It's all mathematical. :)
The size of the lake and the cold of the water in the spring keep warmth and sun at bay until, well, I'm not sure when because it hasn't happened yet!
It's kind of crazy, there is a great deal of grumbling, and when the first shoots of color appear, everyone cheers. Huzzah! Huzzah!
But then comes winter clean up.
Winds sweep all kinds of things out of my yard into neighbors, and vice versa.
Leaves gather in corners, crevices and ponds.
Weird things are found beneath anything.
And the chill and the rains have kept us away from anything to do with farming except for expanding my now famous #countrygirl greenhouse to wrap my entire side porch in plastic:
This means I can't see "out" from my kitchen anymore... But so far everything is alive and we're hoping to get a stretch of warmer weather next week so we can prep the ground for tomatoes, get the fabric installed and put the stakes in the ground because those tall tomatoes need to be tied up asap!!!
Here's a glimpse of Mother's Day (Beth brought Chicken French for dinner, and it was amazing!)
Rescued tulips from the snow so they wouldn't die:
A cake that's going to be included in my 2nd Savannah Secrets mystery (no title yet), the first attempt was a kitchen fail, but this one is perfect!!!! Custard-Filled Crumb Cake, shared by the sweet ladies of Magnolia Investigations in Savannah. :)
Recipe to come once I write it down:
Zach got us an Abbott's Custard "Turtle" Pie and it was amazing!
We've been delivering firewood like crazy, folks are getting ready for camping and next winter, so that's kept us busy waiting for the ground to dry out and the expected warming trend, a warming trend that hasn't hit yet... We still have no leaves on the trees. Buds, yes... We've had buds for two weeks, since the end of April, but record overnight lows and 40 degree days have kept the leaves from forming.... And 27 degrees yesterday may have nipped buds... We'll see!
This cauliflower bake joined the Mother's Day dinner table:
This is a crowd-pleasing favorite and it re-warms well, so let's share this bit of deliciousness right now:
Our Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
8 slices of crisp-fried bacon, broken into pieces
32 oz. bag frozen cauliflower florets, lightly steamed or microwaved (or 1 small head of cauliflower)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 TBSP Ranch Seasoning (You can use 1 cup of Ranch Dip in place of sour cream, mayo and seasoning)
Coarse grind black pepper (to taste)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I use other cheeses if I don't have Monterey Jack)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
We always double this recipe so we have leftovers and then we use the 11" x 15" pan, but for this size a 13" x 9" pan works well.
Spray pan with cooking spray or lightly coat with butter.
Mix sour cream, mayo, pepper and ranch seasoning in large bowl. Fold in steamed cauliflower, half the cheese and half the bacon. Mix lightly. Put into casserole dish, top with additional cheese and bacon. Cover with foil and back for about twenty (20) minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 5-10 minutes more until cheese is lightly browning and casserole looks deliciously bubbly.
Such a favorite around here!!!!!
It's high calorie and low carb, but more than anything, it's amazingly delicious!
AND HERE'S OUR MOTHER'S DAY GATHERING!!!!!
Oh mylanta, what a bunch of cuties... And me trying to get a good picture with four screens of moving people.... Let me just say, this was the best pic of the bunch, and that's saying something, isn't it???? Laughing!
Bless you all. Bless you through this trying and difficult time for so many. Be safe. Be smart.
And thank you for taking a little time to come visit the cafe!
That cauliflower bake looks so good! Into my bookmarks it goes! Some ladies from church on Monday are having an outdoor ladies night. Bring your own chair, snack, and drink. We will have plenty of room to distance, but still get to see each other in person. I'm so excited! Working from home isn't that bad unless you can't go do anything else. Then it gets hard. We will get through this!
ReplyDeleteIt is so good, Katie! And I love that the church ladies are doing that. Yay!!!!! Have fun, sweet thing!
DeleteI'm not sure which I want first. The pie or the casserole. I'm the only one in my house who likes cauliflower, however, I wonder if they might be tempted by the bacon. Either way, I need to make this. Probably cut into quarters since it'll be all mine. But I'll be happy.
ReplyDeleteRuthy, I'm fanning our warm weather your way. Some years, winter just doesn't want to let go. But maybe you'll have an extended summer/fall. You know, pick it up on the backend. Bring on the customers.
Hey, if all y'all fan this way, spring will come! And you'd love this dish.... it's so stinkin' good. Oh mylanta, I could just make a meal on this.
DeleteI'm on a race against time with the mistakenly ordered too early tomatoes.... tomorrow is an all day rain. :(
And the tomatoes need to be staked so they don't try to lie down.
If they lie down in the pots they break, so my goal is to get them into the ground and staked and tied over the weekend.... we will be muddy.
But we might save our tomato babies!
That cauliflower casserole looks fabulous! Our summer weather is supposed to pay us a visit next week (after the rain and snow of this week!) so I think I'll have to try it with a couple grilled steaks. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your greenhouse, too. I foresee this being an yearly thing from now on. Your customers will come flocking to your farm for the early tomatoes! A happy accident!
Wouldn't that be wonderful???? I'm hoping that might work, Jan. Homegrown tomatoes in August! Party bonus.
DeleteHoping we can coax them into the ground, staked and tied over the weekend.
Farmer Dave rained on my hopes with a weather forecast but I'm hoping I get a day and a half with a crew. The right 4 people, it's amazing what we can get done!
Oh. My. Word. This recipe sounds amazing!!! I can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, what a bunch of cuties! :)
It is so good you can just stinkin' sit there and eat the whole pan. Seriously, it's a meal in a pan and so crazy good... Some folks add chives to it, and that's good, but I don't need the onion aspect.... The ranch dressing adds the perfect punch of seasoning for us. But you know me, I have a wimpy gut!
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