This is a quick pasta made mostly with pantry items. INGREDIENTS 3-4 Italian sausage, casings removed 3 heads roasted garlic small can cannelloni beans 1/2 cup whole black olives, halved small jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 2 tablespoons olive bruschetta spinach rigatoni pecorino romano DIRECTIONS roast garlic heads ahead of time and remove… Read more »
My Everchanging Garden
Gardening That Grows With Me
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Chocolate Roasted Salted Macadamia Nut Cookies
Costco sells dry roasted sea salt macadamia nuts that are divine. They taste fantastic in these chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I also don’t like white chocolate so I used milk chocolate chips instead. INGREDIENTS 2 cups flour 2/3 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter,… Read more »
Asparagus Soup
This soup has a strong asparagus taste seasoned just right with parmesan. The parmesan adds a salty taste, so be careful when seasoning early. This is a small recipe perfect for 2 people with left overs, but it can be doubled. While it can be frozen, I find cheese soups do not reheat well after… Read more »
Fruit or Apple Crisp
“Lot’s of crunchy topping on this apple crisp.” Update: The recipe below was my original large batch crisp. To make a smaller batch I use the same 1-2-4 ratio. One part butter, two parts brown sugar, 4 parts oats. So for example 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup oats. I often skip… Read more »
Beet Salad with Capers, Pepitas & Balsamic Vinaigrette
A bright, tangy side dish that pairs beautifully with rich meats like wagyu steak. Make the vinaigrette early so you can marinade the beets in the fridge for a couple of hours. This is enough for two with a little left over dressing for the next day. Balsamic–Shallot Vinaigrette: 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp… Read more »
Mixed Greens, Pear, Walnut and Goat Cheese Salad
This salad went well with pesto-herbed pork tenderloin but would be good with any Tuscan style meal. Salad Mixed greens blend 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced 2-3 tablespoons toasted walnut pieces 2-3 tablespoons goat cheese Mix greens with dressing. Just before serving slice pear and add with toasted walnuts and chunks of goat cheese. Mix… Read more »
Pesto Ricotta & Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Pear Salad
I’ve been experimenting with my new steam oven, particularly the convection humid setting which seems to be my favourite way to put together a weeknight meal so far. The meat and potatoes or vegetables can be cooked in one shallow glass pan. I like stuffing pork tenderloin so put together this combination for dinner. The… Read more »
Embracing Early Spring Planters
For years, I’ve skipped the whole early spring planting ritual. You know the one—those cheerful little violas, pansies, daffodils, and primulas that brave the inconsistent temperatures of March and early April. My reasoning was based mostly on being practical: Our temperatures don’t reliably stay above freezing until mid-April I thought why go through all that… Read more »
My 2025 Garden Vision: More Changes Ahead
Last year, I discovered the power of writing down my garden design objectives. What began as a simple bucket list for 2024 transformed into a valuable roadmap that kept me focused throughout the season. It’s not like I worked on one project at a time until completion – I did follow my usual habit of… Read more »
Keeping Track of My Seed Spending
Like any gardener, I have a weakness for seeds (and yes, plants and tools too, but let’s focus on one obsession at a time). While I dutifully try to plan ahead each December, making detailed lists of what I need, the siren song of seed displays proves irresistible. Whether at garden centers, hardware stores, or… Read more »