Monday Meanderings, what's in the garden and homegrown dinner

Mondays I leave the homestead to see things that most don't but are in plain sight. 

First stop was in Denver off Federal Blvd. to see the Concrete Cowboy built by John Sutton. It was supposed to be an entrance to an amusement park that never materialized. It is the entrance to a trailer park.  It was built sometime between 1954 and 1956. John Sutton was an artist for Audubon Society and art director for the Bronx Zoo.  The funky part about this... to get the picture of him I had to go across the street and stand in the parking lot of the adult cinema...ugh. A guy waiting for the bus there told me there use to be a water feature at the base ...uh, yeah right... whatever... grin.

Next stop was the birth place of the Cheeseburger at 27th and Speer. I guess there used to be a drive-in here named Humpty-Dumpty. It's a Key Bank here and to find this obelisk you need to look in the bushes... it is actually behind a bush. 

I tried a place in Cherry Cricket while I was downtown.  It was lunch time and pretty busy.

They had beautiful clean fish tanks. 

The food was amazing and besides that....

Their restrooms were very clean and their straws and take-out box were all compostable. 

Then over to church at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  I intended on going to mass but I never found a parking space.   (sorry for the dirty lens!)

I did go on a prayer walk this morning with Norman, the dog. 

And picked some tomatoes and zucchini for today. I don't like picking more than I can use if I can help it. 

Dude got so upset over the cats using my new bed as a litter box he planted carnations to deter them. Hmmm now I need to find a place for my lily of the valley. 

Norman showing me zucchini and strawberries to pick.  Norm! Out of the garden!

Carrots picked and cleaned to add to our dinner. 

While I was in the greenhouse I was wondering what happened to all the pesky grasshoppers from last week.  I found my helper. He was eating them as fast as he could catch them. (look at those fat little legs)  I found two fat little toads while in the greenhouse. Thank you for your help. 

(yes, I covered those onions with dirt) 

Dinner , I put one of our home raised chickens ( a half) in the crockpot. I soak them in salt water for about 20 minutes and make sure all pin feathers are pulled.

In it goes into the crock with potatoes, our onions and carrots and a sauce of soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and our dried basil and oregano.  Mixed up and pour over. We haven't had dinner yet but it sure smells wonderful.  

Movie from the library to watch tonight in a nice cool house as such a warm day! 

peace 

Morning in Denver, chicken recipes and garden

We drove the hour to Denver for Divine Mercy Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It is being remodeled but you can still be in awe of it's great majesty. 

It was gorgeous today and we didn't even need jackets. 

His Holiness John Paul II said mass here during World Youth Day in 1993. I was working downtown and eating at the Walnut Café. It used to be across the street from the Basilica when I saw him come out the massive wooden doors to go to Civic Center Park to speak to the masses. Yes, I stopped and stared. 

I saw him again from my work office high above the crowds at World Youth Day celebrations. 

We went today to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday which, in the history of the church, is a fairly new feast day.  It is the first Sunday after Easter and first celebrated 2001 by Pope (Saint) John Paul II. It is to celebrate Jesus Mercy and Forgiveness, a devotion first described and report by Sister Faustyna.

...anywhooo the sermon was good, and as big as the church was, the priest made you to feel invited and part of their community.  They had a lot going on today... a free class after mass and at 3pm a free concert. OH and their music was beautiful!

A few views on the way home...

Jack Kerouac, the writer,  was a residence of Denver at one time. You can find all kinds of markers with his name in the city. 

We did get home around 1pm with plenty of time to work in the garden. 

Ugh... not sure what Dude thought my crock was but I found it out in a garden partially buried. 

Need to disinfection, clean and ready for fermentation. 

I pulled up the last of the winter carrots. Carrots always do well for us both outside and inside the greenhouse. 

Dude was out working in the chicken coop but once he heard me blasting music in the greenhouse he got the planting bug and came to help. 

We planted beets (lots of them), a variety of lettuce and radishes for now. 

Norman was in heaven with both of us home. 

We got the beds all cleaned out and two fully planted. I used old canning lids as markers. We will plant more this week. 

A very quick recipe. These turned out really good.  I had a bag of chicken breast that I thawed and marinated over night with a bottle of Balsamic and Basil Vinaigrette.  Then added a few cloves of garlic the next day and baked at 350* for 30-45 minutes. I put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and cooked them in the oven on it. Mine took 35minutes.  They cooked through nicely. 

Then today I sliced the leftovers and made quesadillas layering them with slice chicken, tomatoes, 3 kinds of cheese (smoke gouda, American and cheddar) and a few drops of hot sauce. 

Heat on  both sides in a buttered skillet... oh so good with sour cream! 

Well, that's is it for today. 

Time for a long hot bath with beautiful smelling oils after working so much in the garden - smile. 

peace