Hesby House Garden 2011

My garden has gone largely ignored this year, but even without putting energy into it, I'm seeing the progress of the last few years of landscaping.

I've had pictures set aside to post from April, when things were beginning to bloom and promise was everywhere. In fact, I had peaches the size of walnuts! But then I left the house, and most everything shriveled from neglect. The peaches dried up on the branch until they fell off. Luckily the tree is still alive, and next year I resolve to do better. My apple tree has finally developed more than one branch too but still hasn't grown fruit.

I have a yellow rose, and then this red one, that love the spot they're in....

In April, the Amyrillis were just beginning to bloom, and the Bird of Paradise was loving the weather.

I have had a few special surprises in my yard. The Daylily "Millie Schlumpf" that I got at a farmer's market in Salt Lake City in 2009 has taken off....

A few transplanted Irises are doing well....

The major improvements have been twofold: when I house-sat in April and May, I walked all three dogs daily in my friends' neighborhood, where I saw lots of beautiful Amyrillis. With permission from owners, I went back one weekend and dug up starts from several homes in the neighborhood. I planted them into a new garden bed at my own home right near my front door, which I've now christened "Jaysene's Garden" after my friend. Had I bought these plants, I would likely have spent over $80 because Amyrillis bulbs are so expensive. I'm excited to see how they all take root! It also prompted me to do a little cleaning out of my own, as I planted a bag of Fritillaria bulbs that had been in cold storage in my fridge since last fall.

This is what a Fritillaria looks like when not in bloom....


Here's what the side of my building looked like in mid-May.


And the entrance path from outside the gate, on the driveway.....

Just yesterday my landlord cleared the side of the house in front of mine, so now instead of thorny ferns and huge fig leaves blocking my path, I'll have beautiful color in the form of these red Geraniums. They were a favorite of my grandmother too, so I think of her each time I walk past.

I still haven't cataloged my tomatoes and where they're planted this season, so I guess there's another post coming. I got my first couple of ripe ones off the vine in the last week.

Fused Glass Vase Art

I'm sure I'll get flak for this from several sides, but it's brought smiles to my days this spring, so I couldn't help but share. I bought this thin, small fused glass pocket vase at a Mother's Day craft fair for only $15, then filled it with a wispy silk poppy that was less than $2 at the craft store. It's translucent so it's easy to see through, and tiny. I'm not usually one for silk flowers, but right now I'm loving this. It's about time to trade in my car, and I'll be able to celebrate my new home on the road with this bit of cheer.

My First Giveaway!

A huge thanks to Julia Scott over at Bargain Babe for donating my first ever giveaway on this blog! I have five tickets to The 3rd Annual Frugal Festival Food to offer to readers! The event is devoted to saving money on food and eating well. The event's organizers expect about 500 guests at the Festival, so RSVP quick!

Frugal Festival Food!



Saturday, June 25, 11am-2pm


Canoga Park High School


6850 Topanga Canyon Blvd.


Los Angeles, CA 91303



Event info from Julia:



Frugal Fest is an yearly event to raise awareness about saving on food in SoCal, with a ton of fun activities planned.



- A "Coupon Challenge" contest cosponsored by ALBERTSONS and AOL Shortcuts.com: a challenge of couponing skills - who can find the best grocery deals first!? Prize is a gourmet gift basket worth $300 and a donation of $100 in winner's name pledged to LA Regional Foodbank.

- Fresh tastings and cooking demo from Albertsons

- A Recipe Exchange: Submit an original recipe for the Frugal Festival Food! cookbook and get a copy of the $9.95 e-cookbook FREE

- A free Raffle with more than 136 prizes valued at $2,977, including a $300 Albertsons gift card

- Free face painting for kids (and adventurous adults!)

- An interactive quiz to test your frugal food know-how

- A Coupon Clipping Class for beginners

Just after the Frugal Festival coupon class, there's an exciting Coupon Challenge contest to see who can find the best deals using an Albertsons weekly flyer and Shortcuts coupons. I'm guessing the winner will find all the matches in just a few minutes!

