Chinese Chicken Salad

Tonight I'm having a girl's party and everyone is bringing their favorite summer appetizer or dessert.  I made Ina Garten's chinese chicken salad and it is super tasty.  As my friend warned, you end up with about twice the amount of peanut sauce that you need.  So use about half on the salad (or whatever amount you prefer) and use the rest as a dip for assorted veggies. 

This salad was a big success and the dip was too!

Double whammy. One recipe equals two dishes... an appetizer and a salad or main course!

*To save time, use a whole roasted chicken from the supermarket!

Chinese Chicken Salad, courtesy of Ina Garten

4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Click here for online recipe courtesy of Food Network.

Shortcakes and Fruit

In addition to the chinese chicken salad, I made little shortcakes with strawberries and peaches with fresh whipped whip cream for dessert.  This is one of my favorite spring/summer dessert staples.  The shortcakes take only a few minutes to whip up and you can top with any fruit that is in season.

Shortcakes with Fresh Fruit

2 1/3 c. Bisquick mix
1/2 c. milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/2 c. whipping cream

Fresh fruit of your choice. I like combining strawberries with another fruit.
1/4 c. sugar

Heat oven to 425°F.

In large bowl, mix sliced fruit and 1/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on how ripe fruit is). Set aside.

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.*

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. I occasionally sprinkle about a tablespoon of fine sugar while mixing to sweeten the whipped cream.

Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

*For the party, I divided dough in to 12 small shortcakes which are a great size after a big meal.

Gone Fishin'!

Today we attended a fun birthday party at a u-fish trout farm!  I LOVE to fish, so when daddy and Blake couldn't catch anything I was more than happy to take over.  Momma caught a lovely 8" trout, maybe enough for a single serving appetizer for a toddler?

And, in a way only a mom can, no one was there to help with a net so I just raised the pole, grabbed the fish with my hand and was assisted by my friend Samar (another mom!) to get the hook out.  All while Charlotte was strapped to me.  Pretty comical.

And yes, I did attempt to cook my massive catch.  I took one bite. 

Peach Pie

Today I made an amazing peach pie and crust from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible cookbook.  Such an amazing treat when you've got ripe peaches.  The whole house smells so good!  Email me if you want the recipe!

Letting the peaches drain after sitting in a sugar mixture...

Reducing the sugar and other ingredients to be poured on top of peaches.

Getting everything ready to be piled in the pie crust!

The finished product was so worth the effort!



Goat Cheese Medallion Salad

One of my favorite cheeses is chevre, or goat cheese.  Such a yummy, creamy flavor that pairs well with crackers, pears, chicken, and even salads!  Below is one of my absolute favorite salads.

Place mixed greens on two salad plates and garnish with sliced peaches or nectarines.  Sprinkle some toasted sliced almonds.  I don't add dressing until right before I place the goat cheese medallions on the salad.  Typically I use a nice fruity vinegrette.  Put salad plates in fridge to stay chilled.

I take one little container or sleeve of plain goat cheese and divide in to four.  With your hands shape in to four discs.  Put in fridge to chill.  Meanwhile, beat one egg in a dish, and in another dish sprinkle about a cup of plain breadcrumbs, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of kosher salt.  I also like to add a small bunch of crumbled/sliced almonds to breadcrumbs.

Melt some butter in a nonstick skillet. 

Dip each cheese medallion in to egg and gently transfer to breadcrumbs and thoroughly coat.  Place coated cheese in to skillet and let brown.  Turn over after a couple minutes so both sides can brown.

Meanwhile remove salad plates from fridge and sprinkle with vinegrette.  Carefully transfer the browned cheese medallions to top of salad and enjoy!

Peach Pie

Today I made a peach pie.  Super ripe peaches in a slice of warm pie is irresistable.  If you want the recipe please let me know!

Brownies

Tonight I'm hosting a pool party for the alumnae association I belong to.  To get in the sorority spirit I made some brownies and gave them a personal touch. 

You can do this with any dark or chocolate cake/brownie and powdered sugar. 

