Me and Martha / March

There are so many things going on at The Farmhouse... springtime, puddles, rainboots, egg hatching, guinea pigs, bunnies, traveling, cheerleading and the ever popular You-Are-Grounded-Because-Of-Your-Math-Grade. Ahhh, yes... spring.

As my friends "spring break" in New York City, I am home, holding the fort together. It's a big job, let me tell you

. Me and Martha is a project invented by my hip and stylish friend, Janet, from sunny southern California. Yes, we have met in "real life," right here in sunny Atlanta. I joined in on Janet's project not only because of the fabulous inspiration, but also to throw a little "southern" of a different brand into the mix. I mean really, a little sweet tea and grits never hurt anybody.

I jumped right in with two feet in February - threw open the pages of my issue of Martha Stewart Living and turned right to the Creme Brulee recipe. PERFECT! Except, it didn't go so great. Martha beat me, and so did the Creme Brulee, which was way more like a fancy Chocolate Soup, and really, I still can't bear to discuss it.

To say the least, I knew the March issue would require a less confident approach. I clicked "FOLLOW" on Martha's Twitter feed (she had dinner last night in Tribeca, just so you know) and buried myself in "research" mode. The cover alone was a bit more comforting... gardening is something we southern girls are trained to do. It's just like walking and chewing gum. In a good way.



Let's review, shall we? First, I asked Joshua for that fabulous tree bookshelf. Since it runs around $2800, he said "maybe next time." I'm holding out for a "Project Graduation Gift". I think I have a chance, don't you?

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Since we are reading a gardening issue, and there was so much to choose from in terms of projects, I used the inspiration to get our own Farmhouse Garden (2011 edition) going, and planted some seeds. I like raising babies around here ... what can I say? A few Jiffy Greenhouses, and several packets of seeds - and we were in business. The Greenhouses are super easy to use. As of today, we have about ten Zuchinni plants, ten banana pepper plants, five watermelon plants, fifteen cucumber plants, and lots of herbs sprouting and going strong. Still to plant are pumpkins, beans and possibly a special hybrid bell pepper. Oooohh... I'm getting fancy. Someone should email Joshua and tell him to get started on my garden plot.

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I call the Farmhouse Kitchen "my office." Determined NOT to let Creme Brulee get the best of me, I flipped and found some yummy Coffee Cake recipes. I went with the simple Cinnamon-Streusel version, mostly because I had most of the ingredients on hand. We ate every bite in about two days. Super yummy, super easy, and most of the contents are already in your pantry. Pecans tend to be pricey here in the south in the winter... walnuts could easily be used as a more budget friendly substitute.

So. There we go. March's issue is done.... and chalked up to success. The magazine itself is thoroughly wrinkled and well-read, due to all my "research" and onto the April issue, which I think someone has conveniently borrowed. Don't they know I have homework to do? Off to raise babies, cucumbers and teenagers....

Rachael.