Category Archives: Uncategorized
Seed Storage
I like themes. I like organization. So, when I recently found this primitively painted garden theme wood cabinet at a thrift store, I knew I had to have it, and I knew exactly what I would store inside the decoratively painted cabinet: SEEDS!
(You can click on photos to enlarge them into a new window.)
Isn’t it something?! It’s quite colorful, isn’t it?!
The top drawer holds all of my seed packets that I’ve yet to plant, and the doors hide away tags from plants and seeds that I gather (save) each season for re-planting. Speaking of seed saving, do you see my University of Arkansas (UA) soybeans? I didn’t make space soon enough to plant them this year, but I will next May, hopefully? Did you know that the UA is now the nation’s leading traditional soybean breeder? There are non-GMO, traditionally bred UA Kirksey Edamame (young, green) soybean seeds in my drawer, here! Yes, that’s right! UA is breeding varieties of soybeans that compete with the biotechs in that UA seeds have the huge advantage of allowing farmers to save their seed for re-planting without having to pay annual royalties for saving the seeds to re-plant, I hear! Awesome, right?! 🙂 🙂 You can find links and a lot more information about these and a wide variety of other soybean industry links at the Arkansas’ Soybean Promotion Board’s site, TheMiracleBean.com and on their Facebook Page, Arkansas Soybeans.
This painted cabinet also holds my seeds and findings for seed jewelry. Yes, jewelry. I’ll show you my seed saver necklace in another post, sometime! Remember, I assemble lots of jewelry; you can see it here and here.
Want to see the rest of my library? If so, see it here, and here is a photo of some of my absolute favorite gardening books and P. Allen Smith cards on one of the library shelves:
Do you keep seeds?
If so, where?
I’d love to see your organization solution in the blogosphere!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
Self photo of the day:
This article was also published within international Hat Trick Magazine! To read an online copy of the magazine, just click on the magazine cover below this text!
Sunday Stroll 1
. . . just enjoying a leisurely walk in the neighborhood this afternoon. “Sunday Stroll” ~Amber
Linking to:
Arkansas Women Bloggers’ “Sunday Link Up”
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday 1
(My garden, me, and a statue in front of a painting by me; edited on iPhone with picblender app and picframe app.) ~Amber
Chicken Kabobs on Rosemary Branches
Do you grow your own Rosemary? In USDA zones 4-6, Rosemary grows as an evergreen. Being in zone 7, Rosemary makes an absolutely lovely hedge. Our Rosemary hedge is in front of our house near the pathway leading to the front door. When the wind blows, the fragrance is sooooo refreshing. I’m always looking for more ways to use Rosemary, and here is one of my favorites: Using rigid branches as skewers for kabobs! It lends a wonderful hint of Rosemary flavor to the chicken without adding Rosemary to the marinade, even more so, if you leave the Rosemary leaves on the branches!
(Clicking on photos will enlarge them.)
RECIPE
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or red pepper (preference)
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic
5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
Rosemary Branches or skewers
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking and more to use as sauce for brown rice, if desired as a side dish. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better). Skewer onto rosemary branches right before baking!
I bake the kabobs in the oven at 350F on a pan that drains or raised rack. I cover the entire pan with foil and bake until the chicken is done, brushing with reserved marinade occasionally. (The length of time needed for baking will vary according to the size you cut your chicken cubes; larger cubes will need longer cooking times.) Wen the chicken is done, I remove the foil and turn on the top broiler for 3-5 minutes to finish the edges! 🙂 YUM!
Enjoy!
^a selfie photo of me and our Rosemary hedge (edited on iPhone, using PicBlender app)
This blog is still currently being created and written via iPhone and iPad!
(Clicking on photos will enlarge them into a new window.)
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
PS
This post will link to blog linkup parties, the party links:
Arkansas Women Bloggers’ Sunday Link Up
Fig, Rosemary, Goat Cheese Tart
Fig, Rosemary, Goat Cheese Tart:
What happens when fig, rosemary, goat cheese, balsamic, and honey party together in a tart? OMG. Crazy yumminess. Words fail me when trying to describe just how much I enjoy the combination of these flavors.
First, I’ll tell you how it’s made, then add a few photos! K? K!
INGREDIENTS:
1 unbaked pastry pie shell of your choice
figs, cut into thin slices (about 2-3 cups)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/8th cup good balsamic vinegar
1/8th cup local honey
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 Tbsp cornstarch
goat cheese (about .33 lb.)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Sprinkle small crumbles of cool goat cheese across the pastry shell.
Combine balsamic vinegar, honey, sugar, and rosemary, stir, and pour over sliced figs in a bowl (I used a large measuring cup).
Allow the mix to macerate the figs for about 15 minutes.
Carefully pour about 1/8 cup juice out of the mix and stir in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch, then return to mix of figs, carefully coating all slices.
Pour fig mix over goat cheese into pastry shell.
Bake at 425 F for five minutes, reduce heat to 350 F and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Enjoy warm! (We did!)
Now the photos:
Click on photos to enlarge them into a new window!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
PS
This post will link with other blogs; visit the link up parties:
Arkansas Women Bloggers’ Sunday Link Up
iShouldBeMoppingTheFloor’s Inspiration Monday
Saving CHIVE Seeds
Tonight, I shook and sorted my CHIVE seeds. Soon I’ll lift and divide my chives. Here in US zone 7, there are two easy ways to propagate edible CHIVES: by seed and by division. Lifting and dividing them is pretty much the same process as ornamental grasses, except that I divide my chives in the fall! 🙂
If you’re new to seed saving, Chives are a great seed for beginners to save!
