Once again I’m using hanging galvanized steel buckets to house my upside down tomatoes. The tops of each bucket have parsley, thyme and rosemary growing in them. I was really happy with how these dual tomato-herb buckets worked out last year and I can’t wait to see how they do this year!

Between the hanging buckets, fenced-in garden, and pots on the patio, I now have Zucchini, Tomatoes, Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary, Strawberries, Garlic, Jalapeno Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Basil, Mint, Oregano and Beans growing in my garden.

We also have several flowers planted in the yard and in pots including Tulips, Zinnias, Canna Lilies, Gladiolus, Painted Daisies, Ranunculus, Dahlias, Gerber Daisies, Superbells, and Marigolds. I love all of the bright reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks of the plants that have flowered so far, don’t you?

Happy Gardening Season!!

Related Posts:

• Happy Spring! (4/2013)
• Garden at this time last year: Vegetable Gardening Season has arrived! (5/2012)

It’s Bailey’s 6th birthday today! I think a photo montage of my four-legged best friend is in order, don’t you?

Here are some of Bailey’s most memorable moments since her fifth birthday:

• Qualified for Worlds at the DockDogs Eastern Regional Championships (July 2012)
• Won Big Air and Extreme Vertical at the Monmouth County Fair (July 2012)
• Diagnosed with Lyme’s Disease (August 2012)
• Won Big Air and placed second place in Extreme Vertical at the Dover Summer Splash (August 2012)
• Won Big Air at the Ocean County Decoy & Gunning Show (September 2012)
• Competed at the DockDogs World Championships (November 2012)

Happy Birthday, Bailey!

The resulting pork was tender and juicy and quite different in flavor and texture than our first take on carnitas. I think that I maybe liked these a little better, but they also required more prep work so it’s really a toss up depending on how much time you have! We used our carnitas to build Mexican tostadas… towers of beans, pork, cheese, salsa, and sour cream atop crispy, fried corn tortillas. Yum!

Pork Carnitas Tostadas

Ingredients for the Pork Carnitas:
(Carnitas recipe from Williams-Sonoma’s The New Slow Cooker Cookbook)
2 lb. Boneless Pork Shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dried Mexican Oregano
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Sherry Vinegar (we substituted in 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar & 1 tsp Sherry)
Salt and Pepper
1 Yellow Onion, quartered
3 Bay Leaves
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder

Ingredients for the Tostadas:
1 – 15 oz. can Refried Beans
1/2 Jalapeño Pepper, finely chopped
Peanut Oil
6 Corn Tortillas
Shredded Cheese (we used a mix of Mozzarella and Mexican blend)
Salsa
Sour Cream
Chopped Cilantro, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:
To make the pork carnitas, mix together the first six ingredients (pork thru salt & pepper) in a slow cooker. Add in the onion and bay leaves, then cover and cook the pork on low for 6 hours. When cooking is complete, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a plate or bowl. Skim the fat off of the cooking liquid and remove and discard the onion piece and bay leaves. Pull the pork apart using two forks, then season with the cayenne pepper and chile powder (to taste) and add in several spoonfuls of the cooking liquid until the pork reaches your desired level of juiciness.

To make the tostadas, start by combining the refried beans and chopped jalapeño in a microwaveable bowl. Heat the beans in the microwave on high for 2 minutes and stir well.

Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a small frying pan with peanut oil (enough to just allow a tortilla to float on the oil but not enough to submerge it completely). Heat the oil over high heat and then, using tongs, carefully place one tortilla in the oil. The oil around the edge of the tortilla will boil rapidly. (If it doesn’t bubble, increase the heat until it does.) Allow the tortilla to fry in the oil until the bottom side turns golden brown, then use your tongs to flip the tortilla over and fry until that side is golden brown as well. Transfer the tortilla to a paper towel-lined plate, then repeat this frying process with the remaining tortillas.

To assemble your tostadas, cover one side of each tortilla with a liberal amount of the bean mixture. Top with a few spoonfuls of the pork carnitas, then sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese on top. Broil the tostadas for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with spoonfuls of salsa and sour cream and garnish with cilantro and lime juice. Serve with a cold beer and enjoy!

