3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

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Day 205/365: Time For Summer Vegetable Gardens and Farm Produce Stands

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I’m so excited! It’s the time of year for my summer vegetable garden and in June I’m super motivated with thoughts of cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and fresh broccoli. Until my harvest, I haunt my Omaha Nelson farm produce stand in the parking lot where I work.

They have the best fresh peaches and produce that is ready way before my own garden zucchini and tomatoes are ready.

Cucumbers
Cucumbers

I’m going to try and like yellow and green “mushy” vegetables like zucchini and squash,I even planted cauliflower this year. Over the years I’m made sweet pickles, jalapeno “cowboy candy” and sweet basil jelly. So far at the beginning of June, we have harvested spinach, lettuce, and radishes. We have had so many leafy greens we have been giving away bags of them to friends and co-workers.

Fresh Garden Spinach
Fresh Garden Spinach

Essential Gardening Tools

Gardening really doesn’t take too many tools or equipment. Some good soil, mulch ( I like to use our lawn clippings), water, and sunlight. The secret is growing plants that are native to your specific area. For instance, growing watermelon in the north isn’t a good idea, not enough heat days. Likewise, blueberries in Nebraska don’t do well. Our soil is too alkaline.

With my bad back, a rolling garden seat is INVALUABLE!! Seriously, I don’t mean to shout, but now as I have passed the big 50, I cant’ bend over for hours picking green beans for an hour. Inside I keep my gardening gloves, small trowel, and bags to pick lettuce. Everything stays dry and this seat has stayed out all season long in the rain.

Rolling Garden Seat with StorageCorona Clipper Diamond Hoe

First Year Vegetable Garden

It’s amazing how big the broccoli can grow and take over the garden, as well as the tomatoes. I have planted potatoes and onions, but it’s not an efficient use of space. They demand a lot of water, mulch, and loose soil. I’d rather grow basil or peppers in their spot and buy my potatoes from the produce stand.

Do you have a garden? What do you like to plant and what is your favorite gardening tip?

Farmers Market Venmo Sign

A Venmo sign is essential to your farmers market display. Many people do bring cash, but once they run out. So then digital wallets like Venmo and Cash App are alternative option. By the way you can create your own customized Venmo sign in my Zazzle shop.

The one below if for my Tea n More tea company, which was an offshoot of our local farmers market.

 

Day 204/365: Thor, The Mythological God of Thunder

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Can you see Thor?
Can you see Thor?

 

Phone rings…

Beth driving home from Lincoln: “Have you seen the sky?”

Me: “No, but let me look, OMG, it’s awesome! I gotta get my camera”

Beth: “The clouds are really scary, be careful”

Me: “I’m looking at the storm clouds over your house, very cool”

“Oh, my, one of your cats is on the roof again.”

Beth: “What color is the cat?”

Me: “Black and white”

Beth: “That makes sense, that Thor, the god of thunder”

Can you see him, he’s to the left of basketball hoop on the front roof, a little white smudge.

Day 202/365: Easy Chocolate Trifle Dessert

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I love food and there is nothing more impressive than a layered trifle dessert when you are trying to impress company. What is great about trifles is they are soooo easy and creative, really can’t go wrong with just about any combination of pudding, cool whip, fruit or candy toppings.

I received a trifle bowl for our wedding and one of my first dessert creations was chocolate pudding, brownies, and heath bars layered with cool whip.

Easy Chocolate Trifle Dessert
Easy Chocolate Trifle

My kids fought over it and said I had to make it again.You expect a recipe maybe? Ok, here it is

Ingredients

  • 1 pan of brownies
  • 1 qt (4 cups) cold milk
  • 2 pkg (4 serving size each) Chocolate Instant Pudding & Pie Filing
  • 1 tub (8 oz) Whipped Topping, thawed
  • 4 pkg (1.4 oz each) Heath Bars (Butterfingers, Snickers, you get the idea)

Directions

Bake brownies. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. ADD mild to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. LAYER half each of the brownie cubes, pudding, whipped topping and crushed chocolate bars in large glass trifle bowl.

Simple Dessert TriflesArtland Simplicity Trifle Bowl

REPEAT all layers, Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Other trifle Combinations

Layer the following with cool whip

  • Banana pudding, bananas, strawberries, blueberries
  • Vanilla pudding, strawberries, blueberries (red, white, and blue patriotic trifle)
  • Pistachio pudding, chocolate brownies, strawberries, crushed pistachio nuts on top
  • Lemon pudding, angel food cake, blueberries, crushed lemon cookies

Sweet Home: Over 100 Heritage Desserts and Ideas for

Let your creative ideas flow when it comes to trifles and desserts. It’s a great way to end a meal and make an impression. I like to show my guests what we have for dessert before we eat, that way they leave room for dessert after dinner.

