I have been really busy the last few days. I’ve gotten a lot done.

I did more work on the garage, but still more left to do. I moved some bigger things around again to make it work better in the space there is. I still have a lot to do as far as getting the workbench and tools sorted out and put away. But it’s much better than it was.

Yesterday morning was spent starting on a fire pit after a bit of cleanup of an old burn barrel. It will be an easy way to get a lot of the tree branches burned up while also enjoying a fire. The dirt was dug out about four inches down and I plan to put bricks with holes for air in around that inside edge, then I will build a fire ring around the outside, using the blocks inside as a foundation. The dirt dug out was used to fill a huge low spot nearby. My back is really pissed off after doing that digging.

After that I put a shelf in the kitchen to store all my kitchen gadgets on. Doing that enabled me to empty out four large storage tubs, thereby giving me more room. Yeah, a bunch of kitchen stuff. It’s really nice to finally have that stuff unpacked and usable. I’ll be using the food processor for salsa and I can use the blender for some smoothies. Or blackberry margaritas on a hot summer day.

I did some more meal prepping and got a few things cooked up, portioned out and frozen the last few days. I made up a healthy breakfast casserole with a little Southwest egg substitute and lots of veggies (think Denver omelette) and then I made some taco-seasoned black bean & rice burritos.

I roasted up some chickpeas yesterday. I used the Tuscan ones for an Italian-style snack, then I roasted some regular ones with a spicy blend and some Frank’s Red Hot seasoning. Both turned out pretty good. It’s a simple, filling and healthy snack.

The Tuscan chickpeas and taco black beans are canned by Bush’s and are called Sidekicks. They are both delicious, and not too bad as far as nutrition and sodium and a good source of protein. Since I don’t use anywhere near a full serving of the black beans in the burritos the salt is very low. I put them on some low-fat chicken tacos for dinner.

A big thanks to my friend Jim for the vodka sauce recipe. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I just saved it into my Pestle app. I was wondering about using it on a pizza, maybe with some chicken and spinach with a smoked mozzarella on top.

I transplanted my basil plant and my Italian parsley plants back into pots. My basil plant is about two feet tall and getting a wood texture on the stalk. Both plants are going absolutely crazy.

With the weather cooling off I thought I’d just pot them and keep them going through the winter. I like using fresh basil in things so I can do that if I keep it alive. I have been harvesting and drying the leaves for cooking but there’s a lot of basil to use. I mean a lot of basil. I already have about a pint jar of loose leaves that are not crushed. Wonder if I could sell some of my harvest.

It was 43 this morning so it’s really cooling down. I decided to cover the A/C unit outside today; I think we’re good for the year. Still haven’t had the furnace on yet.

That’s today’s update. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog.