Late April Yard Update

We started with a blank canvas when we moved in January 2008. These pictures were probably taken about this time of year in 2008.

Before all the plants were in, but after we moved all that dirt.

We graded the backyard so it falls off right before you hit the first of the big trees. I can't wait for the seed to come in here so it won't be so dry and desolate anymore.

Ha ha...I had about 30 pictures of him and this tree...this is my favorite. :)

Today

The area at the end of the grass line will eventually be grass. It's covered in hay right now.

There will be grass (fingers crossed) between these bushes, as well.

I'm excited that our Swift Creek Privets are so big you can hardly see the Arborvite. Ha.

Plus, a quick peek of the side yard where we put in those Sky Pencils. I'll have to get some better pictures of that side and show it off some more soon.

We have done so much (and spent so much money while doing so) and are very proud of our efforts. Pictures don't seem to do it all justice, which is sad. The good news is it looks better to us when we look out our back door. That's the important thing.

Our next efforts will be concentrated on the other side of the house where we will be ripping up the grass on either side of the driveway and making beds along there. We'll be planting Azalea's along those paths and probably mix in some annuals each year.

Stories from the Dog - A Pictorial

In this week's episode of Stories from the Dog: 

How To Score Human Food

Step One: Look cute while begging.

Step Two: Insert self between human's legs to distract them from food.

Step Three: Get closer to the food.

Step Four: Pretend to go for the food.

Step Five: Distract the human 

........for a sneak attack!

Step Six: If caught, try Step One again.

Easter Treats

I wanted to make some fun Easter Treats for us this weekend so, I found a few fun ideas on my Google Reader that I decided to play with.  I started by making the "nests" that I found here.  I followed the instructions for ingredients, but I added a little touch of something extra with lemon extract.

Start with two large Shredded Wheat biscuits. You actually can find these at the grocery store. I have always looked past them but once I started looking for them, I realized yup, they've been there all along. A bit off topic but ... do people really eat these for breakfast? They're huge!

Crumble the two biscuits up and mix them with coconut, brown sugar, melted butter and a few drops of lemon extract. 

I had some silicone cups I decided to use for these. These came out a little small for what I was looking for.In my do-over with a different recipe, noted below, I sprayed the muffin pan with Pam. The bottoms of the nests stuck to the pan. The shape was much better but losing the bottoms was disappointing. I would suggest you use lots of butter or shortening in the cups and then bake them. They should come out fine with a scrape around the edges with a knife.

Once they were cooled, I whipped up a ganache that I added to the centers. 

Place heavy whipping cream in a sauce pan on the stove over medium to medium high heat. Heat until it starts simmering.

Place some chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over top of them.

 Let the mixture sit for one minute.

Start stirring.

Before long, the two come together beautifully.

Pour the ganache into the birds nests and sprinkle a few almonds or pecans on top.  Press the nuts into the ganache slightly. Refrigerate for about an hour or until the ganache has hardened. I had some extra so I put it in some tupperware and warmed it up in the microwave for 30 seconds when I wanted to use it again.

 I will admit, these hurt a bit when you bite into them. It's the Shredded Wheat that's the problem...

Since I wasn't perfectly happy with these nests, I tried another recipe! The new recipe was much sweeter, more appealing to my taste buds. I sent one of each to a friend who works with my husband to see which she likes best. I'm rooting for #2.  I posted both recipes below. 

Something a little sweeter:

Since I wasn't a huge fan of the final product of nest plus chocolate plus nuts, I decided to add some fruit into the mix. I took one of the "#2" nests and added just a small spoonful of ganache to the bottom of it. On top of that, I placed some strawberries and blackberries. This was absolutely delicious and just the right amount of sweet. I would definitely suggest it.

Birds Nests with Chocolate Ganache Filling

Birds Nests Recipe #1:

adapted from UCreate 

2 large shredded wheat biscuits*, crumbled

1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut
1 T brown sugar
1/4 C butter, melted
3 drops of lemon extract
Mix all ingredients together and place into 6 cupcake tins. Make sure you butter your tins or use silicone.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until nicely browned. Let cool before removing from the cups.

