Big Jim Peppers Are Here, Homemade Chana Punjabi, Vegan Russian Dressing, and More pics

I was going to wait to post these photos in near-future posts but I'm already so far behind with blogging I didn't want to bankroll them.  that and I'm so excite to share these pics with you guys! 

First up...

This pepper!  BUT...this isn't just 'any' pepper...it's a Big Jim Pepper from our Rooftop/Container Garden at work!  Woot!  Sam and I cut one open and ate it raw and LOVED it.  It wasn't sweet.  At the end it had a kick to it, too!  YAY!  These did really well for us and we are already planning on doing more next year.  We had 3 plants that were good size and produced a few.  If we spaced them out more I think we could have gotten more of a yield but I'm happy with what we did get!

We have some late bloomers of our rooftop produce which I will be sharing with you soon.  We are still waiting on the Brussel Sprouts, too, but they do take a long time from start to finish.

Last night I wanted an Indian Inspired dish but also wanted to make some for my lunch today.  Based on what I had in my pantry and in my fresh stock in the kitchen I made some Chana Punjabi and it turned out great.  It wasn't spicy but it was tasty!  Here's the recipe I threw together...

1 Can of Chickpeas
1/2 tea Wildtree Garam Masala
1 tea Wildtree Garlic & Herb
2 Large Tomatoes
1/4 tea Turmeric Extract
Pinch of Garlic Chili Sea Salt

Last week I was sort of craving a Russian Flavored Dressing so I came up with this Mayo-Free, Soy-Free version that I was quite proud of that I did in my Vitamix.  Recipe...

1 C Cashews
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tea Coconut Sugar
1 tea Wildtee Garlic & Herb
1 tea Dijon Mustard
1/2 C Relish (or chopped sweet pickles)
3/4 C Ketchup

This was a great dressing AND a wonderful dipping sauce.  Overnight in the frig it thickened up because of the Cashews!  YUM!

Why...yes...YES...that is Moonshine!  I'm mostly posting this because I LOVE the way the photo turned out!

We visited 3 Moonshine places while in TN.  It's now legal there.  We sampled a few from Ole Smoky.  They had Moonshine infused cherries.  I thought I would like them more than I did but they look super cool in the glass jar, don't they? 

My husband ended up purchasing one of their baseball caps.  And some of their Blackberry Moonshine.

There were a few Wineries nearby and we intended to go back and check them out but we ran out of time while on vacation.

DOH!!!!

I just LOVED this fountain that was tucked back in one of the coves in the shopping district of Gatlinburg. 

There were places to sit and shop.  A few places to grab some beverages like a specialty coffee or pastry.  But my FAVORITE part was this fountain and the building facades.

I still have a LOT to blog about from our vacation and more photos to share here and on the Travel Blog.  But I will save those for another day!

I have more giveaways to post about, too!  Hopefully tomorrow!  Stay Tuned!

And don't forget to scroll down...this wasn't my only post for today!

Weekend Roundup & Rooftop Garden Updates

A little bit of a "Weekend Round Up" as well as an update on the Rooftop Garden/Container Garden in this post!  This past weekend my mom, dad, sister, and I were with our Wildtree Products at Merritt Winery outside of Dunkirk, NY, for the 2nd time this year.  The weather started off not-so-great but it ended on a more pleasant note.  I was able to take a photograph of their vineyards before we left Sunday Night.

My sister and parents went on a little outing not too long ago and grabbed a drink or two at a Greek Restaurant and saved me this bottle.  WHY?  You might ask?  Well, because it has a Unicorn on it - of course!  If you don't already know - I've been a life long unicorn collector...I added this to my collection.  I posted this photo on InstaGram and noticed Mythos Beer is really popular overseas...I saw posts from Greece, Turkey, Italy, and other countries, too!  Pretty neat!  I made a spot for this empty bottle in my Craft Room.

Another thing I wanted to take time today - to update you all on - was some more Rooftop Garden/Container Garden updates!  On the right are two Dragons Tongue Bean plants BUT on the left is a container of Yard Long Beans that are crawling over and attaching themselves to the Dragons Tongue.  The Yard Long Beans are CRAZY HUGE!  They really can grow up to a YARD long!  Hence the name!  One of these days I will try and take a pic of me holding one so you can see just how long they really are!  They are so cool!

Here are some peppers we are having luck with now!  These are the Big Jim Peppers!  They are supposed to be mild to medium on the heat scale.  I think we will let them go a bit longer before picking because they can get to be between 7 and 10 inches long and I've read they also can turn red, too!  These are doing pretty well under our stairs in partial sun.

Questions of the Day...How was your weekend?  Do anything interesting?  How's your garden going and growing?  Any surprises there?  Have you tried Yardlong Beans or Big Jim Peppers?  What are your thoughts on those two produce picks?