Baci....

So as some of you know...I have a dog. His name is Baci and he lives at his Grandma's house with the big dogs. Baci is a very spunky little Cairn Terrier. I found this video today while looking for pictures of my best friend Lacey who passed away our Junior year of high school. It was a sad process but this video brightened my day. I miss my friend, and I hope all my classmates have fun at our 10 year reunion this weekend.

Slacker...

I feel like such a slacker! I just realized I haven't been here since April! I have been so busy now that the weather outside has been nice to us! I have been keeping photographic evidence of what we have been up to and plan to share that with you later today!

We have been starting some seeds, preparing our garden plot and just enjoying time outside.

Check back later! Have some errands to run!

See you all soon!

I received top honors....

by being asked to do a guest post on Blue Eyed Yonder! So if you would like to see how much better this table can look...

Hop on over to Blue Eyed Yonder and keep your eyes peeled for a bit of Little Green Jar!

Happy Tuesday!

Sunday Funday!

I love Sundays and always have. I can remember being younger and always thinking Sunday mornings were always so bright and crisp. I still feel that way now...It seems the air is cleaner and easier to breathe on a Sunday Morning. I haven't posted in a while and thought I would share some things that have been going on.

Yesterday we went to our favorite local Farm Market, Paulus Farm Market here in Mechanicsburg. They have chickens and goats and sheep and pigs and they have the sweetest names! The cow above is Braveheart. They are beautiful Scottish Highland Cows.

These 2 are Gracie and Ina. That hay sure is tasty! We have been itching for the weather to warm up so we could go see all the newest additions to the Farm. It seems there are sweet babies popping up everywhere!

Above is Mom, Apple and her baby Pie. Now that is a pretty sweet Combo!! Pie didn't move around much but it was a lot cooler yesterday!

The chickens are always fun to watch. I think it is quite funny to watch the rooster strut around and all the hens to just turn and walk away. This Farm Market has wonderful baked goods and produce and flowers too. We purchased a 20lb bag of Potatoes and John bought me some Ranuculus!

The Ranuculus is a lovely purple and yellow. They are so sweet and delicate. For now they live out on the "Salad Table" during the day and in our storage locker at night so they don't get frozen.

We planted Spinach and a variety of lettuces. Only the Spinach have poked their little heads out to say Hello so far. I Love Spring!

While outside the little kitty cat, Stella wanted to come out so badly! So we harnessed her up, yes she has a harness and we let her have her first outdoor adventure of the year!

She has to wallow and get nice and dusty before she can venture out into the grass. When she does walk out on the grass she walks low to the ground. She Loves to be outside so much! We usually don't let her out much once it gets really warm because of the high tick population in the field behind our house.

So I hope everyone has enjoyed this beautiful weekend! I will try to do better with more posting! See you all soon! Have a,wonderful Sunday!

Happy Spring!

March 20, 2011 The first Official Day of Spring! I never fully appreciated the first day of Spring until I moved to Pennsylvania. I guess it's because down south there isn't really a "spring".



First Day of Spring means Free Italian Ice at Ritas! I had Cranberry and it was sweet and tangy at the same time. John had Blueberry, it had actual blueberries in it! If you have never had Rita's you need to!



It is still a bit chilly here but we are warming up a little. My favorite part of warm weather is opening all the windows and doors! That is Stella's favorite part too! She wanted to come outside so badly!



We went today to buy soil and flowers. I put in for a few nice pots for the front of the townhouse to brighten it up a bit. Ceramic pots are really expensive! I found one I liked and it was $120!!! We went to a local discount store called Ollie's (Think Big Lots) and they had these amazing pots! We got 3 Ceramic pots for $40!



John went for a bike ride and I planted flowers! I love these sweet little mini Pansy faces! I will definitely enjoy them while I can!



This flower is a new one I haven't seen before. I of course did not get the pot that had a tag on it....So I have no idea what it is called!

I hope everyone enjoys the first day of Spring!!

New Hottie in my life....

his name is Myron.

Myron is a Weber Genesis Gas Grill.

He is our first official wedding gift. My parents knew how much we loved their Weber grill so when they saw Myron on sale he became ours!

While we are both a little sad because with the addition of Myron our garden will be significantly smaller this year. He is a big ol' boy that takes up more than his fair share of our small patio.

Once we took Myron on his maiden voyage we quickly got over the amount of space he takes up because those burgers were amazing.

So please join me in welcoming Myron into the Little Green Jar family! I love him already! Never thought I would have two hotties in my life!

Thanks Mom and Dad! We love you guys!

