That does not mean we will not be farming any more. We just don't need the tractor. We don't use it as much as we thought we would. It was wonderful for fencing the couple of kilometres we had to fence, but now it's time to sell it on. We also have our camper for sale.
It's been a great camper for us. Now we would like to have a motor home for travelling with the dogs. It is also easier for me to get in and out of since my left leg still doesn't work that well after my back injury. The camper is in excellent condition and will make someone a great home away from home!
Surprisingly, the item that sold the fastest was the Toyota Land Cruiser. It is a right-hand drive which I bought shortly after it was brought to Canada from Japan. I loved it! It is an 1988 and a huge step up from the 1986 land cruiser I had before. This one had electric windows, mirrors, locks, air conditioning and even a sun roof.
I had a lot of interest from all over Canada. Obviously, the price was definitely not too high. I will miss my land cruiser, but it is time to move on to try something different.
We are off to Prince George tomorrow. We will spend the night. Tomorrow is our 22nd wedding anniversary so we will go out for a nice meal. We will look at motor homes in Vanderhoof on the way to Prince George. We are also bringing the land cruiser to the people who bought it. They are flying up from Duncan, BC and will drive it back home.
To get the Toyota all spiffed up for its new owners, Dennis changed the oil and gave it a good wax. The auto supply store gave him the wrong filter. He only found this out when he tried to put it in, and it didn't fit, so he had to clean himself up, drive the 45 minutes back to town, purchase the correct filter, and drive the 45 minutes back home. The joys of living out of town!
Most gardens are well into their peak, and ours is no different. So here is a good recipe for using some of those lovely, fresh vegetables. It is my recipe for Lasagne. I make this lasagne for my grandson who comes to mind our place when we go away over night.
The sauce: Run several carrots, a nice zucchini, some celery, and a handful of cauliflower and broccoli florets, peppers and any other veggie you think might be nice, through your grater or food processor. Scramble fry about 1 lb. lean hamburger in some olive oil. Not too hot as olive oil cannot stand too much heat. (leave the meat out if you are vegetarian). To this add your shredded vegetables. Add 4 or 5 chopped cloves of garlic. Season with a tablespoon of Victorian Epicure Selections Marinara sauce mix, a tablespoon of Victorian Epicure Selections Italian Meatballs seasoning and a tablespoon of Victorian Epicure Basamic Vinaigrette Seasoning or use the herb combination of your choice. Add about 1 to 1.5 teaspoons salt, less if you're using sea salt. I use the coarse salt combination from Victorian Epicure Selections called Herbed Garlic sea salt. If you are using straight basil, oregano and thyme you may want to reduce the amounts to one teaspoon of each.
(I'm cleaning my desk drawers - please disregard the background mess!)
After it has all simmered for a few minutes and the veggies have released their sugars, add a large can of diced, crushed, or whole tomatoes (break up the whole tomatoes), (I use a quart of my home canned tomatoes) a can of tomato paste, 3/4 cup of red wine, 1 tablespoon honey and 1/4 cup dried parsley. Let the works simmer on low for about 1/2 hour up to an hour. Just don't let it dry out. Let it cool down.
To build the lasagne: You will need 1 pound (or more if you like it cheesier) mozzarella, grated, 2 cups (or more) ricotta cheese, a cup of grated parmesan cheese and 9 or 12 (depending on your pan size) lasagne noodles. Now, you can pre-cook your noodles or leave dry. I never pre-cook my noodles.
In a large lasagne pan, or a 9x13 baking pan, put a few spoonfuls of your sauce. Lay 3 or 4 lasagne noodles, I use uncooked, in the bottom of your pan, on top of the bit of sauce. Lay on about a cup of ricotta cheese over the noodles. Don't worry if it isn't evenly spread but try to plop it down in a relatively even layer. Take a third of your sauce and spread that over the ricotta. Spread over that 1/2 pound grated mozzarella cheese. Top that with 3 or 4 more noodles, then a cup of ricotta, another third of your sauce and another 1/2 pound of grated mozzarella. Top that with 3 (or 4) more noodles and the last of the sauce. Try to ensure your last lot of sauce is enough to cover the noodles completely. I make sure my last third is a larger third than the first two, if that makes any sense at all!
Cover your completed lasagne with a Victorian Epicure Selections silicone baking mat, or use tin foil.
I usually make it a day ahead of time, then just re-heat what I want to eat. The lasagne tends to gain flavour as the herbs meld in the sauce.
You can add or subtract any vegetables you like. You may notice I did not use onion. I love onion but too much of it doesn't agree with my stomach! Mushrooms are also a nice addition, but I never seem to have them on hand. I use about 4 cups grated vegetables. The combination varies with what I have on hand. If you are vegetarian you can just leave out the meat, sauteing the veggies in the olive oil and going from there.. I have had it both ways and enjoy them both the same. You can also use whatever herb combination you like. I love the Victorian Epicure Selections spices and herbs. They are fresh, non-gmo and all are gluten free. Speaking of which, you can also make this gluten free with any of the varieties of gluten free pasta available these days. You can also substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta, but that does change the flavour and texture. You can also use fresh herbs. Just make sure you use about 3 times as much as you would dried.
If anyone is interested in purchasing Victorian Epicure Selections herbs and spices, do let me know. I am happy to send you a catalogue. It is only available in Canada at present.
If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, or anything else in this blog, I am very happy to hear from you. Bye for now.
