|
|
Ladybug's Previous Tips |
|
|
|
Ladybug's Previous Tips |
|
Chicken Diane - Loel Hammond
6 to 8 boneless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. Water and 1/4 c. water
3 Eggs
1 c. Parmesan cheese
Bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Oil
2 Tbsp. Parsley
1 Tbsp. Salt
1/4 c. butter
1 c. Whipping Cream
Flour
8 slices Mozzarella Cheese
Coat chicken in flour, then in mixture of 3 eggs, beaten, 3 Tbsp. Water, 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, 1/2 Tbsp. Salt & 1 Tbsp chopped Parsley. Roll in bread crumbs. Heat butter and oil. Brown chicken and place in baking dish.
Cheese Sauce: In saucepan, mix 1 cup whipping cream, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 1 Tbsp. Parsley. Simmer until thickened; pour over chicken. Put a slice of Mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken, Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and cheese melted. Chicken can be browned early, add cheese sauce just before baking.
July heat can play havoc with our gardens. Continue to water your vegetables, herbs and flowers deeply.
Prune suckers off tomato plants and train vines onto cages. Pinch back perennials for fuller plants. Prune up to one-half of new growth off your deciduous fruit trees to control size and shape.
Fertilize vegetables and flowering annuals. Fertilize lawns with 16-16-16 balanced fertilizer time release. Apply on a dry lawn and follow up with a deep watering.
Keep pests in check with a strong jet of water from the hose.
Happy Gardening,
Lady Bug
Perfect for the Fourth of July. If you like, garnish the sundaes with
maraschino cherries, small American flags and edible sugar stars.
3 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
3 1/2 tablespoons framboise eau-de-vie (clear raspberry brandy) or brandy
3 1/2-pint baskets fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Vanilla ice cream
Puree 2 baskets raspberries, preserves and 2 tablespoons brandy in blender. Strain into small bowl, pressing on solids.
Stir 2 baskets blueberries, sugar, 1/4 cup water and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Strain sauce into another small bowl. (Sauces can be made 3 days ahead. Cover separately; chill.)
Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons brandy in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to use, up to 3 hours.
Place 3 scoops of ice cream in each of 6 bowls. Top with remaining fresh berries. Drizzle with raspberry and blueberry sauces. Pipe or spoon whipped cream atop sundaes.
Serves 6
In June, plant late summer flowering annuals and perennials from seed or transplants. It is not too late for some additional summer color. Time to safely plant basil and any other culinary herbs.
Water lawns deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth. Do not water Aloe they do not tolerate summer water.
Prune climbing roses after their spring blooms fade. Remove spent blooms from roses, annuals and perennials weekly. Do not prune tomatoes severely as the leaves shade the fruit and prevent sunburn.
Fertilize citrus with additional iron if the leaves are yellow. Fertilize flowering annuals and warm season vegetables monthly until the end of summer.
Control pests such as ant trails to control aphid infestations. Wash away whiteflies as soon as you see the telltale white spirals under the leaves. Water is the best pesticide. June gloom creates ideal conditions for powdery mildew on roses. Combat by frequently hosing off foliage early in the morning it wash off spores, or spray with tablespoon each baking soda and fine grade horticultural oil diluted in a gallon of water. Avoid spraying when temperatures exceed 85 degrees.
 | Prep Time: 15 minutes |
| Cooking Time: None |
| Makes: 10 servings |
3 cans (5 oz.) chunked chicken, drained
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4 oz.) Ortega Diced Green Chillies, drained
1 can (2.5 oz.) chopped black olives, drained
1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup Best Foods/Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
1 envelope (1.25 oz.) Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
Fresh cut broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, for dipping
1 9-10 inch diameter round loaf bread
Cut deep circle in Top of bread, leaving about 1-inch rim around sides. Lift off top circle of crust; save. Use spoon to hollow out inside of bread, leaving about 1-inch rim around sides and bottom. (For quicker preparation, serve dip in small decorative bowl and use crackers or smaller sliced of bagette bread for dipping or spreading). Mix chicken and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add beans*, chilies and olives. Combine yogurt, mayonaise and taco seasoning and add to chicken mixture. Spoon dip into bread bowl. Top with circle of crust. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with bread or fresh vegetables. * If desired, partially mash beans with a fork to make creamier dip.
