettuce is coming up beautifully, and my kale seems to be doing well. I must admit, that I'm a little impatient, because I want them to sprout up already:/

The cauliflower seems to be holding up.

These are my spinach, which has just arrived.

Once they sprout a bit more, I can transplant them into the planter. Right now some are growing in cups, or seed starter kits.

I know that it will take some time, and trying to get things right. I just need to get the watering ratio down. I tend to overwater, and I'm trying to find the right balance. I'm sure that after some trial and error, I will become a true gardener.

I love the idea of having a little garden space. I'm not looking to big crops or enter in any garden competitions or anything. Not yet anyway. I'm just trying to start with a few plants of each kind and see if I can grow something to harvest. I tell you though, it's not as easy as it may look.

My kale is starting something!

I can't wait to cook up some marinara sauce, using my own peppers, tomatoes and basil. And by feeding my family organic vegetables, I know that I will be doing something right.

I will be cooking a lot with my cabbage and kale once it comes to harvest, and I might even start more once I get the hang of it. It will be so rewarding to know that I grew my own organic food. And this is the way to go.

Have you grown anything lately? I'd love some tips and advice for a newbie like me:)

 

Herbs De Provence Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Today I am trying to re-invent myself, my house and my life. A new year and a new me. I am going on a diet, I am working on home improvements, I am getting rid of clutter, and putting away all of the holiday decorations. And tonight I will try to change up my usual roasted chicken with something a little more fancy, a little more special.

My family loves roasted chicken. For us, it's like a go to meal when you just don't know what to cook. I'll say "how about roasted chicken?" And my family will say "yeah that sounds good!" My husband says he can eat roasted chicken everyday. My daughter loves it with lot's of herbs. Today I will be trying Herbs de Provence. I have never tried it before, but the smell from this herb mixture is so earthy and refreshing.

The herbs that were in this packet of Herbs de Provence, included

Onion, sea salt,rosemary, marjoram and lavender. The lavender paired so well with the earthiness of the rosemary.

This chicken was definitely a hit! This recipe will now be one of our weekly meals.

Trying this herb mixture made me want to channel a little Julia Child in my cooking. 

For my brush on marinade, I will be using the juice of one lemon. 

The juiced halves, I will be placing in the cavity of the chicken, along with a sprinkle

Of salt and a few sprigs of rosemary.

If I have twine on hand, I will usually use some to tie up the legs of the bird, but when I don't have any twine on hand, I use a method that I had seen demonstrated on a cooking TV program. 

what I do is cut a slit very carefully in the flap of meat that is near the entrance of the cavity, and I stick the leg that is on the opposite side of the bird, through that little slit.

And I repeat on the other flap. Be sure not to make your 

slits to wide though, as the chicken leg may not stay put.

Interesting look right?!

I used a pastry brush to slather on the Herbs de Provence mixture.

Looks great so far!

For the bird:

1 4-5 pound whole chicken

2 tablespoons herbs de Provence 

2 teaspoons salt

 1 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon halved and juiced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

A few sprigs of rosemary

For vegetables:

4 potatoes halved or quartered

5 carrots chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, and 2 tablespoons herbs de provence, stir to combine. One chicken has giblets removed and has been rinsed and dried, I first like to season the cavity with some extra bit of salt and pepper. I then put the lemon halves that have already been juiced, and place in cavity along with a few springs of fresh rosemary.

Close legs with twine or you can try the method that I have spoken about earlier.

Set chicken in a roasting pan.

Pour herb mixture over chicken and rub on all over chicken. 

In a large bowl, add olive oil, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon herbs de Provence. Stir to combine mixture. Add cut potatoes and carrots to the bowl and toss with herb mixture until vegetables are well coated.

Place vegetables around your bird so everybody is snuggled.

Bake at 425 for about 1 and 1/2 hours. I usually check for doneness 

At 1 hour. You will know it's ready when an instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees when placed in the deepest part of the thigh.

Remove from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

If you liked this recipe, please remember to share!