If you have a larger cake you can lay a doilie on top of the cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Gently lift up doilie and wah-lah!  A beautiful design!

To make the Kappa and Gamma above, I cut the letters out of stiff cardboard that the brownie mix came in.  GASP.  Yes, I used brownie mix.  I know, not really my style, but we're running low on time people!  I cut the brownies and then lay the K and Γ randomly throughout the pan and sprinkled the powdered sugar.

Have fun with this!

Got Milk?

Coolest thing ever!  Well, for chocolate milk lovers, anyways.  These special 'straws' turn regular milk in to chocolate milk as you sip!  They run about $2 for a 5 pack, and come in a variety of flavors.  I bought ours at our local grocery and finally gave one to Blake today as a reward.

He thought it was so cool!  The milk in his glass was white, but as you suck the milk through the straw, the little chocolate beads turn the milk to chocolate flavored.  He let me have a sip because I was very curious, and I thought it tasted really good.  Whoever came up with this idea was pretty clever.

The straw has seals at both ends so the flavor beads don't fall out.  Very genious, and great for travel if you wanted a little treat and don't want to pay for chocolate milk. 

The straw lasted for one big glass of milk. 

Dirty Hippy

I'd like a tall, iced, nonfat, vanilla, dirty hippy chai latte please!

Translated? A soy chai latte with a shot of espresso and vanilla.

If you like chai but find the flavor too sweet, ask for a dirty hippy chai latte (soy) or a dirty chai latte (milk).  This is my absolute favorite coffee shop drink ever!  I dislike the flavor of coffee and the chai masks it perfectly.  Unfortunately, this bad boy (or dirty hippy) in Tall size will set you back about $4.25 at most of the big chain shops.  It is usually less at the independent spots due to either lack of knowledge or better pricing.  Or both...

Try one.  They're pretty amazing. 

Today, after my oh so good dirty chai, I kept the cup and replaced all the contents with a Los Brisos cocktail.  Yes. I turned my Tully's cup in to a 'Traveler'. (Traveler - cup for alcoholic beverage on the go)

We don't do glass by the pool, and I haven't washed our acrylic glasses... still in the box!  So, a Tully's cup will do.  And, I think I have now found the perfect way to camouflage a cocktail during a tailgate party, trick-or-treating or any other random event.  No, I do not have a drinking problem.  But there are occasions where a cocktail with friends would be nice, like a concert at the park!

Garden Update

Today B and I checked out the veggie garden and pulled a few carrots and cut some broccoli.  The largest carrot measured about 6" and a good 2" across.  It was very fat and they all tasted so good!

The broccoli florets are small, but they have the best smell and flavor!

And our experiment?  Attempting to fry an egg on the sidewalk.  Okay, so total waste of time and an egg.  But, it did start to solidify after a few minutes.  Tony was right though, we needed to crack the egg directly on the cement or brick instead of a pan.  Almost 100 degrees outside and our pool patio is too hot to walk on with bare feet.

File this last picture under waste of protein.

Shaped Pancakes

Train shaped pancake with steam clouds. The chocolate chip '1' is for Thomas the Train...

Everybody likes a special pancake now and then. B loves his trains.  When I make a sandwich for his lunch he requests 'train shape'.  Thank goodness for train shaped cookie cutters!

I think most have attempted 'Mickey Mouse' ears or heart shaped pancakes by carefully dropping pancake batter.  But, to get a specific shape is super easy!

Grab your favorite cookie cutters.  Spray generously with cooking spray and place greased cookie cutter on your heated griddle or fry pan.  Let cutter heat up for a minute or two, then pour in pancake batter to about 1/4" thick (once you try it a few times you can decide more or less batter..). 

You'll need to let the pancake cook for longer than normal - wait until bubbles are appearing throughout top of pancake and edges appear to firm up.

SLOWLY pull cookie cutter straight up and then flip pancake to cook other side.  Once flipped the pancake doesn't need much more cooking time.

It may take a few attempts to get the hang of this. But once you do, it is so much fun!  Trains, flowers, football helmets, letters... almost any shaped cookie cutter works. 