For many plants, now is the beginning of their most active growth season. Water more deeply and less frequently to encourage deep, strong roots.
Don’t pull out the faded annuals until they have finished blooming and have formed seeds. Collect them to sow in the fall or mulch them on the flower bed for next year’s color.
Cut out tomato plant suckers and keep main branches supported.
Keep checking irrigation for leaks or broken sprinkler heads.
Problems with sneezing, allergies, weepy eyes when gardening? Here are some ideas that may reduce your discomfort:
Choose your plants carefully. Pick flowering plants that are pollinated by insects, not wind. Insect pollinated plants have heavier pollen that does not blow around much. Examples are daylilies, peonies and irises.
Avoid highly aromatic plants; the odor could trigger allergies.
Plant in early spring when pollen counts are low.
In summer, limit pollen exposure by gardening in late morning or early afternoon or on cloudy or cooler days.
Do not use organic mulches as they may contain fungi.
There is a lot of preparation for Spring gardens that can be done now to save many hours of catch up later. Manage snails to reduce their numbers for the rest of the year. Best method (yuck) is to hand pick them; second choice is collecting them on overturned grapefruit rinds OR a commercial bait. Prepare for whitefly by setting out yellow sticky cards to trap them; especially important around susceptible fuchsias.
You can start your summer vegetables and herb seeds in pots ready for transplanting end of March or early April. Prepare vegetable beds with compost and well rotted manure.
Aerate your lawns to capture the last of the “free” rain and allow for penetration of fertilizer (high nitrogen).
It is time to prune well established fuchsia to encourage bushy growth.
Watch for aphids on new rose growth: blast with water.
Ladybugs’ Gardening Tips . . .
Believe it or not; Spring is just around the corner. In February, once the weather warms, you can start to fertilize your garden. Use a slow release organic
fertilizer.
Feed citrus and avocado this month giving them a quarter of their yearly recommended
nitrogen ration.
To prevent crabgrass from germinating apply a pre-emergent herbicide to lawns toward the end of February.
By now you have pruned your roses and sprayed with sulphur. Hold off pruning tropicals like hibiscus as it is too early to encourage growth. Also wait to prune spring flowering shrubs until after they bloom.
Ladybugs’ Gardening Tips . . .
It is time to begin dormant
season pruning of roses. Ensure your
pass through pruners are clean to prevent spreading disease.
Remember to cut on a 45
degree angle just above a bud (meaning a bump you feel as you run your fingers
down the cane) that faces outward.
Remove all dead wood and
branches that cross inward. Put Elmer’s wood glue on top of big cuts to seal
from pests. For climbing roses, cut
back to main canes or framework.
Ladybugs’
Gardening Tips . . .
Gardening has wound down for a while and things may be looking a little
dreary if you didn’t plant any color bowls of pansies, violas, etc. yet.
If it is too early to decorate the house for Christmas, how can you add a
little color without too much effort? Wildflowers!
Just scratch around in the soil, sprinkle your favorite wildflower seeds,
rake lightly to cover and water. Presto!
Instant color for very little work. Continue
to water to keep surface moist until the rains come.
Time to spray fruit trees with a sulphur mix.
I neglected to do so and I see leaf curl attacking my lime tree.
Until the New Year…
Lynn Parke’s Pumpkin Pie Cake
1 (1 lb) can pumpkin
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 box yellow cake mix (about 2
cups)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped sliced almonds or
pecans
Preheat oven to 325.
Spray 9x13 baking pan with non-stick vegetable
Get ready to plant! Yes, I mean plant. The air cools down toward the end of the month but the earth stays warm – a winning
combination for successful planting. Violas, pansies, nasturtiums, lettuce, kale, spinach, cilantro, dill and garlic all respond well. Plant perennial herbs such as rosemary, tarragon, lemon grass and thyme.
Reset your automatic sprinklers once the weather cools. Water less often but for the same amount of time each time you water.
Cut stems of Bird of Paradise to the ground once the stem has flowered.
It is back to hand picking snails and slugs from the garden. Early morning picking yields the most prolific results! My husband used to pay his daughter, age 6, a penny a snail. Not a bad idea but I think the price per snail has probably gone up in the last thirty years!
A lovely center piece for your dining table at Thanksgiving could include pomegranates as well as miniature pumpkins.
