Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

It's been a while since I posted about food or even tried new recipes. I am blaming the children. My son especially is going through a very picky eater faze. I have been sticking to a particular set of foods just to make sure the children eat. You know what they're not picky about? Chocolate Chip Cookies! These are chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from a recipe I have had for almost 15 years. I got the original recipe from a website called Meals.com, which doesn't seem to exist anymore. Like so many recipes, I've made some changes. I have more brown sugar and less white sugar. This time, I also used a mixture of dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet. I also always use butter, not margarine. They didn't last very long. I took some in for my coworkers for a potluck. They were all eaten. The ones I left at home did not make it to the day after. It made me really happy to see people enjoying the cookies.

Since I can't find the original recipe, I found a couple that are close.

This is from Betty Crocker.

This is from All Recipes. 

(I don't know what the rules are for posting a recipe from a website that doesn't exist anymore.)

I'm really glad I printed off this recipe, which I highly recommend of any recipe you find online that you know you will continue to use.

Homemade Burger

The lighting in my dining room is
bad. I should have taken the picture
outside.

I know it's fall now, and the last hot weekend was probably last weekend, but I just have to share this homemade burger recipe. It's not winter yet, after all.

Ted Reader's recipe has served me well. I made a couple changes, as I always do. Follow the link to see the original recipe. My changes are below.

Here's the burger recipe, with my minor changes:

3 lbs ground beef

4 tbsp butter, softened

1/2 red onion (it calls for white onion and a whole one, but I like red better and one onion is too much.)

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1.5 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

6 or 12 buns (depends on how big you want your burgers. I would not do 6)

Mix it all together well.

When I make burgers for the four of us, I make 1/3 of the recipe. I make the burgers about 1cm thick and about a big around as my hand. When they grill, they shrink and thicken, if you know what I mean. I have a friend that I gave this recipe to and she dices some jalapeños to add to the mix. I definitely have to try that version.

You know what makes this burger great? The butter. It just gets absorbed into the meat and the burger is so moist. I feel like it's practically impossible to dry this burger out - and I might occasionally set my grill on fire. This is without a doubt, my go-to burger recipe. I hope you get a chance to enjoy some more barbecue time before the fall chill sets in!

Steel Cut Oats - Part 2

I talked a while ago about Steel Cut Oats versus Rolled Oats. Both healthy, but the former apparently more so. I've been eating rolled oats for ages, they are warm and the perfect breakfast for a chilly morning. I didn't even know steel cut oats existed for a long time. The more I read about them, the more interested I became. Less processing, more protein, a different texture, preferred by every blogger, writer, foodie that I read.

Have I fully converted to steel cut oats versus rolled oats? Mostly, but not totally.  There is a convenience factor that steel cut oats will never have over rolled oats. They both taste good, but different. I think steel cut oats taste heartier.  There's something more substantial about a bowl of steel cut oats. The first time I wrote about steel cut oats was ages ago. I meant to write a response about it sooner, but time got away from me... and I went off oatmeal for a while. After a winter of trying different recipes, I'm back to eating oatmeal and I have only made rolled oats twice, maybe three times since September. Steel cut oats is just what I want now, what I think of when I say to myself, I want oatmeal.

I have made it two different ways. The first I tried was stove top, which is messy, especially if I walk away for a minute and it boils over (I try not to, but children). It was the easiest to try first. At least, that's what I thought. There's a lot of stirring that needs to happen. I also had to make sure I paid attention to the thickness, so that the oats wouldn't get too dry. Paying attention is not something I can totally do when I'm getting the children ready for school. It tastes good, but it takes more time than I'm willing to give on an average morning.

The way I like making it the most is in the slow cooker. I didn't think I would, but it is. I do about 1 cup of oats to 3 cups of almond milk. Even if I make it on the stove top, I'm using almond milk. I'm not trying to be super healthy or anything, and I love regular milk. My Hubby is lactose intolerant, so we typically have both soy milk and almond milk in the house. I experimented with making it with all three milks, with both methods. Soy milk didn't thicken right and I found regular milk gooier than I'd like. So, crock pot or stove top, I prefer almond milk. Also, the almond flavour goes well with the ingredients. I also use an amended version of this Chai Oats recipe I found on Pinterest (don't leave it overnight! Like 3 - 4 hours or it dries out). I make a big batch, then refrigerate it. I take a bit out everyday, add some raisins and a little more milk, then microwave it for a minute. That's what I like on a busy morning, microwavable goodness.