(Scroll down for links to each recipe.)

Matt and I are going to celebrate the holiday a few days late with a “Diez de Mayo” potluck party. We’re going to provide margaritas along with rotisserie chicken and pork carnitas tacos for our friends and then they’ll bring additional dishes with them. I can’t wait!!

Do you have any special party or food plans for Cinco de Mayo? Please tell me about them in the comments section!

Recipe Links for the Cinco de Mayo Dishes shown above:
Pork Tinga Tacos • Margaritas on the Rocks • Chorizo-Bean Tortas
Rotisserie Chicken Burritos • Poblano Sausage Tacos • Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
Salsa Verde Enchiladas • Pozole Verde • Jalapeño Garlic Chicken Quesadillas

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Chorizo, Beans, and Rice

You will need…
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Jalapeño Pepper, seeds discarded and finely chopped
2 fresh Chorizo Sausages, casings removed
10 oz. cooked White Rice
10 oz. (about 2/3 can) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup Frozen Corn
1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
Salt and Pepper to Taste
3-4 Poblano Peppers, halved lengthwise with seeds and ribs removed
Shredded Cheese (we used a mixture of Mexican blend and Mozzarella)
Sliced Green Onion, for garnish
Chopped Cilantro, for garnish (we didn’t have any but it would be a nice addition!)

Directions:
Heat the Olive Oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add in the onion and jalapeño and saute until the onion softens slightly, about 2 minutes.  Use a spatula to push the onion mixture to the sides of the pan, then add the sausage and saute until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.  Stir the sausage while it cooks to break it up into crumbled bits.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the rice, beans, and corn.  Sprinkle in the seasonings (chile powder thru salt and pepper) and stir well to combine.  Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to taste if desired.

Meanwhile, cook the poblano pepper halves in the oven or on a grill. (Although we did not do this when we made the recipe, we later concluded that softening the peppers slightly before stuffing them would improve their taste and texture in the final dish.)  To do this in the oven, place the peppers on a baking sheet and broil until the flesh softens but still holds its shape (it’s OK if black spots appear).  To do this on a grill, place the peppers over direct medium heat and grill until the flesh softens but still holds its shape  Place the cooked peppers on a baking sheet and spoon the rice and sausage mixture into each pepper.  Top liberally with shredded cheese, then bake in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

Transfer the baked peppers to a serving dish and garnish with green onion and cilantro.  Enjoy!

This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is “Up.” As you may have noticed, I love to use photos of Bailey whenever possible in these challenges and it just so happens that jumping UP is one of her favorite things to do!

The first photo shows Bailey competing in Big Air at the Dock Daze event in May 2012 and the second photo was taken during the Extreme Vertical competition at the 2010 Delmarva Doggone Fun event. Bailey ended up winning with a height of 7 feet!

That beautiful spinach patch is actually leftover from spinach that I planted in October.  It never really took off at the time (probably because I planted it too late) but as soon as the weather warmed up in April it started growing like crazy.  I harvested it today and I can’t wait to enjoy with some cucumber, feta, and toasted almonds tonight!

If you’re interested to see how this year’s growth compares to the same time last year, check out my Garden Update from April 17, 2012.  Thanks for stopping by!

In addition to cooking the perfect pot of rice, the Zojirushi can cook quinoa, a protein-packed ‘superfood’ that, according to wikipedia, is actually more closely related to beets and spinach than grains.  Quinoa can easily be substituted in for grains in a well-rounded meal so, armed with our new rice cooker, Matt and I decided that we’d try our hand at a nice summery quinoa salad.  I found a great looking recipe on Garnish with Lemon and, after a few small tweaks (because I never follow recipes exactly), we ended up with a delicious, healthy salad that we’ll continue to enjoy all week for lunch.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (adapted from Garnish With Lemon)

You will need…
1 1/2 cups raw Quinoa (or about 6 cups cooked Quinoa)
1/3-1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, halved
1/2 – 1 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Juice of 1/2 – 1 Lemon

Directions:
Cook the quinoa on the stovetop according to the package instructions or, if you have a rice cooker, cook it in the rice cooker on the normal white rice setting with a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio.  When cooking is complete, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, cool for 5-10 minutes and stir in the vinegar and olive oil.

