I know, I know, I’m fixated on weeding. If you had as much weeding to do as I do, you would be too!
I can’t seem to remember to take before and after pictures to illustrate the work that I’m doing. I started weeding the day lily bed along the south side of the house. The weeds were so healthy that they had shaded the lilies and some of them have languished. I got about 75% of the bed weeded. I walked around the corner of the house and discovered that there is extensive work to be done on the west side of the house, too. As with the front gardens, I weeded up to the poison ivy and stopped for the day.
I had to prune out some mulberry upstarts, but everything else was just weeds. I cleared a path to the meters on the side of the house. I really don’t know how the meter readers have been getting in to do their work. I’m rather surprised that the companies haven’t called to tell me that I needed to provide access.
I asked Dear Husband to be my delivery man. I wanted some mulch for the gardens that have been weeded, to keep more seed from germinating, and to help hold moisture around the plants. He brought me two cubic yards! Just before he got home with it, he saw a sign offering mulch for the same price with FREE DELIVERY! I believe that he likes to grouse about having to help with the gardens. You should see how nice the herb garden looks with the chat we laid this spring!
If I could persuade the men of the house to help me, I’d clear a narrow bed on the west side of the house and plant hydrangeas and other blooming shrubs. It would cut down on the weeding, add to the beauty of the house and grounds, and create an easier path to mow. We really need to improve what my niece would call our “eyesore.”
Daily Archives: July 20, 2010
Summer Salads
My family has a salad that is standard on the tables of almost all my siblings. A visitor to my parent’s home years ago dubbed it “Summer Salad,” and so we’ve called it. You all have variations of this salad: diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion and a vinaigrette (or in my case, Zesty Italian dressing) with LOTS of dill. Occasionally, I’ll toss in some broccoli flowerettes, or perhaps some cauliflower, but I really like it the traditional way.
Unfortunately, Dear Husband is not as enamored of it as I am. I can easily make a bowl of it for myself, but then I need to come up with a salad for him.
I’ve been thinking that I’d like to create chunkier side salads. For instance, tomatoes, cauliflower flowerettes and pea pods. I need more ideas. Do you have a blend that your family really likes? I hope you’ll share your suggestions with me.
Mexican Chicken Salad
I’ve been trying to find new salads to serve this summer. I want a way to bring more veggies into our meals, and I want to serve something other than the same old things we’re used to preparing. I was surfing for variations on chicken salad and came across this recipe: Mexican Chicken Salad.
Chicken, corn, black beans, red onion, grape tomatoes, and red peppers are all dressed with a mixture of cider vinegar, honey, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper and chilled. It’s served mixed with greens. Avocado, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, salsa and blue corn chips are served as garnishes, allowing each person to choose how to finish off their salad.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the beans and corn but the salad is good. The dressing is not overpowering because it’s spread over a LOT of salad. This would be a really good salad to take to a pot luck, or to fix for a large summer party. I doubt I will make it just for Dear Husband and myself, but I’d make it again if there were more than two of us at dinner.