Garden food- Eating the harvest

With Septemeber coming to an end, the garden harvest is almost overwhelming at this point.

It's almost too much to keep up with despite, canning and freezing as much as i can. So i'm always looking for recipes that incorporate as much garden produce as possible.

Mexican stuffed peppers is a great way to use up some of those fresh sweet peppers.  i loosely used this recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/231514/vegetarian-mexican-inspired-stuffed-peppers/ i used fresh garden tomatoes instead of canned and added some of my homegrown corn. Sometimes when i make this i add sweet potato instead of corn.

Kenan spent a lot of the summer traveling to different glass events.  With him gone and the rest of us really don't drink a lot of milk, and so we ended up with an excess of raw milk so i make fresh mozzarella, ricotta, butter and had left over cream and buttermilk. 

We were able to incorporate the dairy products into several delicious garden meals. i used this recipe for the tomato tart https://www.macheesmo.com/heirloom-tomato-tart/ i was able to use up my ricotta in this recipe. i also made a vegetable quiche which used my homemade mozzarella, tomatoes, swiss chard, shiitake mushrooms (home grown) and some of our eggs.  Vegetable Tian is a great way to use up some squash and tomatoes. http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2014/02/parmesan-vegetable-tian.html

This was taken on Sept. 20th.  Garden season is coming to end, but we are still getting plenty of fresh produce. Our first frost is typically the first week of Oct. but could come at any time.
i'm feeling really good about the amount of food we were able to put up this year, and love finding new ways to incorporate the fresh produce into our meals.

What are your favorite garden recipes?

End of Summer Camping- Roraima Screen Tent Review

This summer the kids really enjoyed camping out in the backyard. We had campfires on the weekend weekends, and enjoyed cooking out over the fire.  We've been working on creating a nice backyard recreational area, where we can loung around and hang out in the evening, have dinner outside and just enjoy the summer.

When the kids have friends over, they love getting out the tent and camping in the back yard. We make a camp fire, cook veggie dogs, and roast veggie packs  in the fire pit.

We also have our hammock set up under the deck, and solar lights above it to create an inviting atmosphere. Eventually we'd like to make this area a walk out patio with decorative stone, a built in fire pit and maybe a hot tub. :)  We have a lot of plans for this area, but right now just enjoy it as our backyard camp spot.

We have a small table and chairs under the deck where we put the food out, but because it's right on the edge of the woods the bugs are terrible and constantly try to get in the food. i end up having to keep everything covered. It's kind of a pain.

So we recently got this screen tent by Roraima, to make cookouts far more enjoyable!  This bug proof screen tent is huge! It's 13 x 9 and around 7' tall. It has plenty of room to fit the table and chairs and an inflatable lounger inside! It's very spacious and incredibly easy to set up and take down.

The entire screen tent and poles pack up into this small duffle bag, and it only weights around 20lbs. It's really manageable to take on picnics, camping or to festivals! It has stakes and ties to secure it down so the wind doesn't blow it over. The poles are made from fiberglass, so it's pretty sturdy.

Setting up and taking down is really easy. You just unroll it and open it up so that the top of the screen tent faces up. There are three poles that fit into the top, and then 4 legs poles. Sets up similar to a tent, but honestly much easier. It was really straight forward. The screen tent has a zippered door on the front and back, and a hook for hanging a camping light. There are also attached tie strings if you want to tie the doors open.

We've really been enjoying our summer of backyard camping, hiking, kayaking and cooking out. i'm really bummed that summer is winding down, and the kids are back at school. The temperatures have really been cool for September, but i'm hoping for another Indian summer so we can camp and cookout a few more times before the winter comes.

i received the Roraima screen house for free or heavily discounted in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.
This screen house is available on amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0732V1WRX It's currently 20% off  and free shipping if you have prime.

Family Game Night! Wizard Roll- Board Game Review (sponsored)

This weekend we tried out a new game for family game night! The game is called Wizard Roll and it's a dice-matching pattern-building game of magical spells!  We love board games and all things magical themed, so i knew this game would be a huge hit! 

Wizard Roll is an award winning game Created by RoosterFin games.  Roosterfin strives to combine the fun of board games with the joy of learning. They makes games that are perfect for everyone, no matter if you are 6 or 60! Wizard Roll is perfect for all ages; from kids and teens, to college students, parents, and grandparents! Founded by Joe RoosterFin, a former teacher with a degree in mathematics, these award-winning games are easy to learn, educational, and fun for the whole family! 

Players compete to help the Wizard complete his spells by rolling the cubes and matching the rune pattern on their Spell Card. Wizard Roll improves strategic skills and memory. 

The concept of the game is simple enough, and at first the game seemed a little too easy...however, if you roll the magic wand on the dice you can choose to 'zap' your opponent so they have to put one of their rune tiles back.  Making winning a little more challenging than first expected. 

