Bork Bork Bork....

I wanna know who started the evil lie that burgers or meatballs or meatloaf or ground whatever needed to have eggs in them to hold them together. Since discovering my son's egg allergy I quickly realized that these things do NOT require egg to hold them together. As a matter of fact, a lot of things can be made without eggs to hold them together. Burgers and meatballs and meatloaf in particular though contain plenty of fat and
meaty goodness to hold everything together. You aren't baking a cake you are cooking meat - leave the eggs in the fridge.

As you can tell, today's recipe is all about meat. Now, I realize this is no big revelation to make a burger without egg (for some people who already know the secret that they don't need them) but these burgers will BLOW YOUR MIND!  No, seriously, they are pretty awesome.

Bork Burgers

• 1 lb. ground bison (Note: Buffalo will also work since, in America, we use these terms interchangeably.)
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 Tbsp. Special Spice Blend (see below)

1. Thoroughly mix together in a large bowl.
2. Grill or broil until cooked through and juices run clear. (Please remember you are working with pork...don't under cook these.)

Special Spice Blend
This can be made in bulk and kept in a cabinet to sprinkle into anything you want. It is a perfect seasoning salt. This has replaced Lawry's for our household.  Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl then transfer to your favorite spice container.

• 1/2 C. Paprika (I used smoked, but a sweet paprika would work as well.)
• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt, finely ground
• 1 Tbsp mustard powder
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
• Cayenne, to taste (optional)

Okey Dokey...enjoy! :)

Egg Free Paleo...

I suck at blogging. Seriously, I can't seem to keep up with writing blogs on a regular basis. I don't know how other people do it. I constantly think that I would like to start a blog, I started this one. I think, "I'm going to do better this time." I don't. I fail to open my laptop on nights I'm exhausted or the night gets away from me....or something really great is on TV or a good book keeps calling my name. I guess the fact that I am not a good blogger makes me a novice at that too. Wow...I really did well at picking my blog name.

Anyway, someone the other day told me I should start writing down my Paleo recipes. Many Paleo recipes contain eggs. My son is allergic to eggs so I am forced to modify most recipes pretty extensively and in many cases simply scratch the whole thing and figure it out on my own. There are probably many others like myself who love eating Paleo but have trouble with the mass quantity of eggs that seem to be consumed.  Don't get me wrong, I am not allergic to eggs. I will often have a hard cooked egg for breakfast on the go. But for dinner and weekend breakfasts and lunches...well...I gotta be able to feed my kiddo safely.

Tonight I will begin, hopefully, the journey of bringing you my novice approach to Paleo eating but more specifically, Paleo eating without the eggs. Let it be known, there are many occasions I have to "cheat" on the idea of Paleo for this to work - don't be a hater, I am doing the best I can. Also, as previously mentioned, I suck at blogging - there could be weeks between blogs - don't be a hater, I am doing the best I can.  Oh and yes, I know I am using other people's recipes - I will give credit where credit is due, promise. My inspiration recipes come from wonderfully creative people who are FAR better bloggers than me. I will attempt to do better just for you though. So, with no further ado, here is your first recipe and one of our favorites in my house.

Egg-Free Paleo Chicken Nuggets (with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce)
Modified from original recipe posted by: The Domestic Man

For the Chicken:

• 2-3 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1/2'-1' cubes (or the closest thing you can get - chicken breasts aren't square, I get it)
• 1/4 C. dill pickle juice
• 2 Tbsp (or 1/8 C) coconut milk (not the stuff from the can, the stuff from your fridge)
• 2 Tbsp (or 1/8 C) favorite egg-free mayo (I use Veganaise Soy-Free - light green top*)
• 1/4 C. Arrowroot flour/starch
• 2 Tbsp Almond/Coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne - to taste
• 1/2 - 3/4 C coconut oil or lard (or oil of choice - like bacon fat, for realz YUM - mix in some coconut oil to help the smoke level) for frying

1. Place chicken in a gallon ziplock bag and add the pickle juice. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. (I only did 1 hour and I was super impressed with the results but feel free to go longer if you want.)
2. After marinating, pour out excess liquid/pickle juice.
3. Add coconut milk and egg-free mayo to the bag and mix and squish around to coat the chicken. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
4. While it is resting, in a separate bowl, mix together your dry ingredients in a small bowl.
5. When your 5 minutes are up, pour out excess liquid. (I did a kind of squeeze action here over the sink so it wasn't too soupy but it should be wet and look creamy-ish.)
6. Add the dry ingredients to the bag and squish and mush and wiggle and massage and shake and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
7. Heat your oil/fat in a frying pan.
8. Fry the chicken pieces in batches - do not over crowd the pan - approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy.
9. Remove to a paper towel to drain excess oil.
10. ENJOY THE HELL OUT OF THESE!!! Dip in mustard sauce that follows!

