Bountiful Baskets Recipes: Plight of the Avocado

Oh silly little Avocado.. how do I deal with you in my basket? Hmm.. tasty treat and yet, so relegated to guacamole... but lets try something new!

1. Use an avocado instead of mayo on a sandwich- that creamy texture, good and healthy, nice trade! I'm pretty partial to wraps myself- especially lettuce wraps (and the lettuce in a basket is a great way to go too! Substitute your bread for lettuce, toss in some tomatoes, meat, cheese, avocado, some spinach, cucumber, maybe some fresh sprouts or watercress for some bite- and voila! You look pretty food couture, and it was super easy, super healthy,  and its SOOOO tasty!

2. Salads: Marinate a peeled, diced avocado with a little lime and olive oil, some mango, and throw into a spinach salad with some strawberries and some shredded carrot. A little grilled chicken is nice too!

3.Throw that wicked little avocado slice in a taco! Corn tortillas are a good way to stay gluten free- or if you picked up a tortilla pack, break em out! Throw in some heirloom tomatoes if you got them this week, some lettuce, maybe onion- that lovely avocado, load it up! We do ground turkey with chili seasoning in our tacos, cheese, maybe some beans, definitely sour cream.

4. F-ushi. I don't have a household filled with nori lovers, but they will it faux-sushi. I use crepes or thin rolled breads or even phyllo dough for my nori. You can use lettuce or spinach too (though it needs a toothpick to hold unless you roll it in rice again. Make yours with cooked things- thin chicken or steak strips, sauteed potatoes or carrots. But  throw that avocado in too! I like a roll done with sushi rice (though risotto works well) spinach or butter lettuce instead of nori, rainbow carrots, avocado, cucumber, radish or water chestnut, and maybe a sliver of cream cheese. I know- its not sushi- but boy does it look pretty cool, and is it tasty!!

5. slice them, bread them, and fry them!

6. Last but not least- puree them and add them into anything- breads, cupcakes even (just not white cake lol) Its easy to hide because they are mild tasting. Bake em in, and you get the goo stuff, without the kid freakout- they will never know!

And if you want to dig deeper- check out the haas avocado recipe site- they had me at gluten free and chocolate! http://www.avocadocentral.com/avocado-recipes

Bountiful Baskets Recipe: Asian Pear Marinade

Asian Pear Marinade

1 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 c soy sauce
1 T mirin
1 T Honey
1 Asian Pear peeled and cored, pureed
3 to 4  T mild miso paste

I fry sukiyaki beef up in this, using  a little sesame oil..

Bountiful Baskets Recipe: Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, and Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1/2 to 1 lb pasta (I like GF pagodas)
1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets
12 to 15 brussel sprouts, halved
1 sm onion, diced
2 sm cloves garlic, chopped very fine
thyme
parsley
oregano
sea salt
pepper
olive oil
chicken broth
Grated cheese ( I like parmesean/romano/asiago mix, can use whatever hard cheese you like)

DIRECTIONS

Heat Oven to 425

Cook your pasta according to directions while roasting veggies. Drain it when you are done, and return to the pot, add about a cup of of chicken broth. 

While your pasta is cooking, mix cauliflower, sprouts, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, oil, garlic and onion. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast in the oven till golden brown, about 20 minutes or so. 

Add veggies, parsley, and cheese to the pasta, Mix, and serve. 

This is great with some crisped pancetta too :)

2014 Pay Dates NFCU

https://www.navyfederal.org/pdf/publications/active-duty-calendar-2014.pdf

Active duty checking pay dates to the left, yay! Posted in this blog so I don't forget.. the official link is there if ya wanna check em :)

Water water everywhere

So in upgrading the waterfall outback to a full on water garden and annual koi habitat this year I am thinking that this model of fountain is perhaps the best option for me if I decide to add individual fountain heads, but I am not sure thats the way to go yet..

