Herbs, 'House Frau' and Saving Bacon

I'm back!!! OK, so Lad has managed to get quite a few things planted before we have yet another round of rain. It's been a slow go this year because we don't like to plant outside when the temp dips below 50. I planted my herb garden the other day and he did a few things, but time contrictions left it half done. Today he did another portion, but as I said, rain is looming on the horizon!

I planted dill, basil, sage, thyme, rosemary ... and of course, my cilantro was already "planted" for me (). I had read an article in this herb magazine at Barnes & Noble (my second home), that suggested planting a row of cilantro between each type of herb—reason being it would attract more of the "good bugs" to help production of the herbs. I did just that thinking the whole time—MAN!!! I'm going to have a TON of cilantro ... Still looking for suggestions :) I hadn't planned on planting dill—but Lad said it would be great to use our own "home grown" for his pickles, so I thought, what the heck!

(SIDEBAR: It is well known within my family that my husband has done most of the cooking in the family. Not that I can't cook, but between schedules, etc., ... he was always the one who had more time and HE  can focus on more than five ingredients—whereas I cannot! He is also the "canner" of jellies, jams, pickles, salsas, sauces, ketchup and a SLEW  of other things. Normally, I might joke that he's quite the "house frau"... but I'm afraid he'd stop doing all of that and I'd be stuck with having to buy processed ketchup and salsa  ... so, I have to be nice. However, I have to say he's pretty darn good at it!! Don't go into the kitchen when he's doing it—all the tricked out equipment, etc. Just stay away until he's done. And whatever you do DO NOT TRY TO HELP!!)

So, it appears we're making progress on the garden!! YEAH :)

Now, I mentioned the Eat This, Not That books last week. VERY eye opening; however, now I'm in that bad spot that I don't want to eat anything I haven't grown myself—but, oh man, do I love a good medium rare steak... This is going to take some work to eat responsibly ... and ecologically correct. Small steps, right? As I always say—raindrops make a flood! (Yes, Hana you can laugh ... or roll your eyes...) I just cannot see myself giving up steak or chicken. I just have to find a way to eat it RESPONSIBLY. I'll keep you updated on my progress. I CAN guarantee you that a fast-food burger will never, ever pass these lips again. That's a promise.

Last blog I told you about my grilled romaine recipe that I would share with you. My intention was to substitute the pork bacon with turkey bacon and show you the enormous health benefits. WELL! Nancy was definitely shocked. When I did the nutritional value for each one there wasn't enough difference to justify losing some taste (in my opinion). Here is the recipe. Substitute the turkey bacon for pork bacon if you'd like, but you don't save much and you lose a lot of taste.

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, cut in half, balsamic vinegar: 3 Tbsp., blue cheese crumbles: 1/4 cup, Bacon: 2-3 slices

Spray the romaine lettuce with non-stick spray. Grill for 5-8 minutes. While grilling, fry up bacon. Let cool. Then make bacon crumbles. Take lettuce off grill. Place blue cheese crumbles on top, bacon, then drizzle with vinegar. Serve warm.

With pork bacon the breakdown is as follows for one serving: Calories 166, Fat 11g, Sodium 342mg, Carbs/Sug 3/3 and Protein 11g.

With turkey bacon the breakdown is as follows: Calories 158, Fat 11g, Sodium 393mg, Carbs/Sug 3/3 and Protein 10g.

As you can see there really isn't a lot of difference. So, my suggestion on this one is if you can live with sacrificing taste, go for the recipe with the turkey bacon. If not, don't feel so guilty about using the pork bacon. The difference is minimal.

That's all I got for today! Hopefully, this week I'll get some cilantro picked and make something with it :)  Next week- I'll give you a rundown on what I see in season, the differences between what I see (and feel) at Jewel, Whole Foods, Westbrook, Brookhaven and hopefully Amici's as well. There'll be some surprises. Trust me. What you see isn't necessarily what you get!!

Until then be happy, healthy and above all ENJOY YOUR FOOD!!!!!!!!