Trailer Park Pesto

I'd love to be a gourmet and buy all my food at uppity stores like WFM, but the truth is, I'm broke. And so I do the best I can with what I have. I made some homemade pesto today and I bet those gourmets couldn't really tell the difference!


I put a few handfuls of fresh basil into the blender. Its grown in my garden and some leaves had a few spots, but it still smells amazing!

I don't have money for things like pine nuts. They are so expensive! So I use almonds. I can usually find a bag of almond slivers in the baking aisle for about a dollar. I lucked out and found this outdated bag on sale for 50 cents! You just need about a cup of almonds.

Next throw in some garlic. You could use just a clove or two, but there is no one here to kiss but my stuffed piggy so I'm gonna put in 6 or 7.

You could get some high end parmasean cheese, but honestly, I think the cheapest stuff (in the green shaker jar) works the best. Get the store brand, trust me! You need about a cup of this too.

So then you add olive oil. I would slurge here first if I could. But I can't, so I got my olive oil at the dollar store. It will work just fine. You need about 6 ounces. Maybe more. And then blend! Using a food processor is so much easier but a blender will work.

It will store in the fridge for a week or two or in the freezer for months.

Happy Little "Squirrel"

Up on top of my cupboard I have stored away 35 jars of dill pickled cucumbers and green beans!!

Canning Tomatoes

Last year my tomatoes didn't really ripen. I guess there just wasn't enough sun or something. I made a lot of green tomato foods. But this year, God has blessed us with so much sunshine and I have had more tomatoes than I know what to do with! So I've learned the fine art of tomato canning.
First I made ketchup. I have to say it is just the best ketchup I have ever tasted. Maybe the best condiment I've ever tasted. It's just incredible!

Today my Mama taught me how to make pasta sauce. She even grew and dried the herbs herself. I can't wait to taste it! It smelled amazing!

summer harvest

Today we got our first red tomatoes! We've had some cherry tomatoes on Isaiah's tomato plant, but these were the first from the main gardens! So for dinner we had sandwiches with tomato slices and a salad with tomato and cucumber from the garden. The cucumbers are amazing, like a whole other plant from the kind in the grocery.
Yesterday I made a bit of cucumber salad:


Cucumber Salad
2 parts white vinegar 1 part water 1/2 part white sugar.
Make enough to cover the cucumbers and red onions. I really suggest red onions. Let sit in the fridge overnight at least.


The pear fairie come today! I found these lovelies on my patio table. They will make a great breakfast.

Also today I knitted this baby hat in Monet yarn. It is so cute. I just need a baby to wear it! Guess it goes into the website market. Baby Knits

tis the season to start knitting...

Not that I ever totally stop, but I've started knitting full time again in hopes of having a big collection before the holidays. My knitting page on facebook needs a bit of an update but you can see most of my work there: Stephanie's Knitted Things. Also this year I'm hoping to do some pre-Christmas craft shows. My friend, Sarah, and I are going to try to go into business together. She is making the scarves and I am making the hats and/or headband to match.
If I have the business level I had last year, I'll be thrilled.