It's a Home Depot find.. So minus the 10% military discount makes it reasonable for the 3 fountainhead so need plus 2 backup.. I think it should work. But the other option is just a straight out swap for what I have now except its a uv decontaminant as well instead of a plain water push style. 

I'm kind of leaning towards putting in the uv pump and simply leaving the koi in the lower pond, and making the upper basin less of only thing than the water alone, the middle basin a water flowering garden, and the bottom the koi pond with some plants but not many. If I do that then possibly an aerator like this for the middle basin? 

I think that might be the best option.. Any thoughts from the populous? Let me know what you think as far as comparable prices and options.. Hoping that when the girls said 'lets put koi in there' I don't kill all the little fishies (or great giant fishies that they anticipate. I'm thinking more a few comets that we can feed to gargantuan size over a few years, like poor Gertie may he rest in piece. Yes he. I see a Gertie Jr. in my future lol) :)

Coupon queen, coupon queen, how does your garden grow..

Not very fast right now! But it's still sort of green out there.

I discovered this brilliant website where you can type in your zip code and find out your specific grow zone..

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Definitely helpful when thinking about plating your goodies in the spring.. or like me, thinking about when you can get your fingers back in the dirt again, and wondering how late in February does that mean you have to wait! Or June depending on where you are LOL I have lived in both types of places, and I much prefer the long slow cool seasons of the Pacific Northwest..

So this year I have been ordering a ton and a half of catalogs ( if you too want some, go here for a good list: http://freebies.about.com/od/homegardenfreebies/tp/seed-catalogs.htm) I have discovered some great heirlooms and am really looking forward to a few things this year:

Blue baby tomatoes.

Purple asparagus.

Tons and tons of sweet English peas.

Any tomato really- but bring on those heirloom colors. (See how they get 2 mentions.. yeah, I love tomatoes).

Various organic kales.

And start my list of herbs in the A section and just start listing form there.. the herb garden will be big, of this I vow. No more patio pot gardening, I have soil now! Mints galore and lavenders and, well.. the farmers market and the nursery will know me well this spring for sure.

And those beautiful heirloom spinach varieties..

I'm getting hungry now! And in the mood to plant things.. I have to pace myself though.. I can justify transplanting the potted things now and doing some of the work with the dormant things like that satan spawn english Ivy (That invasive destructive crap should have a flamethrower taken to it.) But I am starting to run a little low.. I still have some fruit trees to get in the ground.. I think our neighbors though we were insane to have a small patio orchard, but it was brilliant and now it will be grounded. The weather here is a meek 40's and 50's through this time of the year, dipping into the upper 30s with an occasional cold snap, so I figure I am safe.. they'd be potted outside anyhow.

To bed with this gardening girl now.. while visions of ORGANIC plums dace through this head..

Its that season again.. taxes.. urgh.

So I hate taxes, who loves em really, except maybe accountants? I don't mind the doing of the taxes, really, its just the waiting for all the crap to come in. Have to wait on the 1099s, the W2s, bank letters, and now with a mortgage they have to send us THAT stuff. And I want to get this DONE DONE DONE. Like now. Let me get it out of the way. But Nooo.. nobody HAS to get it sent till Jan 31st and sometimes it's not even really postmarked until February. And yeah, it's us that gets those late senders lol

Now the question becomes: do I want to mess with a professional this year, when stuff comes that late. Or do I want to try to fuddle through the Turbotax/Taxact?

And do I want to take what I get by say the time all the big stuff comes ad then amend it for extra deductions and refile with an amendment because I am impatient. Yeah, I have done that, I'm that person. Get most of it, they don't have it to me by the 31st, and it goes anyhow. Then I amend it come the ed of March when stuff is all FINALLY here because heavens knows it never actually all comes.

Anywhoo.. for the military tax person (me) there is more mess with deductions and whatnot, but no boomer deduct this year.

http://supertaxgenius.blogspot.com/2013/11/military-information.html?m=1





MyPoints.comShare with friends, earn together.Earn Points for doing what you already do online: shopping, reading emails, playing games, searching the web, taking surveys, and more!