To Every Game There Is a Season

Hard to believe...Summer is coming to an end tonight, and Fall starts on Saturday. No...not on the calendar. I'm speaking of the wonderful World of Sports.

We just got home from our final Greensboro Grasshoppers (Single A-minor league team in the Florida Marlins system) game of the 2013 season. It's the last home stand against the Hickory Crawdads (gotta love minor league baseball teams' names...:-), Thirsty Thursday with $1 beverages, and fireworks! A triple play!! Since the Hoppers are 10.5 games back, any hopes for the Playoffs this year are just a field of so many dreams. Ah well...play ball!

Funny aside from the Hoppers game tonight: while Mr. T was foraging for food and beverages, I'm clapping, hollering, cheering...and generally having the usual good time. A Crawdad hits a pitch down the first base line, and the man sitting next to me turns to his wife, claps and says "it's a foul ball." About that same moment, I see the first/second base ump (it's minor league, remember...only two umps for four bases...:-) give the sign, and I said "no, it's a fair ball." A few minutes and several plays later, Man says "You're really into this, aren't you? Have you always enjoyed baseball?" 

Lord have mercy, if he only knew...

I think I may have shared with you before about me and my love-hate relationship with baseball. My grandfather Keaton...known to me as Papaw...played catcher on a semi-pro baseball team in Tennessee, back in the early 1910's, and he was always a keen Yankees fan. Daddy was Dixie Youth Baseball commissioner for Ripley, and my younger brother played every level of Dixie Youth (Little League through Senior) baseball there was...and got a baseball scholarship to college. From the time J could swing a bat and wear a glove, we were at the ball park every Summer week night. To keep my level of boredom in check, I helped out in the concession stand...I bet I can still make a mean Suicide (a horrible drink that is a mixture of several fountain beverages)! 

And if we weren't going to local Little League games or tournaments, we were shaping our vacations around baseball season...and going to major league games. Local-boy-makes-good Jim Hickman from Henning was an original Mets team player, then he played for the Cubs...and he got Daddy tickets for games in Atlanta, St. Louis, and Chicago on several occasions. I vividly remember going to a Braves game that went 17 innings! Is this ever going to end? I always said I didn't like baseball. B-o-r-i-n-g. Do you blame me?

Truthfully, I think I didn't like yielding my life to Dixie Youth baseball...without being able to participate myself. We didn't have softball opportunities like there were later, plus I'm a lousy base runner and weak fielder...no arm strength for throwing. But I guess I learned the mechanics of the game by association and acquired the passion genetically. No one was a bigger Braves fan than my mother! As I've aged, baseball has become like an old family friend...and I've embraced the relationship. I recognize what a big part of my life this game has occupied. Now, I can answer the Man with "yes, I guess I do enjoy it," and mean it.

We won, by the way. Hoppers 4 — Crawdads 3. And the fireworks were fantastic!

Moving on...

We pack our winner-winner-chicken-dinner tailgate basket and head to Durham on Saturday afternoon for our first Duke football game of the season. Kickoff is at 4:00. They offered the Family Plan again this year (4 General Admission tickets to all home games for small bucks), and we love the atmosphere at Wallace Wade Stadium. "What a cute little stadium!" we once heard an Alabama coed exclaim as she walked around the horseshoe to the visitors section. A throwback to days before college football became Big Business. At Duke, basketball is King and the cash-cow, so football can be fun. Easy parking, easy tailgating, easy getting to-and-from our seats...no hassle. Go Devils! (Unless you're playing my Memphis Tigers, like you are on September 7...then I change loyalties, even if I continue to wear the same color blue...:-)

Baseball. Football. Both in the same week. Can basketball season be too far off?

Doctor Day

Whew! I'm back home...got my feet up in my lounge-luge, with the replay of last night's Braves-Cards game on TV. Shhh...don't tell me who won...I didn't have time to read the paper this morning to see the score. It'll be like it's happening for the first time. Heck, as tired as I am, I'll probably fall asleep somewhere in the middle anyway...wake up during tonight's "live" game and still won't know the score of this replay. Sigh.

Ah well...I'm just having a late-day energy slump...nothing really wrong. With me, that is...more on that in a minute.

