I finally planted my first vegetable/herb/fruit garden!

I'm so pumped that I finally did it!

L-R: tomatoes, cucumber, summer squash, beans, lavender

chives, cilantro, tomatoes, basil

arugala, peppers, strawberries, lemon thyme

This is from my iPhone, i'll have more photos up and some recipes soon!

Ahh, i've been slacking. Memorial Day was great... I spent it on Cape for the first time in a couple years. I did some exploring around my basement and found some neat stuff. I shot six rolls of film; it felt great. Here are a few photos from this weekend... recipes coming soon!

A few photos from my garden in our sunroom

Growing my own herbs and vegetables is so gratifying!

Blackberry Lemonade with Orange-Cranberry Vanilla Bean Infused Vodka

The blackberry lemonade is delicious on its own, but with the orange-cranberry vanilla bean infused vodka and a fresh mint sprig from my garden, it was probably one of the best drinks i've ever had. Makes six cups.

Ingredients:

1 (6 0z.) package of blackberries, ~1 c.

¾ c. sugar

1 c. fresh lemon juice (meyer, if available)

4½ c. water

infused vodka

Put blackberries in a blender with a cup of water, and blend until the berries are completely pulvarized. Pull blackberries through a strainer to remove solids. Push juices out with a wooden spoon. Next, heat 1 c. of water and the sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour the lemon juice, simple syrup, blackberry juice and remaining water in a pitcher. Chill.

Serve over ice with a fresh sprig of mint.

Mom's Pancakes with Fresh Blackberries & Maple Liquor

I always looked forward to my Mom's homemade pancakes on Sunday mornings. They're light, but still maintain that nice crunchiness that I love in a pancake. I added some of the Coureur des Bois maple liquor that I got in Canada and some fresh blackberries, and they were both delicious added elements.

Ingredients:

2 c. Flour (I used cake flour this time, and I liked the results.)

1 t. Salt

1½ t. Baking Powder

4 T. Sugar

1½ c. Milk

2 Eggs

4 T. Butter, melted

2-3 T. maple liquor (or to desired taste)

Blackberries

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, saving the butter for last. Let sit 15 minutes. Spray a large skillet with Pam and set over medium heat. Pour pancakes to desired size into skillet, drop blackberries onto pancakes, and flip when the uncooked top starts to bubble.

Smother in butter and maple syrup & enjoy!

I've joined the foodbloggingland

hopefully this will be good....