So, have I completely converted to steel cut oats? No. Sometimes I don't have any in the fridge and don't have any time to cook it on the stove, so I'm microwaving rolled oats like I've always done.  I'll always have rolled oats too, because of baking. Do I prefer steel cut oats? Yes, but I don't always have the time to make them. I suppose I'll always have 2 kinds of oats on hand now.

Iced Tea

Ever tried to make your own Iced Tea at home?  I started a few years ago, when I realized that I was paying A LOT for some something I could make at home for less than a dollar.  You can buy a giant box of tea for what it costs to buy a jug of iced tea that lasts a week. You also need lemon juice and honey, but not a lot.  Lemons are awesome and the honey will get used to make multiple jugs of iced tea.

To recap, here are your ingredients:

1 teabag

~2 tbsp honey

~3/4oz of lemon juice / half a lemon

This is all to taste.  If you like your tea sweeter, use more honey, if you want a more lemony flavour, use more lemon.  I've made the tea with only honey, having not realized my lemon had gone moldy after already starting the process. It still tasted good, just sweeter than I was used to.

Directions:

Boil a full kettle of water.  My kettle holds 1.8 litres (just under 4 pints).  Get a boiling-water-safe container, a glass jug or pot if you don't have one.  Put the teabag in first, poor the water on top. Steep for 10 minutes. While it is steeping, add the honey and lemon juice. Stir. After 10 minutes, take the teabag out. Let the tea cool a bit, then put it in the container you want to use for serving/storing, if it isn't already. The put it in the fridge.

If you want the tea to be consumed sooner, used less boiling water and add ice cubes after steeping.

I don't know if you've noticed, but the jug on the left is a different colour than the one of the right. That is because the jug on the left is raspberry iced tea, which I have only made once, on the above occasion.  How did I do it?  I boiled about a handful... so 1/2 a cup (ish) of raspberries in about one litre of water (2 pts?).  Then I pour that on the teabag, with water from the kettle, to make up the 1.8 litres. I know my stuff, so I eyeballed it. It came out really well, as you can see from the picture.  I was too slow and most of it was gone before I had a chance to document my first raspberry iced tea. All of it was super easy to make and an easy way to save a few dollars at the grocery store.

Halfway Through 2015 and What Have I Done?

In real life, my daughter turned 6!  Yup.  6.  I feel old.  What happened to my baby? Also, I'm planning my son's 4th birthday.  4!  My baby boy!

Awesome Books I Read:

Lots of Grisha! 1, 2 + short story

Northanger Abbey

The Demonologist

Death of a Salesman

The Flying Troutmans

The Girl Who Played with Fire & Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Dawn of the Dreadfuls

Dreadfully Ever After

Wild Seed

Mind of My Mind

Fun Movies I Saw:

The Cabin in the Woods

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Mirror Mirror

Mockingjay - Part 1

- Apparently I haven't watched that many movies lately

Food!!

Turkey Breast

Garlic Spread

Malai Kofta Kabab

What's in the Fridge Pasta Sauce

Also, I bought a bunch of books when a bookstore closed. *sniff* I got a job! *cheers*, but not before I compared interviews to blind dates and discovered my most disliked interview question. Not in that order. Did I mention that I had two printers and they both broke at the same time! Let's not forget - and maybe I should have led with this - I met Andrew Pyper!

I really need to make that Kofta Kabab again.  It was so tasty.  I also have two more Grisha short stories and the final novel calling my name. I'm thinking of trying my next turkey breast on the barbecue. I also plan on watching a couple more movies.  I used to watch movies all the time.  What happened? I think I'll be tackling a few more classics, like maybe Mansfield Park.  I hope everyone else has had a great first half of 2015.

What's in the Fridge? Homemade Pasta Sauce!

