Potato Pizza

   Sounds like an oxymoron but was surprisingly tasty and easy to prepare. It would be a good substitute for someone who can't eat gluten. I was too hungry to take the time to photograph the end result!

   Slice a couple of potatoes (skin on) very thinly. Thinly slice an onion and half a red pepper. A mandolin would give the correct thickness. Mix them with a tbspn. of olive oil, a minced garlic clove and a tbspn. chopped parsley. Pack mixture in a circle on an oiled cookie sheet or a pizza pan. Try to make sure layer is even and not too thin at the edges as they will burn. Bake in 450F oven for 15 mins. or until potatoes are soft and edges are crisp. Top with your preference in pizza toppings (I used mushrooms and some leftover chicken. Cover generously with cheese. I used cheddar and parmesan. Bake another 5 to 8 minutes until cheese is melted. Allow to cool and cut into wedges.

   Very hot today - hit 30C this afternoon - and very humid after all the recent rain. I got in an hour of tennis this morning before we all expired from the heat. Since then I have stayed indoors with periodic trips outside to empty the bucket that is collecting the drips from the leaky hose that is filling up the pool. Oh, except for a trip to the community centre for a swim. My pool is still a bit on the green side so I wouldn't want to take a dip in it just yet.

Last Planting

   We had a humungous storm last night and the garden is quite saturated. However, the good news is that I had not planted the vegetable plants I got yesterday so they weren't swamped. The weather has been somewhat unpredictable recently. Yesterday was cool - stayed overcast and 12C all day until, late in the evening, it shot up a couple of degrees. This morning early it was already 17C and now (late afternoon) it's 24C but feels like 29C with the humidity resulting from all the rain. Tomorrow's forecast calls for 30C!


Swiss Chard

   The last spot in my tiny vegetable garden is now filled with 4 eggplant and 8 Swiss Chard plants. I love Swiss Chard, especially as I can just take a few leaves at a time and it keeps on growing. My last batch lasted well into the fall so I'm hoping for a good crop this year. It's an excellent substitute for lettuce and spinach. Eggplants are a new crop for me so we'll see how they come along. 

Eggplants

A Dull Day

   Woke up to rain this morning so knew that tennis was off. Phoned to find out how James was - seemingly he threw up a few times after leaving me yesterday - but he is still sick and staying home with Dad today. I had picked up an afternoon job so spent the morning quietly at home, puttering around, nothing too strenuous but catching up on housework.

   The job this afternoon was an easy one, rotating around several classrooms to give teachers release time. One period consisted of only 2 students who were getting reading remediation - right up my street!

   On the way home I dropped by the Garden Centre and picked up some more vegetable plants as I realized I still had room for a few more things. I will get them in tomorrow, with James' help, if he is well enough by then. Dinner tonight is still leftovers - some rice from the paella and two chicken thighs I cooked up in sofrito with a garnish of onions and mushrooms. It was very tasty yesterday and should be even better today. I will cook some brussel sprouts as well for something green. It is still dull but the rain has stopped. The temperature never budged all day, a decidedly inclement 12C. Hope it warms up tomorrow.

Planting Potatoes

Potatoes - Day 1

   I'm trying something new this year: container potatoes. These come in the form of wizened up potatoes from last year that have started to sprout "eyes". I did as instructed and cut each potato into 2 or 3 chunks, each with a couple of sprouts, and planted them in layers in a container with drainage holes. I used "Black Earth" from No Frills as the growing medium and will carefully document their progress over the summer.

   A major problem was where to keep the container as I am a bit tight for space in my back yard. They do, however, need a sunny spot so I settled on the area behind the house which, although it doesn't get sun all day, should get enough late afternoon sun to keep them happy. Time will tell!  I will have to keep reminding myself to water them regularly as that's an area of my garden I rarely visit and tend to neglect. One thing's for sure, the container is too heavy to move now that it's filled so they will have to stay there for this summer.