Another blur of a weekend. So much done, so little done, so much fun, but yet a lot of work. Sound about right? Our Friday started with some computer games. We’re trying to hold onto our “gaming Fridays,” but it’s definitely getting more difficult now that the weather is nicer and more activities are starting to pop up. Neil played League of Legends while I quested in World of Warcraft. I also fooled around with the new Pandaria Beta. Definitely going to be a fun one, I can’t wait!
Some snacks! These Earnest Eats bars are really good!
Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to hit the farmer’s market. I’m embarrassed to admit we haven’t been in a few years. We were amazed at how much has changed! More variety, more locally raised meat and a lot more to eat while you peruse.
We were on the hunt for some garden stock. While we had hoped to begin growing our own fruit/veggies from seed this year, our schedule — coupled with the sheer amount of yard projects we have — made it necessary to lessen our expectations and buy seedlings. Luckily, the selection at the farmer’s market was awesome. Five varieties of tomatoes made it into our box, as well as two flats of broccoli seedlings (BOGO!) and a few types of peppers. We also purchased flowers and herbs from the nearby hardware store. I still feel like we have a long way to go, but it feels good to start somewhere!
We spent most of Sunday outside in the yard. We got our seedlings planted, a fence installed around the bed to protect them from deer and bunnies, and a lot of general clean-up done. Somehow our yard has just about every variety of annoying seed-dropping tree in existence!
I also transplanted an aloe plant Neil’s mother gave me a few weeks ago. Having plants around the house seems to make everything calmer don’t you think?
Sunday seems to be emerging as “grill day” around here. We typically grill several meals’ worth of meat and veggies — enough to last us until Wednesday — so we can avoid the kitchen. Lazy yes, but with our hectic weeknight schedule this Spring it’s completely necessary.
On the menu for this night (and tonight!): mushroom-swiss brats from Wurstfest, grilled broccoli and a grass-fed/finished steak we purchased at the farmer’s market.
We snacked on a few chips while we waited. Chips and salsa is pretty much our cheat snack every week.
Amazing steak. I can’t say enough about the difference in taste and texture of good quality, well-cared for beef. It needed nothing, we simply added a little salt and pepper before putting it on the grill. To think I grew up hating steak! If you are local, we can’t recommend Altai Meadows enough. We’ll definitely be looking for them at the farmer’s market again soon!
Afterward, we played in the yard a bit more. Clive grazed on grass, which provided us with a few of his more attractive faces. He’s … special?
Then we got impulsive and decided that since it was Easter, we’d dye eggs. The nearest grocery store was out of almost everything, but we did find this:
I know. Most un-Paleo/against-everything-we-are thing ever, but we were trying to be festive! When you don’t have kids, these holidays sneak up on you! We’re definitely enjoying some color in our salads this week.
So that was our whirlwind weekend. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday!
In the future, it’s easy to dye eggs with the homemade version. Just warm up some water, add some vinegar, and use normal food coloring drops. That’s how we always did it growing up. It never stained our dishes, but if you’re worried, you can use paper/plastic bowls.
Do you microwave the meats to heat them back up again? I like your idea. We still have a charcoal grill (I miss propane), and it makes me sad to heat the grill all up just to cook one dinner. But I’m not a huge micro fan either. Do you find it changes the food texture much?
We actually don’t have a microwave! We heat everything using the stove or oven. We used to have a microwave, but we rarely used it and it was just another thing claiming real estate in what was then a smaller kitchen. We might get one eventually (for houseguests, etc.) but for now the stove just does fine.
As far as differences with reheating, I find any I’ve noticed with the stove/oven negligible. It definitely tastes like a leftover, but still tastes great.
I should have done that with the eggs. I haven’t died them since I was a kid, and I think I just had a brief loss of nerve haha!
I have been doing starters but I think I’m just going to have to scrap them and buy plants. I’m afraid we just won’t get anything. I love all those pics of Clivers! I miss him 🙂
Some things are easier to grow from seed than others. I’ve always had great luck with peppers, so I’ll probably get a few harder to find varieties to seed. Tomatoes are a mixed bag, however any kind of green (lettuce, spinach, kale, chard) is easy peasy and I highly recommend it!