Cooking From Scratch.

I just started growing herbs a few weeks ago. I have basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro, chives, parsley and rosemary. So far I used the basil and cilantro. I must admit that fresh herbs are so much more flavorfull than the dried version from the super market.

Now I am on a quest to find more recipes that use fresh herbs. This fits in perfectly with my plan to only cook from scratch. For the last 2 weeks I succeeded in making meals from scratch. It definitly saved money. I normally spend anywhere from $60 to $80 a week for groceries and my bill was around $40 for the cooking from scratch weeks.

I am also going to make bread this weekend. Years ago, when I was a young SAHM, I baked bread by hand all the time. This was before bread machines came on the scene. I do have a bread machine, but I am just going to use the dough cycle and then bake in the oven so I can have horizontal loaves instead of vertical.

I wish I had more time to devote to my new endeavor, but I work full time and there is only so many hours in the day. Maybe I will win the lottery one day so I can go back to being a housewife again. hah

I will be taking photos and post them here and over at Life is a Box of Chocolates for my weekly Sunday Brunch edition.

Love my Plants

I planted a herb garden for the first time this year. I am looking forward to harvesting basil, parsley, chives, thyme and cilantro! This is a new adventure for me since I have never grown herbs. They are just now coming up and since I love to grow things, it is very exciting!

One thing I worried about is what to do with them at harvest time. Well I think I figured it out. I was reading the paper and I came across this little gem. It is called the Compact Herb Keeper. It basically keeps the herbs fresh. It is also only $17 from Cuiscpro.

Our Orange tree that we planted for our Lolly Pop Kid is flourishing. We expect to harvest many oranges this year. It doesn’t make it better, but at least something nice is coming from this awful tragedy. We will never forget our Crazy Little Redhead. Ever.

There are many blossoms! I am happy!