Swarming Practice?

I am confused and in a wait and see mode with this hive of bees.  This is the 2nd day of bees clinging to the outside of the hive and I fully expected to see them leave but they never did.  Maybe they are just practicing their departure. 

Dark Cherry Yogurt (Not Store Bought)

This simple dessert dish will make you happy.  I use a good quality Greek Yogurt (Fage) and mix in cherries and honey.  Add my favorite crisp Mrs Thinsters Coconut Cookies and you will love it. 

Not Your Mexican Neighbors Tacos

The beef used in these tacos is leftover Pot Roast (Chuck Roast) and you won't believe how good the tacos are with it if you cook it again.  I just rough chop the meat and add a little oil to the skillet and set on med high.  Cook and stir till it is getting quite brown and set it aside and keep warm while you put the rest together.  Finely dice onion, cilantro, and seeded tomatoes and season, then add lemon or lime juice and stir.  I made broccoli slaw and had corn leftover that was in the pot roast.  Rather than make Salsa Verde I used Green Sriracha and I never miss the Salsa Verde, it's all good.

Cornbread Spinach Stuffed Pork Loin

I have stuffed Pork Loin before but always used bread crumbs but all I had was Cornbread this time and it was just as good.  I'm really liking this little electric grill.  A lot of times even the convection broil in the oven smokes up the kitchen and this fixes that and it's easy.  Steaks and any grilled items to me just don't require or benefit from smoke and then what about grilled fish, it's another thing you don't want indoors.  Potato patty and roll and the veggies is in the stuffing, what else could anyone need? 

Glass Cover Boards

I had Ace Hdwr cut this glass and the total was only 18 bucks and I just couldn't resist giving this a try and so far I like it.  The thing I was finding about doing an inspection on the long hive was kinda feeling lost as to just where the concentration of bees were until you slowly made your way to them starting from one side.  With the glass you get to see them right from the start and if you want you can start the inspection in the brood area and possibly eliminate a good deal of pulling frames.  I don't have any langs now but if I did I think I might try some on them as well.  The jury is still out but if I do use them on the hives I will get thicker glass, I looked a plexiglass and it bowed too much and was not as clear.

Little Bun Big Meat

I really like Pork Loin this way so I cut down some thick cut pork loin and pounded them even thinner and since we are trying to avoid salt I used Organic No Salt Seasoning from Costco.  So tender and good.

Dead Nettle

I have this Dead Nettle all over my property and have lived there for 20+ years and just found out it is both healthy and tasty in many things.  I ate a bite yesterday and it tasted just o.k. fresh picked and raw but this morning I included a single twig of it in our Kiwi Smoothie and it was really good to me and my other taste tester was undecided but didn't hate it.  One of the things I plan to try with it is a Pesto on nice hard roll.  It's in the mint family and you can tell that by looking.  Some of the suggestion for how to use it is to use it as a herb in soups, salad, etc, in Smoothies and Pesto as mentioned and many more.  On another note, beekeepers are saying bees are wild over it and I don't find that to be true with my bees.  No one watches their bees more than I do and I have never seen a bee on the stuff but I think I am in a really good nectar / pollen rich area and it's just not at the top of their list and by the time they are out of their favorites it's already gone.

Bees and ants

I have no idea how well this will work in stopping the ants from getting into the hive but it was certainly easy enough and inexpensive.  I mixed approximately the same amount of vaseline (petroleum jelly) and cinnamon together.  My hope is the cinnamon will turn them away and the vaseline will help keep it there and not wash away.  Update: this didn't work at all, if anything it attracts ants.

Pecan Pie

Everyone knows how good Pecan Pie is and most have made them or bought the Edward's brand and called it good, and Edwards is sure nuff good.  Thanksgiving and all the other holiday meals have the standard menu at our house and two things on that menu would be Pecan Pie and Sweet Potato Casserole with the Pecans on top.  My Mom wasn't able to bring her Sweet Potato dish this year so we just made up a dish of Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes) and as I was looking over the desserts I noticed the Yams and the Pecan Pie were right next to each other the thought hit me, "I bet those warm Yams would be mighty good as a topping on a piece of that pie.  And it was!  I am the type person that even if it's the best thing in the world and I can think of a way to "jack it up a bit" I will do it every time.  As far as Pecan Pie goes, I like it warm and with a small scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream on top.  This Yam thing might even be better.