!!! We rock !!!

A couple of Sundays ago we went to Rita and Michael's to have a lovely Passover brunch and then do some hardcore manual labor. Rita had a pond built in her backyard a couple of years ago and then decided she didn't like it. So, she dismantled it and sold us the rock for a great price. We also got all of her old water plants! We moved the 1/2 a ton of rock from her backyard to our driveway in the same hour. Super hard work. Sometime this summer we plan on making a stone patio in the back by our pond. 

Happy water plants!

Radishes

Potatoes planted

Every year without a fail, a finch couple builds

 a nest in the fern on the front deck.

Bella on the deck protecting her turf with our new

 adopted cat, Sweet Patty Cakes, below. They aren't friends quite yet. 

≠≠ Vegan Supper Club ≠≠

This month's Supper Club was hosted by our token Vegans, Nick and Kate. They decided to have a vegan diner food theme. Chris and I dressed up for the occasion in our old fashioned clothes and I made sweet potato fries. Sean made a cheesy, gravy covered, vegan "fake meat" dish. Kate and Nick made vegan mac and cheese and beet burger sliders. Josh made a coconut milk, rosewater milk shake topped with violets that he picked from his backyard. It was a really tasty meal!

***Letterpress on the Move***

A couple of weeks ago, when it was still chilly outside, Chris and I went on the KU Campus to visit a letterpress studio on wheels. The driver has been cruisin' the states spreading the word about letterpress. And since Chris and I want to have our own letterpress studio someday, we thought we'd check it out. It was fun!

::: A Spring Work Day :::

Last weekend, Josh came over to hang around outside while we piddled in the yard. I put him to work pulling up the leeks from last fall. They are beautiful! I shared some with him of course. The annual cleaning of the pond took place and was MUCH needed. Blek. My fishies are so happy now. I planted some radishes, carrots, spinach and a wonderful mix of greens including endive, radicchio and escarole. Yummy! It felt good to get my hands in the dirt. It all ended with a shower and an afternoon nap with the kitty.

I should be ashamed! How do my fishies even see in this water!

Happy happy fishies. They've been reproducing too! There are 5 babies!

Oh, this is our stray kitty who loves us. She won't let us pet her but she doesn't mind taking naps on our cushions on the front deck. We call her Sweet Patty Cakes. We think she's pretty cute, Bella does not.

Radishes coming up!

Lettuce mix coming up!

Oh my.

¬¬ An Early Spring ¬¬

Beautiful, beautiful weather these days and wonderful blooming flowers everywhere!

Mahj

I'm learning how to play Mahjong! And I love it!

***Afternoon Productivity***

I've been so productive today! One of the things I really wanted to do was spend a little time in the kitchen. We've been so busy with the basement remodel (pictures to come) that I haven't been cooking! The horror! Who am I?! So this afternoon I had some fun making kale chips, Asian slaw and experimenting with infusing my own black peppercorn and mustard seed vodka! Yowza! (You can find my inspiration for the vodka here.) These two delicious treats are so good that I want to share the recipes. Oh yea, and they are really easy to make.

Kale Chips:

De-rib a bunch of curly kale and tear into chip-size pieces. Toss with olive oil and S & P. Spread on a baking sheet and pop in the oven at 375˚ for ~12-15 minutes. Toss around halfway. Pull them out when you can tell they are crisp. Grate some lemon zest over them and sprinkle on a few red chili flakes. Yum! Healthy snack!

Asian Inspired Slaw: (beware, this is not precise)

Grate a small head of cabbage (I use Savoy or Napa when available which makes it light and fluffy) and 3 or 4 carrots, using the grate attachment, in the food processor. Put in a bowl and toss with:

lemon juice from one lemon

a few tablespoons sesame oil

a few dashes of ume plum vinegar

sea salt to taste

seaweed flakes

a couple dashes of cayenne

sesame seeds or sunflower seeds (or both, and sliced almonds?)

Yummy and healthy!

I can't believe that in only a matter of hours the vodka has already taken on an amber color. I think it's going to be really good, but possibly might need to be diluted with more vodka. I gave it a whiff and it smells really peppery! Great for bloody mary's or some other crazy concoction. I'm seeing some cocktail experimenting in my future.