More Thoughts, Fewer Ideas

Of course, when I write about possibly stopping writing . . . I all of a sudden have so much to say. First, I wanted to extend a big thank you to those of you who sent me comments and messages on this topic. That's the reason I've continued on as long as I have. This community is so supportive and kind. I have loved "knowing" some of you for the past decade, give or take.

It seems like you guys mostly understand where I am right now with blogging. I love writing. I don't love content generation. Also, I think some of you were confused when I wrote that I like watching YouTube and Instastories more lately. I don't mean I'm considering replacing writing with these things. In my experience, putting together videos for my YouTube channel takes so much more time and energy. Writing flows. I also don't have to get dressed or put on makeup to write. I suppose I don't need to do that to record either -- but you know, vanity.

The more thought I've put into the whole situation, the more I've decided that less is definitely more. As a writer and as a reader, I think this idea holds true. A return, perhaps, to the good old days of blogging may be my thing. A 2005-style (thanks, Chrissy!) of longer or at least more poignant narratives, less often. More of my thoughts and less take-home ideas (though I'm sure bits and pieces will spark things you may want to try for yourselves). A recipe where it feels right, but not testing and tooling for recipe creation's sake.

Obviously, I'll continue to share the everyday things I'm doing. Like how we're building a glorified kiddie pool with a filter (!!!) so we won't have to continually dump and refill all summer long! (By the way, if you've wondered where I've been on social media recently -- I've been digging and leveling.)


I've always been meaning to share more about my homesteading efforts, too. I just planted our garden for the year, for example, and I'm excited to start small.  I had all these sweeping plans to be much more impressive, but -- again -- the theme this year seems to be less is more.

A longstanding goal of mine is to grow more of our own food in the backyard. I have had many missteps along the way. But instead of forcing . . . sharing my tips and tricks, I'd rather just share the chronicles. Because I actually don't know what I'm doing! I'd rather write about my observation of the pesky robins and other birds who jump the fence I took a good hour erecting. They laugh in my face as they nosh on the would-be eggplants and peppers.


Somehow when I inserted that last image, it deleted the rest of what I had written. Several paragraphs. Fail. So, I mostly wanted to say that I appreciate there are some of you who still read blogs. Already, writing in this more narrative style versus TIPS and DIY THIS and PIN ME! It's just easier. It suits me more in this stage of life.

So, if you'll keep reading . . . I'd love to keep at it in this way. And if you read blogs that are in this style, please share them with me. I'd love to get back to more reading, too.

Let's begin this resurgence of old-school blogging. I'm all in!

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Pistachio Basil Pesto

We returned home to a bursting-from-its-seems garden. (Here’s what our garden is like this year.) And by that I mean we have a ton of tiny tomatoes and basil that we need to use up ASAP. Good thing those are two of my favorite ingredients -- right?

Now, you guys know all about my love affair with pesto.

Let’s review:

• Pumpkin Pesto Rolls
• Creamy Pesto + Avocado Sauce (video)
• Garlic Scape + Swiss Chard Pesto, 2 Ways
• Steamed Pesto Dumplings
• Pesto Pizza Dough
• Spinach + Zucchini Pesto
• Baby Kale Pesto
• Walnut Basil Pesto
• Basil-Pesto French Toast
• Pesto French Toast, II -- with Avocado Butter
• Pesto Quiche with Oatmeal Crust
• Pesto Garlic Knots
• Pesto Portabella Sandwiches
• (Pesto) Smothered Mother

PISTACHIO PESTO

What you’ll need . . .

• 1 cup clean basil leaves
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• Squeeze lemon juice
• ground black pepper

Method . . .

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
2. I used roasted/salted pistachios and took them out of their shells for this recipe. 
3. Also: I didn’t add salt because the nuts were already salted.
4. I also rinsed the basil and then pat it dry with paper towels. I didn’t cook the basil, though. Left it raw.
5. You can play around with the oil to make your pesto dryer or runnier. It’s a preference thing.
6. You might also have success using some nutritional yeast in place of the cheese.

Enjoy!

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Our Garden + Yard

Mother’s Day weekend was spent in the mud this year. I will never pretend to have a green thumb. In fact, if it isn’t black, it’s at least turning darker in color with each passing day. The thing is, I really wish I knew more about plants and how to maintain them. My mother-in-law could spend weeks elbow-deep in the dirt, so she was kind enough to offer some help to get our operation up and running.

For the raised bed, we planted basil, cucumbers, tomatoes of a few different varieties, and some peppers. I wanted to get more, but also decided that keeping it relatively simple might be the best decision.


I also planted all those seedlings I started in the house in another section. Some of them -- pumpkins, mostly -- are doing quite well. There are a few other sprigs popping up, so I’ll be interested to see what survives and thrives here.

