~summer afternoon~

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been

the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~ Henry James 

Menu Plan

Supper Menus
June 23rd-29th

Sunday
leftovers
Monday
kung pao chicken, lettuce wraps
Tuesday
crock pot enchiladas
Wednesday
leftovers
Thursday
spicy black bean burgers with chipotle mayo and avocado slices, french fries and spicy ketchup
Friday
asian quinoa salad
Saturday
out for supper

Menu Plan Monday 

~cucumber water~

Cucumber water.  Have you heard of it?

Evidently it's very popular - just check pinterest. ;-)

My sister-in-law made some recently and my daughter loved it.

When I brought our first two pickling cucumbers in from the garden this morning

one of them was kind of funky shaped, 

so we decided to slice it up and make some cucumber water.

water, ice, thin cucumber slices

and a few hours in the fridge

It is very tasty and refreshing!

So far, my cucumber plant doesn't seem to be going crazy like in summers past.

If it doesn't take off, maybe we'll skip making pickles

and just make cucumber water all summer! ;-)

Now if zucchini water tasted good, we'd be all set...

Linked to Homestead Barnhop #116, Wise Woman Link Up June 26th, 

From the Farm Blog Hop #39, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #114

Blueberries and summertime just go hand in hand...

...so why not bake up some 

old fashioned

Blueberry Hand Pies? :-)

You start by making a tender, flakey pie crust 

and then cooking up some yummy fresh blueberry filling.

You can't buy this stuff in a can, folks. ;-)

Don't forget to add plenty of cinnamon and sugar on top!

Blueberry Hand Pies
makes 10-12 pies

To make the crust -

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

6 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour and salt.

Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add water and combine until dough comes together.

Wrap in saran wrap and place in the fridge while you... 

 Make the filling - 

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons corn starch

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup water

2 cups blueberries

In a saucepan combine sugar, corn starch, salt, cinnamon,

lemon zest, lemon juice and water.

Stir until smooth.

Add blueberries and bring to a boil.

Boil for two minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile...

 Prepare the pies -

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

Beat egg and water together; set aside.

Roll out dough and cut into 5 inch circles.

(I used a cereal bowl.)

Fill each circle with 2 tablespoons of filling.

Using your finger, dab egg wash over one edge of the circle.

Fold dough over and seal edges with a fork.
Place pies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Put pies in the freezer to chill; about 10 minutes.

While they are chilling...

 Preheat oven -

to 375°.

Remove pies from freezer, brush with egg wash

and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. 

Bake at  375° for 20-25 minutes. 

Let cool five minutes,

 serve warm and enjoy!

Linked to Homestead Barnhop #116, 

Wise Woman Link Up June 26th, Share Your Cup Thursday #62, 

From the Farm Blog Hop #32, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #114

Nine Weeks - and some sad news :-(

The kittens are nine weeks old today!

Little Leche still thinks she should be nursing,

but I can tell Reeses is trying to discourage it.

Doesn't Leche just have the sweetest little face? :-)

Chiclet is always so serious, just watching and hunting.

He is starting to keep to himself more.

Which is kind of good.  He will be going to live out in the country 

with some friends of ours when he is twelve weeks old.

Chupa, above, and Leche will be staying with us.

We certainly couldn't give away Leche.

She is her Momma's girl for sure. :-)

Chupa says, "Please, no more pictures." ;-)

Our very sad news is that we lost Dulce earlier this week. 

She was my favorite and my son's favorite.

She was always very curious 

and wandered off on her own a lot.

Bless his heart, Mr. H. found her in the chicken yard.

We're not sure what happened, 

but I suspect Loretta got her.

Those kind of things happen we know,

but it sure doesn't make it any easier. :-(

And, I could tell that Momma knew that she'd lost one of her babies.

And that just broke my heart. 

Happy 1st Day of Summer!

I was so surprised this morning when I went outside 

and saw that the first sunflower had bloomed!

I was so excited!

It was still closed up yesterday 

with just a hint of yellow peeking out.

How neat that it opened on the first day of summer.

It must have known. ;-)

The little zinnias are still looking pretty.

I love all of the orange ones that are blossoming.

Happy first day of summer to all! :-)

PF Chang's Style Spicy Green Beans

One of my favorite things on the menu at

PF Chang's China Bistro,

are the spicy green beans.  

SO good!

I tried out a copy cat recipe (with a few changes) this evening and I thought for a moment 

that I really was at PF Chang's. :-)

Spicy Green Beans

adapted from food.com.

1 pound fresh green beans

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped finely

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Rinse and trim beans.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper; set aside.

Heat water in saucepan over high heat and simmer beans until crisp tender; 4-5 minutes.

Remove and drain beans.

Add sesame oil to sauce pan.  Sautee ginger and garlic; 1-2 minutes.

Add green beans and sautee until beans are tender; 3-4 minutes.

Add sauce to pan, heat and stir until sauce thickens and glazes the beans.

Enjoy!

Orange Chicken

WHERE has this been all my life?!

Orange Chicken!

We all love Chinese food in my family.

PF Changs, Pei Wei, and even Panda Express are favorite destinations.

We usually order Kung Pao,

but Mr. H. and my children also really like orange chicken.

 I don't think I've ever even tried it.

My son requested that I find a recipe and make it this week,

and oh boy did we all love it.

The chicken was SO moist and tender

 and the sauce so tasty...

we were all wanting to lick our plates. ;-)

for the sauce -

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 tablespoons green onions, sliced thinly

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

for the chicken-

1 pound chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite sized pieces

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons salt

oil for frying

additional sliced green onions

To make sauce, combine all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir together cornstarch and water, pour into boiling

sauce, and whisk until thickened.  Keep sauce warm as you make the chicken.

Heat an inch of oil in skillet.  Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt.

Coat chicken pieces in egg and then flour mixture.

Place chicken pieces into hot oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove chicken with slotted spoon, add to warm sauce, and stir to coat. 

Serve chicken over steamed rice and top with green onions.

Enjoy!

Delicious with a side of spicy green beans.

~first bouquet~

"To sit in the shade

on a fine day

and look upon verdure

is the most perfect 

refreshment."

~ Jane Austen

Linked to From the Farm Blog Hop #38, Homestead Barnhop #116

~homemade ranch~

1/2 cup mayonaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 garlic clove, minced finely

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

~combine and chill~

Makes one cup of dressing.

Will keep in the fridge about two weeks.

Delicious on salads or as a dip for veggies.

Linked to Homestead Barnhop #116