Summer

Front porch shade...

Good friends...

Garden tomatoes...

Wedding cake-baking...

Hotdog-eating...

...(with our lovely church family)...

Cupcake-enjoying...

Next-generation zaniness (son of my visiting friend from jr. high)...

Conference-attending (Nancy Leigh DeMoss with Shannon Wexelberg leading worship)...

More cake-baking (celebrating my friend Faith's birthday and Independence Day)...

Super-hero fun...

Dab of painting, for some bathroom zippiness...

 Doggie-moping (he's not used to so much activity)...

Children's church-leading (Flutterbug rules!)...

More (and more and more) summer recipe-testing...

...and all-around carrying-on!

Happy summer, everyone...we'll rest in the fall!

Winners, Runners and Termaters

And the Emmy Board Game goes to...

Brenda Christmas AND Foberswife!

Games will be on their way this week. Don't you just love getting packages in the mail? And when they contain chocolate, well, that's reason to 

dance a little jig! (I do so love to dance a little jig now and then.)

In other news, I've been a good girl: exercising and eating lotsa fiber. Mike's still jogging (that's him below; I'm sitting on the curb resting, of course). 

I loathe running of any sort. Much prefer funner exercise like biking, croquet, mall shopping walking, etc. 

As I've mentioned before, every Spring I get the planting bug...every summer I neglect the whole caboodle and give it over to the mosquitos, and every fall...

...this is where we end up. 

And yet, by the grace of God, I get goodies now and then!

In the past week, I've collected red and green peppers, tomatoes (more than all summer) and green onions. Amazing! I've stepped out into that yard all of six times this summer, and probably every time it was because I was making one of my favorites recipes (and one of the only ones Mike requests; how should I take that?): 

Salmon Cakes (adapted from Chicken of the Sea) 

2 pouches (large) of Chicken of the Sea Pink Salmon

(I suppose one could use canned, but the boney parts freak me out a bit)

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

A couple of dashes of cayenne pepper

2 medium eggs, beaten

2 cups seasoned (or not) breadcrumbs - divided

Butter for frying

Combine first five ingredients in a bowl. Stir in salmon, egg and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Form mixture into balls (this makes about 8), roll in remaining bread crumbs and flatten. Fry in butter (just use the amount your conscience allows, hehe) until golden brown on each side.

We love them with spaghetti squash (as above) and they also make great sandwiches if you manage to have any leftover the next day. It's a very flexible recipe - I've used grapefruit juice in place of lemon, tuna in place of some of the salmon, and panko for the bread crumbs. The original recipe called for garlic powder, which I don't love, but you may. So have at it, and use up those end-of-season garden offerings!

Poacher on the Loose

I've mentioned my attempts to eat a healthy, high-fiber breakfast of oatmeal...with, you know, lots of doctoring of said oatmeal.

But sometimes I just need a break. Here's a fun break: 

That's a 50-calorie strawberry yogurt (or raspberry, not sure...pink, anyway), topped with raspberries and a sprinkling of granola from my handy-dandy row of jars.

It's yummy indeed, but my FAVE is poached eggs.

I've always loved soft-boiled eggs on toast, but they're fickle. Sometimes they come out just right, with the whites all cooked and the yokes wonderfully runny, but more often than not, they end up overdone. And that's always a big disappointment.

But poached eggs can be poked at and looked upon with the naked eye, with no shell in the way, and removed at just the right time.

They're easy enough to make:

- boil some water, with a splurt of vinegar added (it's supposed to help keep the whites from wandering off)

- crack a couple of eggs and gently slide them into the water

- reduce the temp to a simmer, with little bubbles just on the edges

- after a couple of minutes, lift an egg with a slotted spoon and poke at it

- the yoke should still feel mushy, and the whites cooked through

- slip them onto a paper towel on a plate to absorb the water

- butter some toast or an English muffin (earlier while you're waiting)

- plop them on the toast and twist a bit of salt and pepper over them

- savor your masterpiece while enjoying a good book

And then make yourself have oatmeal the next morning to clear out the cholesterol.