See the greens? They’re there if you squint:


Ada’s garden is a mix of different bright flowers and plants that she can care for herself. She loves bringing her little watering can over each night and giving these guys a drink. It’s this new fun part of the bedtime routine where we give all the flowers and plants water and breathe in some outdoor air before retreating into the air conditioning for the night.

She loves it. Can you tell?


Then on the deck we have some potted herbs. I decided to keep these closer to the door so I could run out and snip some when I cook. We have cilantro and more basil. Again, we stuck with the basics -- stuff we always use/eat. My in-laws bought me a beautiful hanging basket for Mother’s Day, so we have that hanging on a hook too. We also found a few other plants in and around the yard that we potted to add some atmosphere.


Of course, the compost bin!


Another big project we have going this year is scrubbing and staining the deck. Not sure when this will all go down, but the other day we got some rain so I went out on my hands and knees and just started scrubbing. It looks great, so once we get more rain today, I’d like to finish so we can stain sometime soon.

Can you tell what’s clean/what isn’t?


Stephen also has this thing about dandelions. The people who used to own our house did all the chemical lawn services. So, our yard has relatively few weeds . . . for now. But he goes out every single night and hunts down anything that might otherwise disrupt the ocean of green.

We’ll see how long it lasts!


Otherwise, the other “outdoor” issue we’re dealing with . . . ants. Tiny black ants. Hundred of them. They’ve built an ant highway in my dining room . . . that we haven’t been eating in lately anyway (so I don’t know why they’re coming in there). I’ve tried cayenne pepper and vinegar. Those two things actually worked with a smaller issue in the living room. Otherwise, these tiny guys just keep coming. And coming!

Some of my friends suggested cinnamon essential oil or terro or powder or other stuff. I am willing to try it all. We did cave and get some of that bait things that the ants are supposed to take back to the nests. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. We have never had an ant issue, and my skin is seriously crawling!

What are your big outdoor projects this year?

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Homesteading // Spring Is Near

We had over two feet of snow on the ground just a few days ago. It’s melted to less than six inches, and I’m starting to see brown blades of grass peeking out. Along with the earth’s thawing, my own body and mind are warming up to the idea of being outdoors again. After the winter we’ve had, it doesn’t even seem real that we’ll soon be able to walk around without all the bulk. And I certainly have a lot I want to do with our “land” (errr, backyard) and there are tons of other projects that extend indoors as well.

I plan to share some of our spring goals soon, but I thought I’d first give you an update on how we did with our winter homesteading goals . . .

Research Chickens: I did some good reading about chickens and feel like I have a handle on the things that are involved with finding them, making a place for them to live, caring for them, etc. That being said, I think this year isn’t the time to get started with the endeavor because our attention is definitely sucked in too many other places. My conclusion is that raising backyard chickens isn’t something to take lightly, so I think we’re going to push out the timeline a couple years.

Make Soap: Instead of making soap, I opted to get friendly with beeswax, making candles and ornaments, and all different types of lip balms and salves (like Natural Vapor Rub). I’m even considering making the ornaments for sale next year because I had so much fun and friends + family seemed to really like them. Since I had spent a chunk of money on getting supplies for these projects, I figured I’d wait on the soap stuff -- maybe I’ll add this one to my spring list.

Make Cheese: I did make cheese! Just not mozzarella. We love Indian food, so in an effort to stop eating out as often, I tried making paneer at home using this recipe. It worked out pretty well, but didn’t hold together quite as I had hoped. It kind of reminded me of when I tried making it a few years ago except it was in more solid form. Overall, I’m excited to try some different cheeses.

Plan Garden: This year I’m going to stick to the confines of our current raised bed garden which is about 6 feet by 10 feet. I found a nice garden layout guide that I’m going to loosely follow. Right now I’m starting my seeds indoors versus buying plants like we’ve done in the past. I’ll be honest, I’m worried nothing will grow indoors or that the cats will eat any sprigs that do pop up. Only time will tell! At least the seeds were all 50% off.

Knitting, Etc.: I had a lot of fun knitting with my Martha Stewart Loom Kit this winter. I made two hats for myself, one for Stephen, and a hat and cowl set that Ada wore to school most every day. It was sort of amazing that we all actually wore the stuff I made because I’ve knitted in the past but just never finished anything. I think I’ll probably slow on the knitting when we’re outdoors more, but I’d like to extend my skills next year into some more intricate stitches and projects.

And don’t miss . . .

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* Here’s the image source for the 1800s garden above.

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Quinoa Salad with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Did I ever tell you what we ended up doing with our garden? We had some grand plans, but life certainly got in the way. Most years at this time, we'd have far too much squash.Tons of tomatoes. And strange, unknown items readying for a fall harvest.

