Know Your Place

Wyatt and Maple love to watch me cook.  Sometimes I can even talk them into staying out of the kitchen.  This picture was taken on one of their good days.  So good in fact, that Mary Ann thought it was photo worthy.

The Columbus Food Truck and Cart Festival

Last night we decided to meet some friends at The Columbus Food Truck and Cart Fest.  It had such a great turnout that the vendors were overwhelmed.  We left after 5 minutes with empty stomachs.  After checking out the wait times at several German Village places we ended up at Dan's Drive In. I really wanted to take some pictures and share them on my blog.  But since my meal consisted of chicken tenders and cheese fries I didn't think it would be that impressive. However,  they were some of the best chicken tenders I've had.  Dan's Drive In was great.  We showed up close to closing time and had great service and hot food.  I will be back.

Peach Butter

The peach butter turned out great.  It is a little loose.  I should have cooked it down a little longer, but it is so freakin' good.  So far I've had it on toast, on biscuits, and added spicy mustard to it and glazed some pork chops!

Can It!

Mary Ann and I have been discussing the idea of expanding the garden.  It is currently a 4' x 8' raised bed. We have enough room for a few veggies, but I would like to try more.  A couple of years ago I grew okra with some success.  However, there wasn't enough to do much with because I didn't have enough room.

One of my concerns is having too much food and having it go to waste.  However, I think I've found a solution.  I've always been hesitant to can.  When I think of canning I think of old pickled beans, carrots, etc.  I've recently discovered that there are so many more things I can do with fruits and vegetables that aren't as traditional.  On a recent trip to a bookstore I found "Preserves".  There are tons of recipes for jams, chutneys, butters, and jellies, using many different vegetables, fruits, and herbs.  I also found some really cool jars from a company called "Weck".

I think I am going to start with something easy and make peach butter.  I will let you know how it turns out.

The Cold Frame is Done!

A few posts ago I spoke about getting everything we needed to construct a cold frame.  We've been talking about doing this for years and finally made it happen.  There was an old window in the attic that we dusted off and cleaned up.  We purchased some cedar 1"x 8"s, 3 handles, and four hinges.  Below is the finished product.

I am looking forward to attempting to grow some vegetables this winter.  I will keep you posted.

I Love Cinnamon Rolls!

Cinnamon rolls make me happy.  My favorite cinnamon rolls are at the Omega Bakery at The North Market.  As you can see by the line in the picture below, there are a lot of people that feel the same way.

What is so great about them???  They are warm with tons of sugar and cinnamon that have caramelized all over them.  They are also as big as your head!

Building a Cold Frame

Mary Ann and I have been talking about building a cold frame for a few years.  This past week we finally got the items we needed and started it.  We found an old window in the attic.

We also purchased some cedar boards,  hinges, and screws.  I will post some more updates later.  I'm looking forward to trying to grow some vegetables during the late fall and winter and also starting plants next spring.