Operation Pintrest – Baked Avocado with Parmesan and Lime

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avocado, chef, cooking, diy, edibles, entertaining, hippy, home, house, mother, pinterest, recipes

I love avocados and wanted to try this baked avocado. I cant eat to many spicy things right now so I made one of these avocados with hot sauce and one without. Here is the set up.

Slice and add hot sauce

Sprinkle cheese and bake

I made these with an cauliflower recipe you can view here

Serve with lime and eat. Delicious!!

I love this and although I did it in the oven I think putting the on the BBQ in the last few minutes of grilling would be even better.

Baked Avocado with Parmesan and Lime: The Pin The Website 

Operation Pintrest: Pesto pasta with chicken sausage and brussel sprouts

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brussel sprouts, chef, cooking, diy, edibles, entertaining, home, house, mother, pasta, pinterest, recipes

I only recently tried Brussels Sprouts again since refusing them as a young kid. I have found that it is really all how you cook them. Here is a recipe I came across adding them into a pasta dish.

Seasoned lightly with grapeseed oil and a little salt lots of pepper.

Roast in the oven while you cook pasta and sausage

I cooked sausage in its own pan so that I could cook halfway removed slice and wipe down excess grease from pan.

I added about a quarter cup of pasta water to thin out the stickyness once mixed together.

I think this recipe shows how to roast the sprouts as an everyday side dish or added into this pasta recipe.  You can make a double batch and have as a side dish and use leftovers here. Either way this is a great recipe that is filling and very tasty

Pesto pasta with chicken sausage: The Pin The Website

 

Operation Pintrest – Baked Cauliflower Poppers

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cauliflower, chef, cooking, diy, edibles, entertaining, french fries, home, house, mother, pinterest

Touted as a replacement for french fries and I just so happen to be a fry connoisseur so lets check it out.

Lets begin with a head of cauliflower cut into small pieces

Next seson with oil (I used grapeseed) and a tiny bit of salt and some pepper

then bake (I also made baked avocados see that review here)

As I said, I thought this Pin looked interesting since they are saying they are “just like french fries”.  Um no.  Don’t get me wrong these are very good and I will make them over and over as a veggie side but they are no replacement for french fries.  For someone looking to cut a craving I am sure they will work if you add more salt than I did but still no french fry.  I do have a hard time with side dishes and it is nice to find good ones that are easy and this is pretty simple.  Mine didn’t even have to cook for a full hour and I only turned them once.  Bake them while you prep the rest of dinner and have a healthy side dish.

Baked Cauliflower Poppers: The Pin The Website

Decollate Snails

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compost, cooking, diy, edibles, entertaining, Garden, Gardening, green thumb, hippy, nursery, plants, snails, worm factory, worms

A few months ago I bought a Basil at my Trader Joe’s and set it outside.  Two days later I go to retrieve some leaves for dinner and all that’s left of it is sticks.  I couldn’t believe that in 2 days I lost a large basil plant to the local brown snails.  I really wish I had before and after pictures.  I was shocked.

Later that week I went to the Green Thumb to get worms for the Worm Factory and saw a package for carnivorous snails.  Sounded kind of gruesome but once I thought about it I decided that one animal eating another is better than poisoning an animal to death. I decided that when I started working on the garden I would come back to pick up these snails in hopes that it will keep the brown snails from eating all my plants.

Once I was ready I picked up the snails at the local Green Thumb brought them home and stored them in the fridge until I could release them.  I released my Decollate Snails into the garden last night.  (Please note the chipped nail polish.  This is proof Ive been working hard in the garden)

Following the release instructions on the package I released them under the rose bush, under the tree and blackberry bush as well as below the Camilla.

I realize I may have to buy more later to restock my garden as there isn’t much organic matter to feed on right now and they may leave the area in search of food.  But now that the blackberry bush, mints and basil are outside I am hoping they survive the next few days.

How to cure a Black Thumb

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compost, diy, edibles, entertaining, Garden, Gardening, green thumb, mother, nursery, parenting, party planning, pinterest, plants, snails, worm factory, worms

I have always dreamed of having my own peaceful garden and I would love to work on my new patio but my black thumb scares me.  I am determined to conquer this problem and think positive learning from my mistakes.  I can’t even count the number of plants that have died in my care over the last 12 years but its enough to where my husband is dreading the amount of money I plan to put into a garden he isn’t sure will survive.

Here is where I am at so far.  I decided to add nutrients to my garden by getting a worm composter.  I started composting using the Worm Factory on April 8, 2012.  Tray one is almost ready for the garden.  Tray 2 it being worked through pretty good.  And I just added tray three.

I have started a journal for the garden where I mapped out what is planted there now, what’s to stay, what’s to go and what I want to plant.  The palm and the corner plant I call an elephant ear, even though I KNOW it isn’t an elephant ear plant, are being taken out this weekend. I will also have the rose bush trimmed and reworked onto a new lattice.

I have a blackberry vine ready to go into the ground.   A basil plant to replace the one the local snails ate in 2 days. A spearmint, and a chocolate mint.  Due to the snail problem I will be releasing Decollate Snails purchased at my local Green Thumb. Then I will later work on edibles in containers and raised beds. My front entryway will be worked later so that roses, bulbs and a hydrangea will provide cut flowers for the house.

This is a long term project and I have already investigated many items from Pinterest to try and use.  It will be exciting to share this with you and have something to look back on that will either prove if a black thumb is curable or a disorder for life.