June 4, 2013 · 2:35 PM

Tomato-Vodka Sauce

Fresh, homemade pasta sauce is the best! Its very easy to make and takes little time. Barilla now makes a line of pasta which contains 20% of the daily serving of vegetables. I usually use whole wheat pasta but these veggie pastas are just as good for you!

Tomato-vodka Sauce with veggie penne.

1 ½  tablespoons olive oil

½ cup chopped shallots or sweet onions

½ cup vodka

1 cup canned evaporate skim milk

One 150 ounce can tomato sauce

1/8 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy, large pan over medium heat. I used my trusty Dutch oven. Add the shallots or onion and cook, stirring, for four minutes.

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Add the vodka: carefully ignite the sauce with a long match – be careful! The flame will go out in about a minute when the alcohol has burned off. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally to mix.

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Add the milk, and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced and has thickened – about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cayenne and simmer until thickened again – about 5 minutes.

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Serve immediately over hot pasta, or store, covered, in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. Makes 2 cups or four ½ cup servings.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times Low-Fat & Fast: 150 Easy Meatless Recipes.

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June 2, 2013 · 4:42 PM

Surprises from seed.

Everyone knows I like a bargain. When the garden centers begin to make the seasonal markdowns I will visit often and head straight for the discount shelves.

I especially love the bulk wildflower seeds. I am usually pleasantly surprised years down the road as some of the perennial plants mature and begin to bloom.

Along the street I have had oxeye daisies and a few wild day lilies. Last year I sprinkled a pack of rudbeckia and as they have bloomed I have been pleasantly surprised. A few even bloomed during our mild winter.

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I seeded a large path from the front walk through through to the lawn. They should be amazing as this patch is about 5 feet wide and 20 feet long.

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I also seeded lance leaved coreopsis , too. They are just coming into their prime blooming season!

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The oxeye daises are finishing up their season so once the seed heads dry I will hit them with a rake to shake out the seeds and cut back the dead bloom stalks.

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And the cycle of the seasons continue…

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May 26, 2013 · 10:41 PM

Rabbits, voles, and moths…

I have seen several snakes this season and this must explain why my lilies are doing so well! This area has a problem with voles.

Voles are a cousin of moles but lead a very different life!

Voles eat plants while moles eat bugs and worms. Voles live above ground making tunnels through mulch and grass to reach the stems and roots which they eat. Moles dig tunnels underground but are looking for worms. They don’t hurt your plants but their tunnels are not attractive.

When I first moved to this house I brought many cast iron plants from another house and planted many hostas but the voles ate them one by one over that first Summer. They only eat the root so that you would think the plant was only leaning strangely but when you tried to straighten it up the plant would come out of the ground with no roots! Ugg.

They love lily bulbs, too! I love tiger lilies. I must have planted tons of bulbs when I moved here. They were all eaten with in a season or two.

Rabbits are another animal that are plentiful in my garden, too! They don’t do much damage with the exception of chewing some plants here and there. They frighten me sometimes because they will sit motionless while I am pulling weeds then take off suddenly when I get to close. They are cute, thought!

The one below was in the garden along the patio today.

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One time I was pulling English Ivy seedlings under a large Formosa Indica azalea when I saw, out the corner of my eye, a few hanging dead leaves. As I reached over to pick them I turned my head to get a better look at the leaves.

I froze. I realized the leaves were actually three small brown bats! They didn’t seemed upset. They just continued licking themselves. They reminded me of mice, but with wings. I slowly backed out from under that azalea!

In my neighbor I have also seen foxes, Red-tailed hawks, deer, nutria, and I am pretty sure I saw a few coyotes walking down the street one night!

There must be plenty of wildlife in the wildflowers along the street for the hawks and such.

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Many spiders, as well! This is an egg sack on the post light by the driveway.

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These lights are on all night so I assume the spiders like to build webs here because of the endless supply of moths.

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