Eggcellent.

Oatmeal, Schmoatmeal

Both times we were in Florida last month, we stayed at a fantastic hotel (Homewood Suites). It was just a hop and a skip from my in-laws' home (a turtle-paced hop-and-skip through wall-to-wall white-haired-Chrysler-Sebring-drivers up until 8pm!) and it was such a pleasant place to call home for those couple of weeks. They not only served a full breakfast, they also, on weeknights, served SUPPER.

Every morning, we'd toddle downstairs and help ourselves and plop down at a table (an outside table by the pool when it was crowded inside) and listen to the wonderful assortment of foreign languages spoken around us. Evidently, Europe considers southwest Florida a must-see tourist destination!

Mike and I mainly enjoyed the oatmeal. Every morning there was a big cauldron of hot oatmeal, and a row of additions to choose from: brown sugar, cran-raisins and granola. I enjoyed that combination so much that I promptly began looking for canisters to use at home, since Mike has oatmeal nearly every day, and I try to for my heart's sake (I do try, I really do, but, ugh, it's so boring to eat the same thing every day).

I made the mistake of looking in Pier1 first, and found some awesome canisters for... $19.99 each. And I needed four (Mike likes a sprinkle of white sugar on his sometimes). No way. Not even for my heart! I checked out Walmart, but...blah. Finally, I thought of Garden Ridge, et voilà!, at $3.99 each, just-the-right-size glass canisters with brushed metal lids. (They look a little smaller in the picture than they really are. They're perfect.)

And my heart thanks me very much. Eating oatmeal is just a little more fun.

(It'd be a lot more fun if I filled the canisters with mini M&M's, Lucky Charms, colored sprinkles and Junior Mints...now that'd be some oatmeal. I bet Buddy the Elf'd like that. 

Lemony Treasure

Thought for a minute that we were going to arrive home from a trip to Florida without a speck of citrus, but my Auntie came through with these beauties - plump, knobbly, scrumptious lemons!

Since I'm sitting here on the sofa with my jeans unbuttoned (and still uncomfortable), I have definitely decided to squeeze the lemons and freeze the juice. NO lemon squares...NO lemonade...NO lemon meringue pie. NO. NO. NO. Not for at least a week month.

Things I Ate While On Vacation: my mother's homemade snack mix (take one bite and you'll take fifty), whoopie pie (made by my sis, who understands the necessity of a whooopie pie at least once a year), chocolate, pizza, burgers, chocolate, sweet potato fries, homemade cookies, chocolate, pistachios, meatballs, subs, chocolate, Froot Loops, ice cream, and chocolate.

And now I have a second chin, pants that are too tight, and a Tums habit. Ah, but I also have a new bike. Lime green! with a bell! and a kick stand! (Twice I nearly sheared off someone's ankle when my old bike fell over at the farmers' market.) It was a Christmas gift from my wonnnnnderful husband and daughter, and I shall ride it tomorrow.

Let's see...how many miles must I ride to work off, say, one whoopie pie? Er...one bite of whoopie pie? (Baby steps, my dear, baby steps.)

Snug As A Bug In A Rug

Not much compares to the glorious pleasure of being SNOWED IN.

Homemade bread...



and leisurely naps...

I speak strictly of myself, of course...Mike was stir-crazy by about 9am.

But I adored every minute. And we let him drag us out the second day, on one of his famously long walks, trudging through wonderful piles of white stuff, slipping and sliding on ice, and then warming ourselves with she-crab soup and meatball sandwiches.

We returned to find our cars being shoveled out by our trusty Victory Home friends, who were going about town looking for opportunities to serve!

Thank you, Lord, for the snow and the rest and the joy!

Wishing you all a beautiful new year of joy and blessing and purpose and peace!

