Eating Local, Baby!

Why do I like gardening, you ask?

Mom would say, for the pretty flowers and the quality time, spent outdoors.

I say, it's for the FOOD!

Here is what we do, when we have too much Rosemary.

Skewer some chicken and sausage, on those rosemary branches and fire up the barbecue!

Our neighbors, Arnie and Sandy, gave us these lovely melons they grew.

They are really special , because melons usually don't grow well in our area.

These are a variety called 'Minnesota Midget' 

So we made a fruit salad, with our neighbor's melons and our fall strawberries and plums.

Oh Yeah....now that is what I'm talking about!

Happy Gardening!

Wyatt

The Perfect Autumn Day!

It just does not get any better!

72 degrees, a little misty in the morning and sunny in the afternoon.

FALL ROCKS!

Mom and I, picked flowers in the afternoon, to bring into the house.

Correction...she picked the flowers and I sat on the flowers!

We stopped to take a look at my Cinderella Pumpkin.

It needs a bit more orange, but it looks good!

 
Flowers we picked today.

...and more tomatoes. Tonight we make dad's famous tomato soup!

  

Happy Digging!

Wyatt

A Job Well Done

Hey Dad...Do you need some help with that?

No, let me show you. That wire goes over here, into that port.

Good thing I'm here to help, or we would be sunk.

Yay! We are up and running.

Let's celebrate with meat!

Stanzie thinks that is a stellar idea.

 
 Looking Good...

 
 Hey, wait a minute...I see 2 burgers, but there are 4 mouths to feed. What's up with that!

I guess Mom and Dad aren't having any...BOL

Happy Grilling!

Wyatt

Analog Dog in a Digital World

We finally hit the mother lode of tomatoes. It's Salsa Time!

Stanzie is going to help mom with the salsa.

I'm just going to eat tomatoes!

  
 A big box came for us in the mail this week......

 A new PUTER!!

  Look, Wyatt here are the instructions!

Okay, so first I have to figure out how to get the old puter out of here...

   
 Ruh Roh...look at all these wires. Kinda makes my head hurt.

Daaaaaad

I could use your help in here!

 
If you don't see me for a few days......
Daaaad!!!!
 
Have a good weekend!
Wyatt

Broken Owl

Some years we have a lot of bugs...

Some years we have a lot of garden snakes...

This is the year of the owl.

Our neighbors, found this fellow in their duck pen yesterday.

He has a broken wing.

He was taken to a nearby wildlife vet.

We hope he gets all patched up....

and we take back all the stuff we said, about how noisy the owl family is every night.

Get well soon, Mr. Owl

Wyatt

Starvation Creek

It's laughable that we would stop at a place called Starvation Creek

on the way home from Hood River!

With our bellies full of pie and a car load of pears and apples,

Starvation is not going to happen, at least until we make the 1 hour trek back home.

Pie makes me thirsty.

Mom is mad, because I have to lay down in the creek to drink.  

She did not bring a towel for me and the car.

Whatever,
Wyatt

Bumble Berry Pie, was just a cute name they gave a pie that was mixed berries,
Blueberry, Marionberry and Blackberry. We had Raspberry/Peach...pretty darn good!

Loopy for Pie!

Well, we are still fruit looping our way through Hood River, Oregon.

Or should I say, "Eating our way through".

Stopping between bites, to take in the view.

Stopping by to visit Grandma.

"Helloooo....let me in, my paws are clean!"

Stanzie likes Grandma's squirrel decor.

Watching golf from Grandma's patio.

Having pie with Grandma.

Yes, that is my snooter, licking the plate clean.

She said it was okay!

Wyatt

Greetings from Hood River, OR!

In the spring, it is all about the flowers....but the fall, is all about the harvest!

We do this post,  from the Pear Festival, in beautiful Hood River, OR.

Fruit everywhere the eye can see....On the Ground,

On the Trees...

...In Big Boxes

Gosh, those look and smell good!

Scenery that just wont stop....this place has it all!

#7 stop on the Fruit Loop Tour is Smiley's Red Barn.

This place is owned by Dad's niece and her husband.....tell them Wyatt sent you!  Huh...What?

Fruit Loop Stop #15

Draper Girls Country Farm 

We had to buy some squash!

...and say 'Hi' to the locals!

I think we need our own goat,
Wyatt

Bella the Pastry Chef

Bella the Westie wears many hats.

For Wyatt's Riot, Bella put on her chef hat and made me these yummy breakfast rolls. (how she pulled it off, with that little pink stove is AMAZING!)

Here is what they look like. When we made them, (no bread machine at our house), they did not look as pretty....BUT,  they did taste divine. Not overly sweet, just a perfect little treat to go with coffee or tea.

Bella's Escargots

Pastry

2 eggs, completed with enough milk up to 300ml (1 1/4 cups)

1 tsp. salt

75 grams sugar (1/3 cup)

75 grams margarine (1/3 cup)

450 grams flour (4 cups)

2 tsp. yeast

Filling

250 ml milk (1 cup)

2 egg yolks

75 grams sugar (1/3 cup)

20 grams cornflour (2 Tablespoons cornstarch)

1 tsp Vanilla

120 grams sultanas (1/2 cup of golden Raisins) soaked in water/drained 

Preparation

Put all ingredients for the pastry in a bread machine and choose the dough program.

To prepare the filling, heat the milk and vanilla until it boils, (temporarily remove from heat) then cover the saucepan.

Then, beat the sugar into the egg yolks in a large bowl and add the cornflour:

pour the milk into the bowl while mixing with a whisk. Put this mixture in the saucepan, heat it up while whisking until it thickens.

When the dough is ready, shape it into a rectangle with a rolling pin, spread the filling and add the sultanas.

Preheat your oven to 175c (400f)

Roll the dough, cut into pieces about 3 cm wide, put them on a tray covered with parchment paper. Mix an egg and brush it on the Escargots.

Bake 20 minutes

Without a bread machine, we dissolved the yeast in 110 degree F milk. Mixed it with the remainder of the pastry ingredients and kneaded it for 20 minutes. Then put it in a covered bowl to let raise until double the size about

1 1/2 hours. Remove from bowl, knead air out and let rest for 10 minutes.

The filling and the baking part is the same.

Thanks Bella!

I'll follow your paw steps anywhere if you are serving these!

Wyatt