What happens when you have to make dinner and you don't have time to go to the grocery store and the cupboards are bare?  You take a bunch of stuff from the fridge and throw it in a pot!  I looked through the food stocked in the kitchen, I found that I had butter, milk, flour, various leftover vegetables and the usual herbs and spices.  First, I decided that I needed to use the broccoli, asparagus, and spinach (I hate when produce goes bad).  Then, I saw the butter.  I don't usually have butter, but I baked recently and had some left over.  Butter, plus flour and milk, add some parmesan, throw in the greens and now I have a veggie cream sauce! I added some black pepper, basil and oregano, what more do I need?  I checked out what pasta I had, and surprisingly, I actually had some fettucine.  It was a quick dinner and it tasted fantastic. Sometimes, you just need a few minutes, imagination and determination to find what you need.

Malai Kofta Kabab

As mentioned in a previous food post, I've been trying to make dinnertime more interesting for me and the Hubby (the kids would be happy with chicken nuggets and apples, they need to try new things).  I have loads of ground beef in the freezer, but wanted to make something besides pasta sauce or tacos (not that we don't enjoy those things).  I did a quick search online and came up with this recipe from Kraft Canada.  Their online recipe site has really expanded its "ethnic" offerings.  I looked at the ingredients list.  I had everything except the cooking creme*.  Since I was going shopping anyway, I picked it up.  I also added my own twist on a few of the ingredients. Below are pictures of my journey making Malai Kofta Kabab for the first time.

I enjoy toasting my own spices.  I use a regular steel pan, I think it does the job better than a non-stick pan.  In the pan I have cumin and coriander seeds.  I have burnt my seeds in the past, so I try to keep on top of them.  When they smell awesome, is usually when they are done.  Then I put them in my marble mortar bowl and then pestle them until they're ground up.

Here are all the ingredients, with my iPad shining in the background.  I think in this first attempt, I used too many breadcrumbs.

After the ingredients are mixed together, the slightly flattened meat balls goes in the oven.  FYI, that's how we tried to sell it to the kids, they're meatballs in a new sauce.

Time to start the sauce.  Sautéed onion smells so good!

Now it looks like a sauce.  It was my first time using the cooking creme.  It didn't melt as fast as I thought it would.  It worked out just fine.  All I needed was patience.

The "meatballs" are ready to go into the sauce.  It smelled so good.  I sneaked a taste of the meat before the sauce was done.  It's really a great combination of spices.

Okay, that picture is way smaller than one serving.  It smelled so good (and it made me and Hubby so hungry) that I totally forgot about taking a picture.  I also took the picture at the dinner table, which makes the sauce and rice look yellow for some reason.  It didn't look like that.  It did get a slight yellow tinge from the spices, but it looked more creamy.  Hubby and I were really happy. The kids ate the rice.  We made them taste the "meatballs".  I think they'll get to like them eventually.  I also made a cucumber salad to go on the side.  There are no vegetables in this dish, unless you count onions and cilantro.  Looking at the pictures makes me want to eat this again. I think I'd like to make this for a dinner party some time.... with people who are less picky than my kids.

*I tried to look up this recipe on other sites without the cooking creme, but it was too complicated for a weeknight meal, so I went with easy. I might try totally from scratch next time.

It's Not a Special Occasion, It's A Turkey Breast!

Lately, I've been a bit bored with dinner.  It seems like I make the same chicken and beef recipes all the time.  I'm a busy parent, so I do tend to like what's easy, but I also think variety is the spice of life.  Not only will different foods be fun, but it would be nice to vary the different vitamins and minerals we are taking in.  When considering the possibilities, the first thing that came to mind was turkey.  I love turkey, but like most people, I only make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I thought it was time to change that.  I always see the turkey breasts in the meat section, but haven't bought one since I was pregnant with my daughter (and chicken made me sick).  So, this week I picked it up.  

I'm good at making a turkey, but I was nervous about making just the breast.  I didn't want to over cook it.  I definitely didn't want to under cook it.  I wanted to get the skin nice and crispy.  I considered pan-frying, but thought for my first time out in 6 years, I should just roast it.  It turned out fantastic.  I rubbed it down with the same seasonings I used during the holidays.  I put it in the oven for about an hour and a half and it came out perfectly.  It was juicy and brown.  

My one mistake, too small of a dish.  It didn't quite fit.  The bone prevented the meat from actually touching the bottom.

Brown on the outside, juicy on the inside, it couldn't have turned out better.  (I don't know why I didn't move the knife and fork when I took this picture.  It's a nice knife, at least.) 