Quilty as Charged

My crafty mom's been at it again! She cut up this old quilt and made some lovely ornaments - only two left, so if you'd like one, hop to it! (Banner Celebrations)

This one's my favorite and still available:

AND check out her vintage sewing pattern shop, while you're at it: Cutting Back.

Tried my hand at cranberry-orange sauce last month. I thought it came out great; Mike did not enjoy the tartness. The second time I made it I doubled the sugar. Still mildly tart but much better!

Well, back to my online Scrabble games - one against my mamma, and one against Flutterbug (who shows no mercy and cleans the floor with me nearly every game). I would never do that to my mother....

Wide Load Coming Through

New Hampshire has four basic food groups.

Seafood...


...Dunkin Donuts...


...blueberries...


...and ice cream.


Now there's a food pyramid I can get behind (with a little help from a fork lift).

Potlucky

My poor KITCHEN!

It's a wreck (more than the usual wreck, that is), after a marathon cooking session for tomorrow's potluck dinner after church. I'd post a picture, but...my vanity won't let me. The floor and the counters are littered with dirty bowls, utensils and ingredients, but the good news is that the fridge is holding a pan of beans, a bowl of watergate salad, a ham and a 500-pound pan of baked macaroni & cheese. I could barely lift it. Oooh, and two cakes sitting pretty on the stove, one vanilla with sprinkles and one chocolate w/colored jimmies.

In case you're confused by my terms, I consider sprinkles to be the sugary specks and jimmies to be those tubular solid-colored thingies, usually chocolate brown, but today, a rainbow of pretty colors. I'm not sure if "jimmies" is a regional thing or what, but I find the name totally tubular, man.

I was going to start writing about our terrific trip to New Hampshire, but I'm worn out and covered head to toe in powdered sugar and cocoa, which is making me feel a bit lethargic...and a little euphoric. So 'scuse me while I lean back, put my feet up and...zzzzzzzzzzz

Eat Yer Vegetables

Here's a peek at a fraction of what I've been dealing with the last couple of weeks - the picture of this pile was taken after we sorted about twice that amount.

I like it a lot more when the stuff is GOOD; when it's mostly junk and trash, the task gets extremely tedious.

The days have been running together, and I missed my Wednesday CSA produce pickup last night. Picked it up today and bought a bit of cheese to make up for it - gruyere for a vegetable gratin, and some parmesan-reggiano just because it's so awesome.

I sauteed the summer squash, zucchini, carrots and onion, added some flour, salt and pepper, and a cup of hot milk until it was all saucy.

Grated some of the gruyere, mixed it with bread crumbs, sprinkled it on the top and dotted it with butter. Baked it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I had just a taste since I only have seven weeks until the trip to NH. And, of course, just a teeny bite from the block of parmesan cheese.

And then just one more taste of the veggie gratin.. .

Sam I Am

I picked up my first farm co-op box today!

Lots of greens, of course, since it's only May...two kinds of lettuce, radishes, collards (think I'll give those away) and turnips. Since my house currently smells like a barn, I might as well cook turnips.


And look at those eggs! I just love the green one. It makes me feel all Dr.Seussy.

So...got any good turnip recipes? I'll go hunt for my nose plugs.

Deliciousness-on-a-Stick

Behold PURE BLISS:

Add a salty snack...

...and some pretty colors...

...and VOILA - a Valentine treat, fun to eat...

...and believe me, I know; I've eaten about six...okay, eighteen.

Poor Mike - he came home sick as a dog tonight. So Flutterbug and I are camping out in the living room, watching girl movies and eating questionable italian food out of cans. I'm soooo craving the bottle of Blenheim Spicy Ginger Ale that's upstairs in my bedroom. I tried to sneak in a little while ago, but was thwarted by the creaky floor and the massive pile of laundry that blocked my path.

Mike was conked out in the bed, and I was tempted to pull a bra from the laundry pile and use it to lasso the bottle. But just as I reached down, he stirred and I froze, and then wisely decided to settle for skim milk. Some things just aren't worth waking up a sick husband over. Now, if it had been root beer...