Bryan and I have been so busy with work and school and life in general that we thought the past weekend was perfect for a mini-vacay.  We packed up the pooches and took off for the nearest coastline, which thank God for the great state of TEXAS was just south of Houston.  The weather was breezy and beautiful, which made for the perfect relaxing few days that Freddie and I BOTH needed.  Even the dogs enjoyed themselves - overall, GREAT times were had by all.  By the way, thank you to MDA for giving me a Adobe illustrator tutorial -

It's our first box of organic produce from Johnson's Backyard Garden! It filled three whole grocery bags, and looked like this when we unloaded it all at home:

I can't wait to see what culinary delights we create this week.

If anyone had noticed a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a brussels sprout recipe on KissMySpatula.com that caught my eye and gave me hope in turning Bryan's heart toward the lovely little cabbages:  Caramelized Brussels Sprout Leaves and Candied Nuts.  So, naturally, during my big box store shopping at the local Sam's Club, I found a GIANT BAG of fresh sprouts, and heard this recipe calling to me.  Fast forward to lunch today:

Freshly Candied Nuts and Cranberries

Sauteed onions and Brussels sprout leaves in olive oil

And the finished result!

I really can't rave enough about this recipe - salty, oily veggies paired with the sweet crunchy nutty flavor is awesome.  Even Bryan, who was a die-hard hater liked them, and cleaned his plate of them.  Victory? I say so!

If you're interested taking this recipe for a spin, here's the link.  I promise, you'll change the way you think about this underrated veggie.

...and joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) in South Austin!

So, the way it works is that you pay for at least 4 boxes, which are a half bushel apiece (26lbs+), and contain a variety of at least 8 different locally grown organic fruits and vegetables.  We're really excited about this - the farm is only 10 minutes away from our house, and on my way home from work!  We've got our 4 boxes spaced out over the next two months, since its just the two of us, and are really excited to see the quality (and quantity!) of produce we end up with.  Considering that each box is ~$32, and are 26lbs, that's giving us a price of $1.23/lb for organic produce.  A study from the Univeristy of Massachusetts shows that nationally, organic produce in the store can be priced up to DOUBLE what we'll be paying, and that purchasing from a CSA is even cheaper than commercial produce from national chains.

I am really excited to see if this CSA will fit our needs - anywhere we can save some moolah and make healthier choices is great for me!

Because of the weather change, I have made two promises to myself this year:  1) I will not wear pants unless necessary (only shorts for me until September!), and 2) I will do my best NOT to kill my plants this year.

For anyone who has met my father and seen his yard, they'd swear he has a full time landscaper.  However, he doesn't - HE is the landscaper.  Growing up, my parents had the greenest yard on the block, and seriously, if you google my parents' address (120 Laura Gale, Canutillo TX) you can see just how much greener his place is than their neighbors from SPACE.  YES, SPACE.

While I inherited his OCD style of orderliness, I am horrible when it comes to keeping anything containing chlorophyll alive.  Even algae doesn't live under my supervision.  Its a wonder how I manage to keep the pets and Bryan fed!  But this year WILL be different - I am pledging to keep my new found plants alive!  Take a look - we mowed and cleaned up the yard today, so its ready for summer!

The front yard. Window boxes and everything!

Freshly planted window boxes - petunias, please.

Cilantro for the little Mexican in me.

Begonias remind me of my Grammy.

Strawberries! Keeping them on the front porch this year, so Rylee won't EAT them all!

Sadie was a great little helper!

Bryan and I have been cleaning around the house all weekend, and I must say it does feel and look much nicer.  I finally got all of the wedding stuff OUT of the spare bedroom, and returned what I could to the stores.  We got $137 back at Hobby Lobby alone!  Yay for in-store credit - get to update the house on the cheap with what I got back in gift cards. 

I do still have a few wedding oriented things, so if you're getting married and need a card box, or something of the like, let me know and I'll send it your way!