For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

• 2 Tbsp Favorite Honey Mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Veganaise

1. Mix together and enjoy!

*NOTE: Yes, I do realize that Veganaise contains rice syrup and pea protein.

And yes, I realize that rice is a grain and pea protein comes from a legume. And yes, I realize that grains, including rice, and legumes are no-nos in the Paleo lifestyle. Let me say a few things to this: 1) If you are looking for egg-free recipes, you likely already know how incredibly difficult it is to find and egg-free mayo that is truly Paleo safe...this one is the closest I have ever found. 2) If you have never tried to find an egg-free mayo that is Paleo safe and you are going to judge me for using this, I suggest you give it a go for yourself and let me know what you find. 3) If you have found a Paleo safe, egg-free mayo - FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD...SHARE!!!  

I would also like to point out that Veganaise is non-gmo...which to me is more important at this point than finding something that may be completely Paleo compliant but potentially has gmos. So there...be a hater if you like, but this is as good as I could get...but again, if you have found one better, please let me know what it is.

So there it is. Your first, egg-free Paleo recipe. Hopefully there will be many more to come! Enjoy! :)

Pumpkin Burgers

So, along with being a novice at everything else, I am also a chef...of sorts. I graduated from culinary school in 2011. Since then though, I have done little with my culinary knowledge except make random creations in my own kitchen for my family who would prefer to eat out than to try my food...or any food really...not just mine...they are SUPER picky eaters. Buuuuutttt....I keep cooking for them, because, well, I love to cook just as much as I love to garden.  So here is a creation I came up with this evening. The measurements are a bit rough because I forgot to write it down as I went...so modify as needed. Sadly, I'm sorry, I don't have a picture because I ate them all before I realized that I should have taken a picture of them. *shrug*  Sorry...they were good! :)

Pumpkin Burgers

3 lbs ground beef
1.5 C pumpkin puree
1 t. onion powder
2 t. black pepper (and a pepper shaker handy)
1 t. sea/kosher salt (and a salt shaker/pig handy)
½ t. worchestershire sauce
½ t. pumpkin pie spice (and the spice shaker handy)
1 t. bbq spice rub seasoning (see separate recipe)
Garlic powder
(feel free to adjust seasoning amounts to taste)

1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well with hands. Form patties.
2) Sprinkle tops of burgers with black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and a hint of pumpkin pie spice.
3) Broil under broiler or grill to preferred doneness.

Pumpkin Mayo

3 T. Mayo (or vegan mayo of your choice - I used Veganaisse)
1 T. pumpkin puree
¼ t. honey (or to taste)

1) Wisk all ingredients together.

BBQ Spice Rub Seasoning  (this recipe can be made and saved for later use)

1/4 cup paprika

2 T kosher salt, finely ground

2 T sugar

1 T mustard powder

2 T chili powder

2 T ground cumin

1 T ground black pepper

2 T granulated garlic

1 T cayenne (or to taste)

1) Combine all ingredients and store in air tight container/spice shaker.

Enjoy!! :)

Composting...

Last weekend I amended my garden with my very won compost for the first time since I started the compost bin last summer. The compost bin seemed to be doing well since I discovered tomatoes and squash both growing from it.  I figured that was a good sign it was ready. So I popped the bottom trap door for the first time and discovered the most precious, most amazing black gold I had ever seen. Why was it soooooo amazing....well simple silly....because I HAD MADE IT!!

Anyway, I threw a couple of buckets full into the garden before throwing the starts in and well...I am sold...this stuff is the best! If you haven't done it yet...start a compost bin, it will AMAZE your plants and make them super happy.  Needless to say, the pathetic little starts that I feared would not survive the transplant....are thriving in the newly amended compost garden. YAY COMPOST!!!

Today is Mother's Day. Did you notice? Did you tell your mom how much you love her? Send her flowers maybe? I called my mom and wrote on her Facebook wall (I know, cheese). My step-mom didn't answer her phone so I left her a message. And my "mother-in-law" (that's in quotes because her son and I aren't "legally" married) I created a planter box and gave her a card. I know...seems like I did more for her than my own mom but in reality it was just proximity. If my mom had been closer and not in Denver, she would've gotten one too. As it is, it was too large to ship. ;-)   Anyway, I bought a standard issue wooden box, painted it black and stenciled it with pretty flower stencils then put a trellis in and some star jasmine, some little yellow native Oregonian flowers and some purple grass. All in all, I think it turned out spectacular! I want to create one for myself actually...and I just might at some point.

In the meantime, I painted some terra cotta pots the same black and used the same stencils and I will use them to create my flower tower near my bird bath. Which is also still a work in progress. I should post pictures, huh. Ok, ok...twist my arm. Here come some pictures at ya!

