Summer's Bounty

I have been enjoying summer here in Saskatchewan. Well besides all the mosquitos which have been very rampant this summer.

So far this summer we took a little time to have a nice family vacation. It was great to be able to spend that time together as a family.

We returned home to find changes in the yard. The garden is coming along (well the parts that haven't flooded with all the rain this summer), the grass is growing and the strawberry patch has been producing nicely.

This is a photo of my first harvest from my sour cherry tree. Its a few years old only and I am happy to say that these cherries will be combined with Saskatoon berries and become a pie or crisp.....YUM!

Ducks!

I love going outside in my yard and enjoying the wildlife that live there. My yard is quite large, much larger than any city or town lot. One section of the property there is a slough (or pond as many would call it but slang here is slough).

When my dog isn't out there wading in the water scaring away the birds there are a few ducks that like to swim there.

I snapped this photo of the Blue-winged Teal last week as I was exploring the yard.

Some of my flowers

Its been a little bit since I posted. It seems spring and summer are always very busy with mowing the lawn and upkeep of the yard and garden.

I went wandering around the yard this morning and took a few photos of my yard that I wanted to share with all of you.

Here are a few beauties I found in my garden:






Hope you enjoy my photos!

Baking Day! Banana Bread Recipe

Woo hoo! Today I am going to share my first, hopefully of many recipes with you! I love banana bread as do my kids and of course hubby too. This recipe has become a staple in my recipe box. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I am not sure where I got it from...I have had this recipe forever though. Here it is:

5 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan.
Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sugars and beat well. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add mashed banana and beat on high for 30 seconds.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating with cream and ending with flour. Add walnuts and mix well.

Pour into a loaf pan and bake until browned and toothpick inserted in center comes clean (about 1 hour 15 minutes).

Cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

I love to put margarine or butter on the loaf when its warm and enjoy it that way. You can also eat it with jam which is also tasty. I omitted the nuts as my dd's school is nut-free and I cannot send anything containing nuts.

This is the result, complete with melting margarine (it was still warm and very yummy).




I hope you try this out and enjoy it! Let me know what you think it!

Spring on the Prairies

I love springtime on the prairies! Everything seems so fresh and new. Here is a little collage of some of the photos I have taken of my garden and some of the plants growing in it.



From top left to right: rhubarb, chives, asparagus, plum blossoms, honeyberry blossoms and dandelion.

Enjoy!!

Welcome to my new blog!!

Hello and welcome to my new blog! I hope to share all sorts of things with you from a bit about me and my life here on the Canadian prairies to my hobbies and crafts to recipes and even a few of my own photos.

First, a bit about me! My name is Tina and I was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada. I love life here on the prairies and am so happy to raise my two children here with the help of my fantastic husband! I have always loved to craft and spend time crafting when time permits me. I love the outdoors and gardening and spending time outside. I even partake in a little fishing during the summer months. I love to take photos and hope to share some of them on here with you. Cooking and baking is also a passion of mine and I also hope to share a few recipes with you on here.

I hope you enjoy spending time with me and follow me on my journey here as a Canadian Prairie Mom!