Good morning!!!!

[txdon]

As promised here is the spaghetti sauce. However the correct name is LENTIL MARINARA SAUCE
It's tried and true and comes from the book "The Happy Herbivore" by Lindsay Nixon

Can be served over pasta, spaghetti squash, baked potatoes or broccoli.

2C vegetable broth, divided
3-4 garlic cloves
1 small onion diced
2-3 tbsp tomato paste
6 tomatoes diced
1 TBSp Italian seasoning
1 TBSp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup lentils
1 jalapeno
( can add a pinch of sugar or squeeze of catsup, salt or pepper to taste)

Use part of the vegetable broth to sauce' garlic and onion,
Add remaining ingredients
bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 20-30 minutes

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Guess what? We actually got .3 inches of rain. First rain in 56 days! There was a severe thunderstorm warning issued. There were reports of golf ball sized hail. Thought it was coming right for us, watching the radar, missed us by maybe 1/2 mile. Only had a little pea sized hail. This storm came just 2 weeks shy of getting hit by a similar hail storm last year about this time, that caused $18,000 damage to our vehicles. Really glad and lucky it missed us. Blew through fast...start to finish was about 45 minutes. Sun is back out now. Good chance of a shower again tommorow.

Didn't finish the weed whacking today, wifey wanted some low hanging branches cut down. They were hanging over the driveway like an arch. I guess it looks better. Then got into trimming some overgrown junipers and 'Apatche Plume' shrubs. That area definately looks better. I'll whack it tomorrow. Also took a couple pics of our 'Purple Robe Locust' trees that came into full bloom this year.

 

[daugen]

LS, really nice trees. Does those locusts have big thorns on them like the ones in the East?

sounds like you need a supply of helmets nearby for the hail!

 

[toppop52]

Nice tree LS.

 

[mostly_gas]

Good evening all. 64F for the start, mostly sunny, wind near calm. Wind stayed low, sky cleared off and high temp of 87F. The forecast rain chances in true summer chances have mostly dried up. Choir practice this morning, followed by lawn mowing. After lunch, started bike ride, had front fender issues so changed bikes to the Trek. No nap today so will head to bed soon. Congrats on the rain LS.
Prayers for all.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Never made it with fresh tomatoes, so some more research will be needed, but this is what I've been using as a basis for the last 40 or so years. It varies each time depending on what's on hand, but it's a good place to start.

Spaghetti & Meat Balls
Ingredients:
1 Sweet Yellow Onion
2 16 oz Cans Tomato Puree
1 16 oz Can Crushed Tomato
2 lbs. Ground Round
2 Slices Toasted Bread
1 Egg
2 Cloves Garlic
2 x 1 Tbs. Oregano
2 x 1 Tbs. Ground Black Pepper
2 x 1 Tsp. Salt
2 x 1 Tsp. Ground Basil
2 x 1 Tsp. Ground Sage
2 x 1 Tsp. Thyme
2 Tbs. Olive Oil

Directions:
We'll start with the meat balls. Put ground round in large mixing bowl and add toast torn into 1/4" x 1/4" chunks. Add egg and one teaspoon of oregano, black pepper, salt, basil, sage, and thyme. With two table knives (one in each hand), mix the meat ball ingredients by making a cross cutting motion through the mixture. Do this by overlapping the knives so that they make an "X" with the meat between the two blades and slide the knives apart toward the outside of the bowl. Continue mixing until the spices are distributed evenly and the toast is hard to see. You may wish to add a tablespoon or two of milk if the mixture becomes too dry.

In a four quart sauce pan, heat the olive oil until it starts to smoke. While you're waiting, form the meat mixture into balls about an inch and a half across. Brown the meat balls in the olive oil.

When all the meat balls are browned, add the tomato puree and crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan. Add the meat balls, onions and the remaining spices and crushed garlic cloves. Stir occasionally while you simmer covered for two to three hours. Longer is better.

Serve over your pasta of choice. If you're doing spaghetti, figure a one inch diameter bundle of pasta per serving. I like to get the water to a rolling boil and set the spaghetti upright in the center of the pot and then let go so it splays to all sides of the pot. As the lower portion softens all the pasta will drop into the water and you won't have to break it.

Thank you RNG!

Good morning. Almost a week now without any rain, the sun keeps on shining and grass growth is slowing as the top few inches are drying out fast.

Yesterday I thought I ought to cut the top growth down a grass track that hasn't been grazed due to badgers wreking the fence line by their digging and mounding. I knew I could only get half way down the track or the tractor would get lost down their earthworks, what I hadn't expected though was for my topper to find the barbed wire from the fence. By the time I heard the rattling and hit the pto stop, the wire had coiled itself good and proper around one of the cutter bars and drive shaft. Spent the rest of the morning underneath cutting it out. After that trudging around a field with a knapsack didn't seem so bad.

I believe a man that lived up near Don's side of the county was killed years ago, when barbed wire got caught up and it was spooling it off the fence posts. Caught him on the neck IIRC.

Currently have a pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove.
As for recipe, just a variety of what I’ve made last 50+ years, basically nothing measured.

Onions + garlic sautéed in Olive oil
About 2 lbs ground beef
1 lb Hot Italian sausage (removed from casings)
Large can diced tomatoes
Can tomato paste
Large jar Ragu Heart Smart Traditional
Bay leaves
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes
4 packets Splenda

Wife says it is tasting really good - I believe her as I see she tastes every time she stirs it. Just hope there is some left when about 10 friends come over this afternoon for Happy Hour.


View attachment 555142

Thank you David and Sofie for taste testing.

Snakes and me are a no no. Glad we do not see them that big around here. I do not kill them. But do move them in a direction away from me.

I just send my snakes over to Don's.

Thanks for the recipe Don.

We got a trace of rain today.

LS125, hope your knee keeps feeling better. You have most everybody beat on the number of days without rain. glad you got some.

Prayers for all.

Got really busy at work all of a sudden. Feast or famine cycles. Makes the day go by.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Just a sprinkle of rain this morning but, 3/4” yesterday which was welcome as this was our first rain in over three weeks.

Got in some dust free mowing today on the new Kubota. Much better.

 

[txdon]

Got back from the TV hospital and it was thundering, Whipper was gone, MIA for about 15 minutes before she came running from the back of the property. Rained another 1/10". No mowing today, maybe tomorrow. I should find out tomorrow if the TV will be scheduled for surgery or the plug pulled to be a donor.

 

[Eric Salop]

Another day of once rare, pure sunshine coming up for us. Hard to believe we have had so many days in a row like this in May, almost as if the weather is trying to apologise for all the poor days it sent earlier in the year.

LS Your slender purple robe is very pretty, it looks to be thriving despite the lack of rain. I guess mulching the ground must help when it is so dry.

We lost most of the pink blossom this year as it coincided with frosts. The hawthorns are fairing much better, our "dead oak pit" was lit up yesterday with the light reflected back from all the white petals.

 

[RoyJackson]

2018-05-22, 0458

49 right now...a cool 66 as the high and light rain today.
Off today to take my step-daughter in for a minor procedure (female thing). She'll be put out for the procedure so won't be able to drive afterward.

Added at 0553:
I think when we get home, I'll rig the flail mower to the tractor. It's too wet to do any chipping (plus, I noticed my neighbor took most of the downed tree top I was going to chip...I guess he wanted the wood for his fire pit). I'd driven down on the field Sunday...field grass definitely needs mowing.