Busy couple of weeks here at Casa 3917. Some of the happenings are garden-related, since it's the time of the year when the summer harvest is coming in fast and furious. This week has been the peak harvest week for the Roma and the Juliet tomatoes, both of which are Determinate varieties...meaning their fruit ripens "all at once" (actually over several days to a couple weeks) and then they are done for the season...well, forever actually.

I've put up 10 freezer bags-full and two half-gallon freezer containers of tomatoes, so far, and we will enjoy them in chili, spaghetti, and soups throughout the coming winter months. Because the green, sweet red, and jalapeño peppers are also ready, I'm making salsa this week, too. Will finish that up tomorrow. Here's the post on our garden blog...click here to go there...

Had to take time out today, though, for Doctor Day...which is what I'm beginning to think that Friday has morphed into. Started out with Abbie's six-months' checkin-visit at the vet's for her bordatella booster...and a much needed nail trim. All's well with our no-longer 'baby puppy,' pictured in her harness on the ride home below. When the tech got her on the scale for the weigh-in...well, I was gob-smacked, as they say across the pond. She now weighs...wait for it, wait for it...

F O R T Y - N I N E and 1/2  P O U N D S ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

No way! It's not like she's fat...next to the Bassets, she still looks model-thin. And she sure is lean and muscular looking as she races around the Way Back. We aren't over-feeding her. If anything, we may have to check to see if we are feeding her enough, based on her weight. I've used the chart for 30-40 pounds when measuring out her 3/4 cup of kibble, for breakfast and dinner. 

For sure, Dr. K had guesstimated Abbie's adult weight (based on her 4-month checkin weight of 21 lbs.) as around 44-48 pounds. And the standards for adult Australian Shepherds (which her momma was) say 35-55 pounds, so we shouldn't be too surprised. But, I've thought of Abbie as a rat terrier (under 40 pounds adult weight) for so long...and I do believe her poppa was a holy terrier of some sort...that I was just floored when the display on the scales registered 49.5. Goodness gracious.

Oh well, something tells me it won't matter one iota when she leaps into my lap and takes up her usual position on the foot rest of my recliner...just like in this pic with Mr. T. 

Now, about that ice pack on his right shoulder...

After returning Abbie home and running a few errands,  it was time to head out to the orthopedic clinic. Mr. T had an appointment with the PA for evaluation of his continuing (and worsening) shoulder pain. Our primary care doc had ordered an X-ray last Friday, which showed what he called "chronic dislocated shoulder with a Hill-Sachs lesion." Say what?

First question: if you had a dislocated shoulder, don't you think you'd know it? Or, at least know when you dislocated it?

Second question: how can something be chronic if you've never had it before...to your knowledge?

Third question: what can be done to fix it...just fix it? 

The cortisone shot he had three weeks ago hasn't helped much, and it's too soon to give another. Celebrex, which is the best anti-inflammatory choice of the NSAIDS, is no longer working as well...and Dr. K (our primary care doc, not Abbie's vet...confusing, isn't it?) has warned Mr. T to stop taking additional aspirin and ibuprofen for pain relief, or suffer the consequences which will most likely be an ulcer. The pain pills (he's tried three kinds) cannot be taken if he has to drive (which is a big part of his job)...and aren't helping much at night. Heat doesn't work. Ice isn't giving much relief. Too much pain to get any help from therapy exercises. Double sigh. Triple, even.

Enter the PA today. She conducted a physical exam and didn't mention a dislocated shoulder, other than to say "if your shoulder were dislocated, you couldn't rotate your arm like that." She thinks it's a torn rotator cuff. And to confirm that, Mr. T needs an MRI. So, that's scheduled for...wait for it, wait for it...next Friday.

Or, should I say "next Doctor Day." Stay tuned...

Weaving In

I guess I could have titled this post "Tying Up Loose Ends," but I'm a knitter...and we don't tie them up, we weave them in.

Thread No. 1:

I was showing off my beautiful lap quilt that Missy M made me for my birthday when I realized I'd never shared a picture of it with you. Shame on me! Let me correct that oversight posthaste:

The front...

...and the reverse...

