Sweet and Spicy Bulgar Wheat Salad

2 cups Bulgar Wheat
1 whole Cucumber
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Fresno Hot Pepper
2 slices of Honeydew
Pomegrate White Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Butter
Salt, Pepper to taste

Prepare Bulgar Wheat - combine 2 cups Bulgar Wheat, 4 1/2 cups of water, salt, pepper, butter in a saucepot, cook over medium-high heat until water is absorbed and Bulgar Wheat is tender.

While Bulgar Wheat cooks, dice/chop the Veggies and Honeydew.  Finely chop the Hot Pepper.  Cut the Cucumber, Honeydew and Bell Pepper into roughly 3/8" chunks.

Once Bulgar Wheat is cooled at least partially, mix in Honeydew and Veggies, season with Vinegar to taste.  (We used a little over a 1/4 cup.)

Note:  I think you could effectively use any light, sweet vinegar, but believe it or not, Pomegranate is what we had laying around.  Rice Vinegar, Plain White Balsamic, other Fruit Infused Vinegar would work well.

How does your garden grow?

So far the garden is coming together really nicely.  After not having one at all last year, I'm especially excited.

I got the Columbus Orange Rose pruned back, big time, because it wasn't doing well, but seems to be trying to get a new start.  I got some Dusty Miller put in to fill the empty spaces in the front of the flower bed.  I picked up the trash in the yard for the 8 millionth time.

The back yard is going to take some time before you can see the difference, right now it just looks like less weeds.   But, I got 8 of my nine herbs potted.  Chamomile, Sweet Basil, Oregano, Garden Sage, Cilantro, Thyme, Lavender, Rosemary, and an empty pot left for the boys' catnip.  I planted fennel, too, but with the bulb-y nature of it, it's went in one of the rows of the garden.

I got 4 varieties of Tomatoes (Sun Sugar, Plum, Early Girl and Grape) - although, I really meant to get another Early Girl instead of the Plum.  There's 5 kinds of Peppers - Red Bell, Green Bell, Mexibell, Giant Jalapeno and Poblano.  I've got Kale behind that, and still need to add the Potatoes in the last row, before the Mint patch, on that side.

The other side of the yard has an Asparagus bed against the garage, and a pretty sad looking Blueberry bush in the corner.  Hopefully, the Blueberry bush amounts to something this year, since I'll have the time to give it a lot more love than last year.  Along the fence, I've put in Zucchini and Pickling Cucumbers.  The front row is my Fennel and some Rapini.

Two more rows need to be planted, the Looseleaf Lettuce and Sweet Mesclun in one and Sugar Snap Peas and Green Beans in the other, but the desire for lunch and a need to rest my back won out over finishing the last 2 rows today.  I'm also considering garlic and onions in large pots.

I'm really excited about my garden this year.  Dave is really looking forward to homegrown veggies, and while he has expressed a refusal to weed, I know he'll help me with what I need him for.  I've finally got good humus from my compost bin that I've working in as I go.  It's gorgeous and dark and it's got a couple earthworms living in it, so it should do good things for my veggies.

Wish me luck!

Who Says Good Food has to be Hard?

Super Easy Stuffed Peppers?  Nope.  Not kidding.  Love these things because they're easier than they look and they freeze really well too!

• 2 or cups of cooked rice, bulgar wheat or your other favorite grain (prepare according to package)
• 1 lb.  browned ground beef, loose sausage, Gimme Lean (or equivalent in prepared veggie crumbles)
• 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
• optional Cheese/Daiya, breadcrumbs, etc.
• PEPPERS!  6 medium or 4 large.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix the Sauce, beef/sausage/whatever and the rice in a big bowl.  Core and devein the peppers, then cut them in half vertically.

Stuff pepper halves generously with filling.  Bake for 40 minutes or until peppers are tender.  Top with cheese and/or breadcrumbs with about 10 minutes left in the baking time.

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You don't have to cut the peppers in half.  I usually do if they're GIANT peppers or if I'm planning on freezing the leftovers for lunches.  A whole pepper is nearly impossible to reheat at work without destroying it.