Making homemade crackers has been on my mind for a long time. Yesterday, for no apparent reason, seemed like the perfect time to give it a try.  They were wonderful, easy treats to make and they'll be beautiful alongside the ubiquitous spinach dip at the next party - people can't ever seem to get enough of it.  Click here for the easy cracker recipe - and here for the ridiculously good spinach dip.  We enjoyed this batch of crackers with extra sharp cheddar cheese, salami, and au naturel.  Delightfully crunchy!

I noticed a glaring omission in my blog entries - where is the woven bacon?  A question you may well ask yourself after feasting your eyes on these magical squares. 

Tonight for dinner I had a nice little pork loin and I decided to wrap it in bacon heaven.  Sadly, dinner was late because it took a long time to cook, but happily, it was delicious!

While I wait for help restoring my original blog entry, here's a link to all it's crispy goodness.


LATER NOTE: Blog not lost!  There is a teeny, tiny "Previous" link at the bottom of the page that takes you to the older entries. It's not very obvious!

After working non-stop in January, my first day off in a month was doubly rewarding with some beautiful fresh eggs - the first gifts ever from our hens.

What a wonderful way to start a weekend!

Three months ago today, our first pullet hens
moved into the new coop.

This morning we had our first AMAZING farm-fresh eggs.  I can't stop grinning!  Click to read more and see pictures of our coop and my first fried egg!

Some new recipes....


Shrimp Scampi
- and -
Oatmeal Squares


Talk about
night - and - day.
These two recipes have nothing at all in common except they are both delicious.

Fall may be upon us, but my tomato plants are finally bursting with ripe tomatoes, after meager pickings all summer.

Steve harvested our home-grown sweet white onions (all 4 of them) and some incredibly small heads of garlic and I decided to make another batch of Pico de Gallo. 

Store bought ingredients work great also, but there's something about knowing that all of the ingredients were grown right here (except the Cilantro which we've not had any luck growing).  To see my simple recipe click here

Motivation to start canning came in the form of a tasty chili recipe that we can't seem to get enough of.  We decided we liked it better than our pantry staple, Dennison's, and that we'd much rather reach for a "can" of ours.

Steve and I have talked about canning off and on for years.  His grandmother canned everything in season, and he grew up watching her toil for days to put up whatever crop ripened next.  Her hard work meant their good fortune for the rest of the year.

I'm hoping to stock up our larder with a variety of things to make after-work meals healthier and a lot easier.   Click here to go to my canning page.

Sharing the flyer I put together for a show on Friday I am participating in.