This year?

A weedy wasteland. There's some mint. Note to you all: Never plant mint. We took some from our neighbors a few years ago (they were desperately chopping it OUT of their gardens), and it's been plaguing us ever since.

Just a few feet away from our barren dirt patch, our other neighbors (our surrogate grandparents) have this:


I've never asked why, but they only ever plant tomatoes. That's all. But they're awesome at it. Their secret for growth? M.a.n.u.r.e. Just a little bit. Every spring, I see Jack, the husband, turning the soil. I guess that's what he's putting in there!

Speaking of tomatoes . . .


We posted a delicious slow-roasted tomato method over the weekend. If you haven't checked it out yet -- now's the perfect time. You'll need between 2 and 3 hours. But it's totally worth it.

They taste incredible on their own. But I promised you a recipe using them. So, here it is!


The Jaws book is to celebrate Shark Week. Stephen actually found this 1st edition copy at a thrift shop over the weekend for $1. One dollar. Yeah. Anyway, this mix isn't exactly difficult to make. It's a simple, quinoa salad with tofu, tomatoes, and a basil dressing.

You'll need the following:

• Slow roasted tomatoes 
• 1 block tofu, pressed, cubed, and fried 
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa (cooked with 1 cup water)

Once you have prepared all of that, toss it in a large bowl. You can also feel free to add whatever else you might like. Roasted squash. Chickpeas. Sliced almonds. Cranberries. Whatever. That's what I like about meals like these.

No rules.


Not-so Secret Sauce:

• 1/4 cup canola oil 
• 1/2 cup white vinegar 
• 1 tablespoons brown mustard 
• 1 clove garlic, chopped 
• 1 to 2 handfuls fresh basil 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Then pour however much you'd like into the quinoa mixture. Save the rest. Or use it all. Also feel free to add other things to adjust it to your tastes. Like Vegenaise for creaminess. Or avocado. Or nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.

In case you missed it, there are many, MANY health benefits of quinoa. Especially for runners. Just check out this post.


Today on Writing Chapter Three, I'm disclosing that I am indeed pregnant. With emotion. C'mon. A Dreft commercial made me cry yesterday. Ridiculous!

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Ratatouille for Two

I have a few recipes in the memory bank for nights when I feel like cooking up something healthy with very little effort. Ratatouille is one of these recipes. I mean, what could be simpler/healthier/more satisfying than chopping up veggies, tossing them in a little olive oil + salt + pepper, and roasting for half an hour?

I don't know if what I make is considered a classic or particularly traditional ratatouille. My memory may have failed me with specific proportions throughout the years. But this is how we make it in our house. And if you need some veggies in your life, it's well worth trying out yourself.

RATATOUILLE FOR TWO

What you'll need . . .

• 2 medium cooking onions, chopped 
• 5 large cloves of garlic, chopped 
• 1 medium to large eggplant, peeled and chopped 
• 1 large green pepper, chopped 
• 1 large zucchini, chopped 
• 4 fresh or canned tomatoes, also chopped 
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt 
• 1 teaspoon (or to taste) black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. And you'll need a rimmed, non-stick baking sheet for this recipe.
2. As you may notice, all veggies are to be chopped. Coarsely is the thing to think of here. Like in one-inch chunks. 
3. Once all your veggies are chopped, pour your olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs into a large mixing bowl. Then pour in the veggies. 
4. Mix with your hands until well-coated. Pour mixture onto your rimmed baking sheet and distribute evenly. 
5.  Place in the oven and set the timer to 20 minutes. Then take out and mix around. 
6. Return sheet to oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once during that time to make sure everything cooks/doesn't burn. 
7. Veggies should be tender but not mushy.

I love making this dish in the summer when I'm able to easily get all the vegetables locally. It's a fantastic feeling when we are able to pick most of them out of our very own garden, too. Which reminds me -- we're in the planning stages of this year's garden and simply don't know what to do.

Last year's planting was a bust and few of our veggies did well. Those that did were eaten by animals and bugs.


Since we have signed up for a CSA this year, we were thinking of making a more elaborate herb garden. Who knows. I figured mentioning it on the blog might get me to actually start planning. What are those of you with green thumbs doing this year?

If you're following Writing Chapter Three, we wrote a post about phase two of our cloth diapering process -- CLOTH WIPES. In our house, cloth diapering isn't a trend. It's a way of life!

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Stephen's Garden Hummus

I came down to the kitchen after a shower to find THIS in our food processor.

I knew was he was up to, but I'm always amazed at how many ingredients Stephen can toss into a hummus recipe. His results are always delicious. But it's so different from how I approach making the spread.