The new garden fence and arbor. This will all look MUCH cooler when there is new ground cover in the front and veggies all green in the garden.

The Mother's Day planter box.

Flower detail

My new pots...these will also look much cooler when they are in place as a tower and planted with pretty flowers....promise!

The Discovery...

So I realized today, as I was cleaning my garden, putting up a new fence around it and an arbor that, in fact, I am a novice at most things in life. I think I need to change the focus of this blog to all things I am novice at instead of just my garden. The reality of it is that I am a novice at life in general. An example:

When you are growing up, frustrated and angry at your parents for all the horrible things they have done to you you begin to form ideas about what type of parent you will eventually be. As you get a little older you may become a little wiser and understand some of the things your parents said and did and you begin to adjust your ideas about what type of parent you will be. Then one day you realize that all of the things you had hoped to teach a child, all of the dreams you had hoped to share with this young mind, all of the lessons you thought you would lay foundations with so they could one day become the smart, independent, loving, compassionate people you had always dreamed of...all of those things are useless. All of those things will likely not come to fruition, at least not from you. All of the love you have for this young person must be censored and held back for their comfort.  This fateful day...is the day you become a step-parent. 

There is nothing quite like the feeling of finding love for a second time. Having that moment of realization that you will not die a lonely old cat lady, alone in your apartment, only to be discovered when the smell gets too bad for your neighbors not to mention something. It is really quite a wonderful feeling. Then you meet his children and you think, "I am the luckiest person in the world!!"  Not only is this man perfection wrapped up in a super sexy body but his children are the sweetest little angels. You couldn't have gotten better children if you had hand picked them. You have found an instant family to love and be loved by. It is pure bliss. And then you combine homes, move in together....everyone...under one roof.........you are a step-parent.

Now don't get me wrong, I love these kids more than I EVER thought possible to love someone else's children. I am bursting with pride when they succeed at something and angry and frustrated with them when they do something wrong that I'm sure they know better. They are super smart kids and incredibly well behaved...for teenagers. They have a level of respect for other children and other adults that is almost unprecedented at their ages...almost.

Buuuuutttt (yeah, you knew it was coming)...there is a line that can never be crossed with your step-children. An understanding that must be upheld and never spoken about. You.are not.their parent. Period.  This is ever so much more apparent and important if you happen to move into THEIR childhood home with them. It is then, not only understood that you are not the parent but that your rules, lessons, well...anything...counts for very little. This is THEIR home first and yours only once they have succeeded in graduating high school and moving OUT. It doesn't matter that your stuff is the stuff they sit on, eat with, walk around, use each and every day. It does not matter that you repainted every room in the house, planted flowers, trees, a garden. It does not matter that you make them dinners, lunches, breakfasts, do laundry, clean up after them. These things are irrelevant. I am sure there is a time when this changes....after 3 years I have not gotten to that point yet. Hence...I am a novice at being a step-parent. Add to the confusion...me and my "spouse" are not actually, legally married........ever increasing the confusion of my role in this whole picture, I'm sure.

For reference...there are no handbooks, no manuals, no guides in this journey. Each family is different, each child their own. No matter how many blogs or support groups or books you may read or be a part of, NO ONE can really truly identify with the struggle you are dealing with in your combined families. All I can say is that it is a fine line we, as step-parents, must walk. I often think back to my own step-parents and thank them for the lessons they taught me...the ones I never imagined I would ever need....until I ended up walking in their shoes.

No matter what though, I see these kids as my own...maybe not my blood...but they are mine to keep safe and love and adore and cheer for and drive all over the place...and occasionally drive crazy. Alas, I must do it from the sidelines of their life. I am only allowed in as far as they will permit, when they permit. I wait for my signals that I am allowed to come closer and relish in the brief moments they open their hearts to me.  No matter what, I will forever be there for them. I will forever keep them in my heart and in my mind and I will forever try to be what they need me to be to them when they need me to be it. And I will forever, likely, struggle with not knowing how to function in their lives and in my own house while they are around. I can only hope it gets easier eventually. That the walls come down a little and windows open a little and doors of opportunity present themselves so that I can celebrate their lives with them.

The Waiting...ugh...

So we discovered in a past weekend that although I am capable of laying down pavers...I will never have a side job doing this job. Thankfully, mine are holding up quite nicely so far and I have not had to fill in with more sand...I think I did O-K (even if they are HORRIBLY uneven).

