Roadside Basil Stand - One Dollar a Bunch

I have always wanted to have a roadside farm stand. I love growing and preserving the fruits and veggies from the garden and when I have a abundance it would be fun to set up a cute stand in the shaded yard and chit chat with fellow neighbors and passer byes. 

In the afternoon, last week that is what we did...sort of.

 I had a over abundance of basil. My freezer in stuffed with pesto, plain basil cubes, and basil in olive oil. My only thought was to have a basil stand instead of a lemonade stand. Allison thought it was brilliant.

 We set up shop at the end of the driveway. I grabbed my shabby stools from the garage and a few dollar store finds to display the basil.

 we probably had about 25 large bunches of basil for sale. Not a single person stopped by to chit chat or share gardening tips.

 But this little one was super happy. She sold 2 bunches of basil to our neighbor and got to keep the money all for herself (well only one of the dollars, brother got the other one).

Next summer we will definitely do it again. It was fun and something totally different from the norm. 

Maybe next time I will sell peppers since I am really good at growing those too. Maybe I will advertise. Maybe I will sell some folk art stuff and my canned jam and plants and seedlings and swap recipes and sell flower bunches...

a girl can dream! 

Quick Pizza Margarita

One of my favorite pizzas is the simple, yet satisfying, pizza margarita. I love the fresh flavors that blend together creating a deliciousness that you begin to crave and then become obsessed with and have to make that one food everyday to tame the beast within.

Maybe that's just me. 

Anyway, with it being summer and all, I thought I would whip up some pizza margarita with the fresh goodies from our garden.

Here is my quick version with a premade crust

I started with a Crossfire Naan bread that I purchased from Costco. I love this naan, it's thick and chewy and makes a great base for many pizzas and delicious dipped in hummus.

I also gathered some tomatoes, basil, marinated mozzarella, and some Hirten Cheese to grate on top.

 Please never mind the wall, we were in the middle of phase one of our kitchen remodel.

look at all those yummy ingredients...mmm...

 I really don't like to dirty to many dishes so I cook a lot with my hands (that might explain why I have a horrible habit of washing my hands every time I touch anything at all). I tore the mozzarella into bite sized pieces and tossed them on the naan that I brushed with the marinade in the cheese balls.

I had my helper grate some of the Hirten on top of that.

 She did an awesome job and I found if she cooks with me and gets to have some hands on time with the food, she is more likely to eat and enjoy the food.

More cheese being grated, most of it ended up on the baking sheet but I scooped it up and we sprinkled.

I then sliced some romas and put them on top of the cheese and grated more cheese on top of that. I baked it at 400 degrees (I bake everything at this temp. so if you have any questions on oven temp, I will reply 400 sounds about right). I think I timed it at about 12-15 minutes. just check to make sure the cheese is bubbly and it's heated through.

 After it cooled for about a second I tore some basil and scattered it about, then sliced and served.

A most delicious, quick, and fresh lunch enjoyed be my and my daughter on our girly day!

I hope you enjoy, and leave me a comment if you have any questions!

The Best Invention - A Busy Box for Tinkers

We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen for the second time - expanding into the garage to make it larger and more family friendly. While sorting through drawers and such I just tossed things into a storage box for later, mostly things from the junk drawer.

Leaving it on the floor for further adding too, I never thought it would bring such joy to my little boy.

 He can sit in the kitchen for hours just tinkering away making inventions and building robots. He created a "sink" the other night from a valve, some washers and a small plastic light bulb then took it apart to create something else.

He was really overjoyed when dad let him use a real screw driver to make his "inventions". It has been the best and cheapest busy box we have found that can keep him occupied for so long. And every time I need to throw something into the junk drawer, I toss it into the invention box instead. I know he will create something fantastic and imaginative with it.

Here is a list of some of the things inside the busy box for tinkers:
          pipe cleaners
          clothes pins
          foam popsicle sticks
          screws leftover from IKEA furniture
          hinges from the cabinet we removed
          some tape
          empty medicine bottles (also great for sorting screws and making instruments)
          lids from a couple of Pringles cans
          a few springs, washers, fabric scraps, allen wrenches

I will be adding to the box very soon since I had not one, but two junk drawers in the kitchen. In that one I think I have some extra cords, extra flashlight, bottle caps, cabinet bumpers and some odds and ends that he will enjoy much more than me. And I will have space for more cooking utensils or spices.