Who’s that knocking at the Door?

The chickens, of course. Don’t worry, we didn’t let them in!

Turtles

Just a few days ago I was driving into the farm and one of my daughters was standing beside the road, obviously watching something. What was it? I stopped the car to check it out, and it was dozens of baby snapping turtles crawling out of the ground.

We had seen several snapping turtles from the ponds laying eggs this summer in the fields and beside the road, but this was the first time we had ever seen them hatched. Very cool.

Here’s a turtle laying eggs.

Roasted Veggie Tortellini

This is such an easy dinner, the kids loved it, and what they didn’t love they picked out! It makes a giant casserole dish, so great left-overs for supper the next day.

1 large package (1 Kg) 3 cheese tortellini

1/4 cup (60 mL) approx. canola oil

1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 1 yellow pepper, seeded and diced

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you like)

1 green and 1 yellow zucchini, chopped

12 mushrooms, quartered

4 plum tomaotoes, seeded and chopped

Salt and pepper

1 bunch basil, sliced

1 cup (approx) goat cheese, crumbled

2 cups (500 mL) mozzarella cheese, shredded

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets. Chop up all the veggies, toss with oil and salt and pepper. Spread out onto baking sheets, place in hot oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes. The liquid should be evaporated, the vegetables should be soft and getting a deep golden brown.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, and lightly oil a really big casserole dish.
• Remove veggies from oven. Turn oven down to 375 degrees F. Toss veggies with fresh basil and tortellini, add a bit more salt and pepper, sprinkle in goat cheese, scoop into casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Place casserole in oven until cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
• Serves 8-10.