When: Saturday, August 27, 2022 10:00 am to ?? Drop in when you can…
Where: The Kitchen Porch (& garden) at the Homestead at Ash Creek, 922 Olive Way E., Monmouth, Oregon 97361
What: A time to get together & sing old songs that celebrate the love of God.
Who: The First Baptist Independence Church family & anyone who would like to join us! All levels, all ages. Remember, if you feel you can’t sing “good,” sing LOUD!
Steve makes this often for all of us at the Homestead!
It is great included in a bean burrito. That’s the way I like it best — or as a side.
The author Lauren Allen says she perfected it while living in Mexico — very authentic — and we agree!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 cup tomato sauce, or 2 pureed tomatoes
2 tomato bouillon cubes, finely chopped, or 2 teaspoons granulated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 carrot, diced
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup frozen peas (Steve will throw in any frozen veggies)
Steve likes the Knorr brand of tomato bouillon — also available at Fred Meyer if you live in the Pacific Northwest.
Go to Lauren’s website, Tastes Better from Scratch for the full recipe.
And as we all remember from Home Ec days — beans + rice = a full protein.
We have four apple trees (two varieties for cross-pollination) planted in the the hugelkultur berm along the back fence line nearest the Middle Fork of Ash Creek.
Recently I made sure I removed the deteriorating plant tags — really injured a poor cherry tree in the front garden by not paying attention & girdled a limb when it grew into the tag. Before I tossed the tags and got them off my desk I wanted to record the info. The trees are doing well for us (and even better for our daughter in nearby Independence, Oregon with full sun in her garden) but I have to laugh at the marketing/branding — as I’m learning the code to insert trademark, copyright, registered symbols on a blog post — I think this might be a record! (Anyway, as always, I’ll post this….and then get back to it later to add more info….hmmmmm)
Golden Treat™ Urban Apples© Garden Debut are “Tall on Taste for Limited Space™” They grow straight up, creating an elegant tree for small landscapes and patios. Golden Treat™ has sweet, golden apples and fruit in the first year planted. A choice of two varieties is required for cross pollination.
Tasty Red™ Urban Apples make a great cross-pollinator
According to the plant tags, “Garden Debut (R) is a Superior Landscape Collection made up of Great New Plants™ and Trusted Selections™ that have been thoroughly tested for long-term performance.” Find them on Facebook and Pinterest.
Growth Habit: Reaches an average size of 8-10 feet tall by 2 feet wide
Use: Perfect for patios and containers.
Exposure: Sun
Soil: Wide tolerance of soil types and moistures. Grow in loam, sand or clay.
Hardiness: Cold Hardy to -20 to -30F/Zone 4
Care: Feed plants in early spring and again in early fall with all-purpose fertilizer. New plants require more frequent watering than established plantings.
Available online when in stock at Gurney’s Seed and Nursey Company (since 1866). We were able to buy ours locally.
Steve and I are having so much fun sharing Giant Bubbles with the kiddos at the Monmouth Music in the Park Series Summer 2022 sponsored by the Monmouth Business Association!
I make up a batch of the bubble solution each week.
Perfect Giant Soap Bubble Recipe
1 heaping tsp guar powder, food thickener (2-3 grams)
7 tbs rubbing alcohol (100 ml)
8 cups of distilled water (2 liters)
1 tsp baking powder (4 grams)
7 tbs Dawn Professional Detergent (100 ml)
Directions
Mix the guar powder with the alcohol and stir until there are no clumps.
Combine the alcohol/guar slurry with the water and mix gently for 10 minutes. Let it sit for a bit so the guar hydrates. Then mix again. The water should thicken slightly, like thin soup or unset gelatin.
Add the baking powder and stir.
Add the Dawn Professional Detergent and stir gently, to avoid causing the mixture to foam.
Dip a giant bubble wand with a fibrous string into the mixture until it is fully immersed and slowly pull the string out. Wave the want slowly or blow on it to create giant soap bubbles.
Click on the link for a version that’s easy to print —
A PERFECT RECIPE FOR GIANT SOAP BUBBLES
List of native plants for birds from the Audubon Society.
An amazing creature — In the year 2022 the neighborhood is home to a free ranging flock of seven.
Whether it’s called a creche, nativity, manger scene, putz, belen, or nacimiento, the art form that depicts the physical entrance of God taking on the form of man is a beloved tradition.
From Betty Crocker’s Old-Fashioned Cookbook
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 can (16 oz) whole kernel corn — drained, or frozen, or…
Heat oil (3 – 4 inches) in Dutch oven to 375 degrees F. Mix remaining ingredients by hand, then add corn. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Fry about 5 minutes or until deep golden brown. Drain.
Yield 6 – 8 servings.
Banana Muffins sweetened with maple or honey by Cookie & Kate
Thanks for coming along on the ride. Bubba’s Blog is written to preserve family memories, explore life in Polk County & have some fun with the Wee Grand Girls.
