Skip to Content

Carol Speake

These outdoor kitchens show that there is no need to be cooped up inside when the weather is warm just because it is meal time. I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen. Sadly my little kitchen is a narrow galley design with not much counter space.  So I find myself drooling over …

Read More about More of my Favorite Outdoor Kitchens – Nature Style

Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry with Chickpeas is a perfect vegetarian recipe for a busy week night. It is warm, comforting and packed with nutrients. The recipe will work with just about any vegetables you have on hand. I make this dish all the time and rarely make it with the same ingredients twice for that …

Read More about Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry with Chick Peas

These peanut butter chocolate oatmeal cookies will not last long in your kitchen! What is not to like about peanut butter and chocolate?  Oh yes…the calories.  Well, I can’t do too much about the calories,  but I can at least adapt the recipe so that it is suitable for vegans as well as vegetarians and …

Read More about No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I’ve always loved garden nasturtiums in my flower beds. But there are many other ways that these fairly common plants can be a great addition to your vegetable garden. Companion planting is a method of planting plants together so that they benefit each other in some ways.  Some enrich the soil and others attract beneficial …

Read More about Nasturtiums as Companion Plants Help your Veggies

The traditional BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich) is taken to a new level in this delightful lunchtime recipe which adds Haas avocados for an extra bit of creaminess.  Traditional BLT Taken to a New Level. I love BLTs. Always have, always will. They are hearty and full of fresh goodness (from the garden today!)  …

Read More about BLT Sandwich with Avocado with Garden Vegetables

I live in zone 7b, so I am able to start vegetable gardening fairly early.  I did not get a crop of Brussels sprouts last year, but I am hopeful that my plants will be full of sprouts this year. Brussels sprouts are a healthy cold-weather vegetable that even has its own National Day. January …

Read More about Growing Brussels Sprouts – A Cool Weather Crop

If you loved creamsicles as a child, (and still do!), this delicious cocktail recipe is perfect for you. This orange cream martini is an adult version of the flavored frozen treats you enjoyed as a kid.   What is a dessert cocktail? When you combine spirits with sweet ingredients that can double up as a …

Read More about Orange Cream Martini Recipe – Try This Dreamsicle Dessert Cocktail

This pretty hydrangea wreath uses the beautiful big blooms of a mop head hydrangea bush for a door decoration. My hydrangea bush flowered late this year and gave some lovely color to an otherwise fairly bare garden bed.  Did you know that you can make a holiday hydrangea wreath from hydrangea flowers that are done …

Read More about Hydrangea Wreath – DIY Fall Door Decoration

This venison stir fry is made with venison for a gamey taste that is great with the fresh vegetables. My garden is producing really well right now, and I love to come up withe new ways to use all my veggies. As luck would have it, my husband came home with some fresh venison which …

Read More about Venison Stir Fry with Fresh Vegetables – Easy Veggie Stir Fry

Want to get new tomato plants for free? Try propagation! Propagating tomatoes will give you new plants in just a few weeks, which is much faster than growing them from seed. Propagation is the process of growing new plants from a single parent plant by using parts of it. This can be done by using …

Read More about Propagating Tomatoes – Growing Cuttings in Water or Soil

If you grow vegetables in your garden, it’s probably second nature to give them a wash when you bring them inside. After all, they are growing in the dirt and those that grow on vines often have dust and other particles on them. But what about the fruit and veggies that you purchase in a …

Read More about Water Bath for Vegetables & Fruit – Is it Necessary?

Hydrogen peroxide is one of those things which people have in their bathroom, that they use primarily for healing wounds and cuts. It is a shame to save this handy bottle for just medical uses, when there are so many more uses for it around the home.  And it is so inexpensive too! Hydrogen peroxide …

Read More about 35+ Creative Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

They always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It fuels you to give energy, brain power and even maintain a healthy weight.  Studies show that those who eat breakfast actually overeat less later in the day than those who do not. And children who eat breakfast traditionally do better in …

Read More about What’s For Breakfast? Fast & Easy Recipes

Did you know that growing pineapples from a discarded top is quite easy to do? I love pineapples.  They are so sweet and the fruit makes great salsas and is perfect in cocktails and drinks.  It’s wonderful grilled with a barbecue too.  And one of the beauties of this project is that, if you don’t …

Read More about How to Grow Your Own Pineapples from The Leafy Top