One of "Those" Days

Do you ever have one of "those" days

when things just aren't going

as planned???

I have my fair share but today

was a corker!

Last week I was at a Norwex Party

where I was reminded that pillows

that haven't been washed for some time hold

up to double their weight in dust mites!!

O.K. this might be too much information

but I have to tell you, I was grossed out.

So, today, I stripped my bed linens,

pulled the "old and stained" etc. etc.

pillows from their cases and decided to go for it.

I've washed them before with good success

and vaguely remember reading somewhere that you

should carefully check all the seams to be sure they are

intact before laundering..... you know where this is going right?

Thank goodness for the old shop vac is all I can say....

My first load of laundry was old cleaning rags and a couple

of car blankets which were on the line to dry.

The skies turned black and the 

rain poured - sigh... for a second rinsing.

Oh, and I was rudely reminded by my machine
that it couldn't drain the next load
due to a clogged filter - go figure.
 (I had to get the manual out for that one)!

On the bright side,

my rain barrel has been refilled,

the hydro has remained on,

and my bread dough rose.

There is a huge spaghetti squash and
a meat loaf in the oven and
fresh bread for supper.
Life is good!

Have you had one of "those" days recently?

Till next time .......... planning a wee trip to the nearest Hutterite Colony for some new feather pillows.

August Garden Bounty

My August Garden

is in full production.

Note to self, if you ever want

to really garden and preserve - take holidays

for the month of mid-August to mid-September!

The beets need thinning

(should have done this a month ago)

and the parsnips are developing nicely.

The spaghetti squash are huge

and I can't wait to roast this one.

I planted these beets for my

favourite Beet Salad

(find the recipe on the above link)
This time I sprinkled it with roasted
pine nuts - so delicious.

Just add a juicy BBQ'd hamburger

and you have a great summer

evening meal.

Till next time .................... enjoying the harvest.

Savoury Zucchini Bread

As much as I love sweet things,

especially zucchini bread,

I decided to try a 

savoury version!

It did not disappoint

but

alas, it only used 1 Cup of Zucchini!!!

Maybe if I pick all the flowers

(which are edible AND very pretty)

I could control this prolific crop?

Thanks Jill, for the idea of stuffing 

and frying the blossoms.

You can find Jill's blog at:

 http://www.blogger.com/profile/15826496514403918108

You will love her amazing photography

and more!

Savoury Zucchini Bread
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbsp. of your favourite fresh herbs (I used Rosemary, Basil and Chives)
Substitute with 2-3 tsp. dried herbs
1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Eggs - lightly beaten
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup shredded Zucchini - drained
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Stir the fresh herbs and cheese into the flour mixture.
Combine the eggs, oil and milk in separate bowl.  Stir in the shredded zucchini and then pour the wet
into the dry ingredients - stir just until combined.  Turn into your prepared loaf pan.  Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.  Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.

This recipe only used

1/4

of this beauty!!

I've been shredding and freezing the

left-over pieces.

Also, experimenting with refrigerater
pickled zucchini
(thanks Michelle for your inspiration)
and planning to make some
fritters!
Stay tuned....

Till the next zucchini experiment ......... enjoying the bounty of this season!

Tip Toeing Through the Zucchini

What was I thinking

to plant more than one Zucchini Plant?

The bountiful harvest is

keeping me on my toes!

It seems that each
time I check,
there are many more
than what I can
use .....

It's wonderful to
have such a great harvest.

I've been sharing them,
stir frying,
roasting on the BBQ,
baking them into
muffins, etc.






On the weekend I created a casserole!

It turned out pretty good......I had all the ingredients
on hand and the time to make it!

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

Preheat oven to 350F

4 - 6 Cups Zucchini - sliced into 1/4" slices and halved

1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano - chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh Basil - chopped

1 shallot - chopped

2 cloves garlic - minced

1/2 Cup sharp Cheddar Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl.  Spoon mixture into a greased 9 X 9 casserole dish and top with:

1 Cup Cooked Ham - diced

1/2 Cup Mozzarella and 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded and mixed together)

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs moistened with 2 Tbsp. melted butter

Bake for 35-45 minutes until fork tender.

This casserole smelled amazing whilst baking and was a delicious meal served with a crisp salad.

Now what to do with the rest of these

monster zucchini??

I've been shredding, measuring into 

1 Cup piles and freezing them

for future baking.....

What would you do????

Till next time ..... thankful for the Zucchini harvest!

Reconnecting Time

We had such a great week

visiting with our friends from

Kentucky and Millbank!!

Debi and Larry visit each year when

they travel to our area for a week of

theatre at the Stratford Festival.

It's a wonderful time to catch up with 

each other and reconnect.

Our friends Jan and Dave join in 

with the festivities and fun!

Jan, Debi and me

We went broom shopping

in St. Jacobs

Did a bit of Mother

of the Bride shopping for Jan

Enjoyed a delicious

brunch at Schmidtsville

Restaurant

And had a  quick walk down

memory "path" which led us to my

old homestead.

As we stood in front of the 2 story

historic log house where I grew

up - I remembered that today would 

have been my Dad's 97th birthday!

So many wonderful memories

of him, the shop where he did 

his woodworking

and growing up in 

that old house!

It was so nice to revisit, reconnect, and

spend time with wonderful

life-long friends!

Till next time ..... are you enjoying some reconnecting this summer?

Stooking Time!

It's a beautiful thing

to watch this production

of "stooking" the sheaves!!

I have been carrying my camera

with me to and from work

specifically for this

event.

I remember my Dad and Uncles

doing this and how it smelled

and how wonderful it all was.

It was SUMMER!

Hoping that your

summer is great and that

you have many memories of wonderful

summers past....

Till next time ........... take in the smells of summer!

Apple Saucin'

The "old apple tree" in our back

yard, that's been here for many

generations, yielded a good

crop of Transparent apples 

this year.

It only blooms every other

year and this is it!

So, I'm saucin' today ....

This tree gives such a wonderful

shade in summer and we almost

lost it a few years ago.

It split with the weight and wind

and the farmer put a bolt 

right through the large trunk

to hold it together and we hoped

for the best.

That was about 4 years ago and so 

far so good.

Transparent Apples (or Harvest Apples

as my Mom called them)

are a very old variety.

My mother always made apple sauce with

these tart tasting beauties.

Because of their thin skin and transparent

colour, there is no need to peel or 

core them before saucing.

Simply quarter and cut

out any bad spots or bruises.

Fill a large Dutch Oven pot

(mine is a 4 qt. pot)

Add 3/4 - 1 Cup of water.

Cook slowly, stirring often,

until the apples are soft 

and mushy (30-40 min.)

Put the cooked apples

through a sieve

pressing gently to

separate the skins and seeds

from the apple sauce.

Discard the skins and seeds.

Sweeten to taste (approx. 1/2 Cup Sugar)

or leave it unsweetened for

use in baking.

When I was growing up

Apple Sauce was

on the Table at each meal.

It was a nice additional side to

pork dinners, pancakes,

fried potatoes, or on it's

own as a dessert with

a generous sprinkle of

cinnamon.

Till next time ..... enjoying the remainder of this Civic Holiday Weekend.