This past weekend we had the most amazing Oregon weekend yet this year with 75-80+ degrees both days. The Farmer's Almanac stated that Saturday was not a good day to plant...so I waited, like a good little girl and did my planting on Sunday which was supposedly an ideal day to plant. I am not sure what they know that the rest of us don't but I have heard great things about their ability to predict these things...so I listened. As soon as I was able on Sunday though...I planted corn, green beans, snow peas, radishes, and carrots straight into the garden. I figure, being this is attempt #2 at truly gardening, I will continue to test my abilities to start from seeds.  My starts are still looking quite nice in my window, inside.  I am encouraged by their growth...they all seem very happy so far.  I am hoping this continues for a bit longer so I can get them into the garden soon.

My son's view garden is doing very well also. The pictures of the roots aren't great due to glare from the plastic but you can see what has grown above ground and they are doing very well.

I also threw a ton of steer manure (already composted and ready for garden) into the garden to supplement the soil. It seems there is some dark underground source that sucks the soil from your garden each year......I always wondered what the need for compost was. (Okay, not really...I know it all compacts and continues to compost and yadda yadda.)  I am considering building a composting bin later in the year to try my hand at composting. It seems like a LOT of work...and I am concerned I don't have enough time in the day for all of these projects that I need to keep up with. I will continue to ponder that idea though. I rather like the idea of food scraps being in the compost bin and not in my trash can.

Since I wasn't allowed to plant on Saturday I made some hummingbird food and filled my bird feeders. I also set up my vertical "walls" in the garden for when the starts come out so they have something to grow on. I have decided, after reading some more on vertical gardening, that I will need to create about 4 more vertical walls for all of my vine type plants. According to readings it is easier to garden this way, the plant yields more crop, and you deal with less pests. I would be happy with 2 out of 3 of those! Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of those...I will do so once I get the next 3 or 4 in and you can then see the whole set up.

So, I also started some strawberry seeds because Lowe's had the cutest little strawberry garden set thingy for super cheap and it matched my herb garden thingy in my kitchen window and I just couldn't resist. *sigh*  So I have now added strawberries to the list of fruit and veggies.

And to round it ALLLLLLL out, because I am pretty certain I have some sort of addiction issue now, we bought a peach plum tree (it was a fundraiser for the kid's baseball team...how could I not) that we will be planting out front. I am super excited about it actually. We have a spot in the front that I had yet to figure out how to landscape it properly and the tree was the perfect starting point. As soon as I realized I wanted it there, the rest all seemed to suddenly make sense.

So here is the list of our eatable plants around the house this year:
Peach Plum tree
Apple trees (2)
Cherry tree (although it doesn't produce fruit we can get to...it is about 40 tall)
Corn
Green beans
Snow peas
Radishes
Carrots
Strawberries
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Lemon Basil
Mint
Parsley
Chives
Saffron
Sweet Squash (holding for a later planting)

and some volunteer blackberry...because I live in Oregon and the stuff is EVERYWHERE whether you want it or not.

I will likely grab some starts from the garden center later this spring of peppers since they didn't work out last year. I still really want to see if I can get them to work this year though. I may even grab some spicy peppers so I can make salsa with just my garden stuff.

I am still quite in shock that my garden can handle it all...but it seems I built it just the right size to handle my insanity! :)  So until next time....

YAY for Spring!!

So last weekend was a beautiful gardening weekend here in "sunny" Oregon. We had perfect weather for being out and about and playing in the dirt. I finally had some time to put work on some projects. I decided this year to really try my hand at some flowers since I had bought flower boxes at an end of the summer garage sale. I painted hem to match the trim of the house and filled them with clematis and other things...honestly, I have no idea what is in them...they are pretty, that is all I care about. I also cleaned up all my other planters and put in some new perennials so that hopefully, if I can keep them somewhat alive this year...they will come back all on their own next spring. *fingers crossed*  All I can hope is that as the growing season continues, they will grow and flower and fill the front area beautifully.  Again *fingers crossed*

While at dinner on Saturday evening I got to talking with a local bartender who is also a gardener and I told him I was attempting my second year of growing. We started talking about pests and I told him my greatest issue last year were the slugs. OH those disgusting slimy things. Sadly...although you can kill them with salt...you will also kill any plants that may be close by. This wonderful bartender informed me that you can use copper as a type of barrier. Much like salt, the copper reacts to their slim and they refuse to go near it. SO, DUH...I purchased a TON of copper tape!! Do I look crazy!? I lined the tops of the planters in the front and I lined my garden beds out back. This year...I will have control!!! I also laid pavers in the garden to help ease the growth of weeds and my tracking of mud through the house.

So there it is, my full gardening weekend. When the rain subsides again for another weekend day, I hope to plant a few select seeds, corn, radishes, carrots in hopes of getting them started. I may even see if I can get the beans started a little early so I can do 2 crops. I will also be putting up the wire mesh walls that the beans and tomatoes will grow up this year. Stay tuned!! :)