The Cure for Helmet Hair...

is a cycling cap. I am not sure quite yet what the cure for cycling cap hair is....



My Fiancée, John is a cyclist. He loves nothing more than going out on long bike rides when the weather is nice. He has taken "Milton" (yes, I name his stuff too) for a tune up and he went for his first ride this past Saturday.



The weather is still a bit nippy so in order to keep warm he wears a cycling cap under his helmet. He has been asking me for a year or so to make him a cap but I didn't have a sewing machine. Until now.... This cycling cap is my very first project that I have successfully completed on Dinah(my sewing machine)!



John hasn't seen his completed cap yet....but for my first project without the help of dear ol' mom I think it turned out pretty well! I can't wait to see how it fits him and how much he loves it! Which I am sure will be a ton because I made it!



Maybe I will start a new "Cycling Caps by Heather" business....Probably not so lucrative!

Now we just need more beautiful days that we can enjoy with a bike ride.

JFK wasn't kidding when he said, "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."

He sure was right.

What to do with a Blood Orange or 2?

I can remember the very first time I tried a Blood Orange. I was in Rome, Italy at a hotel on a hill with a group from South Georgia College. I peeled my orange and was completely taken aback by the garnet colored flesh. I was assured by the waiter that it was perfectly okay to eat. I took my first bite and it was instant love! A sweet but tangy citrus with a hint of raspberry. It was divine! It wasn't until a few years ago that I stumbled upon the blushing fruit in the produce department at a local chain grocery store. Such a happy day!

My Fiancée is quite the citrus fan and when we see Blood Oranges we scoop them up and enjoy them while they last. I have wondered what I could bake/cook with them and came across this recipe for a Blood Orange Olive Oil cake from the New York Times. I decided to give it a whirl. Even knowing that the worst that could happen is that I could waste these beautiful oranges!



Preheat oven to 350
Start with 3 Blood oranges. Zest 2 oranges and rub the zest in 1 cup of sugar.
Supreme 2 oranges.
To Supreme:
-Cut the top and bottom off the orange so it will sit flat on the cutting board
-With a sharp knife cut the peel off by cutting down with the curve of the orange until all the peel is gone.
-When the orange is peeled cut the segments out from between the skin



Once the 2 oranges have been supremed use your fingers to separate the segments into 1/4" pieces.



Halve the last of the 3 oranges and juice it, you should get about 1/4 cup of liquid. Add enough buttermilk or plain yogurt to make 2/3 cup of liquid.
Mix the liquid mixture together with the sugar
After combined whisk in 3 eggs.



In a separate bowl whisk together: 1 3/4 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt

Slowly combine the flour combination with the liquid combination.



Using a spatula, slowly add 2/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Once combined, fold in the segments of the orange



Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan
I prefer to use Pam Baking spray, but you can also use butter and flour



Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in an oven preheated at 350 for 55 minutes or until golden brown. A knife inserted should come out clean when cake is done.



Remove from Oven and let cool for 5 minutes in pan. After the 5 minutes remove from Pan and let cool to room temperature.

Then cut and Enjoy!

The recipe I used can be found here.
There is also a recipe there for honey orange compote you can serve with the cake!

Have you ever heard of Blood Oranges? If so, what do you like to do with them??

Finding the Perfect Place.....

As most people who know me are aware, I am getting married! A few people have asked where the ceremony will be held. We will be joining together as one at Fort Hunter State Park. "State Park" I say...Yes. John told me he knew a place and when he said "State Park" I thought to myself, "I don't think so" I am NOT getting married at a State Park unless it is Yosemite! He took me to this place and I was amazed! It was breathtaking!





It was in the afternoon and the sun was starting to set and the colors were so vivid! I took the above photos because with the sun and the River I was left speechless. We continued our walk and I took a few more photos, I was in love with the natural beauty. Who would have thought that in the middle of Harrisburg, PA there was this little gem! I was convinced so far but I needed to see the place I would be marrying the love of my life.



We walked up from the river and there was a house...neigh a Mansion there. we walked over to the information sign to read about this place. It was built in 1725 by a man named Chambers. During the French and Indian War the British built man forts up the Susquehanna river and the land the Mansion was on was turned into a British Fort called Fort Hunter. Over the years it was bought and sold until in 1956 a woman from Washington, DC bought the land and created the Fort Hunter Foundation.

I am glad she did or I am sure this lovely place would have been left to ruin. I still didn't know where our ceremony would take place and then we saw it.



