We started this blog to share thoughts and ideas about gardening, cooking, and an outdoor do-it yourself lifestyle while living in Los Angeles (but you may be able to apply the ideas to any setting). We’ll talk about things like making fresh pasta at home, building a chicken coop from reclaimed materials, and sharing incredible recipes for things like Fig-Pecan Jam, Fried Chicken, Quinoa Salad, Kale Pie & Shrimp Pad Thai.
We hope you love reading it as much as we love sharing our stories and ideas.
Happy gardening, homesteading, and cooking!!
– Adrienne, Steven, and family
Adrienne and Steven,
This is really great fun, recipes and ideas. I love it. Thanks for sharing and keep them coming!
Rick
I love it. I love the photos. The layout- and the food looks inviting and delicious. I want to make that fried chicken. Where are you located? Which urban setting?
Alot has changed since I last saw you! Are you still working at GE?
So great to see your blog, looks great.
Love,
Liz
How enterprising Adrienne! All those food photos make me very hungry! Best to you, Steve and the kids.
Photos are amazing Adrienne, nice work and i love the site. sonja
Great blog!
Ran into your Mom at Torrance Farmer’s market I think buying 30lbs. of pickles – she was able to get the best of the lot before me 🙂
I usually just add dill, garlic, and salt then put into closed lid jar for a couple of weeks. Do you have any suggestions how to keep firm? Someone mentioned grape leaves?
Are those your eggs in the picture – that yolk is amazing!
Bill
Thanks for the note, Bill, and I’m sorry for the delay in my reply… I literally went into labor while my mother was buying those cucumbers!!! So after coming home from the hospital a couple of days later with the new bundle of joy in my arms, I finally made my pickles. When making refrigerator pickles, I have heard that adding a grapeleaf to the jar may make them more crisp, but I have never tried it. Of course buying the freshest crispest cucumbers you can get is a given. Something I have tried is the presoak method, but you can do that with cucumbers that you are going to process in a hot water bath or those that go directly in the refrigerator… Basically you soak the cucumbers in cold water and kosher salt for 12 to 18 hours before you put them in your jars. Either way make sure you use an approved recipe for canning safety. For recipes that do require a hot water bath I’ve also heard of adding alum or PickleCrisp(TM) to the jar to keep the pickles crisp. These also seem to work pretty well. Happy pickling and good luck!
And yes those eggs in the picture are from our chickens… Aren’t they gorgeous? -A
Hi neighbor! Thanks so much for the lovely sampler I found on the porch this morning. What a treat. Fig pecan jam-Steve was so right. I loved the peach/plum jam too. My bagel & only-butter days might be a thing of the past now. I can’t wait to try the rest. (I’ll get the jars, etc back to you soon.)
This blog is so great! I love that you have pictures of all the recipes…makes my mouth water! Now if I can just get as motivated as you, I’ll try these…great job Steve and Adrienne!
“Wow!” Is all I can say!!! Thank you so much for allowing us a peek inside your wonderful world of culinary and food craft! Today was the first time I visited your wonderful homestead and I was truly inspired and uplifted. Thank you for being so inviting and tenaciously leading the way for us city folks!