Sweet-Sweet Garden

Kyle and I made our way up to Howard City yesterday afternoon to perform our duties of weeding our garden. Let me tell you…things are looking TIP TOP up there! We settled into the tomato, brussel sprout and squash rows to get those pesky weeds good and gone. We spent about 1.5 hours making sure that the rows looked good, so when the rain decides to come, any day now, the soil will be ready for all of it!

We love going up there! As Kyle and I were pulling out of the drive way, he said, “I could just stay here forever.” The older I get the more in love I become with the serenity of the outskirts. Of course I will always love the city, but there is nothing like the peace and quiet of nature.

As everything grows in into the garden, you see such crazy changes take place. The herbs pictured above were only supposed to be annual, but come in every year and they come in like CRAZY! We have so much oregano, tarragon and sage we will just be giving it away…that’s right…raise your hand if you want some…I have 2lbs in my fridge. On the other side of the garden, in a smaller area, there is parsley, mint, cilantro and basil. It is much more tame where all those herbs are…however, they will eventually take off and become just as crazy! Every dish you make should have at least one herb in it. It gives it such a finished flavor. Could you imagine not flavoring something with salt!?! I think not.

Heading past the herbs and onto the rows that are prospering in the HC garden must not be overlooked. I must give a shout out to the first year joiner, Kyle Dressander, for planting the row of onions and potatoes. He is forever detailed and methodical, always focused on the task and smooth on the delivery. His rows stand above all and most importantly in a straight row…this will be our most successful year for the potatoes and onions. Thank you Mr. Dressander for showing up

Well we wrapped up our visit to the HC, getting in some quality time with the family, the earth and each other and made our way back to the city. We were rather exhausted so we kept dinner simple and tasty. We still had some Doorganics goods left in the fridge, so I wanted to incorporate that into our meal….Grilled Fajitas with Pico de Gaio.

Grilled Fajitas with Pico de Gallo

• 1 lb top sirloin steak
• 1 bottle fajita marinade
• 1 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1 green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 tomato, de-seeded sliced thin
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 lime
• Adobo salt (must have when cooking Mexican)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoons fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup white shredded cheese
• 4 small flour tortillas
• Pico de Gallo – I bought this at the store (I know…I was too lazy to make my own)

* In a dish marinate meat with fajita marinade, (you can find this at the grocery store) fresh oregano and cilantro, dash of Adobo salt and pepper.

* Slice the onion, pepper, tomato, garlic and cilantro and toss in some olive oil, Adobo salt and fresh lime juice. Place the veggies on some aluminum foil.

* Mix together sour cream, fresh lime and cilantro. Stir and refrigerate until ready to eat.

* Pre-heat grill to high heat to get a nice sear on the steak. Set veggies on one side of grill @ lower heat and meat on the other side at higher heat. Cook steak on each side for 6-8 minutes. This will give you medium rare to medium cook on your meat. Once you pull meat off, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes to seal in juices. At the same time you pull the meat off, your veggie packet can come off too.

* Warm up your tortillas buy either a gas stove top, placing directly on the burner for about 15 seconds per side or onto the grill grates…warming and browning the shell. If you place the shells on the stove, pay attention, those babies go up in flames quick!

* Dress your fajita with sour cream, cheese, thinly sliced meat and veggies…top with salsa or pico! Serve with Spanish rice if your so heart desires!

This week is supposed to be CALIENTE! If you make this ahead of time, you will more than likely have leftovers. This is a great dish to reheat! If you don’t want the shell, than make a big salad and top it with the meat and veggies…just don’t throw it out…waste not want not.

Everyone have a great week and be safe!