A Room With A View - Fall Slipping Into Winter

 

The other day, I was channel surfing on NetFlix and watched one of my favorite movies, A Room With A View.  I love "Period" movies - Mike makes fun of "Period" movies - emphasizing "Period". 

 

So, after watching the movie, it inspired me to take a few pictures of the views from the family room and also outside in the backyard. 

 

Christmas is less than a month away - our yard is transitioning from fall to winter - the leaves are beginning to turn yet our bouganvillea thinks it's still summer.   I think it's the best of both seasons . . . la dolce vita

 



November 18

Sunday, November 18, 2012

 

 

What an absolutely gorgeous day!   The sky is so clear and there's just a light breeze.  Enough that it kept us comfortable while walking.  We talked about visiting the Wetlands Park on the east side of Las Vegas in the spring, but decided to wait until cooler weather and schedules permitting.

 

The new visitor center just opened about 2 weeks ago and they are still unpacking boxes.  It is a gorgeous building.  We were told that a gift shop, coffee shop and theater will open soon. 

 

More pictures to be posted and more info to be shared . . . . just had to put these up  . .

 



Thankful

 

Thankful . . . . . .

 

 

for Mike, family, friends, cats, freedom, health,

 

What are you thankful for?



Cowboy Trail Farm - Harvest Open House and Potluck

Save the date for this event.  Cowboy Trail Farms will be having and open house, potluck and artisan fair on November 10th.  Tour the hoop houses, herb and vegetable growing beds and purchase fresh organic vegetables, shop for the holidays from local artisans and food  purveyors.

 

Bring a friend and enjoy the day.   go to www.organicedibles.org for more info.  Hope to see you there.

 

 

Sat, November 10, 9:30am – 3:00pm

Where

Cowboy Trail Farm - 6550 Cowboy Trail 215 frwy; exit Jones; North to Mello, Rt to Bradley, Rt to Ano to 6550 Cowboy Trl - Las Vegas, NV 89131map Saturday, November 10, 2012 9:30 AM to 3:00 Cowboy Trail Farm 6550 Cowboy Trail 215 frwy; exit Jones; North to Mello, Rt to Bradley, Rt to Ano to 6550 Cowboy Trl, Las Vegas, NV(edit map) Look for the Cowboy out front with address - Drive thru to the backyard gardens   Come join us for a full day of sharing food, fun, and entertainment at our Cowboy Trail Farm. This is a Meet and Greet affair where you can mingle with your fellow gardeners. We'll also have fellow crafters showing off their talents of jewelry, artwork, and much more. We'll have our Farm Stand open too! This is a FREE event and we would appreciate everyone bringing a dish to share and enjoy. Let us know what you would like to bring so we don't have too many duplicates. NOTE : If you would like to be a vendor and sell your wares, let us know. We are looking for at least 12 talented crafters and hobbyists

Squash & Carrot Fritters

Somehow, the summer slipped by and fall appeared.   The garden was very demanding and after spending hours in the hot sun, driving 100 miles every day, my blogging energy just disappeared. 

 

Well, the good and bad news is the garden is on the downturn and I have a little more time to play catch up on blogging, house cleaning, crafting, organizing,  .  . . the list goes on.

 

This weekend a dear friend  hosted a party for her newly married sister and her sister's new husband.  I made the squash and carrot patties or fritters to take.  I must admit, I liked they  much better than just plain squash fritters.  There are so many variations on the internet, this is my variation.  All the vegetable ingredients were from our farm with the exception of the round onion.

 Squash Carrot Zucchini Patties

 

3 medium zucchini, grated

2 large rainbow carrots, grated

1/2 round onion, diced

3 leeks, white parts only diced

3 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese - add some other cheese too if you like

1/2 cup flour

1/4 oat bran

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

 

Place grated zucchini in colander and lightly sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for about 15 minutes and squeeze moisture out.  Combine with remaining ingredients.  Heat griddle to 400 degrees, add olive oil.  Drop mixture by rounded teaspoons (appetizer size servings) on ti griddle.  Fry on one side for about 3 minutes or till brown, flip and finish cooking.

 

Serve warm with sour cream, applesauce or even hot sauce.

 

I eat these cold too.  Try your own variations - add herbs, curry, or even coat with panko and bake in oven. 

 

 

 



Faux Sun Dried Tomatoes aka Tomato Chips

                                     

                                          Faux Sun Dried Tomatoes aka Tomato Chips

 

I love tomatoes - especially fresh picked and perfectly ripe.  But sometimes you just don't have the time to pick them  - timing is everything.  We harvested several bunches and some were cracked, had some imperfections, a little soft and so on.  And you can only make so much salsa, sauce, etc.

 

So, I decided to use the dehydrator Mike got a a garage sale.  And voila!  yummy!  dehydrator "faux" sun dried tomatoes.  I squeezed out the seeds, flattened the skin and put them in the dehydrator for about 2 days.

 

They are thin skinned and crisp - like a potato chip with out the salt and a sweet tomato flavor.

 

We eat them plain, with goat cheese on crackers, on homemade pizza and in sauces. 

 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

                                                               Chocolate Zucchini Bread

 

 

This recipe is from one of our customers at the Fresh 52 Farmers and Artisan Market at Tivoli Village on Saturdays.  She was so sweet to bring me a copy of it and it is delicious.

 

Here it is:

 

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsweented cocoa powder

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini - about 1 pound