What do I use to season my turkey?  It's pretty simple: olive oil, garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Easy, good and tasty.  

Any suggestions for changing up my dinnertime repertoire?  I'm excited to try more new things!

Garlic Spread

What happens when I make spaghetti one night and realize I have no garlic bread?! After a brief moment of 'the kids are going to lose it' (they love garlic bread), I think, I'm sure I can make my own. Then, I did.  It was super easy, easier than I imagined.  I just made a simple garlic spread, no cheese or anything fancy.  I might try fancy in the future, but that wasn't what I needed in the moment.

What I used: Margarine, Garlic, Parsley

That's all I put in it.  I used margarine, because that's what I had on hand.  I took out enough margarine to spread on both sides of four pieces of bread.  For four slices one garlic clove is enough (the second time I did this, I used two and it was too strong).  Parsley is just for taste, and to add a bit of colour.  

I mixed it all together in the bowl, spread it on the bread, then toasted it.  Done.  Tasty bread and a happy family.  What more could I have asked for?  I haven't tried using butter yet. I wonder what that would taste like.

Simple Peanut Butter Granola

Mmm.... crunchy granola on sweet, cold yogurt.  I'm hungry.  So hungry, in fact, upon realizing that I was out of granola while writing this post, I threw a fresh batch into the oven. 

 

It's super easy to make:

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup all natural peanut butter

1 cup oats

Heat the oven to 350.

Mix the maple syrup and peanut butter together.

Add the oats.

Spead onto baking sheet.

Cook for 8 minutes, stir.

Cook for about 8 minutes.

Done.

Doesn't it look good?  I store it in these nice jars, so I can see how yummy it is whenever I want.  It's healthy too, right? 

Guess where I found this super simple recipe?  The back of a peanut butter jar label!  One day, Kraft All Natural Peanut Butter was on sale, so I thought I'd try it.  Reading the back of the label, because I usually read the labels of the things that I buy, I saw a recipe for granola topped fruit crisp (FYI, in that recipe I've used a mixture of apples, peaches and pears; I've never actually used the apples it calls for, still yummy.).  After making that recipe twice, I thought that the granola topping itself might taste good mixed with yogurt.  I was right.  Now this simple granola is something I make fairly regularly. It's just that perfect bit of crunch that yogurt sometimes needs.

Buddha's Hand - It's a Fruit!

One day on Twitter I saw a post by John (@bookmineset) showcasing a very interesting fruit. It was almost a year ago. The below conversation happened.

A snippet.

I never forgot the curious looking fruit.  It was always lurking there in the back of my mind.  Plus, I love to try new things.  One day last week, I was in my local Metro and came across a Buddha's hand.

 

I couldn't resist buying it, even though it was the most expensive produce on that display. $4.99 for that thing! I looked on the the internet (because that's where I look when I don't know something) for a way to prepare Buddha's hand. There were two that appealed to me. One was using it to infuse gin. The other was sautéeing it in garlic and olive oil (the suggestion is in the comments). I chose the second because that was an option I could share with my family.

 

This is the Buddha's Hand before I cut it.

After I cut the fingers off.

Sliced thinly, ready to be put in the pan. There's no pulp!

Frying garlic, because who doesn't love fried garlic in olive oil.

Throw in the sliced Buddha's Hand with the browned garlic.  It smelled so good.

Looks good with the green beans.

 

I should have added the Buddha's hand at the same time as the green beans. The Buddha's hand was definitely overcooked. The bitterness of the rind seeped into the flavour of the beans and made the actual slices of the Buddha's hand almost inedible. I also maybe should have peeled the rind off, but the website didn't tell me to do that, so I didn't. It ended up being a bit of a fail.

I did eat some of it raw, so I knew the flavour of the ingredient I was working with (something I recommend). It tasted nice, mild and lemony. The most surprising bit was that there was no pulp. I didn't expect a citrus fruit to be pulpless.  

I'd like to use Buddha's hand again, but I'm not sure when or how. It is pretty expensive just to be experimenting with, especially when, during that same shopping trip, I bought four limes for a dollar. Though the dish didn't turn out great, I learned some things about buddha's hand and maybe about citrus in general. 

