Slow Roasted Tomatoes of Perfection and Deliciousness

Perhaps your garden is full of cherry tomatoes like mine. Or roma tomatoes. Or whatever kind of tomato. And perhaps you LOVE tomatoes but are running low on tomato-prep ideas. Or perhaps you LOVE tomatoes and therefore want to eat them in every imaginable way. Or perhaps you DESPISE tomatoes, but are willing to try them in a new way you have never experienced before. Whatever your feelings on tomatoes, you simply must try turning your tomatoes into these...


There are, let's see, *counting to self* - about ZERO steps to this process. It is the easiest thing in the world. But it is the one summer food that, year after year, my friends and family come to me begging for more of. Let me tell you about these slow roasted tomatoes after the jump...
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Garden Bounty

I've been keeping you up-to-date on our Backyard Farm adventures this summer, just like I did last year. Scarlet and I have been having a blast tending to our garden and cooking and pickling our bounty. Everything was going swimmingly, until I went on a 10-day vacation and a So-Cal summer heat wave set in. We lost a few precious leafy friends, but we also came home to a gorgeous bounty...so gorgeous I couldn't resist snapping a few pics and sharing them with you.

Indulge me as I share some pics of our garden bounty, if only you could all come over and have a taste...
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How to Make A Simple Canvas Awning

This awning is the simplest thing in the world. After struggling with how to provide some shade over the pallet bed I made for My New Backyard, I finally abandoned all my crazy plans and got back to basics. Though it's not particularly fancy, I love the way my canvas awning turned out.

Let me show you how I made my simple awning, maybe you will find some inspiration...
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How to Build a Pallet Daybed

The highlight of My New Backyard patio redecorating scheme has most definitely been this pallet daybed. I really wanted a place to sleep outside with my daughter, and a comfy couch to relax on with friends. I didn't have the funds to invest in a fancy piece of outdoor furniture, and I knew that with the weather as it is in Los Angeles, I could leave this outside pretty much all summer. I also knew that I would, at some point, need to move it under the awning to keep it dry, so I put it on wheels. And finally, I knew I would need arms, because I'm just not comfy on a couch without arms. So here is the DIY Pallet Daybed I came up with.



I built this myself, with no help at all, in just a few days. I'm a crafty person and comfortable with tools, but I'm not an advanced woodworker by any stretch of the imagination, and this project was simple enough for me, so I know you can do it if you want to. Let me show you how to make your own DIY Pallet Daybed after the jump.
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Sweet Zucchini Pickles Recipe

What to do with all of the zucchini taking over your backyard farm this time of year?

Here's an easy and delicious way to put them to good use: Just slice 'em up and...

Make Sweet Zucchini Pickles! You can make zucchini pickles of any flavor (our Easy Peasy Spicy Pickles recipe works well), but I have been experimenting with a sweeter taste. I hope you like it! Get my Sweet Zucchini Pickles Recipe after the jump...
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12 Edible Flowers and How to Cook with Them

As y'all know, I love gardening. In fact, my daughter and I take great joy in cultivating our little Backyard Farm we keep updating you on. For the most part we grow vegetables, but we also have gorgeous roses bushes and bulbs that deliver beautiful flowers throughout the year, which we snip and display around the house or bring to school for teacher. These colorful little blossoms bring a little dose of happiness wherever they go, and growing and using them is a great activity for bonding with your children and teaching them about nature and where food comes from. This year we are also cultivating some edible flowers that we can use to display, cook with, and even give away as little gifts. Let me tell you about 12 Edible Flowers you can grow at home, what they taste like, and how to use these edible flowers in your recipes in a variety of ways here: 12 Edible Flowers You can Grow at Home and How to Use Them.

I know there are so many more edible flowers, tell us what we missed in the comments!