Birds Nests Recipe #2:

adapted from Gale Gand's Short+Sweet

3/4 cup sugar

3 egg whites

2 3/4 cups of coconut

4 drops of lemon extract

Mix all ingredients together add 2 tablespoons of the mixture to each cupcake tin. This will fill 12 cupcake tins. Make sure you butter your tins or use silicone. I used cooking spray and the bottoms did not come out well.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned. 

Ganache Recipe:

tried and true recipe

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of heavy cream

Heat heavy cream on the stovetop on medium to medium-high heat until simmering. Place chocolate chips in a bowl and pour cream over them. Let the mixture sit for a minute. Stir until combined. 

A Trip to the State Farmers Market

Raleigh, NC is home to the State Farmers Market. It's the best farmers market I have ever been to, hands down. There may be larger ones out there but we're very lucky to have this one practically in our backyard.  I went for the first time this year on Saturday and it's everything I remember and more from last year. Veggies, fruit, plants, trees, flowers and treats. Mmmm the treats.

I started out late on Saturday morning because the last time I tried to go to the Farmers Market, 2 weekends ago, I got there at 8:30am and no one was there yet. I don't know if the season hadn't started yet or what but I was very disappointed. I took that to mean I could show up later next time. Big mistake. I took this picture when I found a not so crowded area where I could stand and not get bumped into for 10 seconds.

Super busy!! After thinking about it, I had my "duh" moment. It's a holiday weekend. People have family in town. They want treats. "duh"

I started at the left side of the outside area, the delicious side. It's also the extremelycrowded,Ican'thardlymove side. There are pastries and pies and cakes and (my personal favorite) bread. Not just any bread, bread from Le Farm Bakery in Cary. We never get over to Cary, so I love indulging a bit when we see them at the Farmer's Market. I ended up with a loaf of whole grain, 1/4 loaf of Le Farm bread and a loaf of heaven. Asiago Sourdough Bread. Be still my heart. Warm this up in the toaster or oven until crispy and the cheese is oozy.

I might have torn off a few hunks while I was driving around that morning. How could I not? Look at that cheese hunk in there! Plus, my car smelled like cheese. Swoon.

 Next up were the veggies. Local tomatoes, asparagus, lettuces, potatoes, anything you could hope for at this time of year. I love the variety and the quality of vegetables you can get at the market.

One thing you can't miss this time of year are the strawberries. Every other vendor seemed to be selling them. They all were handing out samples of juicy, dripping, picked-this-morning strawberries that beckon you to them. I have to admit, I might have sampled just a few.  They were delicious and plenty of them went home with me.

The other side of the market has plants. Bushes, flowers, flower pots, hanging baskets, herbs, veggie plants. Nurseries from sometimes as far as 3 hours away set up and keep their booths open throughout the summer. It's so much more gratifying to come to the Farmers Market to purchase the plants for your yard than stopping by the local Home Depot or Lowe's. The workers are knowledgeable and friendly. If they don't have something, they probably know someone here at the market who does.

I had a few questions about some bushes we were considering purchasing and because the owner of one of the nurseries I spoke to was so helpful, we went back to purchase quite a few things from him on Sunday. We ended up with two sky pencils, 5 hostas, a "Miss Kim" lilac bush and a peony bush. The lilac bush is going under our bedroom window with sweet dreams of next spring waking up to the smells of lilac. The peony bush is my indulgance. I've never grown peony's before but I got to know the flower when I was planning our wedding. Oh, how beautiful are those big floppy flowers? I can't wait to watch them bloom.

Once I had enough of the outside, I took a stroll up to the Farmers Market building where there are vendors year round who stock North Carolina trinkets, other homemade goodies and pantry staples. 

Everyone needs to pack their pantry full of candy, right?

I can't wait to go again next weekend!