Sunday Smiles - On Twin Pandas

 Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Tomato Cages

 

As I mentioned a few days ago, we were able to find some tomato cages at the dollar store $1.75 each!  The tomato plants were falling over and needed support.  I also got some wire string.  The tomato plants have grown a lot more since this photo was taken.

Friday Art - Eye

Welcome to Friday Art! I did an Eye for you today, an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

And welcome to August!
 

 

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date - Sailing theme and Chicken with Spaghetti Aglio E Olio

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! Here is my 'Sailing' ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"). Rain is on an indefinite break but I am completing her themes for the year.

 For the dinner date, I pan fried some chicken breasts and paired it with spaghetti Aglio E Olio.

Wednesday Memes

 

Sour Cherry Adventures

I have a sour cherry tree in my garden.  My friend S comes every year with her sister and picks some to make pies and so on.  This year S and one of my sisters pushed me to pick some and perhaps make a sour cherry liqueur, a pie or whatever.

Husband M picked this bowl of cherries and got a bottle of vodka so that we could try making a sour cherry liqueur.  My friend S' sister said we don't need a cherry pitter, a straw will do just fine.  And actually it is true.  We even found a metal straw and it works well too.

 

Here is my cherry liqueur recipe.  I doesn't require the cherries to be pitted, so I used the cup I had already pitted to make a cherry vinaigrette dressing.  I chose a liqueur recipe that uses less sugar.

Here is my cherry liqueur soaking in vodka and sugar.  I will turn these jars over every week for 4 weeks and it should be ready.

My friend S had given me some kale so I made a kale salad.  It went well with my sour cherry vinaigrette dressing.

Here is my sour cherry vinaigrette recipe.  I used 2 tbs honey instead as well as a cup of pitted halved sour cherries in place of the juice.

Having assembled my cherry liqueur jars, I had 2 cups of cherries leftover.  So I pitted them with my metal straw this time and decided to make a cherry compote:

Here is my cherry compote recipe:

It was a day well spent!  Now I might make some mini cheesecakes using a recipe my sister gave me.  This would go well with my cherry compote.

I suppose next year I may pick more cherries, after all these years!  

The First Tomato

 I plucked my first cherry tomato from the garden July 12 2025, I beat the squirrels!  I have been using Miracle Gro powder fertilizer.  The plants had started drooping so I was considering getting trellises.

In an update I did get some trellises from the dollar store and it was a good idea.  The plants are much happier.  I have had 3 more tomatoes from this plant since then. There are 2 san marzano plants doing well, a pear tomato plant and another cherry tomato plant.

I ran into an old friend from the gym, an older lady who lives on her own.  She told me she slipped on ice in her yard this February and broke her arm.  It took 4 months to heal.  Life can suck.