Tag Archives: dinner

Jul 13 2011

Peas

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Peas growing in my garden

I have the fondest memories of peas.  My mom always grew peas in her garden and I remember sitting on the porch with my mom on a cool summer night.  My mom would have a bag full of peas and a bowl.  We would just sit there talking and opening up peas and, of course, eating them.

I love to eat fresh garden peas.  In previous years we grew a Lincoln pole pea and didn’t have very much success.  We would only grow enough for a handful and the kids always ate them before I could do anything with them.  This year we tried a new variety called Little Marvel.  This is a bush pea.  So far we have a lot more peas than we ever had.  I have enough to feed the whole family peas, as a side, dish for dinner (although I think they like them better raw).  Corey said that he didn’t think he planted enough last year.  He really packed the seeds in together this year.  Along with a better watering schedule the peas have really taken off.   I think next year I’m going to grow at least twice as many so I can have some to freeze.

Pole verses the bush pea.  On the package of the Little Marvels it said that there was no need to stake the plants.  Pole peas grow tall vertically and will fall over if not staked.  When I bought the Little Marvels (a bush pea) I was under the impression that we didn’t have to stake them.  They did pretty well until the pods started to form and now they have fallen onto themselves and have become a tangled mess.  I think that maybe next time we will set up a trellis along side them so they have something to attach themselves to and maybe stay standing.  Picking the peas can be a back breaking job.  It is better if you have somewhere you can sit or kneel.  I, however, had to bend over for about 15 minutes to pick all the peas.  When I finally stood up my back was very stiff.  Over all I’m pretty satisfied with the results.

Freshly picked

Carrying on the tradition

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophia and her peas

What we have so far

Mar 29 2011

Baked potatoes

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Baked potatoes

Growing up my family would always have a baked potato bar for dinner.  My mom would bake some potatoes and than give us what ever toppings we desired on them.  So every so often I do the same for my family.  I love putting broccoli on my baked potatoes.  I used to make a cheese sauce and also pour it over the top.  This is a healthier version of that.  The broccoli is from last weeks basket.  It’s too late now but I wish I had baked up some of my sweet potatoes and used them instead of your normal potato.  That is also a great way to mix things up a little.  Guess I can to that for lunch sometime.  Even though the potato didn’t come from the basket I’ll tell you that potatoes are high in vitamin C and a good source of potassium.  The broccoli is high in vitamin C and folate.  It is also a good source of dietary fiber and potassium.

Mar 24 2011

Mango Salsa

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Mango Salsa on Red pepper Parmesan Talapia

It’s been a busy week and I haven’t found as much time to blog.  I had to take time to blog about this.  I love mango salsa.  Corey and I especially like it on fish.  The mangoes we got from the basket this week have been perfectly ripe and very sweet.  To make the mango salsa I cubed a mango, chopped red pepper and jalepeno finely, zested and juiced a lime, chopped some cilantro, and added salt to taste.  Corey and I aren’t very fond of fish and have really tried to figure out how to make it.  This recipe was good.  I got it from a new cook book that I bought from Taste of Homes website.  It had a little kick to it so the kids weren’t impressed.  I, however,  really enjoyed it.  Again, mangoes are high in Vitamin A and a good source of Vitamin C.

 

Mar 14 2011

Steak, Pineapple, and Green beans

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Steak, pineapple, and green beans

A few weeks ago my husband had to get new tires on his truck.  So obviously that means we get some free steak.  I know not really what you think you would get for getting tires.  Well I took the steaks out of the freezer and thawed them.  I was a little disappointed with the freshness of the steaks.  So I decided that I would have to do something to them to make them taste good.  It was about 50 degrees out (warm for this area).  I got the grill prepped and ready.  Corey normally does the grilling but he wasn’t feeling good so I got to take a shot at it.  I had sliced the pineapple a few days earlier for easy use and access.  So after putting the steaks onto grill I also put pineapple slices on the grill.  We love grilled pineapple.  It really brings out its natural sweetness.  After flipping the steaks and pineapple I basted them with our favorite teriyaki sauce.  I put some beans on to steam and while I was grilling they got a little too done.  They still tasted great but I like them to be a little brighter in color and more crisp tender.  Over all dinner was a success.  No complaints this time.  The pineapple turned out just right and we had to fight over who was going to get the last piece.  Pineapple is high in vitamin C.  The green beans, which also came from the basket, are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.