nevermind the mess

Summer could never be complete for me without my favorite appetizer of all time. Bruschetta is pronounced "broo-SKET-tah" (see here ) and is typically made with Italian plum tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and basil. I decided to make ours today from our beefsteak tomatoes that have ripened up in the garden, and they were just perfect. Here's my recipe for Italian bruschetta. Bruschetta with Garden Ripe Tomatoes and Sweet Basil Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings  Serving Size: 3 slices of toast Ingredients 3-4 red, ripe tomatoes, diced. The riper, the better! 2 cloves of garlic, minced 5-6 sweet basil leaves, shredded 2 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar a dash of salt and pepper 1 loaf of good Italian bread, thinly sliced and toasted Directions Stack the basil in a pile. Start by dicing your tomatoes and placing them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Next, chop your garlic and basil.

Our new home came with a 6' dog kennel, and we don't have a dog. But we do have a garden--and I've been vying for a greenhouse. So I put on my re-purposing hat and decided to transform that puppy pen into a hothouse humidor for my growing collection of greens. I wanted a cheap and easy dog kennel to greenhouse conversion. My first impulse was to run over to the Home Depot and buy plastic sheeting to cover it. That vision abruptly ended when I did a quick search and saw the price tag on the stuff. The greenhouse conversion was starting to sound a little too  green,  if you know what I mean .  The next morning, inspiration struck me the moment I stepped into the shower. I was face to face with the very vinyl I would need to cover my greenhouse! I quickly got dressed and ran out to the local Big Lots (with my hair still wet) and picked up five  clear shower curtain liners  with metal rivets at $6.00 a pack.  Home we drove to set up shop. First, we pulled the ken

While planting my tomatoes, I notice a tiny pair of leaves poking out of the soil. I hadn't planted them there, so I had to wait until the little sprout grew a little bigger before I could identify what it was.... a Thai Basil plant! I was really excited to have this surprise addition to my herbs because I absolutely love Thai cuisine, and I've practiced making several standard dishes at home, all of which call for this slightly spicier brand of basil. My favorite way to reserve sweet basil is by making pesto, so I decided to see what its asian cousin would taste like, ground up with some garlic and oil.  I cut a healthy bunch of tops from the plant and headed back to the kitchen to prepare my first batch of Thai basil pesto. As I gathered my ingredients, I realized that I didn't have any pine nuts. There's no surprise there-- have you seen  the price of pine nuts lately??? I searched the cupboards, and what I found were  pepitas , which I think is Spanish for &#

I know what you're thinking.  Having kids saves you money? Are you crazy? What about diapers? What about college?!? On parenting websites, you'll find calculators that let you add up exactly how much money it will cost just to get through your baby's first year of life. I plugged in some numbers, and gasped when I saw the total of just under $7000.00. That's a lot of money, especially considering that we we are also going to be short one income for that year. The  latest estimate  for rearing a child until college age is a whopping quarter of a million dollars. I'm assuming that's for upper middle-class people who actually do silly things like calculating the costs of being alive. Yes, having kids costs money. But guess what? So does  not  having kids. Don't believe me? Think of all the things you would be spending money on if you didn't have a living breathing money pit at your feet. Last-minute weekend getaways, eating in fancy restaurants, and

One of the hardest things for me as a new mom has been maintaining relationships with several of my closest friends...the ones who don't have kids.  They either haven't started families yet or have decided that it's just not the right path for them. And that's fine! I love my friends and I totally respect their choices. And they can show me they respect my choice of becoming a mom by simply not saying the following three things to me. Ever. 1. I'm so tired. No you're not. You've never been tired and you'll never be tired until you've been screamed awake three times a night for six straight months. Oh, you went dancing all night and slept till noon and now you're tired? No you're not. Trust me. 2. My mom is such a _ _ _ _ _(insert expletive here) No she's not. Go over there and hug her and apologize. Having a baby is like a getting the gift of insight into a whole new world of family dynamics. Yes, moms can be annoying, b

The Magical Mystery Books Box Something strange is going on and I love it. Remember that Books Box  I built outside my house? Well, I am now convinced that it has magical powers. I built a free library in front of my house for people to give and take books. I never could have imagined what resulted from this one small act of neighborly love. It seems that by building the Books Box, I have inadvertently constructed an antenna which picks up signals from another dimension, and I am now tapped in to the power of the law of attraction and all the universe has to offer. Let me try to explain. The idea of a little free library is simple. Construct a shelter, fill it with your old books that you no longer want to hang on to, and offer them to others, no strings attached. Your books quickly find themselves with new owners, and new old books arrive to take their place. Read. Return. Repeat. People walk buy and I hear them get excited to take a peek at what's new, or old. Th