Allow the quinoa to cool completely to room temperature, then gently stir in the next 6 ingredients (onion thru feta).  Season with salt and pepper (add more to taste if needed).  If you have the patience, chill the salad for 2 hours (we ate it immediately and it was still good) and “garnish with lemon” just before serving.

]]> http://thelittlegsp.com/2013/04/15/mediterranean-quinoa-salad/feed/ 1 thelittlegsp Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Mediterranean Quinoa Salad 5 http://thelittlegsp.com/2013/04/14/diy-vintage-blue-mason-jars/ http://thelittlegsp.com/2013/04/14/diy-vintage-blue-mason-jars/#comments Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:43:59 +0000 TheLittleGSP http://thelittlegsp.com/?p=2361 ]]> I don’t think of myself as a very crafty person but I’ve decided to take on some DIY projects for our wedding. I’m really happy with how my first project is turning out so I thought I would post a little how-to tutorial on my blog!

Several months ago I found a beautiful photo on Ella Bella Floral’s web site. I immediately knew that it was exactly what I wanted my wedding flowers to look like, right down to the aqua ribbon and vintage blue Ball mason jar. I started researching jars and was shocked to see that these special blue jars cost $10-15 each! There was no way I could justify spending $15 for a jar so I decided to take a do-it-yourself approach instead.

After a quick google search, I discovered that luckily I am not the first person to want to make my own vintage blue jars. I consulted several blogs but by far found this post from My Greenbrae Cottage to be the most helpful. From that post I learned what type of paint to use and also that wiping the paint onto the jars with a cloth works far better than a paintbrush.

After painting 25+ jars (with 18 or so more to go…) I tweaked the process a little and ended up with the following process:

How to make your own ‘Vintage’ blue Ball jars

You will need…
Rubbing Alcohol
Pebeo Vitrea 160 Turquoise Glass Paint
Pebeo Vitrea 160 Thinner / Dilutant
Small bowl to mix the paint in
Soft cloth to apply the paint (I used a 6″ x 6″ piece of cut up T-shirt)
Several Mason Jars, thoroughly cleaned and all label residue removed
Foil-lined baking sheet
Nitrile or other type of Gloves (optional)

Directions:
To prepare for painting, line a counter top with a towel and/or foil to protect from any spills. Remove the lids from your mason jars and set aside. Don your gloves (if using), and use a paper towel to wipe down the outside of each jar with rubbing alcohol.  This will remove any residue or dust and help the paint stick better.

Mix together 1 part of the glass paint with 5 parts thinner in a small bowl. Dip a corner of the cloth in the paint mixture and start painting the outside of your first jar, beginning at the top around the threads. Move the cloth in the direction of the threads until they are evenly coated.

Next, paint the sides of the jar with a liberal amount of paint, moving the cloth only in up and down motions (from the top of the jar to the bottom; never side-to-side). Coat the jar sides and bottom completely, then reposition your cloth so that a side that doesn’t have much paint on it is facing the jar. Quickly rub the cloth up and down over the sides of the jar to remove the excess paint, leaving just a thin film of blue paint. Don’t stress too much about getting this part perfect (it’s never going to be streak-free!) because luckily the baking step will reduce some of the streaks for you. Place the jar upside down on the baking sheet.

Paint your other jars, then carefully insert the baking sheet into a preheated 350° oven and bake for 45 minutes. Allow the jars to cool completely before handling.

