TOMATOES!

I’m going to ignore the more weighty things happening in NC right now, such as the serious (that ridiculous Amendment 1) and the high profile (the John Edwards trial and those associated shameless people) and focus instead on another NC issue and that is, “What do I have to do to grow tomatoes here???”   (more…)

Landscaping continues………..

I’m scrupulously following the planting plans we got from Chris Pinard of European Designs Gardens. He is a big fan of containers EVERYWHERE, and I am fine with that. I decided to go with blue in the front yard because it is a very shady area and I wanted something really cool looking. Chris advised not to use green (my first choice) or bronze-y colors because he said they would blend in too much with the rock colors around the front entry. So, I’ve never been a “blue” fan, especially in decorating anything, but decided to give it a try. I really like it so far. Future plans include a huge blue urn made into a fountain off to one side of the entry and two larger containers in the middle of the (future) ground cover in the front yard.

These containers in the picture have very shade friendly plants – the large ones have Japanese aralia, a plant I wasn’t familiar with from the Midwest. I asked for help at the garden center, telling the person there I was looking for “shade friendly” and “dramatic”. She smiled in a very knowing way and took me directly to the aralia – v. dramatic! The mid-size containers have a combination of ferns, white caladium, and some trailing nettle. I got the idea for this look from P. Allen Smith’s “Container Gardens” book, which has the most gorgeous combinations for all types of containers. And finally the small container has a hosta named “blueberry muffin” – cute right?

Next in the landscaping project is the front yard with the aforementioned ground cover. The spousal unit agreeably got out there last week and tilled up all of the grass, what there was of it anyway, so it is dying off – NOT that it was much to look at in the first place. Anyway, hopefully next week, I will get the ground cover ordered for that area. More on that later…………..

Landscape plans

So, I met a gardener/landscape designer at the Charlotte garden show and I knew immediately from the exhibit his company had on display that he would be the perfect person to plan out planting design for our house.  His name is Chris Pinard and his company is European Gardens.  His designs are very Mediterranean in look and the plant selections are very water-efficient and grow so well in this area.  I got our plans from Chris a couple of weeks ago and was thrilled – he came up with some great stuff and designs that go perfectly with our house.
The plans have lots of lavendar and rosemary, lots of containers, as well as a few palms, just for interest, but not in an overwhelming way.  It is going to take me a couple of years to be able to do everything, but it is so great to have a plan in place that I really, really love!  So far, I have decided to go with blue containers – very Provence-y.  And I have dug out all of the assorted junk that was in the back yardand re-planted that area this week.  More pics on that later.  Meanwhile, this picture is from the Charlotte Garden Show earlier this year.  It is a pic of the exhibit European Gardens displayed at the show. I think the fountain was absolutely gorgeous!

Brisket Day!

I’m hungry for beef tacos tonight, plus my son has a wrestling tournament after school that will last God knows how long, SO I’m cooking a beef brisket with chipotle chiles in a slow cooker.  I’m using a recipe from “What’s Gaby Cooking” modified slightly – I’m not putting in any molasses.  I have some Guinness in the fridge left over from holidays and was tempted to add that, but I wasn’t sure if it would make the broth bitter and waste the entire brisket.  Will test that another time on smaller cut of meat.

We will be eating this thing all week – it is a full brisket (5+ lbs) as that is all the butcher had in where I shop.  Once the meat is cooked totally tender and shredded, I spoon it plus some of the onions and chiles onto a flour tortilla.

I put out chopped cabbage, crumbled Mexican cheese, guacamole, and salsa to go with.  Cabbage has more heft and crunch than lettuce and will hold its own with the brisket.  I think lettuce is OK on ground beef tacos, but is too wimpy for brisket.   The whole process is so easy – I sliced and sauteed the onions and garlic this morning, then stirred them into the slow cooker along with the chiles and all of the spices.  The brisket is seared in the same skillet and then stuffed (did I mention it is HUGE?) into the slow cooker and left to cook on low for however long it is until we get home tonight.

Way easy!  Plus the house smells fabulous all day long with all of those spices!

New year – new commitments!

I’m a believer in New Year’s resolutions.  To be more accurate, I’m a believer in ONGOING resolutions.  I read once that it takes 21 days of action to make something a habit in your life.  So, I’m constantly assessing all aspects of my life and tweaking.  No draconian measures, just constant evaluation and improvement.

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Lowe’s – No More….

Dear Lowe’s:

I am writing to let you know that I will no longer shop at Lowe’s due to your recent pulling of advertising from the TV show “Muslim in America”.
I don’t watch that show, nor anything else on that channel, but the fact that you let your advertising policy be dictated by a group of ignorant self-righteous bullies is ridiculous.
The Florida Family Association has every right to express their opposition and to voice their opinions, but Lowe’s should not feel compelled to defer to them.
I hope the Florida Family people spend enough at your stores to make up for all of the other customers you are driving away by your recent cowardly short-sighted actions.
And I must say that if Lowe’s actions were NOT in reaction to the Florida  Family Association, but just a reflection of your own corporate values (or lack thereof), then that is even worse than cowardly.

I have spent $XXXX at Lowe’s in the past two years.  I realize that the amount we have spent is no big deal in your overall corporate picture, but from this point on, it will be ZERO!

How’s your PC?

That’s pimento cheese, NOT political correctness, for any non-southerners. It is a southern staple.  Served on sandwiches, with crackers, and shockingly (to me anyway) scooped on top of hamburgers, it is a southern staple.  Primarily composed of cheese and mayo, this is not a food for a nutrition fiend.  I am very picky about what I eat, but as I’m a total gym rat and work out ALL the time, I think there is room in my diet for the occasional “junk”.  Sorry to you southern people to deem your PC as nutrional junk, but that’s basically it.  Anyway, I LOVE Carrie’s Hot Pimento Cheese.  It is from a kitchen in Charleston and it is totally addictive.  It has Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper mixed in to give it some zest and takes it out of the “boring” category.  You can find it in Charlotte at Reid’s Fine Foods on Selwyn Ave. Apparently, if you order biscuits to accompany, you can buy it online from www.calliesbiscuits.com

I do make the sandwiches on whole grain bread as a concession – that does keep it out of the total junk food category – or maybe I’m just justifying my craving!