The not-recipe things that happen around here

It might seem like all that happens is Marth is in the kitchen cooking and eating things. And while that happens a lot, the reason other things aren't up here more often is that Marth usually gets inspired to write about food, and that's all she makes time to write about. Today is an odd day in which there will be a post with a recipe (to come later) and this one about not-recipes.

Some things that have happened around here recently:
1. We built a second planter and Ike planted spinach, potatoes, carrots, arugula, and broccoli in it.

2. Ike planted blueberry bushes/plants.

3. The front of the house looks nicer. I trimmed back the blackberries and roses, and Ike removed the tree that was growing against the house.

4. We got an orange from the orange tree that was here when we moved in! Also, we didn't know what kind of citrus tree it was until we saw the orange, so that was quite helpful. The orange was a little tart, so it might not be a commercial variety, but it was still tasty.

5. The snow peas really took off. Ike planted three seeds, ALL OF THEM SPROUTED, and they're growing all over the little wire guide and grabbing onto the netting that protects everything in the big planter. The peas are tasty! Super crunchy and great in stir fry.

6. A sizable branch fell off one of the jade plants, so I took it and put it in a pot to try to grow it on its own. The pot is in the kitchen where it gets some afternoon sunlight. So far it looks good. It's a cute plant; it looks like a little tree!

Pumpkin Butter Oatmeal

Have you ever tried making pumpkin butter oatmeal? I assure you, it's delicious.

I first learned the bitter truth about sugar last year. Since then I've tried to reduce my added/processed sugar intake. Oatmeal is one of the things I hadn't managed to give up sweetening. I added about two tablespoons of brown sugar to one and a half cups of rolled oats. I would also pour fat free milk on top of the oatmeal after it was done cooking in the microwave. I love the feeling of contrast of cool milk and hot cooked oats. But milk also makes me cough a little because causes tissues to product mucus. And when I'm sick, like I am right now with some sort of sinus/chest infection, I don't need any additional stimuli for coughing.

So this morning I tried something different. I added about half a cup of pumpkin (canned pure pumpkin) to the oats along with cinnamon, allspice, and a good shaking of salt (I often make pumpkin oatmeal but I used to add sugar and just a tad of salt). Then I stirred in some water and microwaved it for six minutes (our microwave is a weakling; it might take yours three minutes). Once it was hot and ready, I put a pat of butter (< 1 Tbsp) on top of the oatmeal and let it melt. I stirred in the butter and tried it. Heavenly! Creamy and a little salty. I'm not sure if I'd like it every day, and I'm not sure what to do if I don't put pumpkin in it (perhaps a banana?), but I'm certainly adding pumpkin butter oatmeal to my breakfast repertoire.