April 2013 – Growth By the Season

Book Club and a Carrot, Red Lentil Soup

Written by Tricia on April 29, 2013. Posted in Community, Food, Friends & Family, Recipes.

I love books, and book clubs are a great place to gather for book lovers. Throughout my life I’ve always made time for reading and I truly enjoy fantastical and fiction-themed stories that take me away to another world. When a new friend suggested a Book Club with a gathering of like-minds and plenty of food and drinks, there was no way I could miss it. I couldn’t think of a better way to explore stories with engaging conversation. Plus, the opportunity to get to know new friends who clearly share my interests was an opportunity worth taking. We’ve since filled the cold months with warm fires, four great reads and plenty of conversation on and off the topics of the books themselves.

Garden Planning 2013: Books, Seeds and Layout

Written by Tricia on April 26, 2013. Posted in Grow, Home Grown.

Last year I fully intended on building a gorgeous garden on the property we were renting. It was a beautiful old farmhouse, with plenty of green space and great sunlight. One thing led to another and in early May we were told that the landlord’s son would be taking ownership of the house in August. We had 3 months to let go of our gardening dreams for the year, find a new place to live and pack up all our belongings.

What sounds like the beginnings of a sob story actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were presented with the opportunity to purchase a beautiful home, right in the heart of the city with ample fenced in space for a backyard garden. This year, in 2013, our gardening dreams will become a reality, but this can only happen with the help of a well thought out springtime plan.

Spring is the perfect time to plan a garden. Not just due to the necessity of a plan, but because by March & April I’m eager for warm weather and itching to get my hands in the dirt. Planning gets my gears turning, excitement brewing and directs my pent up energy to a purposeful & productive task.

One of the most informative and useful books I’ve come across lately has been Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. This book is PACKED full of helpful information regarding fruit, flower & vegetable gardening. My favorite pages are the illustrated collections of common weeds, pests and beneficial insects which will be absolutely vital to the success of my future garden. The guide is something I’ve been reading through thoroughly but will also be helpful later on as a quick reference for maintenance concerns.

Over the last few months I’ve used information and charts like the one above to determine which vegetables would be “sharing” beds in the coming season. Companion planting is a useful tool to follow, because certain plants have smells or tastes that deter the common pests of another vegetable. In other cases “bad companions” would be those vegetables that share common pests or diseases because if one plant becomes infected the whole bed is likely to be ruined.

I’m incredibly thrilled to be planning a garden in my new backyard. The next step as weather gets warmer is to clean the slate and begin anew. If you’re busy planning a garden or thinking about trying one next year find a friend and plan together. I’m lucky enough to have a dear friend and experienced gardener in town to plan and bounce ideas off of. Tenille has a gorgeous space just outside of town and as the sweet friend that she is, shes shared loads of fabulous seeds with me this year to get me started.

This season, find the potential for growth. Whether it be in your backyard garden, a container on your front porch or a potted herb in your window sill; being a part of growth is a powerful thing.

There’s unlimited potential around you.

love,

tricia

Spicy Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burritos

Written by Tricia on April 22, 2013. Posted in Food, Recipes.

I’m a BIG Burrito fan. Burritos are fresh, their easy to make and usually have a delicious kick of spicy flavor. Plus, whats better than portable food you can eat with your hands?!

Loaded Broccoli Salad and a Barbecue

Written by Tricia on April 15, 2013. Posted in Food, Recipes.

There’s nothing better than a free day from work (Sundays for me) when you’re productive, relaxed and the sun is shining. Here in Northern Michigan, it may be April but it certainly hasn’t looked like spring for some time. So when the sun peaks through the clouds I’ll make every excuse I can to get outside and soak it in.

Yesterday was exactly one of those days. By 6:00 PM I’d cleaned the house, gone out for a run, packed up the refrigerator with groceries, made a deliciously fresh salad and started up the grill for the first time this season. After the cold months of winter, its incredibly refreshing when the sun shines and the snow starts to melt; as I’m sure others may relate, the sun’s rays increase my productivity by at least 120%.

The salad I made was an extension of my productive day because I made enough to save and eat throughout the rest of the week. Lunch at the office is SO much better when it strays away from the ordinary turkey sandwich or $8+ lunch out. To me, homemade leftovers are the solution to the boring office eats.

Ingredients

3 large broccoli heads
5 radishes, cut in 3 and dice
2 tomatoes quartered and seeded than diced
1 apple peeled and diced
½ cup of red grapes, diced, drain the juice
1 cup green onions (5 green onions minus the white part) diced
1 cup medium carrot shredded
½ cup dried cranberries (optional, but highly recommended)

Dressing Ingredients:

3 Tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil
1 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp sour cream
½ tsp garlic salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Written by Tricia on April 8, 2013. Posted in Food, Recipes.

Banana bread rocks because when bananas are too ripe to eat right out of the peel, they’re the PERFECT consistency for banana bread and you won’t have to throw away your uneaten bananas.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread rocks because, well.. lets face it, chocolate is delicious. And chocolate added to good banana bread, makes GREAT banana bread.

Banana bread may seem like a general bare bones recipe that’s hard to mess up and while that’s true, there are a variety of recipes that will produce very different breads. I prefer a banana bread that is moist, and this recipe from Joy of Cooking is the most basic, moist, delicious banana bread I’ve ever tasted.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Adopted from Joy of Cooking

Preheat Oven: 350 degrees

grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan

Whisk together thoroughly:

1 1/3 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In large bowl stir together

5 1/3 teaspoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup sugar

Beat in flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar then, gradually beat in:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

combine 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 whole bananas)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on rack.

I received this super cute loaf pan from my boyfriend’s brother for Christmas. He obviously knows me quite well, because this exact green is one of my absolute favorite colors, plus when you add a golden loaf of warm chocolate chip banana bread its about the prettiest thing in my kitchen!

A piece of this bread is the perfect solution for breakfast, a snack or even to manage your sweet tooth.

Just slice, serve and enjoy!