Watch Our Garden Grow- Harvesting Strawberries!

Our strawberry plants have begun producing juicy, red strawberries!

Each morning Jack and I head outside to see what strawberries on our plants are ready to be picked (and eaten- they rarely make it inside!). I'm a beginner at the whole gardening thing, but here's what I do know about picking strawberries...

- Pick strawberries when they are a deep red color (they won't really ripen off the plant like some other fruits).

- To prevent bruising snap the stem above the berry.

- Handle strawberries carefully, as they bruise easily.

Make it Yourself Monday- Cheese Crackers

We love our Goldfish around here... but not only are they expensive, they're full of preservatives that probably aren't the best for my kiddos. So, I adapted this recipe for Crispy Cheese Crackers from Laura at Heavenly homemakers to suit our tastes and also to make puffy crackers rather than crispy ones. :)

Wheat Cheese Crackers

1 cup whole wheat flour*

1/2 t sea salt

4 T cold butter, cut into pieces

1.5 C shredded cheddar cheese

4 T water (or as much needed to make a smooth dough ball)

In a food processor pulse flour and salt to combine. Add butter and cheese and pulse until crumbly.

Add water a little at a time and pulse until a ball of dough forms (this takes a few minutes).

Place dough in refrigerator for an hour or so (this helps them puff up more, I've read).

Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment or wax paper until it's about 1/8" thick. I'm very bad at this and my edges are always paper thin, and therefore very... crispy. :) Cut into squares with a pizza cutter or use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

Transfer to baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown). Turn the oven off and let sit for 30 minutes or so. When cool, break apart.

Here the stars I made for something later this week.

 

*In one batch I used 1/2 unbleached all purpose flour and 1/2 whole wheat, in the other I used all whole wheat. Other than the darker color, I couldn't tell a difference.

My toddler loves these, and, quite frankly , so do I!

Check out Eat From Your Pantry to see other ideas of things you can make yourself!

My apron

I finally finished a project I've been wanting to do FOREVER- an apron! I didn't use a pattern, just looked at lots of aprons online and decided what I wanted mine to look like!

I made pleats for the first time ever, edged the top with bias tape I made, and lined the bottom with an old towel for easy hand wiping.

I must say, there's little to make you feel more domestic than wearing an apron while you cook.