Weekly Garden Thread - October 10-16, 2020

October 10, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[Liz]

OMG.......food porn.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My advice? Never google ‘Sexy Onion...’ *SNORT*

[Liz]

A really neat dish. Can use leftover mashed potatoes (omit butter and milk).

TACO PIE

CRUST Add milk, 2 tb taco seasoning to 1/4 c melted butter. Mash into 2 1/2 c cooked potatoes.
Press into 10" pan. Bake 350 deg 7-10 min--is BARELY golden brown.

FILLING brown/cook thru lb grnd beef, 1/2 c chp onions. Drain. Add 1/2 c Salsa and taco seasoning.
Cook bubbly. Pour into crust. Bake 350 deg 15 min--crust is now golden brown. cool 5 min.
Sprinkle w/ layer shredded sharp cheddar, then shredded lettuce, chp tomatoes. Cut wedges.

SERVE topped w/ dollop sour cream.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We must be on the same wavelength because I made a Taco Salad for supper last night. :)

[Liz]

Taco Salads are deelish.....but I like the pie version occasionally.

[MomwithHope]

Picked my pawpaws this morning. Nights are getting colder and the leaves are almost all yellow now. they are good sized, 2 are just starting to soften so have them in a brown bag with a few apples. Also picked out the rest of my peppers - about 40 altogether.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Pawpaws. Weren’t you on the Ten Year Plan for them? Finally! :)

Everything I have left in the garden is freeze-friendly; Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and red Cabbage.

We haven’t even started digging potatoes yet; Beau planted 30# down in the lower garden and neither he nor I have looked at it since July. ;)

[MomwithHope]

more like 14 years.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Weatherman, Gary: "It will be mostly clear and colder tonight, with widespread frost likely and a hard freeze possible. Temperatures will fall to the upper 30s by late evening; overnight low temperatures will fall to the lower 30s."

I've got the greenhouse buttoned up and a sheet over the cherry tomatoes, inside. I put the 'covers' on my salad greens 'grow boxes' but I've moved a few things inside; Geraniums, Rosemary and my Pineapple Sage that is just starting to bloom!

[MomwithHope]

this year I went more sparse so after picking out the peppers am done, just some garlic to plant.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

14? Well, this IS a Red Letter Pawpaw Day! :)

[Liz]

These beverages are nice for the holidays......b/c you can sip, sip, sip and won't add calories.

SKINNY HOT BUTTERED RUM
Popular Christmas libation sans calories. Use rum extract. 100 proof alcoholic rum is about 100 cals.
METHOD Mix rum extract droplets (or tb rum), tea butter buds (found in spice section), bit sweetener.
Add mixture to cup of boiling water in pretty mug. SERVE w/ 3-4 whole allspice....or add a cinnamon stick.

Sipping the bubbly sans calories. When ordered in a restaurant as an elegant aperitif,
bartender places sugar cube in champagne glass, wets sugar cube w/ droplets
of brandy. Then fills glass w/ champagne.

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Fill champagne flute w/ club soda, add bit sweetener, 1-2 drops good brandy.
Serve w/ fresh strawberry perched on rim. NOTE Add droplet of red food coloring to make "pink champagne."