The winner gets a $300 gift basket that includes a $100 Albertsons gift card, a CHEFS $50 gift card, gourmet food items from Albertsons, a grocery checklist of special recipes, a Shortcuts apron and travel mug. Plus, a $100 donation from Albertsons and Shortcuts will be made to the LA Regional Food Bank in the name of the winner.

The Coupon Challenge is at 12:30. Are you in?

I'm giving away five single tickets in a raffle closing at 11:59P on Sunday June 19th. Please include your full name in a comment on this post for an entry in the raffle, along with an email address so I can notify you of the win. I'll also offer an extra raffle entry for each retweeting, fb'ing, blogging, and commenting about this offer (post another comment here to let me know that you've re-posted elsewhere). Here's a sample Tweet you could use:

I want to win a tix to #FrugalFest hosted by @bargainbabe on 6/25 in LA! Sweet goodie bags worth $19 and coupon challenge contest! --w/ link to this post at goldenhourglass.blogspot.com--

Purchase additional tickets to the event here.

Can't wait to meet you there!

Blackberries 2011!

Being away from my home for a good chunk of the spring, housesitting, visiting parents, and just plain working, I thought I'd missed berry season completely by May. But the blackberries waited for me! Here's the first colander of fruit I picked at the end of May.

The berries have been literally dripping off the branches from my neglect, overripe and extra-sweet. I've been freezing them and planning a cobbler for 4th of July. Last year I made a cobbler from a box mix and added my own fruit for extra flavor. It was fast and good but this summer I'm anticipating something made from scratch. I was planning to do a web search for just the right recipe, when I came across this article from Summer Living with a wide selection of 12 Crazy Good Fruit Cobblers.

Tonight I tried the Easy Blackberry Cobbler recipe from MyRecipes, published in the July 2008 issue of Southern Living. The fruit bubbled up tantalizingly through the sweet, crunchy crumb topping. The next one I want to try is this cobbler recipe with Sugared Star Shortcakes. I like the idea of using biscuit dough to make a shortcake sandwich.

Easy Blackberry Cobbler

• YIELD: Makes 6 servings
• COURSE: Desserts, Pies/Pastries

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Garnish: fresh mint sprig

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375°. Place blackberries in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir together egg, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle melted butter over topping. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Garnish with fresh mint sprig, if desired.
• For a neat presentation, bake for the same amount of time in 6 (8-oz.) ramekins on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

Southern Living
JULY 2008

The blackberries have been entertaining me in one more way--Claire, my 6 lb dog, loves them! She bounds to a private corner to protect her treat when I hand one over, then bounds right back to me for another after eating one up in one gulp. And because of the thorns, I've had to put the "cone of shame" on her when I leave for work, hoping that a wider head will prevent her from nuzzling into the bushy vines looking for more. I still come home at night to berry juice on white fur, and tons of scratches on her underbelly!

I've planted the berries in a raised bed, and trained them to weave through a fence, but Claire still searches them out. How do you keep pets out of your garden? Please leave comments on this post. And let me know if you have a favorite cobbler or berry recipe too!

Puppy Chow

"Puppy Chow" has become a standard snack in our holiday traditions. But it's usually made by my aunt, or sometimes my sister.

I went to make it for the first time myself as a movie-night treat, and was surprised to find I don't even have the recipe. A quick google search directed me to the Chex website, but I decided to post it on the blog so I can look it up easily next time I'm craving it.

The ton of powdered sugar in this snack means a little goes a long way, so I like to make it to share--like tonight's movie night potluck.

9	cups Rice Chex®, Corn Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2	cup peanut butter
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2	cups powdered sugar

	Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
	In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
	Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

1 Serving: Calories 210 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 170mg; Total Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 16g); Protein 3g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 6%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Smores Brownies

I can't take credit for this idea, having read it over at The Big Red Pot, but I am proud of myself for trying something new--and easy. I'm housesitting, and trying to realize the bright side of the logistical negatives. So I'm making a point to enjoy my friend's huge kitchen by trying some new recipes while still on a budget. This one was a no-brainer: line the bottom of a well greased pan with graham crackers, mix up a brownie mix as directed, pour over the grahams, and bake as usual. Top with marshmallows, broil in the oven till brown and bubbly, and enjoy! Indoor smores.

How often do you step out of your culinary comfort zone? Have you tried recipes from this or another blog? Let me know your favorite sources in a comment below.

