My wife and I have never been good at keeping any plants alive. That’s why Christy looked at me funny when I said I wanted to grow some herbs. We even joked about how long it would take me to kill them off. The good news is I was able to grow basil, mint, thyme and onion chives for about three months. I planted them in small containers, as I didn’t want to waste much money if I wasn’t able to take care of them. Unfortunately, these small containers couldn’t keep moisture around for very long in the Texas heat. We went on a short vacation recently and we didn’t have anyone to come by and water the plants for us. Why? Well… we never have needed anyone before and I completely forgot about them (neglect). While we were gone the temperature averaged around 100 degrees. The only thing that survived was the Basil.
I decided not to give up on the herbs, so I setup a larger container for my next attempt. I really like the look of the galvanized water tanks that I have seen used as planters, so I located a Tractor Supply store and purchased a 1 x 2 x 4 foot water tank.
I didn’t want the tank sitting directly on the cement patio so my Father-in-law cut up some 4×4’s that he had been saving and I placed those under the tanks.
Next I drilled some holes in the bottom and put a 1-inch layer of gravel in the bottom so that water could drain out.
Then I layered some organic dirt on top of the rocks and I soaked it down to see how well the water would drain out. I am very pleased with the way it looks and I am excited about planting some new herbs.
This weekend I will go to the Antique Rose Emporium and purchase the new herbs. I will update you in a later post on the new plants I choose for my next attempt.
What are your favorite herbs? Do you have any growing advice for a first timer?
Since I started eating healthier I have included more fruits. Fruits are a great way to also satisfy your sweet tooth. The great thing about this smoothie is my kids constantly ask me to make it. I use frozen fruit instead of ice to get the frosty cold drink.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups – Frozen Blueberries
1 1/2 Cups – Frozen Strawberries
1 – Banana
1 Cup – Fat Free Milk
1 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract
Add honey or Splenda to help the sweetness
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a blender and fire it up. I usually have to stop the blender and move the fruit around until it all catches and gets blended.
This makes about 4 Cups
Notes: You can use any frozen fruits that you want.
Raise your hand if you have ever turned on your oven and heard popping noises and then smelled an electrical smell. Well that happened to me a few days ago and we haven’t had a chance to have it looked at.
Tonight I wanted pizza and couldn’t cook it. So I turned to a Panini sandwich to get the crusty bread and gooey cheesy goodness I was craving. Lately, we have been buying whole wheat Indian naan bread to make our pizzas. The bread tastes great and is thin enough to crisp up at a high temperature.
I grabbed some ingredients and heated my professional Panini grill. I layered the cheese on one side of the bread so that it would help everything stay in its place as it melted.
Next came the sauce, red bell pepper strips and some basil from my herb garden.
Then a layer of turkey Italian sausage, some more cheese and finally I spread the remaining sauce on the other half of naan bread and closed it up.
Once the professional Panini grill (cast iron pans!) was heated I tossed the sandwich on the grill and pressed it down. I had to flip it once since the top cast iron pan wasn’t as hot as I wanted.
As you can see it crisped up and was ooey gooey in the middle.
About three weeks ago I started eating healthier. This means I take my lunches to work as much as I can. Tonight I decided to make soup for the week. Since I am eating healthier I made this with turkey Italian sausage but you can make it with regular. Also, I like to use sweet Italian sausage and my own heat levels using red pepper flakes. This way I know my wife can eat it as well.
Ingredients:
4 – Tablespoons Olive Oil (divided)
1 lb. – Sweet Turkey Italian Sausage
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 3/4 Cups – diced celery
1 3/4 Cups – diced carrots
2 1/2 Cups – diced white onion
Salt
Pepper
4 – Cloves of Garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
4 – 14 1/2 oz. cans of fat free chicken broth
1 – 14 1/2 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 – Cup short grain brown rice
9 – Basil leaves
Preperation:
Heat a pot large enough to hold all of the ingredients to medium high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and swirl around pot. Remove the sweet turkey italian sausage from the casings and add to the pot. I also like to add a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes at this time. Break up the meat as it is browning. Once the meat is browned remove it and place it on the side.
Add the last two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and add the celery, carrots and white onion. Also, add some salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Be sure to stir them off and on to get even heating. When I make soups I like the veggies to still be slightly firm before I add my liquids.
Once you have reached this point add the sausage and the garlic back to the pan. Stir around for about 1 minute or until you can start to smell the garlic cooking.
Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and stir. Once this comes to a boil add the rice and stir once again. Cover the pot and reduce to a simmer. I checked and stirred the pot every 15 minutes until the rice was done.
Remove from the heat and tear the basil leaves into the pot and stir.
For my first post I thought I would explain where I came up with the blog name. I am always telling my kids to “muncha buncha” this is my way of saying, “Come on get to eating”. Muncha buncha has been with me almost all my life. Growing up I would hear the following commercial every Saturday morning.
Now tell me you aren’t singing that little jingle in your head for the rest of the day!
