We've been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather lately, and last weekend I was able to get outside and start some gardening. The stargazer lilies I planted last year surprised me and started growing again. Last year was my first experience planting bulbs, and Jay likes to say I have a black thumb; I think it's more of a greenish-gray. My gladiolas (gladioli?) also put in a shocking return; I say shocking because I forgot to dig up the bulbs last year before the weather turned, so I'd given them up for dead - literally. This year, I also decided to try and plant some sunflowers and a knockout rose bush which is already blooming and smells beautiful! But my favorite "chore" of the year was to plant the vegetable garden.
We went with the old standards of Beefsteak and Roma tomatoes (the SC Farmers Market has some really great looking - and cheap! - tomato plants already), zucchini, yellow squash, rainbow peppers, buttercrunch and romaine lettuce. This year I also decided to try some spaghetti squash (anyone who's grown this before, I'd love some feedback), carrots, and sugar snap peas. The only problem now is waiting until they start growing!
We also bought some herbs this weekend for the deck planters: basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, mint, oregano, and cilantro. I love going out the back door and clipping some fresh herbs to cook with. They look beautiful in the planters, and when the breeze picks up, they smell wonderful!
Tonight's dinner was a simple one. We grilled some NY Strips seasoned only with salt and pepper and steamed some broccoli with some garlic alongside. I made a chive butter to go on top of the steaks, and topped the broccoli with freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese. All told, the meal only took about ten minutes to make, but it was perfect.
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