Once you complete your spell, you use the key card to say your spell.

We had a lot of fun with it! Every time someone got really close to winning, they'd get zapped and have to put back a tile. My girl who isn't a huge fan of board games gave it an 11 (on a scale to 1 to 10) and was begging to play just one more game before bed. 

Wizard Roll received the 2017 Preferred choice award by Creative Child Magazine. It's fast paced and easy to learn. Recommended age is 7 and up, but younger players could easily play with a little assistance. We had a great time playing it and zapping our opponent tiles back to the pile.

You can find out more info about Roosterfin Games on their website  www.RoosterFin.com.  

follow them on social media

Facebook- RoosterFin Games 
Twitter- @RoosterFin 
Instagram- @roosterfin

To buy Wizard Roll visit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6L2OVJ

To join mailing list visit: https://roosterfin.com/pages/contact

How to Play : https://youtu.be/Wo8iUo-m6ME



i received the game Wizard Roll in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

Garden Update- End of August

Only a days behind. i started the post at the end of August anyway.  Here are a few pictures from last month.

Mid August and tomatoes really coming in. Starting to get a few from all the different varieties i planted. Still getting lots of beans and cucumbers, getting a few squash as well.

Rainbow tomatoes make me happy. These are Early girl, Yoder's German yellow, Golden Jubilee, Cream Sausage, Yellow pear, Blue Beauty and Black Krim.

August 26.  Still getting peaches! Peppers are starting to ripen, getting lots of tomatoes and beans. Late season blueberries which i'd forgotten about are starting to ripen.

August 29-  My striped tomatoes which had been taking their time and finally starting to ripen. These are Berkley's Tie Dye, Striped Roman, Casidy's Folly, Tigerella, and Violet Jasper.  Most of these are new varieties for me, although i've planted the Tigerella and Violet Jasper before.  i tried growing the Striped Roman last year, but they never did much.

The Tigerella have done really well this year. The plants are totally loaded, however, they are not split resistant. After we had a drought the first half of the summer, then it finally rained,  every single tomato on the plant not only split but basically exploded.  The plant is loaded again, and so far they seem to be doing well. If we get a heavy rain again though, i'll need to pick them quickly.

My cold/storage pantry is really starting to fill up. We've since dug more potatoes, and added several dozen cans of tomatoes and peaches. It's looking good for end of August, into September. i haven't dug sweet potatoes or harvested winter squash yet and i'm still canning. i was just gifted apples, and i have a second planting of beans coming in. 

It feels amazing to see all the food i've been able to grow and put up for my family. The whole state of the world right now has me a little anxious, i'm feeling a bit like a homesteader turned prepper. This past week, i've been filling the deep freezer and will get back to canning soon. i also have a fall garden planted, and hope to continue harvesting up until the first frost. 

Ripley's Believe it or Not- Shatter Your Senses!

All true, 100% ALL NEW, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!® Shatter Your Senses! will amaze and astound readers from the first to the last page.  Hair-raising photographs, incredible stories, and the mind-blowing facts Ripley’s is famous for promise hours of entertainment for every Ripley fan! With thousands of stories—including submissions from readers around the world—you’ll discover something new each time you read it!

If your kids are anything like mine, then the recently released Ripley's Believe It or Not! Shatter your Senses! would make the perfect gift!                                                             There are around 250, full color pages of weird and interesting facts! Both of my kids can spend hours reading the Ripley's books. My son will memorize the weird facts and then randomly share them when we are in the car. His brain is like an encyclopedia of weird facts and trivia. :)  He really loves this stuff.

Ripley Publishing has been releasing an annual book showcasing the weirdest and strangest facts from around the world along with hundreds of colorful photos. Shatter your Senses! is the 2018 edition of the bestselling annual series by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! There’s no way to prepare yourself for this all-true, all-new collection filled with incredible facts, unbelievable stories, and mind-blowing photography. A sensory overload, Shatter Your Senses! is sure to amaze and astound children and adults alike.

Some of the photos are a little gross/gory so the recommended age is 10 and up.    The eye ball on the front cover look 3-D and pop right off the page. It's really a fun book!  Ripley's Believe It or Not! is globally renowned as the authority on the weird, the eccentric, and the amazing. Ripley's Believe It or Not! provides entertaining book which educates in a humorous style. The Ripley brand is known around the world as a trend-setting source of family-friendly fun and excitement! Every day the researchers at Ripley's are busy digging up the craziest true stories and the most unbelievable facts.

This large hardcover, full color book retails for $28.95 and is currently onsale for $19.99. It can be purchased at Ripleys.com, Amazon and all major bookstores. 

*i did receive this book at no cost in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. i only recommend products that we truly love and would use ourselves.