After adding some water and blending until smooth, we had THIS to enjoy for dinner with a plate of veggies and pita bread:


What's in the mix:

• 2 cans of chickpeas
• 1 small onion (or several tiny ones from your garden)
• Handful of fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tahini
• Water

How THIS guy makes it:

1. Toss all ingredients into a food processor. (You may wish to add the salt and pepper last.)
2. Add water slowly -- tablespoons at a time while blending -- until you reach your desired consistency.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. NOTE: Makes enough for several lunches and dinners.

Stephen's so fantastic at making up his hummus recipes, we simply can't eat store-bought anymore. It just doesn't taste as good. Stephen's is custom (and he's particularly proud to have used onions and parsley from our garden!). Plus, we can make a TON of it on the cheap.

All this chickpea mash has me scheming up new hu-mousse -- dessert hummus -- ideas! Hmmmmm . . .

And today on (never home)maker, baby! I wrote all about all the ways my third trimester is reminding me of my first. Not exactly a good thing, but -- unlike in the first tri -- we're getting closer to our due date!!!

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Garbanzo Garlic Knots

I think I've told you guys before that we eat garlic knots and collards for most dinners these days. What's even crazier is that the meal never seems to bore us. We keep it interesting -- developing new knots recipes along the way -- and Stephen is particularly instrumental in this process.

We ate a lot of great Italian food last week. For me, though, this situation meant I ate mostly white breads with cheese and sauce (and birthday cake). In the form of pizza. It was glorious, sort of.

This week, on the other hand, has been all about incorporating more beans, greens (Light-On-The-Greens Smoothie, anyone?), and whole foods into our meals.


GARBANZO GARLIC KNOTS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups bread flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 large (fresh) basil leaves, chopped

Method . . .

1. Mix the yeast into the warm water and let sit until bubbly. About 5 minutes.
2. Puree garbanzo beans with 1/4 cup water and the basil leaves.
3. Mix the water/yeast with 2/3 of the garbanzo puree and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt. Then make an indent in the middle and pour in the wet ingredients.
5. Mix together and then knead with your hands to form a smooth, elastic ball.
6. Cover bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.
7. Then divide ball into two -- pack one away and use the other one to make 12 dough-knots.
8. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. If you have a pizza stone, let it preheat. If not, a regular pan should do the trick.
9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Until golden.

For the garlic topping, we combined 1 tablespoon minced garlic with 3 tablespoons olive oil. You can also add in some Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stephen then likes to head to our garden and clip bits of every kind of herb we have growing out there to throw into the mix.


New trick: We stopped mincing our own garlic and indulged in a gigantic container of pre-minced that we keep in the fridge. It tastes great. Plus, it cuts prep time by a few minutes. Always a plus!


Looking for other great garlic knot recipes? We have a few favorites!

Ring-O-Fire Garlic Knots
Pumpkin Garlic Knots
Beet Pizza Dough (use it for knots!)

Now: Photos from the garden.


These plants seem to have sprung up all at once while we were on vacation. We hear that some heavy rain showers are responsible. Fine with us -- we weren't around . . .


Our backyard flower garden, too, experienced a blooming:


I can't wait to harvest all our veggies. But that means I need to start reading my book about preserving/canning -- and soon!

Anyway, some many call our addiction to garlic knots a food rut. We just think we found something we like that works night after night. Anyone else have a meal like that? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

And over on (never home)maker, baby! we're talking about savings. We're horrible at it, but we may have found something that works.

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Just checking in . . .

Remember our veggie garden? The one that started out looking like this?

And after a little lot of work, we expanded its size and added plants, herbs, and more dirt. Got it looking better -- good, even -- but still somewhat underwhelming?


Well, I'm happy to report it's bursting at the seams as of this morning.

Blame it on the rain -- we've had buckets of it -- but holy moly!


We've got at least three heirloom tomatoes making their way from bud to bulbous . . . I'm already dreaming of fresh mozzarella salads with homegrown tomatoes and basil picked in our back yard.


The onions went from yellow and limp to green and robust . . . (though, we have absolutely no idea when they are "done" growing -- any ideas?)


Overall, we both have this new appreciation for watching things grow this year. So far, our girl has ballooned from some thing the size of a poppy seed to a living, moving (moving a LOT!) being the size of a mango.

Let me repeat that: A MANGO.

And to think, just a few short months ago, she would have been totally dwarfed by this fledgling bell pepper!


I know many of you had gardens started early in the spring . . . or ones you threw together last minute (like us!). How are they doing? Do you know when the optimal harvest time is, or do you just pluck things off vines whenever they look kinda/sorta ready?

We definitely do the latter. No shame about it.

In other news: If you're interested in how we're getting in the girl mood, check out (never home)maker, baby! -- I'm in love with our fun, thrifty finds!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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