Backyard Evolution - Watching Grass Grow

So you might will call me crazy when I tell you that having your own patch of green lawn is da bomb!

Seriously though, it is.

Remember when I showed you the condition of our backyard when we moved in to our new home in 2011?

as it was in 2011

Skip forward two-ish years and we are now proud owners of one seriously green patch of grass...

Gah! totally love it, I could look at it all day.  (Ignore the surrounding garden beds, they are a work in progress!).

Our yard has gone from, pavers & rocks, to dirt & dust and now to the greenest of green...

Tell me you don't think it looks ah-mazeballs!?

I must confess we had a professional come do all the prep work & lay the lawn but it was money well spent.

Mr Nutt & I have spent numerous hours, since it was laid in mid March, just sitting on our deck with a cup of coffee watching the grass grow - literally.

So you might say we are chuffed... royally chuffed... and we are.  Seeing our lawn dream come to fruition means we are one step closer to finishing our dream garden.

We are now on the look out for a water feature to sit in front of the office window... I'm eyeing off this one from Masters Home Improvement.

Tropez Urn Water Feature

We're also out and about looking at different types of rocks for our pathways.  Mr Nutt has always been set on tumbled sandstone and we are both in agreement that the rocks below are fit for the job.

Slowly but surely the yard is getting there.

Until the next instalment of our backyard evolution I give you this...

Almond & Pistachio Biscotti

Let me admit to you, right off the bat, that I am a Biscotti novice.

Up until now, I had never cooked, nor even thought about cooking Biscotti.  I wasn't even sure I liked them!

But as you do on a rainy day, you break out your recipe book (or in this case, scour the Internet), raid your pantry and crank the oven.  So why Biscotti?  Why not!

Admittedly, I had some minor issues along the way, and they turned out looking like a Biscotti goddess had a serious run in with an ugly tree, but boy did they taste Deee-Lish!

Biscotti Use:

Biscotti Do:

(Rolling the logs was a little more finicky then I expected and they ended up to long and not thick enough)

From here on in I don't have photos.  I was concentrating so much so that my eyes could cut through sheet metal like lasers! Anyhoo...

5. Once cool, preheat oven to 160 degrees.  Using a serrated knife, thinly slice the logs and place flat down on a baking tray. (this was a little difficult because my log was still a little soft inside, I would suggest cooking the log in step 4 for another 5 minutes)

6. Bake for a further 5 minutes or so.  Be careful not to over bake as the Biscotti will become hard.

Devour!

As an aside, it's not all doom and sugary gloom with this biscuit; almonds & pistachios are a good source of protein, rich in dietary fibre, B vitamins, essential minerals & mono-unsaturated fats.  

With all sugary foods remember, consume in moderation.

For the original recipe click here

Mid-week Meander - Homage to Creativity

Where oh where has the year gone?

It's not long now before we in the Southern Hemisphere are staring directly in the blustery face of Winter.

I'll make it short & simple this week... I'm giving mad props to the wonderful & varied world of Creativity.

the Purl Bee

Crafted Love

source

EfemeraInk

World of Dennifer

Plaid

source 

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If only we could harness the energy of creativity, we could generate enough power to run a small country!

Happy Hump Day!