Our little backyard oasis

Due to the unusually AWESOME weather we have experienced lately, this will be the first year that we have the backyard up and running before the long weekend. Chris and I were so ahead of the game we had to wait for the garden centres to get their herbs in.

This will be my fifth year living in this apartment and Chris’ fourth, and every year we have tried growing stuff in the backyard — some successful, others not. By now we know what will and won’t work and just have to work with what we got, which is basically shade tolerant plants and herbs. The bane of Chris’ existence are two Manitoba Maple trees (his least favourite tree) which provide us with lots of privacy and shade in the back, but limits sun exposure.

A nice surprise this year though was our chives came back from last year, so we got that going for us. Even though the backyard is quite small and is hard to successfully grow stuff, I love the space we have. It’s perfect for us right now and is a nice retreat to hang out with friends, BBQ, play darts and read.

This year we planted rosemary, mint, cilantro, dill, basil and parsley. We planted two mint plants due to our Mojito consumption, hopefully it’s enough!

herbizzles before_herb_garden chris_transplanting annual_chives dartboard manitoba_maple buddha oskie_boy cilantro mint finished_herb_garden backyard_oasis

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Sippin’ on gin and juice… laid back

Yesterday was a great day. Just one of those days where everything comes together and you get stuff done! Not only was I super productive at work, but I also managed to get a bunch of stuff done around the house and cook an awesome dinner.

Last night’s menu consisted of grilled cajun catfish with a side of grilled potatoes and onions and an awesome salad. I’m not usually a huge fan of catfish but figured we’d give it a go on the BBQ, because what isn’t awesome on the BBQ? By the time we ate the sun was down, but I did manage to snap a shot of the salad and the delicious cocktail I made. Apparently gin and lemonade is an excellent combo and I highly recommend to anyone looking for a new summer drink.

Check out the recipes below!

cucumber_salad gin_drinkDill & Cucumber Salad

  • Cabbage cut into ribbons
  • Cucumber sliced however you like
  • 3 x radishes thinly sliced
  • 2 x green onions thinly sliced
  • 1 x celery stalk thinly sliced
  • A bunch of fresh dill chopped
  • Dollop of yogurt
  • Sprinkle of cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Gin ‘n’ Juice

  • 1 oz of gin
  • A bunch of ice
  • Top with lemonade
  • Strawberry for fun!

 

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