Some Helpful Tips:

• Try practicing on some empty sauce jars first before painting your “real” jars. This will help you get a feel for the painting technique.
• If you mess up while painting a jar, immediately run it under hot water. The paint will rub off and then you can dry the jar and try again!
• If you are reusing jars, make sure to clean the outside of the jar very well. If the jar has any residue on it the paint will get gummy. I update this post on 4/30/13 to add in the first step where you wipe the jars with rubbing alcohol.  I’ve been doing this with my latest batches of brand new jars and I think it helps.
• I’ve read other blogs that say it is critical to allow the painted jars to cure for 24 hours before baking.  I am impatient and I always immediately bake the jars when I’m done painting.  I haven’t noticed any issues so I’ll continue to bake immediately!
• As I mentioned above, don’t stress about making the jars look perfect. It’s just not going to happen and you can drive yourself crazy. Once you bake the jar and fill it with water and pretty flowers no one is going to notice that streak or smudge!

Hello! She Cleans from Immaculate Conceptions just nominated me for a Liebster Award. Thank you very much for the nomination! The Liebster Award is given from one blogger to another (11 others, to be precise) and comes along with some fun rules. Without any further ado, here we go…

The Rules:

1. Post eleven facts about yourself.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for people you’ve nominated.
3. Choose eleven people (with fewer than 200 followers) to give this award to and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. Remember, no tag backs.

11 Facts About Me:

1. My favorite flowers are red and orange Gerber daisies.
2. I’m left-handed.
3. I like watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives marathons on the food network.
4. I enjoy drinking seltzer water more than regular water.
5. I really want a Vitamix blender.
6. I love to vacuum.
7. I memorized my credit card numbers so that I can place orders online without needing my wallet (a useful skill…)
8. I love my silver 2010 Subaru Forester. (Matt does most of the driving, though!)
9. My favorite TV shows at the moment are CSI, Mad Men and Downton Abbey.
10. I’ve been elliptical-ing or running a mile a day since Thanksgiving – today was day 142.
11. I’m getting married in 56 days!

11 Answers to the Questions from Immaculate Conceptions:

1. What is your favorite day of the week? Friday! Matt and I always go out to breakfast at Manhattan Bagel and out to lunch at one of a few nearby restaurants.
2. Wine or Beer? Tough question! I love craft beers but I’m also a big fan of sauvignon blanc and cabernet.
3. What meal could you eat everyday? Pesto Tortellini
4. If you could do anything on a Saturday, what would it be? Sleep in, then go out to lunch at Cosi with Matt, do some grocery shopping, and then relax on the patio or deck at home with a good book and a cold drink.
5. Paper or plastic? Paper
6. What song is heavy rotation on your smart phone/iPod? Al Green’s Love and Happiness
7. What is your favorite dessert? Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
8. 8.What is the coolest gadget in your kitchen? Our fantastic new Zojirushi Rice Cooker. Thanks for the awesome wedding present, Peggy and Mike!
9. How often do you blog? I try to post at least once a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less…
10. Who is your favorite actor/actress? I don’t really have a favorite. I like Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg and Hugh Jackman.
11. What is your favorite season of the year? I love the 2-3 weeks at the start of Spring and the start of Fall when you really feel the seasons starting to change. We’re currently enjoying those first few weeks of Spring-like weather in Pennsylvania right now!

11 Questions for my Nominees:

1. What is your all-time favorite movie?
2. What do you eat for breakfast on a typical weekday?
3. Favorite blog post that you have ever written?
4. Do you have any leftovers in your fridge right now? If so, what are they?
5. Three favorite online shopping websites?
6. If you won $300 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
7. How many countries have you been to? Which ones?
8. Favorite author and/or book from your childhood?
9. Cats or Dogs?
10. Did you go to college? Where? What did you study?
11. How many hours of sleep did you get last night?

8 Nominees:

1. Adventures of a GSP Hunting Dog
2. Running with Sam
3. Swig O Sunshine
4. Running Noodle
5. Pa-BLAM
6. Kitchen Notes and Other Sundries
7. The Zupi’s Do It Better
8. A Engineer in the Kitchen

I know I’m supposed to nominate 11 bloggers but the caveat that they have less than 200 followers is limiting me from listing a few of my favorites! (Oh and I have no idea how many followers my nominees from Blogger have so sorry if I’m incorrectly assuming that you have less than 200!!)

Thank you again for the nomination, Immaculate Conceptions!