Do try one that doesn't have a lot of tiny points for better results.

Blueberry Crumb Cake?

Recently I was made aware of a fun baking blog called Bake or Break.  I saw a recipe for a Blueberry Crumb Cake that requires three cups of blueberries.  Perfect because I have about four cups of them sitting in my fridge about to go bad.

I made this cake for a dessert when Tonya and Austin come over for dinner tonight.

The batter for cake is pretty thick.

Three cups of blueberries scattered over the cake batter base.

The finished product.

We all enjoyed this dessert.  But I think it should be renamed Blueberry Coffee Cake.  It had the distinct flavor of a breakfast treat and did not hit the spot for dessert.  Maybe a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would have helped?  But, if I were to make this again I would serve for breakfast.

Definitely go ahead and give this recipe a try.  We all scarfed it down for dessert, and we all scarfed it down for breakfast the next morning.  It is pretty light and highlights the blueberries well.

This recipe is originally from Rick Malgieri's Perfect Cakes book.

Blueberry Crumb Cake, Rick Malgieri/Perfect Cakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9″x 13″baking pan with foil and butter the foil.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Using a heavy-duty mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until soft and light (about 5 minutes). Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

On low speed, add half the flour mixture and mix well. Add yolks, mixing well, then add remaining flour mixture.

Scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top. Scatter blueberries over the batter.

Crumb Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in melted butter and combine with your fingers until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the berries.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake is firm. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Hot Wings Chicken Dip

Whenever I make this recipe I usually don't have many, if any, leftovers.  Everyone loves a hot wing slathered in blue cheese dressing, so why not combine the two in to a dip?  Genious!  This is a perfect tailgate or Super Bowl appetizer and any leftovers are pretty tasty wrapped inside a small torilla...

Serve with the bigger sized Fritos and large celery sticks good for scooping. I also like to include sliced carrots as well as red grapes for a little palate refresher. 

Tonight we'll be bringing this as a heavy appetizer to the Medina Days concert in the park. Such a fun evening to try and catch up with friends while chasing your kids around the playground!

Hot Wings Chicken Wing Dip

4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
8 oz cream cheese
½ jar of Blue Cheese Dressing
8-10oz Mozzarella, shredded
1 Bottle Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
Fritos & celery to serve

Simmer the shredded chicken and Frank’s hot sauce on stove for 20 min.

In a 9x12 casserole smear cream cheese on bottom, add chicken mixture, ½ bottle of dressing and mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (after 20 minutes stir mixture in pan and put back in oven). Serve with Frito’s chips and celery.

Note - It is better to keep this dip semi-warm while serving.

B.L.A.T.

Yup, it is true.  I dislike tomatoes.  They are mushy, smooshy, and have a very odd flavor.  But, I do love ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and even caprese salad if the tomato is extremely firm. I also love growing tomatoes but only because they are super easy.

Get a grape or cherry tomato near me and I will run away.

But when I saw this massive softball sized heirloom tomato at the market I couldn't resist. I had to have it.  Bonus - it was also very firm!  I also purchased applewood smoked bacon, a perfect avocado and fresh sourdough bread.  The makings of a perfect BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato).

And the best side for a hearty BLAT?  Sweet potato fries of course!

Bourbon Peach Hand Pies

I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite cooking blogs. It looked too good to resist, and a perfect picnic dessert while watching the Blue Angels today!

I made the pie dough the night before so it had plenty of time to chill in the fridge.  There is a lot of chilling time involved between steps.  I did skimp on a few of these 'chills' and I think it turned out fine.  Once the dough is made, the rest is pretty straight forward, but messy.

Dough cut in to 4" circles (next time I will make them bigger so they can hold more filling!).

My 4" circles could barely hold one tablespoon of filling.  Not too pleased by this, but again, will make bigger circles next time.

Folded over and sealed with fork tines, and ready for the oven!

What a fun and unique way to serve a pie.  It was perfect for our picnic and they were still slightly warm!

Bourbon Peach Hand Pies, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Makes 14 to 24, depending on cutter size.  I made 20 with a 4" cutter.

