Roswell Adventures

Hi, my name is Susan Moore, and I am clueless when it comes to starting seeds. OK, not totally clueless. I know you start them inside then transplant them outside later. I understand the theory - I've just never been able to pull it off. Last year I used small peat pots...but then I kinda forgot about them. So, I figured the seeds were not going to work and I would just reuse the pots for planting seeds directly into our straw bales. Well, it worked...in fact it worked so well that all of the seeds - including the ones I figured I'd offed in my pathetic attempt to start seeds inside. But, this is a new year and I am ready to try again...so I did :)   This is my tray of seed starters :) The ones at the top of the picture are disks of soil that you soak in warm water. They soak up the water and then you plant in them. The others are in toilet paper rolls. Since we started composing, I stopped throwing away my empty toilet paper rolls, because they go great in the com

Thanks to Bountiful Baskets, we often have a surplus of delicious fruits and vegetables, and we enjoy finding new ways to enjoy them. Recently I came across a recipe for breaded asparagus. It looked interesting, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted, so this is what I came up with...shown with a nice glass of chardonnay. So...here is where we started...   I started with Glutino gluten-free crackers. This package comes with two inner packets, and I used one of these. I put them in a zipper-top bag and crushed them with a rolling pin until they were reduced to coarse crumbs. Grate the Parmesan and mix that in - along with your choice of seasoning.   Next up - the asparagus! I snapped off the woody bottoms by digging my thumbnail in then snapping off the part below that. If you can't dig your thumbnail in, then you need to move up higher on the stalk until you can.   The flour will go in it's own pan - one large enough to hold your asparagus makes th

I love leeks! I've only prepared them a couple of ways, but I love them none-the-less. When last Saturday's Bountiful Basket landed us with two bunches of leeks and another two of asparagus, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I looked through dozens of recipes, but most required 1) going to the grocery store (which I was trying to avoid) and adding cream (which is probably a good thing for me to avoid, as well). So then I decided, "What the heck! Just make something up!" The results - Leek Asparagus Almondine!  It's a simple recipe! Start by toasting the sliced almonds in a skillet over medium heat. Watch them closely so they don't burn, and when they look toasty, pour them into a glass bowl so they won't continue to cook.   About that asparagus...rather than guessing where to cut to get rid of woody parts, try bending them.  Eventually they will snap, showing you the line between yummy and woody.   Toss your sliced leeks into a