Winter Harvest: Lamb's Lettuce and Spinach

Who would have thought that we would still be harvesting this very, very cold winter?

Our last garden harvest was in November and that's when we planted our lamb's lettuce, the first attempt.

It is now January, one of the coldest winter ever, and we are happy that our lamb's lettuce are growing!

We even found a nice surprise, seeing that our spinach were also thriving, we didn't expect that.

Lamb's Lettuce Salad with Boiled Eggs 

During our first lamb's lettuce harvest, it was only my husband who braved the slippery steps going down to the lettuce patch. He went back a few minutes, bringing a bunch of leaves. He had to ask me if he was harvesting the right area because the lamb's lettuce were bigger that those we get from the market. He thought he was picking weeds!

One Snowy Saturday in the Woods

We have been enjoying a freezing temperature these past weeks.

It's white, all over. It's slippery all over :-)

It's not a normal occurrence in our area, so, we took advantage last weekend. We dragged the kids out of the house (they don't want to go out, it's too cold!) for fresh air and for some adventure in the snow.

That's Rikki, enjoying the scenery, all white :-)

Dressed-up as warm as possible, we started our snowy adventure.

Leaving the road after fifteen minutes of walking,
we are now entering the woods and following the tracks of blood...

My husband told the girls the tracks of blood could be from a
wild animal shot and killed by the forest ranger the night before.

IC's collecting snow balls along the way.

And I didn't notice that she was eating those snow balls along the way, too!
As for MC, that's the way she takes a break during our walk.

Look at that, a jump shot before we enter the bigger jungle :-)

Ooops, this time, I was too late.

A running shot?

Trying out the forest ranger's high chair.

The view is better up here, Mama!

IC just wants to stay up there, sitting :-)

She's already walking on her knees, saying she's tired when
in fact she's waiting for me to declare a break
so that I could show them my what goodies I packed for the trip.

MC is running now, because I was aiming a snow ball at her!

DIY: From an Old T-Shirt into a Grocery Bag

From an old t-shirt into a grocery bag

Something easy, something fun!

I decided to recyle after I realized we would have no time to shop to buy little something gifts because of IC's little accident last December.

I rummaged into my sewing box and found some old t-shirts that I already set aside for future DIY projects. Then I checked the internet for possible inspiration that goes with the motto: something easy, something fun.

Therefore, these grocery bags made from old t-shirts!

What you need:

old t-shirts
a pair of scissors
your sewing machine (or needles and thread)

the old t-shirt

Fold it 

Cut the sleeves

Cut the neckline

Cheesy Chicken Florentine

I have decided to try a different chicken recipe, despite the protests of my family who are all absolute fried chicken lovers.

Everytime I would buy chicken (which is not as regular as we don't always get them from our friendly meat shop), it would automatically mean fried chicken.

And I'd look at myself and count the burn wounds that I have collected everytime I fry those chickens for our meal. You know, those spitting hot oils! One time, I was badly burned. Good thing a neighbor is a nurse, always ready with her first aid kit.

This time, I wanted to serve them a delicious chicken meal but I was not ready to sacrifice my skin. I thought about chicken casserole, or something like a thick chicken soup?

Cheesy Chicken Florentine

Then I found something better, good thing I have all the ingredients at home for a Cheesy Chicken Florentine!!

Ingredients
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup sour cream2 cups cooked white rice1 cup milk1 cup shredded cheese, divided1/4 cup finely chopped onion2 tsp mustard1/2 tsp salt12 pcs chicken drumsticks2 tbsp cooking oil1 cup bread crumbs2 tbsp butter, meltedpepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the fresh spinach in a small pot, add the sour cream and cook in medium heat for about ten minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).3. In a large bowl stir together the spinach mix, rice, milk, 1/2 cup grated cheese, onion, mustard and salt. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with aluminum foil or a lid.4. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.5. Then saute the chicken in oil until golden brown and arrange the chicken on top of the spinach mixture.6. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, butter or margarine and remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese; sprinkle over the chicken. Bake uncovered for an additional 25 minutes, or until the spinach mixture is set, the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Serve with salad.

I served our Cheesy Chicken Florentine with lamb's lettuce salad prepared with vinaigrette sauce and bacon crumbs.

Cheesy Chicken Florentine served on top of lamb's lettuce salad with bacon crumbs

Here is the original recipe.

Our New Year's Eve Rituals 2012

Presenting, our New Year's Eve rituals 2012!

The ever-present 12 or more round-shaped fruits to welcome the New Year,
actually a Philippine-tradition that we have been religiously doing.
In fact, the girls got involved with picking the fruits this year, and it made it more fun!

The Waldorf Salad using ingredients from our round-shaped fruits selection.
I used Greek joghurt and this year's walnuts which we collected from our walks in the woods (we still have more than enough!).
My husband loved it but the girls have to get used to it :-)

Second appetizer, smoked salmon trout with horseradish.
We love fish!