For the pastry:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks, 8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 c. sour cream

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. ice water

For the filling:

2 pounds of peaches (I used 4 peaches and had lots of leftover filling...)

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp bourbon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

One egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water (for egg wash)

Coarse sanding sugar, for decoration

To make the pastry, in a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored at this point for up to one month in the freezer.

Divide the refrigerated dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut seven circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and chilling process with the remaining half of dough. (I used a 4-inch cutter–if you can call a “cutter” the tin edge of the container that holds my smaller round cutters–and managed to get 12 from each dough half, after rerolling the scraps.)

Make the filling: Peel and chop the peaches into small bits (approx. 1/2-inch dice), much smaller than you’d use for a regular-sized pie. Mix them with the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the bourbon and vanilla, if you wish.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature until just pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons filling (use the smaller amount for a 4-inch circle) onto one half of each circle of dough. Quickly brush a little cold water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a semicircle. Seal the hand pie, and make a decorative edge by pressing the edges of the dough together with the back of a fork. Repeat process with remaining dough. Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, cut a small slit in each and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash. Sprinkle sanding sugar generously over the pies, and place pies in the oven to bake. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and just slightly cracked, about 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven, and let stand to cool slightly before serving.

Chicken and Bacon Sandwich

Sometimes you just want a sandwich for dinner.  It is hot out and you don't really want to deal with anything.  I bbq'd some chicken breasts, and baked some bacon in the oven (much less messy than cooking on stovetop).

To cook bacon in the oven, place a big sheet of foil in a cookie sheet.  Turn up the edges of foil so it acts like a pan to catch drippings, and to hopefully keep your cookie sheet pretty clean.  Put a metal drying rack over foil and lay bacon across.

Place sheet in a 400-415 degree oven and bake for about 10 minutes.  Turn bacon and cook a couple more minutes or until desired crispness.

Our sandwiches featured bbq'd chicken breast, sliced avocado, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, and mayo that I mixed with some lemon zest.  Pretty tasty combo!

Ancho Braised Beef

This may be one of my new all time favorite meals.  I kept seeing the recipe in our family cookbook and I finally decided to try it.  It is from my cousin Kelley and she is a great cook, so knowing it is something her family really likes is a good selling point.

Luckily it was a very chilly summer day when I made this.  It is more suitable for fall or winter due to the rich flavors.  This would also be excellent for a dinner party because you can make it the day before.  Don't be surprised if I serve this to you when you come over!  We can't wait to make it again.

Note - I realized I didn't have whole, dried ancho chilies when I got home from store.  So instead I used 1tsp dried ancho chili powder.  3 chilies will typically equal 1 tsp powder, but always be cautious depending on spice level you want and if children will be eating.  You can always add more spice - you can't take spice away!  With my 1tsp there was no heat...

Ancho Braised Beef

3lb Beef Chuck, trimmed and cut into large pieces

Vegetable Oil

2 onions, sliced

4 slices bacon – tie in a ball

4 ancho chilies, buy dried – cut off top and dump out seeds

1 oz garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp thyme

3/4 tsp oregano

2 oz tomato paste

5 c. beef broth (I prefer low sodium broth)

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Brown meat in vegetable oil in groups, set aside. Sauté onions until brown, add garlic and spices.

Add stock & tomato paste. Then add the dried anchos and bacon "ball".

In a large baking tray, add beef and pour liquid mixture over. Cover with foil.

Bake 375 degrees for 1 ½ hours. Pull out chilies and scrape pulp. Add pulp back to pan. Bake 1 more hour.

*If liquid is still runny, pull out beef and place pan over cooktop and reduce until thickened (boil over med high for 20 minutes or so)

I like to cook the day before. Cool and put pan in fridge. Bake for 350 degrees 45 minutes the night you want to eat.

Serve over polenta cooked with green chilies and Monterey Jack cheese.

*I had never made polenta before today.  Talk about easiest thing ever!  Takes about ten minutes to make the below recipe I created, and so tasty.  A definite must for the ancho braised beef.

