It’s about Bloomin’ Time!

Guess what’s blooming around my backyard? My garden is showing the signs of its intended purposes.

Hello, little banana peppers. Soon, you will be pickled in hopes of adorning one of my Whole Wheat Pizzas. Get ready. I have a lot of plans for you.

And my dear spicy jalapenos…how could I not have a garden without you? Not only will I dehydrate you and can you, but I will be making sweet, sweet Jalapeno Jelly out of you. (Geez, what were you thinking?)

Dear Tiny Tomatoes. How I long for you to ripen, to turn red and to be atop a crispy baguette slice in bruschetta glory! Or, perhaps I will make a little Spicy Salsa out of you. The possibilities are endless.

I count down the days for the harvest, eagerly awaiting your maturity. I love you, dear garden.
In the words of many a pastor across the midwest that I’ve met, eaten chicken fingers with and sang on their stage as a pre-teen, “Don’t let me down, cuz’ my waterin’s real good.” Amen.

Simple, Spicy Salsa

I’m off to visit these weirdos for the next couple of days, leaving behind Biceps and two very needy kitties. I think Biceps might be stressed out a little about the kittens’ extreme cuddle needs-I’ve set the bar pretty high for cuddles around our house. Pray for him…

But, I love you dear readers and didn’t want to leave you without something simple and yummy to make this weekend. After all, it’s Memorial Day Weekend and I bet most of you are cooking up a storm, heading out to your yachts and tanning yourself in your hot little bikinis.

However, I will be going to a feed store and a Holocaust museum. Almost the same thing, right?
And since my garden is in full swing, I am getting excited about making and canning my own salsa once more. When life gives you tomatoes, jalapenos and other assorted peppers, what else do you do, but make Simple, Spicy Salsa!

(I originally posted this back in 2010, but not many got to see it before my site went belly up. So, it’s back for your viewing pleasure.)

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Simple, Spicy Salsa:

Food Processor
5+ Beefy Tomatoes-I used several different varieties
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
2-3 Jalapeno or Spicy Chili Peppers
3 Banana Peppers

You’ll want to balance these with….

…with these nice fellas to make your Spicy Salsa. Now, let’s get to work.

Throw whole tomatoes into your food processor and set it to ‘Puree’.

I know most people would tell you to seed them, take the cores out, etc. But, I promised you “simple” and you are getting “simple”. Plus, it doesn’t taste any different, so there.

It should look like this when you are done beating the puddin’ out of it.

Now, see those little unassuming jalapenos and that red pepper? Take the stems off of the tops and throw them in-you may seed them if you want it to be less spicy.
Hit the ‘Puree’ button once more and laugh evil-like for good measure.

Add the Chartreuse (Banana) Peppers and do the same. You may “evil laugh” at your own discretion.

Toss in your cilantro and turn the ‘Puree’ button down to a nice ‘Chop’.

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and add it to the  mix.
‘Chop’ this for a few seconds, using the ‘Pulse’ button if you have one.
Add the lime juice and hit the ‘Mix’ button for a few more seconds.

Hello, yummy. This stuff is a little spicy, but oh so good. If you need to tone it down for daintier pallets, seed the spicy peppers or add a tad bit of sugar.

Now, grab yourself a bag of chips and get busy. Chef’s orders.

Linking up here, along with other parties:

God Watered for me Last Night-Garden Update

I spend most mornings on my back porch enjoying the coolness of the day. The neighborhood dogs haven’t been put out yet to bark incessantly at me, the squirrels or anything else they deem bark-worthy. All is quiet, save the birds singing in the new day. I talk to God, watch the kittens attack bugs and peer out at my garden.

This morning, I awoke to a spectacular sight.

While I was sleeping, God watered the garden for me.

Everything was touched with a bit of dew and when the sunlight hit it, the leaves sparkled. The hues were deeper, the green of the garden appeared healthy and vibrant.

I did nothing to make this little guy struggle from beneath the earth, other than plant the seed. But, here he is reaching up for his morning drink.

It’s weird to say, but I felt a bit of homesickness for heaven. This was how it was intended to be, I think. In a small way, I was experiencing my Garden of Eden.

I think that’s why I like gardening-it’s so biblical. I plant the seed, offer water when needed, protect it from naughty bunny enemies and then…I hope.

I hope that all of my efforts will bring the harvest. I hope there’s enough to freeze, can, dehydrate and share.

But other than my hope in God’s growing system, there’s nothing more that I can do. I could wish for it, demand it, curse about it when something dies or turns brown, but in the end, it’s up to God to make each plant grow and produce.

And he does it for me and my tiny little garden every single time. Even though I don’t deserve it, he still blesses me with a harvest.

It’s a reminder that if I put in the work in my garden or in people’s lives, he’ll take care of the harvest.
What a relief. God’s much better at it by far than I am.

A Tale of Two Cats and a Hawk

Once upon a time, there were two leashed white cats innocently hanging out in the backyard, with their owner nearby. A Red Tailed Hawk entered the scene, swooped down and alighted on the chain link fence that separated the neighbor’s yards.

Photo Source
For a moment the world stood still.

The Red Tailed Hawk was impressive-with an intimidating wingspan of 4-5 feet, razor sharp claws and a scary, pointy beak that can poke kittens eyes out.

At a whopping 13 pounds of pure muscle, this “kitten” would be almost impossible for the aforementioned Red Hawk to lift off the ground.

Photo Source
However, this bird of prey wouldn’t realize this until after sinking its sharp and pointy talons into a muscle-bound Maxwell. Max’s instincts took over and he peeled out in the grass, aiming for the open back door. His race for safety caused the attached leash to knock over the fire pit and the two bikes on our back porch.

Photo Source
The Red Hawk took off, disturbed both by me and by the insanity created by Maxwell. The “kitten” ducked inside, his tail had exploding to three times larger than normal and the hair mohawk on his back standing on end. The poor little guy’s body shook all over and his breathing accelerated to a “Rebekah-on-a-roller-coaster-scared” status.

Photo Source
After further research, I realized there was nothing I could do to keep this bird of prey away. It’s even protected by the government-sorry, Biceps.

I think my only option is to add weighted vests to the kittens halters. If only they came in extra-extra small cat sizes….