Pineapple Casserole

I saw a post online over Easter weekend with a recipe that looked delicious. It inspired me to google for a similar recipe, posted here on my Longaberger blog. But I just had a chance to make it myself. This pineapple casserole smelled even better than it looked. I made mine (pictured above) with a cinnamon-raisin bread that added to the mix. It's definitely going to be added to my potluck repertoir. You'll have to invite me over to get a taste!

Pet Sitting Long-term

This week I begin pet-sitting my friend's dog for an extended period of time. I've taken care of him before, but not for this long -- three weeks.

This is a trade with a neighbor friend. I'm really glad I have her to depend on when I'm in similar circumstances. We're both familiar with each other's animals and their routines, so there's no one I'm more comfortable leaving my animals with. I'm sure it will be fine, and in fact I'm looking forward to socializing my dogs more, but it will remove myself and my dogs from our usual patterns for quite a while.

Any tips on integrating your own pets into an already existing pack? What do you do or what do you bring along with you to make yourself feel comfortable in another's home?

(Chance and his buddy Gizmo)

Amaryllis Surprise

So I was at work through the entire daylight today, but thanks to the porch light, I still managed to catch sight of a surprise when I got home! I knew there were buds on my amaryllis, but this is the first blossom of the season.

What's growing in your garden this spring?

Southern CA Spring Garden Show

The Southern California Spring Garden Show is coming up again at the end of the month--April 28th to May 1st, 2011. I almost thought I'd missed it this year, so am posting this note as a reminder to myself! You'll see me there picking out all kinds of interesting bulbs and plants, and generally getting inspiration for spring.

For more info, follow this link.

Getting up to Speed with Spring

So, I know it's been forever since I've posted, but big things have been happening and are coming up, so you'll soon hear a lot more from me (if you'd like to check in).

First, I did a movie called Hello Herman. It's an indie feature with a lot of heart and a timely message about today's youth, so please watch for it and tell all your friends to fan the facebook page.

But before that, I did a few weeks on another movie. We shot at an abandoned hospital in East LA called Linda Vista, a popular run-down location for horror films and the like. One of the site staff had witnessed these two sweet small dogs being thrown out of a car towards the park across the street about three weeks before we shot there. The girls later found their way onto the roof of the hospital on their own, but were trapped and couldn't get down.

The site rep was kindly feeding them for about three weeks and had even built them a dog house just a day or two before we'd arrived. But the property wasn't locked, and there was a good likelihood the pups could have been run over in the parking lot of the hospital or on the streets of the neighborhood. The white dog seemed to be the mother of the smaller, darker pup and was clearly pregnant at the time. I collected money from the crew (in the end adding $70 from my own pocket) and took the dogs home that night. After a bath in my tub and a couple of hours rest I took them to a vet the next morning, as a referral from Laura Dash, a stunt woman who has her own rescue, One Dog Rescue. The dogs were christened "Linda" and "Vista" after their former residence. The darker dog was fixed that day and both had an exam. One of the dogs was found to have a parasite, coccidia, treatable with antibiotics, likely picked up from drinking dirty contaminated water while living on the street. I spent a nerve-wracking thirty six hours working facebook and emails to find them a short term foster.

Luckily for all the pups, Melissa Aguilar at Mutt Maniacs & Maniacs to the Rescue stepped in to help. My neighbor Tom helped out by transporting the girls from the vet to the foster. On March 22nd the mom newly renamed "Clover" gave birth to four healthy pups--one tan, one white, and two black.

The pups are now three weeks old and growing stronger under the care of Maniacs to the Rescue, who has decided to foster them long-term until placed in permanent homes. The two older girls will hopefully be placed together.

I referred Dawn Fuller, from the UC Cooperative Extension, to the LA Breakfast Club as a guest speaker in late March, and now 4-H may be getting a grant from the LABC! I don't want to jinx it before it happens, but it's another thing I'm happy about this week.

And my computer crashed and burned, so I now come to you from a new mac. That's been a huge financial concern and time consuming transition but it's coming together. Throw in a car accident and spring coming to my garden, and it's been a busy month or two.

