Corn fed...

We've got a cornfield in our backyard.  I've gotten lost in there a few times...but it's finally ready to harvest! Nothing says summertime like corn on the cob (grilled out preferably) but when you have an excess of corn like we you can only eat so much of it for dinner. So here's a little "how-to" on preserving or canning all that extra corn:

Step 1: Shuck that corn and get all those fine little hairs off because you DON'T want those in your canned corn! And if you compost, save all the shucks to put in your compost bin for some great soil next spring.

Step 2: Boil your corn (while still on the cob) for 4 minutes while you dance around the kitchen with your baby to the Avett Brothers.

Step 3: Take the corn out of the boiling water and put into a bowl of ice water for 4 minutes. Then shave it off the cob getting about 3/4 of the whole kernel and making sure NOT to cut off parts of the cob.

Step 4: Spoon your corn into mason jars, leaving about an inch of space at the top. Fill this last inch with boiling water and add a dash of salt.
Step 5: Pressure cook for 1 hour, let cool overnight and there you have it!

A visit from Omi and Opaw!

This weekend Nate's parents came for a visit. It has been a few weeks since they've seen Drew and we know they had missed him! We're glad they are willing to make the drive down from Ohio to see all of us.

 We started out Thursday night at Captain's Quarters restaurant right on the river. Even though it was HOT outside, the evening was so pretty and we had a breeze from the river (and the fans on the deck!).

Drew slept through most of dinner but woke up to take a few pictures.

The 3 boys by the river

Family picture!

Andrew also had his 2 month check up on Friday morning and DeeDee went with me. I'm so glad she did because between the two of us, we distracted him pretty well while he got his vaccination shots...only a few tears and then he fell fast asleep!  He weights 11 pounds, 5 ounces now and is growing well according to the doctor. A good report!

Nate's parents also got Drew a swing...the one must have baby item that we still hadn't gotten! He clearly loved it, and it's nice to have a place for him to hang out while we eat dinner, cook, etc. in the evening.

Saturday morning we headed to the farmer's market. Nate and I have been buying our meat here and some fruits/veggies that we aren't growing in our own garden. There are so many great small-scale farms in Kentucky that have wonderful fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, cheeses, etc.  It's also a plus to support the local economy too:)

Someone is very comfortable on his grandma's lap...I don't think he wanted them to leave!

A few recipes...

A few people had asked for the blackberry jam recipe so here it is (and for my own memory)...This particular recipe isn't the kind you preserve for months or anything, just a simple recipe to be refridgerated and eaten within a few weeks (if it lasts that long!)

First you need a lot of these:

 

• 3-3 1/2 cups of blackberries
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 package of pectin (of course pectin comes in various size packages...I just did 2 tablespoons but you can add more to make it thicker as you go)

-Stir the blackberries and 1/2 the sugar in a pot on the stove top on medium high
-When the mixture starts to bubble, add the butter
-When that is boiling, add the pectin and rest of the sugar
-Boil for 1 full minute, smooshing down the blackberries as you go (unless you want it really chunky)
-Ladle it into a mason jar, seal and let it set for 24 hours (at room temperature)
-Refrigerate and enjoy!

A second recipe that is great if you have basil growing in your garden is pesto. I put it on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, bread, etc. Plus, it's easy to freeze and just use throughout the year:

 When you cut your basil leaves, you won't need the stems...also, the bigger leaves are better flavored (so I've found out)

Homemade Pesto

• 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves (you can also throw in a  handful of spinach leaves for a milder flavor)
• 1 Tbsp of diced garlic ( or 2 cloves, diced)
• 2 Tbsp of pine nuts, lightly toasted (walnuts work well too)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I always add more--no such thing as too much cheese, right?)
• 2 Tbsp softened butter or margarine
• dash of salt

-Blend in the mixer, scraping down the sides until fully blended. The result will look like this:

Okay, so I will admit, pesto just looks gross! But it tastes SO good and a little bit goes a long way. Enjoy!

This weekend...

Steven and Lindsey came up from Lexington to meet Drew. Steven had stopped  by right after he was born but Lindsey hadn't seen him yet. We started off with pizza at Boombozz Taproom...SO good!

Drew was pretty good the whole time...he woke up right after this and just took in the scenery.

