nevermind the mess

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, ...

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 ...