Oh, and I'm doing a Bridal Expo this Sunday at the Grove as a Longaberger Consultant. Maggiano's has put together the event to highlight their space for rehearsal dinners and events. There will be over 20 bridal vendors in one place, and a great complimentary raffle for anyone who stops by. If you're free, I'll be there from 10A to 2P. And with the new Mac, I can walk couples through a Longaberger Bridal Registry on the spot! The newlywed couple can start their new life in style with a Longaberger home....

My tomatoes are in, so there will be a garden update post soon, and lots of events coming up....keep checking back; I hope I haven't lost you. And let me know in a comment what's happening in your world!

Craft Idea: Grapevine Vintage Button Wreath

I spent the afternoon lunching with a friend in Santa Monica, and after we wandered through a huge, expensive (Santa Monica beach-side) antique mall. A creative find there that I love was this vintage button grapevine wreath. It would be easy to duplicate in a favorite color and would lend whimsy and femininity to your doorway.

What I thought was great about this wreath was that it wasn't hastily hot glued, but was carefully wire-wrapped, so it will withstand lots of usage without buttons falling off. This would be really easy to do with a grapevine wreath as opposed to a foam core. The gold wire used with the white buttons elevated its sense of formality. I also loved the big finishing bow at the top.

Where do you find inspiration for crafts you make at home? Do you often have a camera with you to photograph great ideas? Please leave a comment on the blog.

The Los Angeles Breakfast Club

My friend Damian, who has a new law practice, has come up with some creative ways to network in the community. This morning he took me to meet a great group of people at The Los Angeles Breakfast Club.

The Breakfast Club was founded in 1925 as a men's riding group of movie stars and political leaders. Over the past eighty or so years it's evolved into a social fellowship group from all walks of life that sponsors a weekly breakfast with featured speakers on a variety of subjects. Participation in the club's Foundation is encouraged but not mandatory, and networking is encouraged. The Breakfast Club meets each Wednesday morning at 7A just outside Griffith Park on Riverside Dr. in Los Feliz. Breakfast is free to first time visitors, just $6 per person after. For full membership, annual dues are $100 per year.

I found the atmosphere to be comparable to my grandpa's small town IL Lions Club--everyone was truly welcoming. Today's program featured a presentation and sing-along of "Tin Pan Alley Classics" from the great American songbook. The narrator did a great job of setting the time in history and including entretaining anecdotes. Next week will be a presentation on a volunteer organization. The majority of people did seem to be retirees but there was an interesting mix of entrepreneurs as well. I brought along my Longaberger catalogs and was proud of myself for taking a step towards self-promotion. Oh, and the funniest part of today's event? The buffet breakfast caterers were none other than the chefs from Capri Italian Restaurant, who were on Kitchen Nightmares last week....

Do you have a small business or service you offer professionally? How do you network within your community? Please leave a comment on the blog.

Recipe Corner: Couscous with Pineapple & Chestnuts

I'm on a pantry challenge to use up what I've got. So tonight's dinner was couscous left over from ingredients for a baby shower, made with half apple juice for sweetness, tossed with a can of pineapple, and finished with roasted chestnuts.

The chestnuts were meant as a holiday treat from Trader Joe's, but we never got around to them. Instead, I flew them home to family at Thanksgiving and ended up driving them back to my kitchen after the new year. The directions on the box had two variations, so for convenience I chose the microwave version. They were soft and had a grainy texture. I was expecting the crunch that comes to mind when you hear the phrase "roasted chestunts," but of course that requires an oven. I think I will try them again next year, but follow the more involved side-dish recipe on the box, rather than the simple roasting.

This experiment made a lot more than I had expected--I'll be eating the leftovers all week. I'm out of eggs now, and most cheese, so it's getting harder to come up with nutritious meals from my cupboard, but I'm not willing to give up yet!

What are your go-to recipes from staples when you don't want to go shopping? Please leave me a comment on the blog.

Kitchen Nightmares Taping with Gordon Ramsey

Wednesday I attended a taping of Chef Gordon Ramsey's show "Kitchen Nightmares," where he remakes a restaurant from top to bottom. I attended the re-launch of Capri Italian Restaurant in Eagle Rock. It's a local, family-run joint adjacent to Occidental College, so it's not haute cuisine. The atmosphere strives to be warm and inviting in a pizza-and-spaghetti kind of way.

