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Three years ago we set up a little container garden in our front patio area (it’s enclosed and gated, as you can see here, so it’s not as weird as it sounds).

We planted tomatoes and several different peppers, and though we were able to harvest a few tomatoes, the majority of the project failed as soon as the infamous Las Vegas heat hit the valley in mid-June.

We’ve wanted to try again and have casually researched different methods since the last attempt, and this past fall we started prepping the patio area again. Since it was the end of the season, we were able to get a good deal on a solar shade that Mike installed above the courtyard. It will still let plenty of sunlight through, but not enough that it’s going to bake whatever we’re trying to grow (and it will also cut down on the amount of heat coming in through the hundreds of windows that for some reason circle the courtyard). Read More

I came thisclose to not doing this week’s Tuesday With Dorie assignment for Chocolate Truffle Tartlets.

I didn’t have tartlet pans, I didn’t want to have to hunt down biscotti, and the directions made me exhausted just reading them. But then I got swept up in the enthusiasm and decided I needed to give it a shot, long process or not!

I ended up getting the tartlet pans from Amazon and managed to find a box of biscotti at the grocery store, so I was set. I warned my family ahead of time that I’d probably be baking for most of Sunday and to not get their hopes up about me participating in much else (yeah, that always plays out well). Read More

Yes, salad in a jar.

I could eat salad for lunch and dinner every day and not get tired of it. I order it at restaurants when I’m feeling confident about the restaurant, though I’m usually disappointed with brown lettuce and tomato butts. I HATE TOMATO BUTTS. Read More