Beautiful! Missy M has such an amazing eye for color, although the pictures (taken with my iPad, using just the light from the ceiling fixture) don't do justice to the richness of the fabrics. Or the piecing. Or the stitching, for that matter. You'll have to trust me on how gorgeous this priceless gift is. Notice that she has finally started signing her works of art by placing a label on the reverse (upper left of the second picture). A teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy label...but a label nonetheless. Thank you, my dear!

And although I get into trouble about it, I have chosen to display my quilt(s) she has made rather than put them into general use just yet. "Use them Mother (note the use of my "proper name"...;-)...that's what they are made for." I can't help it...I want to "keep them nice" for a while. Meaning: no dog drool, no dog hair. So, this one is currently draped over the ladder back chair at my place at the dining room table...and I smile every single time I see it.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love and cherish all my quilts...and their stories. There's the Wedding Ring quilt that Momma gave us for a wedding present. Used it on our bed for a while, but it's now hanging on a wall quilt rack over our bed. Love it too much to subject it to daily doggie abuse.

There's the Dresden Plate quilt in blues...pieced by Cousin A from Dickson (remember? the one who just celebrated her 105th birthday?!) and quilted by the Pickerington (OH) Senior Center Quilting club. That one has matching pillow tops, too. It's displayed on a standing quilt rack, which was made by my Uncle Howard...keeping it "all in the family."

Then there's the Sunflower Quilt, purchased one breathtakingly beautiful Fall weekend in the Ozarks, at a craft fair on the Arkansas property where Momma and Aunt Bonnie took week-long classes...one in watercolors, the other in weaving...over several summers. We bought it from a lady, who was among dozens of quilt vendors that day. We included the quilter's card in the box we wrapped up for Momma's Christmas that year, intending to give her a lasting memory of her Arkansas adventure...and imagine all of our faces when Momma said "why, that's the same lady that made your Wedding Ring Quilt!" 

It's hanging in the den, along with a cotton boll quilt (made by one of Momma's former coworkers in the Covington Welfare office) and with my most-treasured quilt...which is actually just a piece of a quilt, artfully arranged to appear to be whole and folded. That one may be faded and torn and ragged, but it is a family heirloom: made by Ner, my (step) great-grandmother for Momma's 16th birthday (so, in the depths of the Depression), using pieces of fabrics saved from many of Momma's little girl dresses, which had been sewn by my grandmother...who died when Momma was just 5. It has been a bed quilt, a sofa cover, a picnic blanket, and a beach spread. It survived two house fires and too many moves to count...and it means the world to me.

And now, I have others in that treasured class: the first quilt Missy M made for us, which is in the guest bedroom; the first (and last!) king-size quilt she made, now displayed on a wall rack in the dining room; the quilted Christmas Tree skirt that comes out during the holidays; and the lap quilts she's made for Mr. T and me. All priceless. Priceless.

Thread No. 2:

Before I forget (yet again), this post might be a good place to share a couple of the photos (other than the 50 or so shots of the sunrise) we snapped at Oak Hollow Lake on the morning of my birthday...using the "reverse camera" feature on my phone. Both are a bit shaky, so don't expect too much...they will just give you a good idea of what 60 looks like at dawn. 

The first one I should have asked Mr. T to take, since his arm is longer than mine...and length helps to widen the shot. I was stretched to my limit, you might say, so steadiness was sacrificed.

The second one is just me...no makeup, barely awake, but happy all the same. You can judge for yourself how well I'm coping with the residual effects of Bell's Palsy, a little over a year later: still some slackness in the muscle around the corner of my mouth, some tension in the muscle around my left eye...so neither cooperate fully when my brain sends the signal to "Smile!"...but still able to smile, which I could not do this time last year. 

Three cheers for loose threads, quilt memories, and the difference a year can make!

First You Make a Roux...Redux

The okra is coming in, fast and furious from the Kitchen Garden...as are the Juliet and Roma tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. Check out the recent harvest! [You can read more about okra over on our Gardening With the Giants blog...click here to go there.]

Let's see...okra, tomatoes, green peppers, onions...that must mean it is Gumbo Time!

If this subject is sounding a bit déjà vu, you are right. I wrote about making gumbo last year in First You Make a Roux. You can read that one again, if you'd like...click here to go there.

