Yard MakeOver on a BUDGET!!

Okay, so I don't claim to be an "expert" in gardening... but I do profess to LOVE gardening.  And just BEING IN the garden is a bliss for me!  All my troubles disappear when I'm in my garden.

 

 Here I'm starting with the AFTER...where the cosmos grew taller than me this year. This is a SIDE YARD by the way.

 

AFTER: Heavenly morning & evening walks took place here!

As a lover of gardening, and a frugal domestic diva, of course I always try to find ways to transform my garden (garden areas) with the least amount of money or effort.

Here you see what I mean.  A few seed packets of Cosmos & Sweet William completely transformed this side yard in my house.

One thing that works for me is to spend a little time before & after I have to go to "work".  It both clears my mind at the start, and relieves stress at the end of the day!

 

This is how it started out. You can see some stepping stones (it's what I saw)  next to the fence, which I ended up moving to the middle and arranging in curvy pathway.

BEFORE: You can see the end of the gate at the end...looking toward the street. 
When I first saw this I could "see" the possibilites!

 

It's nice to have a place to sit, rest, and enjoy he journey of a growing garden.

 

This is looking toward the backyard...notice the tall pine trees in the background.
An apple tree was later planted right before the trees. It was grafted with 3 types of apples!

 

Here you still see the pine trees but the Cosmos are just loving it here! The only drawback about Cosmos is that they're annuals.  You just got to take them out at the end of the season, but you get to start over with something NEW! :)

This space evolved as the years passed and different beautiful flowers grow here, inlcluden even an apple tree.

What I did
Basically all I did here was just dig up around the whole area to loosen the dirt. Then I moved the "pavers" (anything I found around the yard) to form the path I wanted. I also installed a drip irrigation system to water things. Once I planted (scattered) the seeds and added other plants here and there as I came across something on the "discount shelf" a Lowe's it pretty much just evolved to what you see.

Enjoy playing in YOUR garden!

Easy Guacamole

This guacamole is not just easy to make and delicious...it's also beautiful!

This is just one avocado's worth but for a big party it's almost part of the

centerpiece it's so pretty to look at.

INGREDIENTS

1 large avocado (for every 3-4 people.  Less if serving other dip or hors d'oeuvres.

1 lg tomato, diced

1/3 onion, any type

1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped

(or 1 tbsp red pepper flakes, for hot. Less if you want it mild)

1/2 chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

salt & pepper to taste

After cutting around the avocado, get the pit with your knife.

To get pit off the knife, tap the back of the knife on a cutting board, or similar surface.

 Score the inside/flesh of the the avocado into small squares and coop out with a spoon.

Season all ingredients and gently mix to combine.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Here are some delicious tacos made with store-bought rotisserie chicken, but this beautiful thing can also be used as a TOPPING on any grilled MEAT or as part of any SALAD (make less spicy for this one)...oh, and who could forget with lovely crunchy CHIPS!

Garlic Polenta Cakes



I happened to make the "heart-shapped" last Valentine's Day, but you can of course cut it this into ANY shape you want, depending on the occassion, guest, or menu!

1 Golden Pheasant's MICROWAVE recipe
5 garlic cloves (yes...I LOVE garlic!), minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (that's what I use)

PREPARATION
Peel and mince garlic.  Mix polenta according to package directions. Heat oil and add garlic.  Swirl or stir garlic until slightly golden brown and aromatic. Pour immediately over polental and stir to mix.  Cook polenta according to package instructions.

If you're familiar with polenta you know you can have EITHER creamy, right after cooking, and serve with a sauce dish like Italian Sauge & Polenta.  OR let it cool and cut into shapes and brown in hot oil (2-3 tbsp) until golden brown (when it's like candy to me!).

Serving suggestions:
I really wish more recipes would 'suggest' what they go best with.  I love serving creamy polenta with anything that has a red Italian style sauce, and a protein, such as lamb or pork chops with a simple Cucumber & Tomato, or Tomato & Onion salad. ENJOY!

APPLE CRUNCH CAKE

EASY, MOIST, DELICIOUS!

What I love about this cake is that it's as easy to make as it is delicious to eat!

And the few and common ingredients you need you probably already have in your pantry.

This is case is delicious by itself, or with hot beverage and you could top with whipped cream if wanted.

I use any apples I have on hand or that are on sale.

Dry ingredients. 

(oops, didn't take a pic of mixed wet ingredients!)

Mixture will be lumpy. Here I added raisins (I was making it for someone who liked raisins), but I would not do it again, as I'm not a big fan.

 Here it is...50 mins to 1 hr later. So MOIST yet CRUNCHY and yummy.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups apples (about 4 apples), peeled and diced
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional). I like using slivered almonds. If using walnuts or pecans add them after the all ingredients are combined, so dry flour doesn't get into the crevices.

PREPARATION
Preheat over to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.

Add wet ingredients, including apples, to flour mixture and mix well to combine. Bake for about 1 hr in greased 9x13, or smaller, pan. 

Done when tip of knife comes out clean. Check at 50 mins, since some ovens run hotter.

NOTE: Usually you mix sugar with eggs & oil, but in this case adding it to the flour is part of what gives this its yummy texture & crunch.