Miracle Grill Mat Review - Lil' Smokies and Beans Recipe

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This is not a sponsored post. I just love QVC. I recently saw an on air demonstration for these grill mats and I fell in love with the idea! 

You can now cook veggies on the grill without a grill pan, without the fear of veggies or foods falling through the grates, without all the leftover mess on the grates. You can fry an egg right on the mat, fry cheese right on the mat. That's right I said fry cheese! 

Cheese came right off!

It is non stick so it cleans right up. And when you grill a steak on it, you still get great grill marks without flare-ups. This was all done on a QVC on-air demonstration, so I got to see it in action on live T.V. but since it is still a bit warm here in California, I am going to grill some food to try it out for myself.

I found them very easy to use, just place them on the grill before turning on grill.

When grill is warmed up just place meat and veggies as you normally would on a grill. Everything cooked so well and the finished food  looked even better than cooking on a grill without the mat. 

Now you can fry bacon on the pit!

The food was absolutely tender and delicious , and the mess cleans right up, just use a wet towel to wipe it off.

The veggies never fell through the grates and they cooked beautifully.

You can cook bacon and eggs right on the grill with these mats!

Check out my bacon and eggs happy face:)

Everything came out wonderful 

Here is a bacon egg burger. YUM!

From QVC website:

Get out of sticky situations with this set of nonstick mats. The two grill mats are designed to reduce flare-ups and burns, while helping to keep foods juicy, tender, and with great grill flavor. The ultimate baking mat allows for cooking and baking with no sticking and no need for fats and sprays.

Includes two grill mats and one baking mat

Microwave-safe; oven-safe up to 500F

PTFE-free nonstick fabric

Measure approximately 13"W x 15-5/8"L

5-year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty

Made in China

This comes with two grill mats and one baking mat which I tried out with simple pumpkin cookies and when the cookies cooled I tried to lift one with my hands. That did not turn out so well. The bottom of the cookie stuck to the baking mat and while removing the cookies with a spatula worked a little better, I still prefer parchment paper to this baking mat:( 

I had high hopes for the baking mat but for now I am sticking to parchment.

The grill mats make up for the baking mat. And I feel that it was still worth buying.

Yes these mats need to be cleaned by wiping them down with a wet cloth then when they have cooled, take them into kitchen and clean them well with a dishcloth and warm water and soap. But compared to scrubbing down grill grates, this is a breeze. 

And the best part is, it is only  $19.86 for two grill mats and one baking mat! 

How awesome is that!

We made some bacon and egg burgers!

http://www.qvc.com/The-Ultimate-Grill-and-Baking-Mat-3-pc-Set.product.K39683.html

Now for the recipe:

To go with our barbecue, I have prepared some barbecue baked beans. This dish is a regular when we grill, as it goes with EVERYTHING!

And even though I did not bake them, I am still calling them that because it sounds better than cooked beans:)

I love the way these beans taste. They are smokey with a spicy kick from the heat of the Serrano and crushed red pepper, and when dipped into with a tender piece of steak, your in heaven!

They do not take long and I usually make them while the hubby bubby is grilling, so everything is done at the same time.

Lil smokies or cocktail smoked sausage about 4 oz

2 15oz cans van camps pork and beans

Half a small onion sliced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Serrano pepper sliced

1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 Teaspoon crushed red pepper

In a saucepan on medium high heat, add olive oil and cook sliced onions and sliced Serrano pepper until translucent. 

About 5-7 minutes. Add ground pepper and crushed red pepper and cook about a minute more. 

Add lil smokies,Stir to combine and cook on medium low a few minutes more or until sausages have browned just a bit. 

Add both cans of beans, stir and cook on low simmer for about 20-30 minutes.  

Serve warm.

This dish is best served with steak and some sour cream, fried pork chops, hot dogs or even fried eggs!

You can add other meats to these beans like bacon, hot dogs too!

So this is me last barbecue before the cold weather really starts to come around and I hope you like it.

Do you still que in the fall?