Lisa: Gardening

Gardening!!

So the theme this week is gardening which I stink at. I’ve been trying to think of anything I could post about gardening. My parents are both terrific gardeners and have a fabulous vegetable garden, flower garden, fruit trees, berry bushes and more. Their yard is a beautiful lush paradise which I love and my children now love, as well. You’d think with that kind of upbringing I’d have more talent and a beautiful garden myself. I don’t. But part of that isn’t my fault. We have these beauties to keep us company.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the deer and occasional elk that we see on our property but they sure make gardening a challenge! I know there are plants that the deer won’t eat but the ones I want seem to also be the ones they want! We attempted a vegetable garden a couple of times but the deer nipped away at everything so that our produce seems to be very slim! Luckily for us, they’d miss some of the zucchini because of the large leaves (I think that was why, at least!). So I am tweaking the theme to fit my post. Gardening!!Zucchini!!

I have many recipes for this wonderful vegetable. A lot of them involve the grill for some savory dishes but one that I remember from growing up is a chocolate zucchini cake that my mom would make. It was so good and you couldn’t taste the zucchini which I liked since my childish palate couldn’t stand vegetables! I don’t have permission to give out this recipe from my mom (really, I didn’t even ask!) but I did concoct a chocolate zucchini bread which I think is fantastic and similar to her cake!! The key to this is the chocolate chips so don’t skimp!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini

½ cup oil

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk

1 bag of milk chocolate chips, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cloves. Set aside. In another bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, zucchini, oil, cocoa powder, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the flour mixture and stir till just combined. Set aside 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Stir the rest of the chocolate chips into the batter. Pour the batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Sprinkle reserved chocolate chips evenly over the two loaves. Bake for 55 minutes. Let cool before slicing! Delicious!

Here are some of the unfortunate runners up in my attempt to make some thing for this post!

On the left was a zucchini cake with feta which was delicious but a little too doughy. In the middle is a lemon zucchini cookie that was really good and that my teenage boy ate quite a few of. Maybe with some tweaking she'll make it! And on the left is a zucchini brownie which just didn't cut it. I had high hope for them all. So sad, so sad!

What are your favorite zucchini creations?

Lisa

Sara Jane: Bird Feeders

Summer hasn't quite kicked in here in the Willamette Valley.  This week it has rained more and harder than I've seen in a long time.  Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the rain...I really do.  It's just that I haven't had much inspiration when it comes to summer.

When we moved into our little home a few years ago, the yard was COVERED in beautiful flowers, bird baths, and all the cutesy yard ornaments you might expect from an older couple.  Since we've moved in, however, a few things have happened:  (1) like I have mentioned before, I sorta stink at gardening so most of the beautiful flowers had to go and were replaced with plants (mostly herbs) that were a little less upkeep; (2) we downsized to ONE bird bath.  The others found their way to my parent's home or were re-purposed; and (3) ALL the little trinkets around the yard have either been broken by my busy babies or thrown away by their tired mother.

There was, however, one part of the yard I adored....4 birdhouses that are placed neatly around the backyard.

This picture is completely unretouched.  Yes, that is why I live in Oregon.  BEA-U-TI-FUL!

Today, while I was outside playing in the mud with my babies, I noticed, again, the many, many birds around my home.  They always make me smile.  They actually live in the pleasant little houses and each morning we get to wake up to their lovely songs.  Their houses are good for two reasons....Eating and Sleeping.  Since their wood houses are too high for me to reach, I thought I would make some bird feeders to stick around our yard so the sweet little birds stay nearby.

Here we go.  What you will need:

1.  First, I prepared my milk jug by cleaning it and letting it dry.  Next, I drew a circle around where I wanted my lovely daughter to cut.

2.  Next, I had my daughter (with my assistance) cut the hole out.  After she was done cutting, I went back around it to make sure it was fairly smooth.  I definitely wouldn't want to hurt the little bird's fee.

3.  I next tied my twine to the top of the jug making sure it would not slip off.  Wire may be used for this part, too.

4.  Next, I filled the jug with bird seed (I bought the inexpensive bag from Walmart.  I am pretty sure birds aren't too picky about what they eat.).  Then I tied it securely to my apple tree.

After finishing my lovely milk jug bird feeder, I came across an old glass light globe that was in our house when we moved in.  I planned on taking it to Goodwill but not anymore.

Using steps 3 and 4, this light fixture....

became this lovely bird feeder.

I hope our feathered friends will enjoy the little treats we have added to our yard.

If you're up for making a treat for the little humans around your house, here is a yummy looking popsicle that I will definitely be trying if it ever decides to warm up around here.

Loves

Sara Jane