Five-Minute Southern Slaw

It's just starting to heat up in South Carolina. Once it hits the mid-80s, there's no going back until October. It's helpful when I can fix a quick side that doesn't heat up the kitchen by not using the oven. Tonight, I made Southern Slaw to fit the bill. It's also a nice dish to make when soccer practice (in our case, swim team practice) keeps you away from home until it's actually past time to eat dinner. Having quick fix meals on the routine menu are necessary around my house.

Other than my mom's slaw, I've never seen anyone use tomatoes in a slaw recipe. I want you to try it; the addition of tomatoes in a cabbage-based slaw adds a little something extra nice.

Five-Minute Southern Slaw

1/2 head of cabbage
two tomatoes cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of white wine vinegar
pinch of sugar
2-3 Tbsp. light olive-oil mayonnaise
1-2 tsp. mustard

Wash and cut the half cabbage into two wedges. Slice each wedge into thin strips and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise and mustard to suit your taste, until the cabbage is no longer dry but is not saturated. Toss well with a set of salad tongs or two forks. Then add the vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Last, add the tomato chunks and toss lightly together. Serves 4.

I served this last night with baked chicken strips and sweet potato fries. It would also pair well with baked or fried fish or in place of a side salad with an entree.

Enjoy!

Have a happy day,
TCB

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When the River Floods

We had lots of rain last week. After a couple of days of heavy rain, with the addition of heavy rains upstream from our house, the banks of the river flooded.

The land on this side of the far trees used to be all green grass.

Suddenly, the fire pit was under water. We held our breath to see if it would make it or be swept away with the current.

After about two days, the water receded. The fire pit made it - and so did the canoes. Yahoo!

While the water was swirling around on our land, my son did what any good red-blooded country boy would do.

He went fishing and caught a bream.

And saved a baby turtle by expediting its trip down to the water. (Baby T had just hatched up on the hill and was making its way down to the water).

There's so much to learn in the country even when homeschool is not officially in session!

Love,
TCB

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Something's Burning in the Country

Save Money on Family Night

We are on a mission to pay off our house mortgage. We're pretty close, so we're being extra frugal. It's our habit to eat out on Friday nights, but we're mixing it up a little now. Sometimes, we will just eat in and save lots of cash. Haven't you noticed how expensive restaurant meals have gotten?

More infrequent dining out can save some serious cash over the course of a year. We aren't cutting out restaurants altogether, of course. To keep me out of the kitchen on Friday nights, I sometimes resort to pizza. Most frozen pizza is not that tasty, however, and we live far enough out that no pizza delivery guy will make the trip. Plus, delivery is kind of cheating, and that doesn't save very much money.

You all have read about my good experiences shopping at Aldi and the grocery dollars I am able to stretch because of it. I have mostly enjoyed my purchases from the store, but there is one thing I buy at Aldi my family loves.

Pizza!

Aldi's brand of refrigerated pizza from the deli case is very good. In fact, we like it better than many restaurants' versions. I can walk out of the store with two huge pizzas, feed my family for pizza/movie night, have leftovers for lunch the next day, and spend only $10.

Pizza is a special treat food - I admit it's not the healthiest choice out there - but it makes for an inexpensive, fun family night.

When I pay off the mortgage, I'll invite y'all to a big party on the deck.

Love,
TCB

Something's Burning in the Country

When living in a rural area with a few acres to tend, it's inevitable there will be heavy yard work and maintenance. We are surrounded by hardwood trees, which are quite beautiful but sometimes messy. Take for instance spring pollen season. (We're finished this season, hallelujah! Here's how I deal with that and the mess it makes.)

Besides pollen, our hardwood trees often fall. Whenever we have heavy rains followed by heavy wind, I close my eyes and start praying they'll fall the other way. And by other way, I mean NOT on my roof.

We have found a solution to lots of excess wood.

The pyromania evident in my son from a young age is very satisfied.

Mr. Country Belle, however, needed something larger for the land down by the river.

Why do men like fire so much?

If I lived here alone, I probably would never build a fire. I would just call a nice, burly man with a chainsaw and a big truck. Oh wait, I have that now, only Mr. Country Belle has never been accused of being burly. (I feel a hint of dislike coming on for someone close to *ahem* a certain age that doesn't think twice about weight gain. But I digress....)

Here's the story:

Just a few days ago, Mr. Country Belle said to me (casually, I might add): "The tree in the side yard looks dead. I don't see any leaves on it."

I didn't notice the lack of leaves. After all, spring just started and the tree was lively and healthy last year.

I took a peek.

Uh-oh. I smell something burning.

Happy Day to you! (I'll be out in the side yard trying to nurse a tree back to life before Mr. Country Belle gets back with the chainsaw).

Love,
TCB

Sneaky Fairy

There's a magical fairy that lives in my home. I think she must like Mr. Country Belle. She always grants his every wish.

Each day or night, all he has to say is what he needs.

"I need more shampoo."

Voila! That same night, or at least within 24 hours, the thing appears. I snapped this photo a mere 30 seconds after the request was made one night this week. She works so fast! What's her secret?

She also brings things my son requests. (I think she has a thing for my boys).

She brought this just the other day lickety-split.

So, I've decided to make a wish and see if the magical fairy will respond to me.

Here goes...

"I wish for 3 days off - from work, being a school marm, and the whole nine yards."

[Crickets]

Why is she keeping me waiting?

Maybe I should just wish for an iced coffee and leave it at that.

Love,
TCB

Spring Planting Time

It's time for spring garden planting. I am still using the"square foot gardening" method I used the last couple of years. That may seem strange considering we have land to spare living in a rural area, but somewhere along the way I got tired of fighting weeds and deer. Plus, our family is small, so a couple of square-foot gardens are perfect for our needs.

The beauty of a contained, raised garden bed is that once you mix your soil the first year, there is really not much follow-up for subsequent years. Just a trowel-full of compost into each "square" before planting, and you're ready to go.

This year, I mixed commercial mushroom compost with my own backyard compost, made from decomposed fruit and vegetable scraps, yard debris, and chicken manure. (Those chickens are good for something besides eggs. It's a 2-for-1 deal).

Doesn't that look like rich soil?

I'm into simple. This bed contains herbs - rosemary, lemon balm, and thyme with a space left for basil - and vegetables - broccoli and squash. The screen contraption is the only way I can keep out deer and rabbits and supposedly domesticated critters like cats.

This bed is all about the tomatoes - four different kinds. The best part of summer is home-grown tomatoes. I squeezed in a little cilantro and parsley. I love herbs for cooking and fresh ones make a big difference. They are expensive at the grocery store but so easy to grow!

Hope this inspires you to plant a garden even if you only have a small patio. Herbs and tomatoes will grow wonderfully there!

Happy Spring,
TCB

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More Lessons Learned from Pets

Here's Day 2 of some of the instructions I've received from my number one furry friend just by watching her go about her daily business. If you missed Day 1, here's a link to Lessons Learned from Pets.

Get dressed up sometimes. It will make you feel happy, just because.

Let it all hang out sometimes. (See note above).

When the work (or play) is done, for goodness' sake, take a rest.

We're having a happy rainy day down South. Hope you are having a happy one, too.

TCB