The Boyce Thompson Arboretum

I have gone to a few cool places over the past few weeks. They are all completely different in nature but each were very fun! For my birthday, Jeff and I went to The Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, AZ. It took only 45 minutes to get there from Chandler and the drive was beautiful. The dogs really enjoyed it!

Misty and Stanley Paul feeling the breeze.

When walking in to the arboretum you can go into the many greenhouses and purchase plants that you will see on the walk. There were some really unique cacti and succulents that I might be purchasing next time. There are tons of trails to choose from. We chose the main trail and went off on a few side excursions. It was probably about 2 miles total. The wild flowers were amazing! You might think that a cactus garden is dull and colorless but it was really vibrant and different.

There was a beautiful statue and fountain near the entry. A nice place to listen to the water flow and have a seat.

Jeff and Mist

The Arboretum was soooo dog friendly. They have dog water bowls next to every drinking fountain. It was nice as it is a very open place and it was a warm day. During summer, I would go here early as it will be very hot.

A 20 ft Agave flower.

Take a look at these different types of cactus. There must have been a garden of 30 barrel cacti. The one with the arms was so cool. It looked fake!

There were benches all over the park with dedications inscribed on them. This was the one that we loved! So sweet! There were a few older couples walking around. The entire place is very romantic in a naturalistic way.

 There is a small lake here. It is called Ayers Lake. It is a nice water feature that brakes up the dry climate. It has 2 ramadas and is surrounded by grasses and other bright green foliage. You walk around it and then hike up behind the lake to follow the main trail.

 On the top of the hill is the Picket Post Mansion. It is available for tours at certain times. It was built into the side of the cliff and had amazing detail. These large rocks were to cool to not shoot a pic.

 A view of the Pickett Post Mansions after descending into the canyon below beautiful Magma Ridge.

Tired after the hike.

Overall, it was a beautiful day. The dogs loved it and Jeff and I want to bring people there. I know my mom would love all of the unique gardens. My favorite garden (that I didn't get a picture of...) was the legume garden. A garden made up entirely of beans, lentils, peas, and other pod shaped vegetation. It was beautiful and now I want a legume garden in my back yard. It costs 7.50 per person to go there. We're actually thinking about getting a yearly pass for 45.00 for 2 people and that comes with 2 guest passes and you get 10% off of plants. Could be worth it!

Go to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and take your dogs! Call me if you need company!!!

The death of a giant

 Our Agave plant is on its last leg. It has been pretty spectacular to watch it flower, seed, and now die. Here are a few pics of it throughout the process.

March 27. Before it flowered.

May 4

May 28

Garden Update

The garden has undergone many changes this year as I needed to find a balance of size and water usage. While I loved the potted garden with the plants in the soil bags, it was getting too hot! The plants were drying out too quickly and needed more room for their roots.

The potted garden. 3-27

Squash, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs

Zucchini , cukes, broccoli, peppers, and an Heirloom tomato.

I love what we now have. I bought two 4ft square raised beds. I was going to build them myself but, they were a great deal so I couldn't pass them up!

First day planted 4-17

 Here it is now!  The tomatoes are taking over, the peppers are small but producing fruits. The zucchini is in the front bed along with radishes. I added the plastic over the tomatoes and that really helped with the hot AZ sun!

In the back bed are cucumbers climbing up the trellis, yellow squash, thyme, and a wimpy little lettuce.

Now if I can only get the dogs to stop stealing our food. They have enjoyed more tomatoes than we have. I think we are going to put up a short fence. They even steal hot peppers!!!

Some leftover plants including basil, artichoke, parsley, tomato.

We enjoyed our first meal from the garden last week. I wanted to make it really simple.


Garden Squash Pasta
1 tbsp. Olive oil
3 small to medium yellow squash, diced
3 lg or 5 small fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 vidalia onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper
12 oz whole wheat penne
Basil and Parmesean for topping

Directions
Cook the pasta according to directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water to add to the sauce later. 

Over med-high heat, saute the onions for 3-5 mins in olive oil, add the squash and garlic and saute for 5 mins. Add tomatoes, dried oregano, and Salt and Pepper to taste. Saute for 5 mins until veggies are cooked through and tomatoes have broken down. Drain pasta. Add pasta to saute pan with veggies while over medium heat. Top pasta directly with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Add in about 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water to the pan and stir to create a sauce.

Top with Fresh torn basil and extra Parmesan and dig in! So simple and delicious!!! Cant wait until we have more squash as I used all of ours to make this.

