cathyboettner

Fall Gardening is Going WELL

So I made a fall garden post a few weeks ago. I went out to water this morning and decided to post an update because it’s growing so well. The carrots are growing like crazy. They are still at least a month a way from being ready to harvest. I need to harvest them beforeContinue reading “Fall Gardening is Going WELL”

Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze

This recipe is from the Southern Living 2002 Annual Recipes Cookbook. You can find it here: https://www.food.com/recipe/caramel-glazed-pear-cake-187648 There are a few tips that I want to share: 2. This is a sweet cake, so be sure to grease the pan well. 3. Also, because it’s sweet, it browns really quickly. I ended up putting aContinue reading “Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze”

The Ancient Basement–We’re Back At It!

We have taken a pretty long break from the basement after tackling the ceiling in the “den” portion of the basement. (I stripped the bookshelf, but we haven’t worked on anything big since the ceiling.) My husband’s office in the basement is super depressing and while he could work from home on some days, heContinue reading “The Ancient Basement–We’re Back At It!”

Great Grilling Recipe–Chicken (or Pork) Souvlaki

When we go to our favorite Greek/Italian recipe in town, you can pretty much count on my ordering a chicken souvlaki wrap with extra sauce and extra tomato. Now that we live even further out than before, I have come up with my own recipe. First gather your ingredients: fresh lemon, olive oil, cumin, garlicContinue reading “Great Grilling Recipe–Chicken (or Pork) Souvlaki”

Neutral Fall Table

I have found some neat fall decor at the thrift store and I have a great natural linen tablecloth that I bought from Williams-Sonoma. (I have a wide table (42″) and it’s difficult to find cloths wide enough most places.) I also have some really cool neutral dishes that I have found at various thriftContinue reading “Neutral Fall Table”

A Tidy Shed

It’s been a busy year, and we have had a zillion projects around the yard and gardens. We are usually completely wiped out when we put all our tools away, so our handy little garden shed was an absolute disaster. I decided to tackle it today. As I mentioned in the post about the shed,Continue reading “A Tidy Shed”

Storage Solution–for a couple of difficult to store items

This is a repost from a few years ago. We used to have 5 bikes, and they took up a huge amount of floor space. I looked for a solution that would allow us to hang them up and take up as little space as possible, but still be able to get the bikes downContinue reading “Storage Solution–for a couple of difficult to store items”

Mushroom Update

My husband wanted to grow more mushrooms this year. We innoculated a bunch of shitake logs back in 2023, and we did some more earlier this year. Here’s the post that I did on that this spring: https://cathyathomeontheriver.com/2025/03/24/making-mushrooms/ We recently got a bunch of rain and my husband noticed that our shitake logs were startingContinue reading “Mushroom Update”

Hot Dog Chili (or for Chili Mac or Nachos)

My husband LOVES Chili Mac–especially if we are working hard out in the yard on one of his HORRIBLE projects. When I make it, I make a huge batch and put most of it in the freezer. Here’s the recipe: Cathy’s Hot Dog Chili 5 lbs lean hamburger (you can substitute some ground turkey ifContinue reading “Hot Dog Chili (or for Chili Mac or Nachos)”

Beef Stew and Bread by the Fire

We are having people over so I am preparing a make-ahead dinner that is easy to eat outside. This is a hearty beef stew with bacon, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, baby potatoes, and onions. I am making my recipe for Cheesy Grits bread that was published in Southern Living Magazine in 2005. You can find thatContinue reading “Beef Stew and Bread by the Fire”