"BLT" Salad

A "BLT" salad - bacon, lettuce and tomato. :-)

The dressing absolutely makes this salad!

It is so de-li-cious! 

Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma -

makes 4 family size servings or 2 dinner portions 

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 cup red cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup croutons

8 slices of bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled into bite sized pieces

~toss together~

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup sour cream

1 garlic clove, chopped finely

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

~combine thoroughly and pour over salad~

enjoy :-)

Linked to From the Farm Blog Hop #37.

Mandarin Chicken Salad with a Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette

This was tasty! 

Lettuce, red bell peppers, carrots, snow peas, edamame, peanuts, 

mandarins, sesame seeds, cilantro, green onions, 

chicken seared with sweet chili thai sauce and a yummy dressing.

Recipe from Munchin with Munchkin.

In the garden this morning...

Another crook neck squash almost ready.

A big 'ol tomato ripening!

First cucumber!

First green bean!

More and more tomatoes.

More zinnias.

Need to cut some to bring inside,

but just can't bring myself to do it. :-)

And an FYI...

Chickens

love

watermelon!!!

Today's bounty. :-)

Linked to From the Farm Bloghop #37, Homestead Barn Hop #115, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

~knitted cap~

I usually don't knit much in the summertime,

but it's been so long since I've had any time to knit

that it's made me just itch to get to some projects.

This cap only took a few days to stitch up.

It's a big step for me since everything else I 

have ever knitted has been a flat piece.

I thought it turned out really well.

I know I will enjoy wearing it this winter -

it is very warm!

The cap only used maybe 1/4 of the skein of yarn,

so I decided to make a matching cowl out of the rest.

I am knitting it in a ribbed seed stitch and I am loving the texture.

So happy to be knitting again! :-)

Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie

Oh wow!  This was SO yummy!  Eat it with a spoon. :-)

In a blender place -

1 banana, frozen

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

~blend~

Enjoy!

~Update on the Flock~

The newest girls in my flock have been added in with my older chickens.

Dolly, of course, is very sweet to them.

Loretta and Carrie spend the day free ranging 

so they aren't really giving them too much trouble.

The new girls aren't big enough or old enough to 

fly over the fence yet so they stay safe in the barnyard.

Miranda and Taylor are twelve weeks old, 

and Jenna Rae the 2nd is eight weeks old.

Taylor is a Black Australorp.

And Miranda is a Silver Laced Wyandotte.  She is going to be so pretty!

Linked to From the Farm Blog Hop #37, Homestead Barn Hop #115

What are the kittens up to this morning?

The kittens are ready to play as soon as the sun comes up every morning.

Chupa has learned the fine art of climbing.

I think she was contemplating climbing up a sunflower this morning...

...but thought better of it. :-)

This little elm is her favorite tree to climb.

It is just her size.

She scampers up really fast,

but the getting down part still takes a little thought.

I found little Leche on the porch playing with a plastic container.

And sweet Dulce was playing peek-a-boo behind a tree with Daisy.

And Chiclet was just hiding in the woods. :-)

Linked to Homestead Barn Hop #115

End of the potatoes...start of the tomatoes! :-)

We enjoyed the last of our potatoes over the weekend.

And, then I pulled up the plants to get a bed ready to plant pumpkins and gourds.

We are getting the first tomatoes from our cherry plant, enjoyed our first crook neck squash 

last night and have harvested several zucchinis.  

Ah!  Summertime and fresh vegetables - love it! :-)

Menu Plan

Supper Menus
June 9th-15th

Sunday
leftovers after getting home from taking the kids to camp
Monday
green beans and new potatoes, corn on the cob, squash, purple hull peas, tomatoes, milk and honey bread, peach cobbler
Tuesday
a bite of leftovers and snacks at the movies!
Wednesday
mandarin chicken salad with a sweet and sour vinaigrette
Thursday
BLT salad
Friday
picnic at the ranch
Saturday
whatever the kids want me to make for their first supper home after camp :-)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

I use to participate in the Daybook link up several years ago, but then I think the lady that did it stopped hosting it.  I stumbled up it again today and decided to link up with her "June Kind of Daybook."  You can find other entries and/or link up yourself at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is shining brightly.

I am thinking...about my yummy lunch I'm eating right now.  Potatoes and cherry tomatoes from the garden and leftover green beans from last night's supper.  I was planning to have a leftover roll, too, but the boys got them first. 

I am thankful...to be feeling better after running a high fever for almost the entire first week of summer.

In the kitchen...there are still a few leftover doughnuts from yesterday's National Doughnut Day celebration.

I am wearing...my Glow Run 5K t-shirt, hot pink running shorts, and hot pink running shoes (but I haven't been on a run in months ;-)

I am creating...a knitted cap.

I am going...to take Mr. H. back to the rental car place for the second time today to pick up the other rental vehicle that will be taking kids to camp tomorrow.

I am wondering...if we've packed everything the kids need for camp.

I am reading...about how to make homemade soap.

I am hoping...to go to the library and the farm patch next week.

I am looking forward to...a date night or two with Mr. H. while the kids are at camp.

I am learning...to be a better gardener.

Around the house...there is plenty to do and I can't wait to get at it!

I am pondering...getting a good summer schedule put in place.

A favorite quote for today..."It was June, and the world smelled of roses.  The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside." ~ Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib 1941

One of my favorite things...is definitely summertime!

A few plans for the rest of the week...are to keep myself very busy while my  babies are at camp and I'm missing them. 

A peek into my day...