More Trifle Dessert Ideas

Easy Chocolate Dessert: Death by Chocolate – Madigan Made

Easy chocolate trifle dessert idea with Butterfinger candy layers. If you wanted more trifle ideas, be sure to check out some of my other recipes (I tend to like mini desserts, too!): Easy trifle dessert ideas. Clockwise from the top …

Mini Strawberry, Lemon and Shortbread Trifle – Madigan Made

layered trifle miniature. I love desserts like this. In reality, trifles are very simple to make… but the layers look so pretty! Oh, and did I mention that they taste good, too?! YUM! mini trifle dessert ideas. Sharing with link parties at:

Foodista | Beautiful Berry and White Chocolate Trifle

Thanks to Foodista member: Nerina Timm for this lovely dessert. For more trifle dessert ideas, check out these, from the Foodista archives: Berry and White Chocolate Trifle · Brownie Trifle · Chocolate Berry Trifle · Chocolate …

Trifle Recipe For An Easy Dessert (PHOTOS)

A trifle recipe is your savior of holiday entertaining. It lets you look impressive, but won’t stress you out. Trifles are like secret weapons that are especially handy during the holiday season when you need easy desserts that can feed a crowd. No …

 

Get your Fill of Nuts at the Testicle Festival

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Yes you read the title correctly,it is time for the “Testicle Festival” in South Bend Nebraska at the local Round the Bend Restaurant. Some people refer to them as Rocky Mountain Oysters, Calf Fries, or just, calf nuts or balls, but regardless of the name they are the removable reproductive organs of a calf, lamb or even turkey.

2011 Testicle Festival in South Bend Nebraksa
2011 Testicle Festival (Day 201 of my 365 Project)

In ranching country, or just the midwest they are considered a delicacy. Here at Round the Bend Restaurant they are a sometimes considered a dare, a novelty, and a reason to celebrate and have a party one weekend out of the year.  I do have to admit, that after living in the Elmwood-Murdock area this was the first time I had actually eaten Beef Fries. They were actually very good. But when you cover anything in batter and fry it you can make anything taste good.

Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner’s Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright BizarreEdible plants and animals: Unusual foods from aardvark to zamia

For eighteen years hundreds of people show up the Friday and Saturday of Fathers Day weekend for bragging rights that they attended this very unique event. Many leave home with a custom T-Shirt.  Others leave with one more item checked off their bucket list.

Testicle Festival at Round the Bend in Nebraska
Just some girls getting some NUTS (taken with my cell phone)

Sometimes an adult beverage makes things go down easier and I’m partial to Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Only this time someone decided I needed the “Harder Lemonade” for this culinary experiment. Being in Nebraska you make friends with everyone and an event like this gives everyone a topic of conversation.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 6pk, 11.2 oz

The lady sitting across the table was from Chicago, first time at the nut fest, and she compared them to Schnitzel.If you’re wondering if there is a recipe somewhere, yes there is, but it’s not mine. Check out Cooking on the Sagebrush for authentic back country style cooking or even The Story Lady’s recipe. It’s not just people in Nebraska that enjoy calf nuts. Ree Drummond, the infamous Pioneer Woman talks about nuts, eating nuts, cutting nuts, and even takes pictures of nuts in unusual placements. It’s a way of life in some parts of the country.

You can buy Bull Fries online to cook for yourself, and where else? Amazon. So if you want to try a ranching delicacy, fry up a gag gift for a party, or just act on a dare, go ahead and order some bull fries and tell me how you like them.

Beef, Rocky Mountain Oysters, Sliced And Breaded, Frozen – 10 Lb Case

So next time you hear of a Testicle Festival, pull up a chair, tuck in your napkin and enjoy gourmet cooking, mid-western style.

BTW: My daughter, who worked as a hostess at Round the Bend, told me they served up 2,300 lbs of testicles and ran out before it was over on Saturday. If you’re looking for the location of Round the Bend it’s located between Omaha and Lincoln, exit 426, head south past the Wildlife Safari Park, “round the bend” and at the top of the hill across from Quarry Oaks golf course.

Here is a video of one of my favorite celebrities, Mike Rowe, eating lamb fries during one of his episodes of Dirty Jobs. Just think, NOTHING goes to waste, agriculture is efficient and one of the least wasteful industrys’. My Mom said everything on the pig is used, except the squeal. So do your part. Eat some nuts.

 Find a Testicle Festival in your Area

‘Testy Fest’ Returns to Virginia Square

Testy Fest 2015 logo The Montana State Society is again hosting its annual Testicle Festival in Virginia Square this year. The event, which lets participants dine on all-you-can-eat Rocky Mountain oysters while sipping all-you-can-drink beer and Crown …