And the winner of the container gardening tip contest is…
Few weeks ago, I entered a container gardening tip contest over at Life on the Balcony. In order to participate I had to submit a great container tip and the prize was a choice of six Botanical Interests seed packets. I'm happy to report that I am the winner! Here's my container gardening tip:
"I’ve got one! When you buy plants from the nursery, instead of throwing out the plastic containers that came with the plant, recycle them and use them as drainage materials at the bottom of a big container. This way the container is less heavy and you don’t need to use as much dirt to fill up the container"
Look what I got in the mail! The seeds have arrived! I'm really excited because I didn't buy any seeds this year and from all the good things I've read about Botanical Interests, I'm sure I'll have lots of success with these. The problem now is trying to find space to plant them!
I don't know if it's a mistake or what but I found an extra seed packet in the box! So I got a total of seven!
A very nice pamphlet in the box that tells you everything about seed starting.
Hopefully the weather cooperates in the next couple of weeks so I can plant them outside. In the meantime, please check out Life on the Balcony, you'll find lots of excellent container gardening tips and inspiration, and also fun contests like this one.
Halloween cake decorating
Went to a cake decorating class with my co-worker today! I rarely bake and if I do I usually make simple stuff like banana cake, muffins, and small pastries. I always admire people who makes those beautiful wedding cakes and they make it look so easy! So I thought why not try and see if I can do this. This was an introductory class so when we got there the cakes were baked already. We were provided with utensils, buttercream, and fondant. That's basically what you need to make a cake! Like what the instructor told us, it's not the ingredients that make the cake expensive, it's the decoration and level of difficulty that makes it expensive.
I was excited to learn that we would be making a pumpkin-shaped cake. Sounds easy, right? I love to eat and cook, so how hard can a pumpkin cake be? The instructor demonstrated each step and we all followed. I had no idea this was so tough! I was constantly trying to fix the cake and I just made it worst! But it was a really fun experience. I think I'lljust stick with baking... cake decorating is just too hard!
Bacon cheddar deviled eggs
I had some free time today (finally!) and decided to make deviled eggs to bring to work tomorrow. We're having this breakfast pot-luck party for a co-worker who recently got married. Everyone is bringing donuts, cookies, etc. I thought why not make something in advance and bring to work the next day. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, this is a site I always go to for cooking ideas. I love it because you can read people's reviews and see if the recipe actually works. I've tried normal deviled eggs before but this one calls for cheddar and bacon. Bacon makes everything taste good!
Ingredients:
12 eggs
1/2 cup light mayo
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Directions:
1. If you have time, turn the eggs lengthwise the night before so when you boil them, the yolk is perfectly centered.
2. Put eggs in a pot with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 15 minutes. Remove from hot water and place them in a pot of cold water, I put ice in the water to make it cool faster. Ice also makes peeling the egg shells faster and easier.
3. You can brown bacon on a skillet but I put them in a paper towel and cook in the microwave. One minute per slice. I used a food chopper to make bacon bits.
4. Peel the egg shells and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks in a bowl. Use a fork to mash egg yolks, add mayo, Dijon mustard, chopped bacon and cheese.
5. To fill the egg whites, you can use the cark decorating utensils to make it fancy. Sprinkle some paparika and you're done! Refrigerate it until the next day.