I have a lot of respect for restaurants that allow the show into their space, as they can expect to be torn apart by Chef Ramsey. We ended up with an ideal spot, a table of four right next to the kitchen, so had a great view of both Chef Ramsey and the taping in the dining area. I managed to sneak a couple of photos, but wasn't allowed to document much of the evening.

I attended as part of the Meetup "Foodie Connection" group, so we were given an early seating. A friend of mine registered with the group just to RSVP for the event, so I knew one person at the table, but got to meet a few new people with common interests too. It made for a great mix of lively conversation during the long wait for service. I was not in a talkative mood, as I'd just lost my cousin Sue Martin to cancer the night before, but celebrating with a new adventure seemed a fitting way to honor her memory. Sue would have loved to hear all about it, so I'm writing to her here on the blog.

Since they don't want to have the same audience on every episode of the show, you can only attend a Kitchen Nightmares taping once. I was glad that the evening I chose was not one of the first days of taping but was the relaunch night, when the restaurant has been improved by Gordon Ramsey and the bugs have supposedly been worked out. Still, it was the first night with the "new" menu, so service was far from smooth. It took over an hour and a half to get our entrees. The table next to us was served within five minutes.

I loved the new decor of the space, including the way the cash register was painted, and the line-drawing logo of the identical twins who run the restaurant. The tables were crowded in and waitstaff had trouble making it through the restaurant, especially with the camera crew in the way. The serving pieces seemed to overwhelm the table--especially the large oval platters of salad for the group. They didn't have a wine list. When we asked our server directly, she finally named a price-per-glass but neglected to tell us that wine was available by the carafe, which we would have done if we'd known. The appetizer of garlic knots came with five rolls for our table of four, and were doughy on the inside and oily out without much garlic flavor. The chef had a heavy hand with the pepper on our Caesar salad, though I found I was able to pick out edible portions. I ordered a mushroom-"stinky cheese" white pizza that was really yummy. But the best thing on the menu that our table sampled was definitely the apple calzone dessert, filled with warm walnuts and dried fruit.

Chef Ramsey was clearly busy troubleshooting all evening. He called the Chef-Owner out to the street and spoke to him in front of a camera in the middle of the service. While it was easy to see his frustration, there was no shouting match to be heard over the din of the patrons. We'd definitely gone more for the experience of the show than for the food, and it was entertaining to see it all unfold. I'll be looking for the episode to air to see the "before" portions of the restaurant when Chef Ramsey first arrived. There will definitely be publicity as there was a local news station crew taping there before we'd left as well.

If you get the opportunity, Kitchen Nightmares is definitely a fun event to attend. Email me for info on how to contact the show.

Bottle Cap Ornament

I just got a really nifty craft tool that I'll be using a lot this year! It punches holes in bottlecaps. You might know my grandfather had a local soda company in Southern Illinois from the 1930s-50s. In fact, I've made our logo into an ornament one year. We have a ton of our family label bottlecaps, and I've been wanting to figure out how to make them into jewelry. I can also put the caps onto pull chains for zippers or to mark flash drives, keychains, and....

....ornaments. My late uncle had a tradition of making an ornament for the family each year, and I have had fun taking after him.

I superglued my Grandpa's picture on the inside, covered with a protective silicone-like disc, then left it as a thank-you for my dad when I left town after the holidays. Can't wait to see it on the tree next year. I think I'll be using these as my extended family gift for next year.

What projects do you have in mind to work on for next year? When do you start your handmade gifts--at the last moment, or throughout the year?

For My Dad

I already posted the framing of card illustrations from my dad's hometown that I gave to my aunt and uncle for the holidays. I liked that one because as a quad framing, it was a single thing to ship and mail, and perfect for a setting such as my uncle's optometry office. For my dad, I wanted to do something a little more formal, with a bit more bling befitting a holiday decoration. I ended up making him this swag decor.

Unfortunately, I didn't have this finished by Christmas day. How many of your well-intentioned homemade gifts do you end up giving late or not at all? I hope I'm not alone in this predicament! I think my dad loved it anyway. My mom had to help out a bit with the bow. If you have any bow-making techniques, please leave me a comment on the blog!