Italian Wedding Soup

I got to do some cooking this Saturday and by some cooking I mean a lot. But it was all pretty quick stuff. I made Rachel Rays Hot and Cold Sesame Noodles but I added a ton of veggies. At the last step, I added sauteed red bell pepper, mushrooms, and onion. I also added raw long peels of carrot and chopped butter lettuce. It is so filling and has a strong nutty flavor. I topped it with some chopped mint! I will be making this again this summer!!!

I made this for my friends Courtney, Kenny, and Kirby who are driving up to the Havasupai reservation tonight to hike into the Havasupai Falls area tomorrow. It is one of the most amazing places on earth.

Here's a picture we took of Havasu Falls in 2007.

I also made some cookies for them. I made my weekly usual of Low fat banana bread cookies. This week I added dried cherries and walnuts. Wow! They are unbelievable!!! The chocolate and cherry combination is fabulous!

Ok so now for the soup... Oh yeah. It is something special.

 I always thought it was called wedding soup because of the ring shaped pasta or tortellini in it but after a little research I sound that it's Italian name, minestra maritata, literally means "married  soup", refers to the fact that the flavors of meat and greens married, or went well with each other. This has been mistranslated to "wedding soup". By the way, this soup in not traditionally used in wedding ceremonies.

Meatballs-Make first while the pasta water is coming to a boil.
Combine the following:
1/4 cup egg beaters

1 tbsp Worschstire Sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Salt and Papper to taste
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/2 yellow onion-grated directly into bowl.




 Add in 1 lb. lean ground turkey
and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese.

Combine well. Let mixture sit in fridge while you chop the veggies.

 For the soup:
Saute  the following until just tender.
2 med. zuchinni, large diced
1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Add in a 15oz can of tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add 12 cups of either water, chicken stock, veggie stock, or a combo. (Yes! 12 cups. I know it's  a lot. But you need it.) I did a combination of about  5 cups chicken stock and 7 water. Add 2 bay leaves as well.


Bring to a low boil and add one bunch of kale, stems removed, chopped. Simmer for 5 minutes and roll the meatballs. I made them as small as possible. I got about 45 from the mixture.

 After the kale has simmered for 5 minutes, bring the temperature up to med-high so that there is a constant boil. Add the 7oz box of dried ravioli. They are adorable, miniature ravioli filled with just Parmesan cheese. Simple and perfect for this soup. Cook the raviolis on a low boil for 8 minutes. If you need to add even more liquid at this point, do so.

 Add all of the meatballs by placing them all around the pan. Make sure that they are all submerged by liquid. Put a lid on the pan and continue to simmer for 7-9 minutes.

 Add Salt and pepper to taste before serving.

 

Here is the finished product. Super light and healthy and packed with veggies! We had it with some crusty bread rubbed with raw garlic. It was fabulous!

It seems like a lot of work but it didn't take me that long. Maybe an hour?? It was so worth it! I will be making it again! Night all!

Here is the easy to read version of this recipe for you to print!

Complete Recipe:

For the meatballs:

1/4 cup egg beaters

1 tbsp Worcestershire  Sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 tsp Oregano

1/2 yellow onion-grated directly into bowl.

1 lb. lean ground turkey

1/4 c Parmesan cheese.

For the soup:

2 med. zucchini, large diced

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

15oz can of tomatoes (No salt added)

2 bay leaves

1 bunch of kale, stems removed, chopped

7oz box of dried Parmesan ravioli

Directions:

1. Make the Meatball mixture first while the pasta water is coming to a boil. Combine all ingredients for the meatballs.  Let mixture sit in fridge while you chop the veggies.

2. Sauté the veggies until just tender.

3. Add the can of tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add 12 cups of either water, chicken stock, veggie stock, or a combo. (Yes! 12 cups. I know it's  a lot. But you need it.) I did a combination of about  5 cups chicken stock and 7 water.

5.  Add the bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Bring to a low boil and add the kale. Simmer for 5 minutes.

7. While kale is cooking, roll the meatballs. I made them as small as possible. I got about 45 from the mixture.

 8. Bring the temperature up to med-high so that there is a constant boil. Add the 7oz box of dried ravioli. Cook the raviolis on a low boil for 8 minutes. If you need to add more liquid at this point, do so.

 9. Add all of the meatballs to the boiling broth by placing them around the pan. Make sure that they are completely submerged by liquid. Put a lid on the pan and continue to simmer for 7-9 minutes.

 Add Salt and pepper to taste before serving. Top with Parmesan Cheese.