Adventures In...Gardening!

I have a new love in my life.  I really should have seen it coming, I mean it has surrounded me my entire life.  I married a man who's family has always been a part of it, and I have always been drawn to the smell of it.  Gardening.  (And yes, I do believe it has a certain lovely, earthy smell).

The past couple of weeks the temperatures have been warming up and I have been spending more and more time in our backyard.  Pruning rose bushes, tilling the soil with my little hand shovel (the dirt smells so good!!!), transplanting plants, creating little vignettes with flower pots.  And this week, I made a purchase at the markets, my first Australian seedling, a mint plant (above).  I have heard that mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow, and I figured, why not pay $3.00 for a plant instead of $2.50 for a few sprigs each week.  I can't wait for it get larger.  I love fresh mint in cous cous, tea, lemonade, and tall glasses of ice water in the summertime.

As spring approaches, I can't help but long to plant a full garden, but we are planning on moving from this location in January, so for now, I will settle for a pot garden so it can be "transplanted" with us.

I am keeping lists of things to have in my future dream garden:

Lots of flowers so my home can be filled with their beautiful colors and fresh scents. (source)

Herbs in cute little pots.  I think this would be an adorable way to do an herb garden.  I just love cooking with fresh herbs.  (Little known fact, in Australia, they pronounce the "h" sound in the word herb, I'm starting to pick up on it.  Aussie accent here I come!)  While on the topic of herbs, here is a great little reference to all you need to know about herbs.  And it is cute! (source)

Fresh fruits and vegetables for enjoying and canning.  I plan on planting tomatoes, onions, cucumbers (they have recently became Dane's favorite), a few sweet corn plants (I'm not as cool as my dad), peppers, lettuce, spinach, lemon tree, apple tree, strawberries, and maybe even a peach tree.  Wow, looks like I'm going to need a pretty big plot of land to pull this one off.  As for canning.  I have never done this on my own, but I have helped my mama, both my grandmas did it, and I have a distant cousin who always takes first place at the county fair with her canned goods.  I reckon it is in my blood people! (source)

I would love a place to sit in the middle of my garden to enjoy it all, and of course there will be a form of lighting.  I'm just a little addicted to perfect mood lighting.  (source)

As I wait to be in the perfect location to have my dream garden, I am saving up inspiration via a garden crush board on pinterest.    I still have a lot to learn, but I know I have two families who have a lot of gardening wisdom to offer me.

What about you?  Do you have any new adventures you are taking on during this season of life?

ADVENTURES IN...SUSHI MAKING

Welcome to a new little feature on my blog titled "adventures in."  A chance for me to try new things and share the experience with those of you in the blog world.  Several years ago, my friend Brady first took me on a sushi adventure.  We traveled to the Sushi House in Kansas City, where we dined on rolls and sashimi.  Since then, my sushi tastes have changed a bit, but I have always wanted to learn how to make this delicious dish at home.

Tonight was my first adventure, alone, without my friend Yuriko from Japan doing all of the rolling for me.  Some lessons I learned:

* Buy sushi rice.  Don't try and make sushi with the long grain rice you have in the pantry, go out and spend a bit extra for some sushi rice.  It is worth it.  Follow the directions on the package exactly.

* A little bit of rice goes a long long way.  It is really important not to over stuff the rolls.  This is one of the biggest problems people have when making sushi.  Spread the rice thin on the nori, put a row of each filling you are adding, then roll.  I had to giggle because I made heaps of rice and didn't want to overstuff the rolls so Dane and I had 64 pieces of sushi to eat.  Yeah, we didn't conquer it all, but almost.

* After rolling your rolls let them sit a bit before slicing.

* Sticky rice is sticky.  Use wet hands, a wet spoon, and a wet knife when working with the rolls.

* Don't be afraid to mess up.  Do your best and have fun.

Dane and I stuck with vegetable sushi tonight.  Sweet potato rolls, cucumber cream cheese avocado rolls, and avocado rolls.

We were pretty excited with how it all turned out.  The flavors were super yummy.  We are excited to try new flavor combinations next time we go on a sushi making adventure.