Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

Our last visit to The Farm was pretty spectacular. We got to celebrate all the September birthdays and as part of the celebration, got to get my future farmkids in the canoe and kayak for the very first time. There were too many activities to list here, but I’ll go through the highlights, minus allContinue reading “Scenes from The Farm in mid-September”

Because of some crazy doctor-ordered diet changes, I’ve had to become accustomed to a rather bland diet. The one very tasty thing I’ve been able to tolerate these days is beet green pesto. I made it out of necessity one evening and have been tinkering with a recipe ever since. Here’s my basic process withoutContinue reading “Beet green pesto – my new favorite thing”

This is probably the third or fourth time I’ve rescued this quarter cup measurer from the garbage disposal. It really doesn’t deserve such abuse.  I have other ones: plastic, melamine and glass. But nothing beats the stainless steel, easy to dip and pour. Until the edges become too sharp for me to justify keeping it,Continue reading “Takes a licking but keeps on measuring”

Even though the kids aren’t here this week and I’m not doing much cooking lately, I couldn’t resist the offerings at this week’s market. I’m opting for a mostly veggie diet this week. But then there were these organic brats that I’m thinking will keep my grill from getting too lonely.

As much as I like cheese of all varieties, I am still kind of bewildered that I don’t actually like cheese curds. They’re too rubbery for me. So when friends showed up with a fresh bag from Wisconsin, I tried to serve them to the kids in lunches this week. No luck. Back to theContinue reading “Easy finger food: Wonton cheese curds”

When I first glanced at this headline teaser about the FDA being slow to issue recommendations about arsenic in rice, I momentarily had flashbacks to Arsenic & Old Lace. No fiction here. Monica Eng over at the Trib is reporting that even though the FDA promised to follow up with more tests and recommendations afterContinue reading “Wait. What? Arsenic in American rice?”

I’m not going to describe myself as obsessed with Mason jars and their versatility. But considering I’ve devoted a Pinterst board (70 pins and counting) to all things canning jar, and I’ve enjoyed using them to do everything from crafts (Mason jar snow globes), to pickling zucchini, and baked single-serving apple pies…it’s safe to sayContinue reading “Great idea: Mason jar solar light”

This is a bit off-season, as apples may just now be ripening in the Midwest. But with good family friends moving away because of the Think Different version of Apple, we had a bona fide theme on our hands. Without local apples, I just bought a ton of Washington gayas and granny smiths to decorateContinue reading “Apple-themed party with Chicago flavors galore”

Our annual trek to the beach, pretty much any beach will do, took us this year to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. One of my favorite parts about visiting the South is the food. So much good food. The Pit: We’re a barbeque loving family, so naturally we’re getting our fill, starting with The Pit inContinue reading “Eating our way across North Carolina”

I’m still reeling over news reports of a massive bee die-off at a Target parking lot in Oregon. News reports are blaming the disastrous extermination of some 25,000 bees (150 colonies), plus ladybugs and other insects, on an insecticide, Safari, used on trees in the store’s parking lot. The Oregoneon on Friday confirmed that SarariContinue reading “Massive bee die-off in Oregon, one of largest ever documented”