holy jungle fever, batman! those herbs are HUGE!!!!!

my FB status tonight reads: that very night in heather's kitchen, a forest grew... and grew... and grew until her table hung with vines and the kitchen became the jungle all around... (translation: heather brought her herbs in tonight, and didn't realize quite how big they were till they were sitting on her kitchen table. LOL)

well, it's late october in ontario, which means it's gonna be getting cold soon. :( which means, also, that my wonderful herbs needed to come indoors for the winter. because really, is there anything better than fresh herbs? i don't think so.

anyway, it was gorgeous out today, hitting 15 degrees this afternoon (or about 60 degrees F, for my non-celsius readers). so i thought today would be a good day to do some outdoor work. and wow! it was glorious! feeling the earth between my fingers one last magnificent time!!! so this evening, after supper (it was still pretty warm out), i went outside and got to work.

now, i'll be honest here. other than moving the original tiny plants from those itty-bitty container things you buy them in at the store, i've never transplanted anything. so, you can imagine, i'm a little freaked out right now. these are wonderful plants, my favourite herbs, and i really hope i didn't kill them. but you know, this sort of fly by the seat of my pants kind of approach to planting herbs obviously hasn't failed me before, so let's hope it works this time.

oh, i guess i should tell you what i have: the itty bitty one is rosemary, the giant tree-ish looking thing at the back is parsley, and the giant, viny monster plant on the left is oregano. mmm.... oregano...

know what i love?

finding good stuff in my freezer.

this morning, while pondering supper for tonight, i went digging through my freezer. and oh, the treasures i found!!!!

treasure #1:
a casserole a friend had given me a while back (probably a couple months, by now), all frozen and with promises of deliciousness. so i took it out, threw it in the oven, and we enjoyed it for lunch.

oh, guess i should tell you what it was, eh? teehee it was a chicken and potato casserole, with veggies. it was soooo good. chunks of potato, lots of chicken, yummy veggies. it was comfort on a plate. so, thank-you, deb, you're wonderful! <3

treasure #2:
a bag of chicken thighs. actually i found two bags, though i only used one. i took it out, threw it into my big crock-pot, smothered it with bbq sauce, and it was ready in time for supper. i also chopped up a couple carrots this afternoon while making carrot soup (recipe to be posted in a few minutes), and it was absolutely delicious!!! the boys liked it, i loved it, and charlie seemed happy there were leftovers on asher's plate.

there are other things i love, too. like my freezer. and not just because of today. i just generally love my freezer.

my crock-pots. love them. i can't even describe how much!! they please me. i have a big one and a smaller one, and they're perfect. there used to be a blog called "A Year of Crockpotting" and every day there was another recipe for something in the crock-pot. it was awesome. i put the link on here at one point, but her year is up, so i doubt if there's anything new posted. but back in the day, i enjoyed that blog. especially her post about crockpot haggis. honestly, that had to be one of the funniest things i'd read in AGES - and the picture of the box the meat came in, marked "not for human consumption" made me laugh out loud!!

my breadmaker. i use it at least 3 or 4 times a week, sometimes more. it's wonderful. and so easy. and i don't think i need to tell you how nice it is to come home to the smell of freshly-baked bread. mmmm... carbs...

i think that's about it. oh, no, wait. there's one more thing i love.

my giant pot. i've been a soup-making fiend lately, and that's the pot i use. 'nuff said.

that's it now. well, probably not, but i'll stop here. i'll post more when i think of them. ;)

annie's fabulous homemade granola bars

4 cups oats
4 cups rice crispies
1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips, which are infinitely better than raisins, but that's just me. LOL)
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla

boil and melt the last 4 ingredients and add to the rest mixing well. Press mixture into 2 greased cookie sheets or pans and allow to cool completely before slicing. Once sliced wrap individually or stack in an airtight container. Just be sure to place a sheet of wax paper between each layer.


i've made these before, and they really are very good. yummmmmmmmmmmmmmy!!!!!!! the kids love them, so i think i'll be making them (possibly with kidlets helping) this weekend for lunches and snacks next week. can't wait, either! :)