 

One idea I had, for fun, is to do a gin or vodka infusion, with the fingers floating around in the bottle.  Too weird?  Or creepily fun.
 

 

Steel Cut Oats

Why do people love steel cut oats for their oatmeal in the morning?  I've heard from so many people how wonderful it is.  I've see recipes for different ways to make it on Pinterest and blogs.  I have been told that if I love oatmeal, I just have to try steel cut oats.  So, I finally bought a bag last week and now I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong.

I love oatmeal.  Regular, rolled oat oatmeal.  It's one of my favourite breakfasts.  It can be as simple or as complex as I want.  Often, I add raisins and a bit of maple syrup.  It's a warm way to start off a chilly fall or winter morning.  Why am I not getting this same feeling from steel cut oats?

Should I do one of the overnight recipes?  One of the baked recipes?  Why is this so hard?  I used an actual pot to make them, going beyond the ease of rolled oats in the microwave, because I WANT to know, I want to understand the love people have for them. 

I'm considering trying one of the overnight slow cooker recipes.  They seem like more work than I intended, but if they come out better, as wonderful as suggested, then it might be worth it.  I also think waking up to a cinnamon smell might be nice.

Fresh Tomato Salsa



All the ingredients chopped up.

After months of buying beautiful produce from the local farmers market, I decided it was time to make my own salsa.  I didn't want to just throw tomatoes, onions and jalapeños in a container.  I wanted a recipe to guide me and found this tomato salsa recipe from All Recipes.  The recipe as written is good.  However, I wouldn't be me if I didn't tweek it.  I have my recipe below (click the link above for the original recipe). 

3 cups tomatoes, chopped

1 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped 

2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)



Everything mixed together

2 tbsp+ fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

 

- I used yellow pepper instead of green pepper (what the other recipe called for) because I was thinking, it might suck if someone got a chip-full of green pepper, except it wasn't green pepper.... also, I like colour.

- I prefer red onion over white, in general.  I also cut the amount in half because I found 1 cup overpowering, taking away from the fresh tomato flavour.

- I like spicy salsa, my Hubby likes spicier salsa.  So, more jalapeño.

Mmm.... Chips and Salsa.

- I also added more cumin.  I think it tastes better.

 

The salsa I make lasts about a week.  If I have people over, it doesn't last at all.  For some reason, people seem impressed that I make salsa from scratch.  It's not hard.  Just a lot of chopping.  Guacamole, other dips I've made take more work, but don't get the same reaction.  I hope more people can enjoy making their own homemade salsa.

Books of 2014 - So Far...

I've seen a lot of "best of 2014, so far" lists lately. The end of June marks half the year; I suppose that has people thinking about what has passed in 2014 this far. 

If I think about the first six months of 2014, I think about some great new food I've made, like my quinoa salad recipe, which I hope I'm not making too often now. I also think about how my kids have grown. My son's vocabulary has ballooned. My daughter finished her first year of school. My Hubby is preparing for Warrior Dash. I became unemployed, but have enjoyed the extra time with my children...and the extra reading and writing time. 

I've read some fantastic books this year, so far. I don't think I could make a "best of" list right now because I loved them so much. I've read some new favourites, additions to great series, stories full of fun, fright, love and sadness. 2013 was full of great reads and it looks like my choices are still going strong; 2014 will be a fantastic reading year too. 

Reviews this year, so far:

 

He Giveth His Beloved Sleep

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise

Batman:  The Killing Joke

Champion

Ur

The Last Policeman

Undead and Unfinished

The Thousand Orcs

Undead and Undermined

Lives of Girls and Women

William Shakespeare's Stars Wars

Star Wars: Jedi Academy

The Raven Boys

Masked Mosaic

Fool

The Dream Thieves

The Fiction Writer's Handbook

Generation X

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Clockwork Prince

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Man In Black

City of Lost Souls

The Strain

Delirium

Clockwork Princess

Alias Grace

The Lone Drow

The Silkworm

 

Food:

 

Deconstructing Meals

My Basil Plant

Macaroni, Cheese & Spinach Cups

Quinoa Salad

Some thoughts:

 

Why I Don't "Panic" About How Much I Have To Read

Not This Again

Why Have I Read Only One Book By So Many Authors?

