30by30: 16.) Build and Plant a Square Foot Gardening Plot - COMPLETE

Well, this took a LOT of work for both my husband and I. First Kevin dug and leveled the space in the yard and he brought home the board. Then I painted the boards to match our deck. We got the paving stones from another area of our yard that the previous owner had left and made a checker board pattern.  We got 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite (medium size) and 1/3 compost to nearly fill the space. We mixed the dirt well and planted the veggies. We then threw a piece of netting over it to protect from critters and birds, which we are blessed to have many of but after all that hard work I just couldn't stand the thought of having a cat use it as a litter box.

The reason why it's cordoned off is because I'm doing a square foot gardening technique. In the garden so far I have 24 strawberries (from the previous owner), 3 hops, 4 broccoli, 1 artichoke, 1 rhubarb, 4 romaine lettuce, 8 head lettuce, 2 butter crunch lettuce, 1 section of sunflowers, 8 sections of sweet corn from seed, 4 various annual flowers, 1 cilantro and adequate space for 1 tomato plant. I couldn't have done this all without my wonderful husband! Three cheers to him :)))

30by30: 2.) New Dinner Dishes - Sour Cream Noodle Bake

This Sour Cream Noodle Bake was simply heavenly! It's sort of weird, but it calls for cottage cheese and it's very good in this recipe. It's sort of like healthier, yummier hamburger helper if you want an idea for texture.

Again, this recipe is courtesy of Pioneer Woman:

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck
• 1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)
• 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.

30by30: 2.) New Dinner Dishes - Caveman Pops (Baked Turkey Legs)

Today's new recipe was again from The Pioneer Woman. I loved the idea of these "caveman pops" and decided to try my hand at it. Kevin ate his with a knife and fork, which was very endearing. I ate mine like a true caveman, minus the napkin clutched to my chin to catch the yummy juices. It was very very good.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Pioneer Woman:

Ingredients

• 10 whole Turkey Legs
• BRINE:
• 4 quarts Water
• 1 cup Kosher Salt
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Seasoning Blend (I Used Montreal)
• 1 whole Bay Leaf
• Dry Rub
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder (less If You Don't Like Things Too Spicy!)
• 2 teaspoons Seasoning Blend (I Used Montreal)
• 2 teaspoons Paprika
• 2 teaspoons Onion Salt

Preparation Instructions

In a pot, combine water with the salt, sugar, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons seasoning blend, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Allow to cool, then pour into a large container or bowl filled with ice. When mixture is cold, submerge turkey in the brine. Cover the container and brine in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours, more if you have time.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry rub ingredients. Remove the turkey legs from the brine and rinse them under cold water. Pat them dry. Rub the dry rub all over the turkey legs, getting under the skin when you can.

Roast on a baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 and roast for another 15 minutes, or until turkey is cooked through. (Update: larger legs will require longer cooking time.)

Remove them from oven and wrap the bottom of the legs with aluminum foil for serving.

30by30: 2.) New Dinner Dishes - Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili

Today I cooked Ohio Smokehouse Chili for Kevin and I. I had made it for my mom once who wanted me to come over and make chili for her, and I remember eating it with her and bonding over cornbread and chili. This picture isn't the best because Kevin hadn't started eating his chili for the first hour and the cheese got a little, slimy. I ate my chili so quickly that I forgot about the picture completely! But trust me, it's one of the best recipes and very hearty and filling! Adapted from Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition. Post script: If you are a cook book collector like I am, make sure that you have an original copy of Joy where it tells you how to cook possum, etc. It's hard to beat looking at some of those original recipes! Then get yourself a new edition which has this chili recipe and things like gazpacho). Here it is:

Ohio Farmhouse Sausage Chili (4 to 6 servings)
A delicious "warmer-upper" after a fine tramp in the woods on a chilly day.
Brown in a large skillet: 1 pound pork sausage, 1 large onion chopped.
Toward the end of the browning, add: 1 celery stalk, diced.
When the celery is softened, add: 1 can whole tomatoes and 1 can stewed tomatoes [blended separately with an immersion blender] chopped, 2 cups tomato juice or chicken broth, 3 T. maple syrup (the real stuff), 2 t. ground cumin, 1.5 t. powdered sage, .5 t. ground black pepper.
Simmer for 20 minutes, skim off fat if needed, Add:
3.5 to 4 c. cooked red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Simmer for 15 minutes more. Serve with:
Cheddar cheese sprinkled on top and a dollup of sour cream.

Optional for dipping: Corn bread, buttermilk biscuits, crisp toast

30by30: Extra Credit #3: Snowshoeing

To celebrate spring break (and in order to relax from grad school), the hubby and I took an overnight trip at Timberline Lodge. Normally I'm content with sitting by the fire while he snowboards; however, this time I took it upon myself to go snowshoeing. I rented a pair of snowshoes from the ski rental place at Timberline and set off on the West Leg Road snowshoe trail of 2.5 miles. I was pooped by the end but it was gorgeous, as you can see from above scenery! I did get bonked in the head by falling snow, but no damage. It was lovely, crystal clear and you could see for miles and miles when the trees opened up. No skiers or snowboarders ran in to me either. As part of the cost of the rental, you get to take the lift back up to the top and that was really fun too. Snowshoeing... very fun!