Summer has arrived!.  Long, lazy days and fun in the sun; the perfect time for a cookout.  But cookouts are so common, what can you do to make yours different and special?  Make it a Mexican fiesta!  Everyone loves Mexican food, but instead of doing the same old tired taco/burrito menu, make traditional cookout food but with a Mexican flair!  Here's some great recipes to make your fiesta cookout the most memorable ever!

​Simple Syrup is an easy to make sweetener with so many uses!  Many people think that use it think it is only good for making adult beverages.  Now, while it is good for that, there are so many other uses for it, this is something you need to know how to make and how to use.  Let's begin!

It's finally time to start my seeds.  This winter has been so long and cold, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever end.  But the time has finally arrived to plant my seeds and begin preparing my garden beds.  It is exciting!  

Over the years of gardening, I have tried several methods of starting seedlings with varying success.  I wasn't really impressed with any of them.  Some were too expensive, some were too much trouble and some fell apart before I was able to replant.  So last spring I had an idea while at a family restaurant.  I tried it out because I wanted to see how it worked before writing about it.  I think it worked like a charm and it was also cheap and easy!  Can't get much better than that.  Let me show you what I did.
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I was going through my old cookbook and I found an interesting recipe that I thought I would try.  I had never heard of it before, but when I made it, I really thought it was delicious and it was fairly easy and not expensive.  It will be even less expensive this summer when the harvest comes in and I am buried in peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes.  A perfect dish for gardeners!
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We got these little chicks on March 31st, roughly a month ago.  At that time they were pretty small.  When I look at them today, it is amazing how much they have grown, especially the meat birds.  They have quadrupled in size, easily!  Thankfully, their feathers  are finally growing in, so the bald patches they have had since the beginning are filling in.  They still are kind of shaggy looking, but they are slowly looking more like real chickens!
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