Category Archives: kitchen

Feb22

Winter Shut-In

Posted on February 22, 2013 by deannagreensandgardenart

Dean is due out of St. Louis for his Washington, DC weekend trip with his father, brother, and son much later than he desired today. The winter storm cancelled and delayed many flights in the Midwest. So we are winter shut-ins today. No need to report to work if we scheduled this Friday off for a 3-day weekend. Give the road crews an opportunity to clean off the snowy streets. So Dean slept in until 9:00am, and I arose an hour later than my usual 5:00am. Cannot sleep in too long. I put together Deanna Green And Garden Art expense receipts, sorted them in monthly order, and entered them onto the 2012 spreadsheet. Computers are handy when they function properly, and we have graciously been given one to replace the old virus-infected one. Accounting comes easy to me, I just do not like doing it. So I procrastinated until this week. I’d rather be gardening, reading, writing, or watching the birds…
This gray wintery day the Carolina wren, tufted titmouse, house finch, Carolina chickadee, and Eurasian tree sparrow gathered at the feeders. We have gone through more than 5 pounds of seeds in 3 days. Sunlight broke through the thinning clouds an hour ago with the promise of a clear, but very cold overnight. I stoked last night’s logs, and have a fire blazing in kitchen fireplace. So cozy next to the computer desk. Sipping coffee laced with Grand Marnier in my mug while I catch up on e-mails and write this blog. My son-in-law will take Dean to the airport, so I can remain a cocoon in my home. Hot chicken soup, roasted marshmallows, and homemade snow ice cream with the grandkids this evening. I like being a winter shut-in, my mind free indeed to dream. “Take time to contemplate – away from the opinions and influence of others – what you really want and what you believe to be important in your life.” ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Jan31

Tapping Maple Sap

Posted on January 31, 2013 by deannagreensandgardenart

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Does your cup overflowth? So my darling granddaughters Hannah and Ella are helping their daddy tap our silver maple trees for sap. Two large buckets made 2 small Kerr jars of our very own maple syrup. It is delicious! Luscious vanilla overtones with a gorgeous golden color … we lapped up fluffy buttermilk dollar pancakes with this maple syrup for a sweet treat the other evening. I need to learn the recipe from my son-in-law. Tell me about what trees you tap. I hear walnut trees can be tapped. Have you tried fresh walnut syrup?

Jan10

Changes

Posted on January 10, 2013 by deannagreensandgardenart

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Changes! Isn’t that a song? It is as the saying goes “here to stay!” This week my friend Molly from EarthDance Farms shared a few words about change in her newsletter. Farming wallows in change. Our greenhouse plans definitely have! Here is a link to that EarthDance Farm publication: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/463715/e828cdbee3/1696501412/351023b5d5/. We can chose to embrace change or fight against it, and I chose to embrace it. The autumn winds, modified greenhouse designs, the death of my father, and the holidays are followed with new housing arrangements for Dean & I. The desire for a different life brought my oldest daughter and her family to our household. We are sharing our modest 3-bedroom home with 2 more adults, 3 young children, and another black lab. My father’s lab “Midnight” who we adopted on Christmas Day loves all the companionship! An adjustment for my hubby and I, young children near our feet and squeals galore. It makes for creative date nights out for us previous “empty nesters”. Rachel and Mick have a plan, to save for their own 4-walls in the countryside where their chickens and lambs will meander nearby, and a garden big enough to feed themselves and Mick’s catering clients. Mick creates these fabulous meals which are on the healthy side now. I think his mother-in-law had some influence there! Shhh! Roasted two-beet salad with goat cheese crumbles … fresh, handmade pork tamales, and that leftover pork came from his New Year’s pig roast, all on our home kitchen’s menu! Yummy! Herbs used from Deanna Greens and Garden Art, and more to come this upcoming growing season. A new opportunity is just around the corner for my son-in-law chef. And faith plays a part in change. When we expect, it happens. God is not always in the door we open, but in the hallway as my artistic son, Ben mentioned on his FB page this week. And there is an opportunity waiting for my son as well. God embraces us wherever we are. What changes are you encountering right now? And what changes are you waiting for? Apply faith and good works. Remember the movie “Fields of Dreams”? Build it, and they will come!

Jan3

Winter’s Chill

Posted on January 3, 2013 by deannagreensandgardenart

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Winter’s chill has come with the New Year here in Missouri. Brrrsy! A thin layer of snow, freezing rain, and more snow covered the church parking lot New Year’s Day. In 2012 I did not need my black faux fur Russian hat, but I pulled it from the coat closet this 1st week of 2013. Dean calls my head covering my “Ivana hat”. I think he likes the old world style on his bride! Warm, and protects my head and ears from the stinging air. Already this year it’s requiring drastic survival tactics! It was 10 degrees F in “Skunk Hollow”,according to the local 550 AM radio station yesterday morning. A woven scarf and gloves accompany. I have long locks (unlike the photo), yet not enough for 10 degrees F. For those quiet intimate nights with my hubby in order to keep the pets from snuggling in our bed requires closed bedroom doors. Don’t want to keep the dogs and cats outside or even in that garage for more than 5 minutes. I know, they are part of the family, and spoiled! So then, pajama bottoms with a long-sleeve night shirt is mandatory as well as the space heater next to the bed. The heated air from the furnace does not circulate as well with closed doors. All those clothes kind of defeat the purpose, but makes for great snuggling with my man. Marital union must take place in the winter months, as there are plenty of people born the months of September, October, and November, right? What about those folks up in Alaska, Norway, and Russia? Somehow, they reproduce! Cups of hot earl grey tea and chai lattes are on my winter survival list also. Oh, cannot forget the fire in the kitchen fireplace. Spicy hats, teas, and layered bed clothes add a spark to life, don’t they?!

Nov9

Blessing Jar

Posted on November 9, 2012 by deannagreensandgardenart

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Blessings come in different forms. Counting my blessings is a mindset when I buried my father less than 3 weeks ago after his 9-month battle with brain cancer. Still grieving. But I came across this website blog about a blessing jar: http://thefrugalgirls.com/2012/11/the-blessing-jar.html. Cute craft idea! The photo below comes from this blog. Reading the blog, it reminds me to recall all the wonderful things that took place this year. It’s been a very difficult year, so I think a bit of a challenge with this blessing search … I will start with my family, my big, big family! To begin my husband, Dean is just want I need. He is multi-talented, jack of all trades. And he is so patient with me, my ideas, my projects, my moods, etc. And on top of that Dean is affectionate and thoughtful. My hubby rubs my stinking feet after a long day working in the greenhouse. And then there is my children … my oldest daughter, Rachel has a smile, kind word, and humor that will turn any sour day into a sweet one! And then my Elisabeth, her beautiful acceptance of this diverse life is such an example to me. She grows more saintly with her patience! Both of my daughters suffer with degenerative disc disease, but continue to bring joy to the people around them despite their pain. My son, Ben has the most tender heart that permeates through this tough world we live in. He held his arm around me during my father’s memorial service. Probably an uncool thing to do in most 19-year old young men’s eyes, but he does not care what others think. My grandchildren, well read about all five in my earlier blog: https://deannagreensandgardenart.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/they-are-mine-alright/. And then there is the extended family. My family grew closer through my father’s terminal illness. My sister traveled 3 trips from the west coast to be at my mother’s and father’s beckon call for months. My two brothers took over the needs of my 97-year old grandfather as my father could no longer take this role. My mother did not give up on my father’s wish to die at home. So she had many endless hours as his nurse, you know, 24/7. My employer was so patient, allowing me time away to run errands for my mother and visit my father. Co-workers and vendors I work closely with, asked how Dad was and I am doing even today. And the solace the greenhouse plants and soil gave me from this tiresome world we live in. So how I can summarize this year is “God is good”. He takes care of us! We are truly blessed! What will you put into your blessing jar? Funny thing about this photo, my Dad’s nickname is Marty. I wonder what musings he is having in heaven today?

Sep14

Herbs, Herbs, and More Herbs

Posted on September 14, 2012 by deannagreensandgardenart

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“Much Virtue in Herbs, little in Men.”
Benjamin Franklin,Poor Richard Almanac (1706 – 1790)

Deanna Greens and Garden Art will be at the Lake Saint Louis Farmers’ and Artists’ Market tomorrow morning bright and early. We are having an Herb Sale. Kitchen herbs such as sweet basil, chives, marjoram, common and pineapple sage, lemon and winter thyme growing in 3-1/2 ” terra cotta pots will go for 4 pots for the price of 3. $15. Pesticide-free. Great for your favorite autumn and winter dishes. Come buy, cook, and savor.

