What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Still Using Stuff from the Garden Edition

On April 3, 2024 By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2023, Gardening, What's On Your Plate36 Comments

Believe it or not I am still eating vegetables I grew last summer, from my little garden. Even as I am planning to start seeds for this year’s eventual harvest, I have a few delicious squash remaining in my unheated entry way. They are waiting their turn to be transformed into something yummy, as in today’s recipe: Curried Lentil Stew with Butternut, Kale and Coconut.

An old cookbook of mine, *Cook Up Comfort* by WW Healthy Kitchen. I’ve made this recipe so many times I barely need to refer to the book anymore.

Most of the ingredients, assembled. I always substitute baby spinach for the kale because I find kale tough when used in dishes like these. And I didn’t have any vegetable bouillon on hand so I used chicken instead.

Delightfully fragrant stew simmering on the stove top.

Stew plated over rice, with my absolute favourite curry powder (Lalah’s) in the background. If you can find Lalah’s Madras Curry Powder in your area, I urge you to try it.

Although it doesn’t look like much on the plate, the flavour is amazing. The recipe doesn’t refer to it as such but I believe it is a dal-type dish…a delicious Indian lentil “gravy” that is indeed cooked-up comfort.

Please join my co-host Donna and myself as we both explored meatless meals. No surprise for long-term readers of Donna’s blog, but this is the 2nd month in a row for me!

As always we’d love to hear from you and learn what’s on your plate, either in the Comments or using the Link Party link:

Rock on,

The WB

What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – It Came From The Garden Edition

On September 6, 2023September 2, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2023, Gardening, What's On Your Plate36 Comments

Joanne and I returned from our fabulous trip to the west coast of the island (read about it here and here) to find this:

How do zucchini grow so fast in such a short time?!?! Rhetorical question – I know it is just *their thing*, to explode in size when your back is turned.

We decided to make a quick lunch, from this and other bounty from the garden. With the help of these and a can of pizza sauce:

Miracle product! Add a little pizza sauce, a little shredded mozzarella and you’ve got lunch!

I had made some quick refrigerator pickles from my pole bean bounty, before Joanne’s arrival.

And Joanne made a quick little zucchini salad using olive oil, vinegar, garlic…and oregano and chives from my garden.

Joanne’s plate – with an *almost* basic Margherita pizza (she added some shredded salami) – the basil came from my garden

My plate – basically the same except I added a cremini mushroom to my pizza and decided against the salami.

A quick and delicious *al fresco* lunch. With the clothes from our recent trip freshly laundered and drying in the background 🤭.

That’s it for me! And Donna is off hiking in Portugal with her husband, so no Link Party this month. She wrote about what was on her plate here before she ~~abandoned me~~ left.

Please let me know in the Comments what was on your plate this past month! As always, I look forward to them.

Rock on,

The WB

Wordless Wednesday – July Garden Update

On July 26, 2023July 25, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2023, Gardening51 Comments

What’s dangling inside the arch – pole beans

Kabocha squash blossoms, with bees hard at work

Gifted to me from a neighbour – orange daylily

Black cap raspberries (done now, for this season)

Black currants (harvested and dried at this point)

Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash and cucumber plants

Marigolds peeking out from under the squash

Rock on,

The WB

Garden Update for June

On June 30, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2023, Gardening52 Comments

Warning: Picture-heavy post!

Pole beans and squash in raised beds:

Wind chime that followed me home from the Butchart Gardens gift shop:

My tea/herb garden this year:

Hostas and lupin that emerged this spring:

Planted a foam flower in front of the bird bath. Hope it does well in its new home:

The black currant I planted this spring:

One of the two elderberries I planted this spring:

One of the 3 bare-root black raspberries, also planted this spring:

My fig tree (new to my garden) – which looked for the longest time like a bare stick planted in a pot – is now leafed out and (gasp!) growing actual figs:

I bought a patio set for the new patio and pergola. Very comfortable and doubles as an outdoor dining space (long-time readers may recognize the dick pillows):

I have not forgotten to make my garden magical at night. These are solar colour-changing dragonflies (a gift from my landlords, for Mother’s Day last year):

Solar lantern on the patio table:

Fairy lights (also solar), under the wisteria:

And my most stunning solar light, in front of the black currant. Weighted down with a cool rock I found on Bowser’s Secret Trail:

Close-up of the light in action:

Full-effect of this particular solar light. Isn’t it stunning?

Stay tuned for more updates as the season progresses. Future plans include enjoying the harvest, building 2 more raised beds, and creating a fire pit space!

Rock on,

The WB

A Garden Is Born…

On June 21, 2023 By Widow BadassIn Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2023, Gardening55 Comments

…And like most births, it was accompanied by long hours of sweat, pain, cursing, and some blood loss 😉. I will let the pictures do the talking for the most part, as this is going to a very picture heavy post of the backyard transformation at my new home.