The Hare Hilton

Earlier this summer Candleman was on a shopping trip with Megan in tow when they saw some bunnies in a cardboard box being sold for only $5. We already had a small hutch at home so they bought two - one for Jeff and one for Megan. They are both black and to our untrained eyes they look identical. Jeff named his Light Saber and Megan named hers Angel, Daisy, Flower, Darkness, etc. depending on the day. Papa promised to build them a bigger hutch "one of these days."

"One of these days" came towards the last half of July and continued on until the middle of August! My backyard looked like it had been taken over by the school's woods class. Tools, saws and paint cans took over the patio, covering both picnic tables and the glider. Sawdust was everywhere. Parts of the rabbit hutch lay all over the yard. I couldn't water and the grass grew brown and bare where it was daily trampled on and overgrown where it wasn't. It was a sight to behold. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures - maybe because I didn't want to remember it. I'm sure now that pictures would have just brought a smile and a nod of disbelief.

Talk about a nod of disbelief! Just look at that hutch! I t has two stories with a refreshment center in both. There are four front doors and a magnetic swinging door into each of the separate climate-controlled burrowing suites, which come complete with hay and baskets and are totally insulated. Even the front doors are insulated and have weather-stripping to keep out the cold. The front doors on my house are not anywhere near so weather-proof. We're talking bone chilling drafts all winter long. I've gently mentioned that to Candleman. He agreed, but hasn't been even tempted to fix my doors. :( I may have to take matters into my own hands.

The day finally came when the hutch was completely built and painted. The day the grandkids had been looking forward to for 3 weeks. It was decorate the hutch day.

The first step was to put hand prints on the front doors of the bedroom suites. As usual, Papa decided if a little was good a lot was better. He slopped on the paint! We got him toned down after a bit.The inaugural color was yellow - 2 yellow hand prints each. Next came blue, followed by red and black. You can see that Candleman has got his technique down by now. Jeff is painting the top sections and Megan the bottom.

After all the hand prints were completed the kids moved on to the back and side. Jeff is painting a yellow truck and Megan is starting her rainbow.







The kids changed places so Jeff was on the side and Megan doing the back.


Every once-in-awhile the bunnies would come out and casually watch the process. I think they are very happy with their new home. I'm happy because a few days after the paint dried Candleman recruited a crew of 5 good, healthy, strong men to move the hutch off the lawn and to it's foundation next to the potato tower and the back fence. Several problems became apparent with the new location - the side and back artwork doesn't show and Megan & Jeff's dog barked at the bunnies a lot through the fence. Luckily, she has tired of the bunnies or become used to them enough that their hopping around doesn't bother her anymore. It remains to be seen if the bunnies will make it through the winter in their insulated bedroom suites.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

I have learned a new method of preserving tomatoes that I absolutely love. Absolutely!

Last spring when I was planning my garden I did some internet searching for recipes and preserving techniques. I was thrilled to find one for oven roasting. It's so easy, no mess, not time consuming, and the results are delicious.
This works best with Roma tomatoes. Taking a leap of faith (because I hadn't tried this yet) I purchased and planted 8 Roma plants in the spring. You can tell which squares have tomatoes because they also have marigolds. (Click on the picture to see better)

The picture on the right shows my lovely tomatoes 3 months later. I have been so pleased with the tomato production this year. Already our yields have been tons better than other years.

Back to the reason I'm writing this post - oven roasted tomatoes. I have made 3 batches so far and am very pleased with how they've turned out.

Did I mentioned they were easy? Oh, yeah! Just wash those babies, slice them in half, cut out the stem, and place, cut side up, on a oiled cookie sheet. I just brushed on a little olive oil. Stick a few garlic cloves among the tomatoes. I don't think this seasons the tomatoes but the roasted garlic is delicious. Then drizzle a little olive oil over the tops (about 2 tablespoons), sprinkle with salt and pepper, some fresh or dried herbs, according to your preferences. I've read that dried herbs will flavor the tomatoes more but I have fresh in the garden so that's what I used. Since I am going to be using the tomatoes in different recipes I don't want them to be seasoned strongly with herbs - I'll wait to season the dish.

I was making the second batch while Candleman was working at the kitchen table. He commented on the luscious smell of the fresh rosemary (I think it's one of my favorite smells, too) so when I had the pan filled I showed him how pretty it looked. He insisted on taking a picture. That man knows how to win my heart!

After all that work *smirk, smirk* you simply slide that cookie sheet into a 200 degree oven and let the roasting go for 8 - 11 hrs. Your house will smell divine - okay, not divine like when brownies are cooking, but mighty good in a homey, earthy sort of way.

When the tomatoes are roasted to your satisfaction, let them cool at room temperature before putting them in the freezer right on the pan. After an hour or so, put the tomatoes in a freezer bag. The pre-freezing makes it so you can pull out only as many tomatoes as you want to and refreeze the others.

My first meal using the oven roasted tomatoes was one Katie suggested. She had ordered Chicken Alfredo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes at a restaurant and was hoping we could duplicate it. We cooked the chicken, used store-bought Alfredo sauce and served it over noodles, but first we did a number on that bottle of alfredo sauce. We added roasted garlic (big, big help), seasoned it with some fresh basil and oregano, added fresh pepper and after it was warmed we added the roasted tomatoes. The sauce is a little pink after stirring in the tomatoes, but it was delicious! I can't wait to make it again this winter with some of those flavorful tomatoes from the freezer.

Another recipe I'm dying to try when it's colder - no rush, mind! - is Roasted Tomato Soup. If it's as good as it sounds I'll share that recipe.

In the meantime, if you have an abundance of tomatoes (I've read that you can use any variety) or can get your hands on some, you might want to try Oven Roasted Tomatoes. I wish I lived where there was a farmer's market cause I'd be putting up lots more. Here's to another month or two of good harvest.