Family Gathering

Our regular followers know Jacob graduated high school two weeks ago. For a graduation party, Jake wanted a blowout party, as graduates do. For the followers who don't know Jake, that was sarcasm. Jake asked for a low key family get together at the fire house he works out of. All the family (except for the ones who chose a path that did not include Jacob or Kattie Grace) attended. There was pizza for the kids, fruit trays, graduation cakes, and Big Man whipped up two smoked pork shoulders for pulled pork BBQ, and an extra large baking of school house rolls.

This is Jake's "excited" face

Henry said "YUMMY!!" when he tried the BBQ, then tried to cram the whole sandwich in his mouth

A good time was had by all. And we even gave up "Chicken Wing Sunday" so you know it was a special day.
There was the usual goings on this week as well. While Big Man had the smoker fine tuned, he smoked a pork loin one night. Pork loin is probably the most simple meat to smoke, you don't have to smoke it all day, and it's crazy tender and juicy when it's done. We saved half of this one for sandwiches and flavoring other dishes down the road.

And speaking of old school simple, we grilled chicken breasts one night. We chopped them up and put them on a bed of fresh from the garden lettuce for a grilled chicken salad. Perfect on a warm night to keep the kitchen from heating up.

And a little home made ice cream with fresh baked cookies for dessert.

We had a pizza crust frozen that we used. When we make our own crust, it makes enough dough for two pizzas. And unless we have company, we freeze the extra dough, and thaw it out for a quick home made pizza when we want pizza, but are pressed on time.

Home Made sauce too

Our strawberry plants are still producing berries, we pick a bag full every evening. Here are some of Cupcake's hanging baskets with fruit.

And speaking of fruit, the cherry tree is about to unleash some fresh cherries for us in the next week or so.

There was shenanigans that made the photo list this week. Wednesday is wash the bed day around The Acre. And while we were waiting for the comforter to dry in the sunshine, Cupcake balled herself up in a flannel blanket and looked like a plaid burrito. Big Man tired to get a clear photo, but was foiled at every turn.

And last this week, pesticide free gardening. We got a picture of our free range chickens doing their police call line through our potato rows. We dare anyone to find a bug in our garden. Ya can't do it, because we recycle potato bugs into brown eggs. We are green like that.

Plus we have 18 more birds up and coming. We just started letting them free range. They don't stray far from the coop just yet, but every bug they eat is one less we find in the house.

K&K