To My New Backyard (A Love Letter)

Back in May I asked you for help turning my patio into a place of relaxation and beauty (prudently). I gave you a whole rundown of the scenario and a bunch of before pics and you offered up fantastic suggestions that had me all excited to redecorate (or, umm, just actually decorate). Since then I've been diligently working away, parsing out my American Express Membership Rewards points to avoid spending cash and DIYing just about every detail. I can't wait to share my source list, show you how to build a pallet daybed (with arms!), block print your own fabric, make fabric tassel garlands, sew embroidered seat cushions, ombre dye bedding, and more. You can learn a little more about the elements on Design Sponge today too. But for now, I just wanted to share the transformation with you in this little time lapse video. I can't wait to hear what you think.

P.S. If you watch closely you can see me toasting the Prudent Mamas with a glass of champagne at one point. XO

P.P.S. That amazing song is by Twin Sister.

UPDATE: See the photo spread and source list here.

Backyard Farm Update

That's my office on most warm days. I'm a lucky woman. The view? Me & Scarlet's Backyard Farm. After the joy of last year's experimentation, we went at it with gusto this spring. Here is the hill 6 weeks ago (after we scoped out the situation, tilled, and planted seeds, which I posted about here: Backyard Farm Year 2):

And here it is today:

Yum!






Yay! Here's what we've been discovering (and eating!) in this year's backyard farm. I've got pics, tips, and questions for you (advice, please) after the jump...
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Help! A Courtyard in Which to Hold Court!

Last week, Jaime introduced you to our exciting Summer project. Each of us are giving a social space in our home a makeover using gifted American Express Membership Rewards Points. Lucky!!! Jaime chose her back patio and I chose my front-entry courtyard-type space. It's one of my favorite spots in the house but also one of the most neglected. It has so much potential but I just haven't done anything with it. Let me take you for a little tour and tell you what I have in mind. I could really use your advice and ideas! Thanks Prudent mamas! Oh, and I should mention that all the kiddo stuff and grill is in the backyard so this is really a space for beauty and adult relaxation ie. drinking sangria with my girlfriends. Where were we? Back to the tour...

This is the path to my front door. So far, so good. Then you walk in the gate and see...

Cement. Lots of cement. So what do we do?...
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Help! How Do I Turn My Deck Into a Place of Relaxation and Beauty?

Jacinda and I are on a mission this summer. We've both lived in our homes for about two years and we want to finally get around to creating beautiful (yet prudent) outdoor spaces, but we need your help. So I'm gonna go first and ask (beg?) for your thoughts. Y'all know I like to wax poetic about my garden (like when I've shared with you our Backyard Farm projects from last year and this year), but I have a secret... The kind of secret moms of young children everywhere try to hide away… My shots have been carefully calculated to avoid revealing the reality of what my deck and patio have devolved into:

Can any of you relate (please say yes)? If you've been following us on facebook you have seen this disaster zone of toys and assorted folding chairs and empty sippy cups and know that a few weeks ago I managed to sweep off the bird seed and discard the melted crayon heaps, and that it was a soul-cleansing experience. But, well, this is the progress I've made. This pic is from the day we moved in to our lovely little home over two years ago:

And this is last week:

So, umm, that took two years. Now in the next few weeks I want to fix it up. I'd like, hmm, I don't know, someplace to sit. Or maybe someplace to sleep? Or plant? Or store toys? Or drink tangerine mimosas at 11 am (it's after 12 in dallas, so if I call Jacinda while I'm doing it that counts, right?). Your advice for the Craft Room Redesign Project has been insightful and indispensable so I must call upon you again: Please help! Let me show you some before pictures and tell you all about it and ask ten million questions after the jump...
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Planting the Garden

Gordon made his first trip to the Dallas Farmer's Market this weekend when we set out to buy the plants for our garden. We would have like to do some seeds, since that's when you can actually feel prudent for putting a garden, alas it's too late for seeds here in Texas what with 100°+ days are right around the corner. We might still try some just to experiment.

As always, the girls had a blast at the market, sampling the vendor's wares and helping to pick out the plants.


We let pregnant Brookes do all of the heavy lifting.

Find out what we got and see it all planted...
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Irrigation System for Raised Bed Garden

Team Texas had a wildly productive weekend of garden preparation; buying plants, installing an irrigation system into our raised beds, and planting.