Jul16

The Dew of Little Things

Posted on July 16, 2012 by deannagreensandgardenart

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“For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed,” Khalil Gibran shares with us. It was a “little things day” yesterday. I awoke early Sunday morning as usual, even after 3 of my grandkids’ slumber party continued well past my bedtime Saturday night, which needs to be at 9:00pm! After perusing the yard, taking in the morning sunlight, I returned to my kitchen to cook eggs, sausage, and toast before the little ones and my exhausted husband awoke. He was up late working on the jeep, trying to take apart the layers to access any engine damage. It looks like it is “fatal” as Dean says. Shopping for a new engine now, or a new vehicle. I let my husband work on those details while I played and relaxed with the grandkids. We watered the plants and played with the hose a bit. Frisbee and the neighbors’ dogs filled up the rest of the morning. After our afternoon nap and quiet time I feel refreshed. We watched a hummingbird visit the canna blossom. We played with a bouncy ball, colored, and watched a movie. I showed my granddaughters how to propogate cuttings of wandering jew and swedish ivy. The slower pace of the children quieted my spirit, even in the chasing after my 2-year old grandson. “The dew of little things …”

Jun25

Create Art

Posted on June 25, 2012 by deannagreensandgardenart

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I contemplate what garden art to create as sales for starter plants have died down for now. My antique pottery finds will make homes for some of our succulents this week, and tarnished serving spoons will make garden signs. Relic stepping stones will feature treasures along my “gardening path”. Pieces of pottery, hand trowels, canning jar lids, and bottle caps, everything old will be cleverly displayed in these new garden stepping stones. Creating something new from old, this is an art form to me. Creating new recipes from standards ingredients is another art form to me. The abundant herbs, pineapple sage and lemon thyme are needing the old branches pruned, to make way for new growth. Those old leaves make a new crockpot dish with chicken and brown rice for Dean & I’s Sunday dinner. Yummy garden art!You know, God never gets tired of creating. He is not done with me yet. Thank you for that grace, my Father. Many distractions, yet simply put, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” My heart cries out to God this day, “God be My potter, I am Your vessel.”

Jun21

June Bugs

Posted on June 21, 2012 by deannagreensandgardenart

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This June the Japanese beetles made their way to our yard. (They are not really June bugs, but they arrive in June in my world.) And of course, we have much for them to munch on as our greenhouse is still in reconstruction. These shiny metallic looking green bugs seem to love our basil, and tasted the hydrangeas, geraniums, and hibiscus. We are thankful as the plants’ temporary home, our green screen house seems to capture the little critters. And while they mate on the screen, we capture them into jars that become their coffins. Dean & I seem to have conquered this bug invasion, but are on guard everyday, morning and night for the next couple of weeks. Beware!

Jun5

The Ambiance and Menu

Posted on June 5, 2012 by deannagreensandgardenart

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The ambiance and local menu tonight was colorful. My huge kitchen is decorated with vases of our cut flowers and the fireplace mantle is overcome by beautiful blue hydrangeas from my parents’ yard. Dean & I’s dinner plates were filled with roasted spring root veggies and beef farm fresh by friends who allow their cattle to graze in their farm’s natural pastureland. I sit on my patio listening to the evening chatter of the birds and crickets until the summer night sky is dotted with fire flies. I needed some beauty in my life today.

My feline companions bat at the moth and June bug on the patio screen hoping to get a hold of them. Celine and Lily will need to stay inside as the neighborhood Great Horned owl visits our tall backyard maple tree some evenings. This may be one of those evenings. We protect our animals from harm with barriers like screen doors. Maybe similar to how our God sets up boundaries for us. I take in the beauty of our green friends, the plants we care for everyday. Tonight I will not water or trim or plant. I will sit and enjoy the greenery. They endured the sudden hail storm yesterday. Our elephant ear , banana trees, and birds of paradise have ripped leaves now. These plants will come through after some shedding. Is not life like that? We get hammered by hard blows, unwarrantly and needlessly. Yet, we rise again to be ourselves, probably better people for it if we allow. Thank you God for the beauty my eyes behold tonight, and the reminder that the heart heals.