This is the only picture I got of Steven and Nate...Nate was probably distracted by our very "perky" server who liked to talk:)

 And Lindsey and me...

Then Sunday night our friend Steph got a bunch of us tickets to the Louisville Bats game where she had the YUM suite (kind of like she did at Churchill Downs)...Steph is definitely the person to know and she's such a good social coordinator!

Drew had the time of his life at his first baseball game...sleeping!

The view from Nate's lap

And in other news...look who's finally big enough for his cloth diapers! This may only be exciting news for me but I've been waiting forever to use these:

These are Bum Genius 3.0 (don't you love the crazy cloth diaper names) and so far so good! I know when we told people we were going to use cloth diapers they might have thought we were crazy. However, my friend Annie is who convinced me to use them. Nate and I decided to go with cloth diapers to save money and of course to be a little easier on the environment. I got 24 total diapers (enough for 2 to 2 1/2 days worth) and when I change him, instead of throwing it away like disposable, I just put it in a wetbag (I use the one found here), empty the bag into the washing machine to clean them. It really isn't gross at all--I promise! Now when he gets on solid foods, that may be a different story. I know a few of my friends had sort of looked into cloth diapers so I wanted to give the Bum Genius ones a thumbs up...they adjust to fit small, medium and large (via snaps) and have a super-soft cloth insert which is (I think) way more comfortable on his little bum:)  So I spent about $300 on all of them (which, let's face it, you spend WAY more than that on disposables in a few months!) and am committed now! So far no leaks or anything.
And just for good measure...one more picture of the little guy:

7 weeks!

Look at that little face! I think I kiss those cheeks at least a hundred times a day!
This is the "Mom, why do you have that camera in my face AGAIN? expression
Cooing and smiling:)

I know, I know...I have become one of "those moms" who excessively take pictures of their child. I can't help it! He's just too cute (at least Nate and I think so!)

Just a laid back weekend

We had quite a bit of work to do in our garden because so much of it is ready to eat!
Zucchini and green beans...we decided to preserve 2 ways:
Freezing for the winter (great for just taking out of the freezer and using in stir-fry)...
And we canned the rest
And turned this...
Into this! I love blackberries and am so glad that our plants have produced so many lately. I basically just go pick a big bowl of them every day. So delicious!
Besides being farmers, we also headed to the Farmer's market Saturday morning...
And apparently someone was worn out!
I look at this picture compared with his newborn pictures and realize how big he's getting! It really is crazy how fast kids grow. He will be 7 weeks Tuesday!

These details will probably be only interesting to me, but I want to remember where he was/how he was doing at this point. So far he's smiling and cooing a lot more lately and staying awake MUCH longer in between naps, ready to play and interact with us. He's been sleeping great at night, going to bed around 8ish, I "dream feed" at 9:30 or 10 when we go to sleep and then he only wakes up once to eat, and sleeps till 7 a.m. (the goal!) He also LOVES being outside (shocker since his Nate's child:) and if he is crying pretty much all I have to do is walk outside and he's mesmerized!

A busy weekend!

We stared off with Drew's first trip to the zoo...which he slept through the entire time, hence no picture. We went with my friend Annie and her daughter Hannah, who was so cute watching the animals!
Annie is a good friend of mine whom I taught with for 2 years and now that we're both home with our little ones it's good to have someone to hang out with, plus she gives me tons of baby advice (which I need!)
Sunday, we headed to Churchill Downs to watch the races from the YUM suite thanks to Stephanie who works for YUM. Nate and I got a picture by the twin spires...this is the closest we will ever get to Millionaire's Row since I doubt we'll be there during the Derby anytime but it was fun yesterday!
Tom, sporting his patriotic wear...we hoped no one took him seriously! Plus Nate and Katie holding their 10$ vouchers which we all won.
Katie and me by the spires also
Steph (our wonderful hostess) and me
Steve and Brooke brought Nolan who is just a few months older than Drew so we hope they'll be buddies someday!
For the 4th of July, we walked up to the Old Fashioned Crescent Hill festival, which our neighborhood puts on every year. It is the cutest festival ever with music and food and lots of families hanging out.
Andrew and I listening to the music...he probably won't remember his first 4th of July but we think he had fun!My parents walked up with us too and someone got a nap on his Granna's lap:)