Polenta with Green Chilies and Monterey Jack Cheese

Corn Meal - I used Albers Yellow Corn Meal, and followed directions for 6 servings

4-8oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (depending on your love of cheese)

1 small can of chopped mild green chilies

Follow directions on side of box to make polenta.  Once polenta appears smooth I added the chilies and cheese and stirred.  Serve immediately and top with ancho braised beef.

For another take, you could make polenta in advance and place in a pyrex style dish and store in fridge.  When ready to serve, cut firmed up polenta in to large squares and then pan fry.  Serve with ancho braised beef on top.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos

My aunt gave me this recipe and I've made it quite a few times recently.  It is quick to make and Tony raves about it every time.

The beans, red peppers, avocado and scallions waiting for the shrimp.

The tasty cilantro lime-salsa verde dressing.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and steamed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ c. sliced scallions or green onions
¼ tsp pepper
1¼ c. red bell peppers chopped in 1 inch pieces (optional)
1 medium avocado, peeled and diced
¼ c. chopped, fresh cilantro
¼ c. bottled salsa verde
2 Tbsp lime juice
8 flour tortillas (6 inch) 
*I use larger tortillas and we make giant tacos.  You'll have enough shrimp to make 6 servings.

Mix in a large bowl the cooked shrimp, beans, peppers, scallions, avocado. Occasionally I will cut the cooked shrimp in half for more kid friendly bites.

To make dressing, combine cilantro, salsa and lime juice.

Heat tortillas, fill with shrimp mix and drizzle with dressing. Serve as a wrap.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

For some reason I was craving chocolate chip cookies today.  Maybe its the cold weather or the fact that we have nothing but ice cream as a dessert in our house right now.  I have never made this recipe before and I do recommend it.  The cookies spread a little more than I prefer.  But, they are very chewy in the center - the key is to pull them out before the middle appears fully cooked.  Chilling the dough slightly before making in to balls and cooking helps too.

Optional additional ingredients for this recipe include toasted pecans or walnuts and shredded sweetened coconut.  I never add anything to my chocolate chippers. But I decided to bend my rule and was SO glad I did! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies, The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook
makes about 24

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. walnuts (I used pecans), toasted and chopped
1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Position rack in center of oven.

Stir the first three ingredients in bowl and set aside.

Stir together the egg and vanilla in bowl and set aside.

Mix together the butter and sugars until just mixed.  Add egg mixture and beat well, about 10 seconds.  Reduce speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate, walnuts and coconut.

Spray 2 baking sheets with vegetable oil cooking spray or line with parchment (I used parchment).

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough  at least 2" apart onto the prepared sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 10-12* minutes (they will seem underdone). Let the cookies cool on sheets for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks and let cool completely.

*Note - I always set my timer for a good 1-2 minutes less than a recipe calls for.  Its always good to check your cookies or cakes in advance in case your sizing varies from recipe or your oven bakes hot/cold.

Garden Update

Today the garden is in full gear.  Pumpkins and zucchinis are in full bloom and there are even a few golf ball sized pumpkins beginning to form (stay AWAY rabbits!).  Broccoli heads are growing, carrots are thriving, tomatoes are plumping, onions are attempting to enlarge (though a little crowded out by the carrots), and the potato plants are slowly chugging along.  Our fave item so far are the snap peas.  Blake and I pick a handful almost every day and he scarfs them down.

Even a few wild strawberries have made their appearance in our yard in many random places.  Between the bricks by our BBQ, between rocks by the pool, and crammed under an azalea on the opposite end of the yard.  I added some store bought strawberry plants by our dining room to copy our neighbor.  They have an amazing strawberry patch in their completely unbelieveable back yard... talk about garden/flower/peaceful setting jealousy!

One of the wild plants:

The only plant that has not thrived are the raspberries.  One died and the other is slowly coming along. I know these can take a few years to mature, but I was being impatient and hoped I'd be picking plump berries this summer.  The memories of spending the day at my grandparents' house and going to pick raspberries to top my cereal... yum.