As soon as the chives begin blooming, hopefully you’ll see lots of bee activity! The flowers are great on salads, but if you refrain from eating all of the CHIVE flowers, you’ll enjoy lots of seeds for future planting!
Here in Zone 7, even in a container, my chives behave as perennials. They lay flat and lose some color during a hard winter, but dependably send an abundance of new stalks up each spring! Even though I have plenty of chives, I enjoy saving the seeds, since it so easy. Chive seeds are great to bake into bread, take to seed swaps in the spring, give to friends, or make new little plants in pots as gifts! So many uses!!
Here is photo that shows how I save chive seeds in a few easy steps!
(Click on photo to enlarge into a new window for easier readability:)
Wait for flowers to dry on the plant.
Cut.
Place in paper bag and put it somewhere away from direct sunlight.
Wait a few weeks.
Shake the bag, allowing seeds to fall out of dried flowers.
Then, Poke small holes in the bottom of the bag and
Shake out the tiny seeds into a bowl.
Store seeds until ready to cook (or plant them in early spring!)
Easy, right? Easy!!
🙂
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
FAVORITE, EASY CHICKEN!
Favorite, easy chicken recipe! Tell me if you’ve tried this and which sauce(s) you use! I’ve seen a similar recipe made using a variety of sauces, including BBQ, Asian sauces, and honey mustard. Well, here’s OUR FAVORITE!! It’s a great sauce just for dipping, too, but coating the chicken tenders completely in the sauce, then rolling in crushed French Fried onions adds great texture! This is such an easy prep, economical, crowd pleasing chicken entree! Try it and tell me what YOU think!
(Click on photo to enlarge into a new window!)
SERVING THIS TONIGHT WITH MY “Sweet & Tangy BROCCOLI SALAD!”:
Remind me to catch up/create my DIY posts about garden seed saving and the DIY photo ledges we just built! I’ve been taking TONS of photos, so I definitely need to caption and write, now!
“Laters ‘Gators and Afterwhiles Crocodiles!” 😉
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
I believe
I BELIEVE:: I believe in love stories. I believe in details. I believe that there are no calories in wedding cakes. I believe in borrowing from the past to create a beautiful future. I believe there is always a reason to celebrate. Goodnight, Mitch. I’ll see you more when we wake. I love you. ~Amber
Nailed it!
What’s your nail style?
Foil? I just followed the instructions on the package! (Water based Glue, then the thin gold leaf.) I coated with clear top coat for durability!
Vamp?
Sparkles?
Orange! Hurry up, Spring!
Green for St. Patrick’s Day!
Fun!
I’m going to link this somewhere! Somebody in the blogosphere has a link party for nails and fashion! I’m sure!
Your Friend,
~Amber!
Linking, Check them out here:
arkansaswomenbloggers’ Sunday Link Up
iShouldBeMoppingTheFloor’s Inspiration Monday
Asian style tenderloin and edamame!
These are simple, yet super flavorful recipes! You’ll marinate the tenderloin overnight, bake, and then prepare the young soybeans, also known as Edamame, during the pork tenderloin’s 10 minute “rest.” So easy!
FOR THE TENDERLOIN: from AllRecipes.com
For best results, marinate the pork at least 8 hours (overnight is best) and flip it after 4 hours.
1/3 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup packed light brown sugar
3 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 tablespoons Asian chile paste
1 .5 teaspoons pepper
1 (3 pound) fat-trimmed pork tenderloin
Pour into a medium bowl the soy sauce, sesame oil, and Worcestershire sauce. Then whisk in brown sugar, green onions, garlic, chile paste, and pepper. Place the tenderloin in a shallow dish. Pour sauce over tenderloin, turning the meat a few times to coat. Cover dish, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Transfer pork with marinade into an aluminum foil-lined baking pan.
Roast in a preheated oven 30-45 minutes.
Remove, and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before carving.
During the 10 minute “rest,” prepare the soybeans!
FOR THE YOUNG SOYBEANS (EDAMAME): from AllRecipes.com
1/4 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) package frozen edamame with or without the pod
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions
Bring the water and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in the edamame, cover with a tight fitting lid, and cook until the edamame are hot, and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and coats the edamame, about 4 minutes. *Optional: Sprinkle with sesame seeds or sunflower kernels to serve!
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I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! While I wasn’t familiar with “Edamame” growing up, I’ve always been familiar with soybeans and seeing them grow throughout our State. Soybeans are an important crop in Arkansas. For recipes for diy soymilk, edamame, soy nuts, tofu, and more, watch P. Allen Smith via TheMiracleBean.com.
See you in the blogosphere!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
P.S.
This link was tweeted by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion board; find them on Twitter at Twitter.com/ArkansasSoybean!
This post will be updated as it links with other sites.
Visit the blog linkups, here:
arkansaswomenbloggers’ Sunday LinkUp
Mom’s Test Kitchen ~ Wonderful Food Wednesday #47
RattlebridgeFarm’s Foodie Friday
what AMBER loves 