We were all ready to go to Home Depot and design an irrigation system from scratch. Imagine our delight to find that someone has already done the work. The guys at the "Depot" introduced us to DIG Irrigation Products drip and micro sprinkler system (not a sponsor, just love their stuff.) DIG has created an awesome FREE Drip Irrigation Installation Guide which guided us through what to buy and how to put it together. Down the line, if we want to install misters, sprinklers, faucets etc, we can easily add them on. It's really amazing. For now we just need a basic irrigation system to keep my lazy butt from killing the entire garden.

Here's what we did...
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Our Backyard "Farm" Year Two!

Planting time is here!

Last year Scarlet and I went nuts and planted all sorts of delicious fruits, veggies, and herbs willy-nilly all over the garden. It was a magical spring and summer of pure mother-daughter-nature joy. Check it out here and here.

This year I had planned to create a raised bed (learn how from Jacinda here) and create an orderly garden of delicious bounty blooming on schedule throughout the summer, but I, umm, couldn't quite pull it together.

Instead we just went at it with a little more knowledge and a lot more seeds - tilling, fertilizing, and sowing to our hearts' content. Not much to show for it yet, but we should start to see some sprouts in the next ten days. This week's rain is our friend, though the birds I once loved to listen to are not. Find out what we've planted and see some before pics after the jump.

Are y'all planning backyard farms this year? Got any tips? Any must-tries? Any never-do-that's? Any hilar stories of garden catastrophes? Share them in the comments, you just might walk away with some adorbs beachmod ukelele fabric to make some kneepads or somethin' with...
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How to Build a Raised Garden Bed

Inspired by Jaime's beautiful garden and childhood memories of eating sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes straight from the vine, we have started planning our own "backyard farm." This will be a major experiment for us. Will it survive the Texas heat? Will my children pluck all of the seedlings out of the dirt? Will the critters come and carry away my bounty? We are learning as we go with the help of our (more garden experienced) friends Drew and Brookes, the interweb and hopefully you, oh wise gardening Prudent Mamas.

This weekend the men-folk build two 4x8' raised beds. This is how they did it...
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DIY: Simple & Stunning Living Succulent Wreath

This succulent wreath is so easy & inexpensive, and it stays alive all year round! I saw a gorg version on the cover of the new Viva Terra catalog and I knew I had to make one, cause I don't have $100 to spend on a plant.

My house is filled with succulents, one of the many bonuses of being a BFF of a fabulous succulent designer. She taught me that you can just chop off a bit of a living succulent and it will grow into a new plant! So that's what I did, clipped from living plants (I might have taken a few from a local park, if it doesn't kill the plant that's not stealing right?), and arranged into this living wreath.

Total cost was about $10 and once the cuttings were dry, the assembly of the wreath took one nap time (an hour and a half). I really hope you like this and give it a try.

Learn How to Make A Living Succulent Wreath after the jump...

And remember to leave a comment, because our fave commenter of the week wins five gorgeous embroidery patterns!
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A Trip to the Farm

One of my favorite days during our trip home was a visit to Sweet Berry Farm, a Pick-Your-Own orchard and farm in Middletown, RI. It was just one of those afternoons that I think I will remember forever. Know what I mean? We ate a beautiful casual lunch in their little cafe and then headed out to the fields.

Click here to see more pics and what we made with our bounty!
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Garden Bounty, Mutant Fruit, & More Advice Please

A couple of weeks ago I shared me and Scarlet's little Backyard Farm with y'all, and you gave me some amazing tips. Now look at this bounty! Every day there's just more and more goodness!

While I was in Wisconsin last week, I forgot to ask the hubs to pick the fruits, so I came home to the mutants below. I put my phone in there to give some perspective on their size. That zucchini was bigger than my arm. But it didn't get too bitter and we ate it roasted with parmesan cheese.

I followed a bunch of your advice and wanted to say thanks.  There was also one HILARIOUS thing you guys didn't catch! Let me tell you about it (and ask for your help one more time) after the jump...
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