Buying Books for a Baby Shower

Culling eBooks is SO Much Easier Than Print Books

 

Umm... Wow.  I did not realize I had posted so much in the last six months (and that's not everything).  What was I thinking linking to everything.  Ugh!

 

Quinoa Salad

Who else has fallen for quinoa salad?  My daughter, my 5-year-old daughter!  I don't know how that happened, but she loves quinoa salad.  Specifically, she loves the one I make (the recipe will be included below).  A couple times I bought pre-made salad.  My Hubby and I liked it fine, but she did not.  She said it tasted funny.  It was a bit oilier and has a slightly different taste than the one I make, but I thought the difference was negligible.  Whatever.  My kid eats quinoa salad.  Even if I have to always make it myself, I call it a win.

Here's what's in it...

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

Cucumber

Bell Peppers

Grape/Cherry Tomatoes

Broccoli

Parsley

Feta

Greek Dressing

Note: I recommend making quinoa according to package directions. I didn't once an the quinoa came out funny.

 

I feel like you could put almost any vegetable you like in this salad and it would still taste good.  I've made it without feta, still good.  I've used various amounts of the veggies and different colours. Orange tomatoes, yellow peppers, whatever.  I don't always put in the broccoli. I'm almost at the point where I would say that quinoa can replace pasta in any pasta salad.  I'm almost there, but not quite.  It's healthy, tasty and simple to make.

Macaroni, Cheese & Spinach Cups

Really, this recipe needs a new name.  But it's an accurate description of what I made.  I've made it a few times and it gets tastier with each batch.  I was inspired by a recipe I saw on Pinterest (yes, I make things I find on Pinterest), so I want to definitely credit the original recipe.  The original is healthy. Me? I think I'm kind of half way.  I used 2% milk.  I used regular cheddar and old cheddar (Mmm...)  I also add a dash of nutmeg and two dashes of cayenne.  I also used rotini instead of macaroni, mostly that's because of what I had on hand... and I think rotini is fun.  I should try it with macaroni and see if it makes difference.  I also used fresh spinach. - Honestly, I always forget to thaw frozen spinach before I'm ready to make something. Then I have to do a "quick thaw" under the tap.  Then it's too soggy and I get too much water in my recipe. In general, using fresh spinach is easier for me.

The adults who ate it had lots of compliments.  The children looked at me like, what the f* is this?  It's the green.  It doesn't matter what you do, if they see that wilty green, they don't want it.  You can't even really taste it.  Most of the time I throw spinach in stuff for the health benefits.  I'm not a fan of cooked, straight up spinach either.  In the cups, you mostly taste the cheese and garlic.  Since I love cheese and garlic, that's awesome.

In pictures, here's what happened:

I got out my muffin tin and sprayed it with cooking spray.

I chopped some spinach.

I made the sauce.  I made sure to whisk in the milk gradually, so I wouldn't get any lumps.

Mixed in the spinach.

Mixed in the pasta that I had to wait a few minutes for. Now, I will remember to set the pasta to boil before I start.  I forgot until after I had chopped the spinach and had to wait.  Ugh.

Into the pan it goes. The above picture is actually after it has been in the oven for 13 minutes.

There are two Cups on a plate.

I'm not sure how copyright works with recipes.  I like blogging about food, but I don't know if I can type out the whole recipe without getting in trouble... even though I made some changes: adding nutmeg and cayenne, using 2% milk, using fresh spinach.  I linked to my source; what else can I do?

Also, all these photos were taken with my iPhone. I don't know what it is about my kitchen. The photos always seem to have a yellowish tinge to them.

I'm looking at these pictures and I'm hungry.  I hope my kids learn to like this recipe, because it is a hit with the adults.

My Basil Plant

This is my new basil plant. I saw it at the grocery store, sitting among the fruit and vegetables.  I've always wanted to grow my own fresh herbs and the plants were one sale, so I bought it. Then it sat. For over a week. I didn't use it for anything. I started to wonder how I would ever use it. Now I've used it twice.  Once to add a little flavour to a sandwich.  Mozzarella, chicken and spinach, with a little fresh basil.  I was pleased with myself.  Then, I used it for a bocconcini and tomato salad.  Yum.  I also made my own balsamic vinaigrette.  It came out great.  

Maybe I'll get more plants!