We walked around the house and there was the "West Lawn". A small green(even in Winter) lawn that slopes slightly down toward the river. John walked down to look over the river and I could just imagine what it would be like. There was my groom that I would be walking towards on my wedding day! At that point I was so excited I couldn't wait! I wanted to get married right then and there!

So, in a 7 short months with the glorious colors of a Pennsylvania Fall I will marry my best friend....at a State Park. I couldn't be happier about it!

Quite a Hoot...

I love to make people smile! And this little project I am working on will definitely accomplish that. Having all this fun pretty fabric laying around is very inspiring!



So here is a little Peek at my Work in Process! I will never tell who it is for that is until it is done! Check back in a few days and maybe I will have it complete!




This is my first project of this capacity so I am pretty excited!

Thanks to all of you who have shown support so far! Sorry my posts are so few and far between. I am trying! Much Love!

Hot and Dangerous....

After much thought and consideration I decided to try again with a food post. Last weekend I wanted to share my recipe for Tatziki with you but my photos were very terrible, and that is me being nice about it. My friend Keri asked to see photos of my "equipment", so I decided to share something special with each introduction. My first prize to share with you is my apple green Kitchen Aid mixer, Carmen. She was my Christmas gift from John our first year together. Speaking of John, today makes 3 years since our first date!

Anyhoo..... I found a cookie recipe on one of my new favorite blogs Picky Palate. The recipe is for Double White Chocolate and pretzel peanut butter cookies....with sea salt. I am not a huge fan of white chocolate but I thought these sounded too amazing to pass on. Boy was I right!

The recipe called for melting white chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter together and then adding more white chocolate chips into the batter with the pretzels at the end. I thought it seemed too sweet so I added semi sweet chips instead.

** Side Note: I went today to Macy's and bought some new little treats for my kitchen including the dough scoop and the half sheet pan in the photos. It amazes me how the littlest things can bring me such pleasure these days.

Back to the Cookies....

After you scoop them onto the baking pan you smoosh(technical term) them down and sprinkle them with sea salt. It may seem like this wouldn't make much of a difference but it sure does. If you are like me, there is nothing more satisfying than a salty and sweet snack! I am sure you could leave out the sea salt...but why would you want to?

A short 15 minutes later you have these beautiful and amazingly tasty cookies. John says they are really tasty with a glass of Milk! So now you know Carmen...she is a very helpful kitchen friend. Hop on over to Picky Palate to get this and many other tasty looking recipes....like Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies....Yes Please!

I hope you all have a very Happy and Love filled Valentine's Day!

XOXOXO

Stella and the Bean...

I am a genuinely happy person that leads a pretty ordinary life that includes many extraordinary things. The one thing that can always bring a smile to my face(besides my Fiancée) is Stella....and usually her bean.

In January of 2010 John and I went to the York ASPCA to "look" at kittens. We visited with a few and did not click with them. Then I saw her, the card said "Cartlin: Very Affectionate" While all the rest of the cats were practically doing flips and screaming "Pick Me, Pick Me" there was Cartlin taking a nap. They brought her to us in the visiting room and she let us pick her up and love her. I fell in love on the spot. I had to have her! So we did the paperwork and after she had her "operation" we could pick her up and bring her home. There was much deliberation about what her name would be and it was finally narrowed down to "Nova" and "Stella". A week later we got to bring home our tiny little fur baby!

After we brought her home we decided Stella was the perfect name for her. She settled in quickly and was a great company and comic relief for us. We made it through the winter and eventually the snow melted and things started to green up and grow. John has quite the green thumb and decided to grown green beans among other things. After the first harvest we noticed every time we put beans on the counter somehow they would end up on the floor. Then we caught the culprit “red pawed”.

And so Stella’s love for beans was born. She runs after them and brings them back. We can say, “Stella, do you want a Bean?” and she meows. I find myself being the “bean maid” at the grocery store and picking through the selection very carefully to find the “perfect” beans. So to all you green bean eaters in Central PA I apologize if your beans have been scrawny as of late, Stella deserves the best.

So when and if you come to my house and you see what may look like green dried up snot on my carpet…it is just a bean that has seen better days. Never in my life have I seen an animal love anything more than my Cat and her Green beans!

As I sit and type this she is sitting in front of John with her bean at his feet meowing at him to throw it for her. She must be the funniest kitty ever!

Inspiration Passed down like Tradition....

For quite some time I have enjoyed the inspiration that comes from reading someone's blog. It feels almost like sitting down and sharing a quiet conversation with an old friend. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Mrs. Blue Eyed Yonder that I also wanted to share what makes me tick and what inspires me. The encouragement I have received from many friends and family will hopefully make this blog as great as I imagine it to be.