Only, today, I simply don't have the time to stand over and stir a Dutch oven full of simmering okra stew ('cause that's what gumbo is...:-). Mainly because I'm standing over a kettle of boiling water, blanching more okra, more tomatoes, plus a peck of green beans...getting everything packed for the freezer. So the gumbo will have to develop all those lovely favors over on the other counter in the slow cooker.

Still, there's one step I won't forego for the sake of saving time: making the roux. I consider that an essential part of a true Louisiana-inspired gumbo...for that's where I learned to appreciate both gumbo and its namesake ingredient (the West African word for okra is "gumbo"), when we lived in Shreveport...and where I learned to make it, Bayou-style.

In Louisiana cooking, many recipes begin with the statement "First, you make a roux..." Several years ago, when in New Orleans for a conference sponsored by Mr. T's employer of the time, Idealease, I had the opportunity to attend a fantastic cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. We made Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, and Pralines. I still have the recipes...and use some of the techniques I learned that day. The very first thing we learned was how to make a roux...light, medium, and dark...since three out of the four recipes started that way.

So, to make our Gumbo, first you make the roux...

...and then you let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting...or, in this case, all the tedious tending.
 

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Sunday Supper Slow Cooker Gumbo

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons oil (can use part bacon grease)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups cut okra

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups fresh, peeled tomatoes, like Romas

1 pod red pepper ( cayenne)

1 /2-1 Tablespoon seasoned salt like Tony Cacheries

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded, cooked chicken, like leftover rotisserie-style, optional

1/2 cup leftover cooked ham, diced, optional

Chicken Stock

1-2 cups shelled deveined cooked medium shrimp

2 cups cooked long-grain white rice

Chopped parsley

Directions:

1. In a cast iron skillet, make a roux by combining flour and oil; mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes or until mixture turns caramel brown. 

2. Add prepared veggies to the roux in the following order: onion, green pepper, and celery (stir for 1 minute); okra (stir for 1 minute); and, after adding a teaspoon of fat if needed, the garlic. Remove from heat. Put veggies in 3 1/2 to 4 quart Slow Cooker, set on High Setting.

3. Stir in all remaining ingredients except stock, shrimp, rice, and parsley. Cover. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to  low setting and cook for 6 hours. 

4. Add shrimp to gumbo mixture; mix well. If gumbo appears too thick, stir in some chicken stock. Cover; cook on low setting for additional 20 minutes. 

5. Serve gumbo over cooked rice, garnished with chopped parsley. Enjoy with French bread...so you can get every, last bite!

Pop! Goes the...Pickle Top!

If you can't stand the heat...and the smell of vinegar...you might want to stay out of my kitchen today. Yep, Patricia's making pickles!

Pop! That's one done...

Just ignore those popping sounds for a moment, and let's start this story at the beginning, shall we?

It began on a warm, sunny day in mid-April...with some Straight Eight seeds, a trowel, a hefty shovel of compost, a trellis made from some repurposed lattice panels that formerly lived on our deck-railings, and rain...lots and lots of rain. The vines grew big and strong and lush over the lattice. 

More rain. The bees and other pollinators visited the lovely yellow flowers.

More rain. And before you knew what was happening...presto! Cucumbers! Lots and lots of cucumbers!!

Pop! Pop! That's another one done...and another...

Have I ever told you I don't eat cucumbers? Well, not raw cucumbers, that is. I like them, really I do, but they don't seem to like me much. My neighbors like them, so I remember to include some in the baskets of garden goodies I share with them. Oh sure, every now and then I take a chance and make my version of Aunt Myrtle's Veggie Spread (carrots, chives or green onions, and cucumbers...all diced/shredded to bits...and blended with softened cream cheese; nothing better on a bagel or a saltine cracker, trust me...;-), but I usually avoid cukes in the raw state. Mr. T is the same in this game.

Ah. But perform the magic that comes in a bottle of vinegar, and I'm first in line for the finished product. Pickles! Sweet...sour...spicy...dill. Whole...spears...slices...chips. Doesn't matter much to me. I love them all!

And today, I'm making two different kinds: Hot Dill! and Easy Sweet 'n Spicy. Read on for more...recipes follow at the bottom.

The Hot Dill! Pickles I make in the "usual" way, using cucumbers, garlic, hot peppers, and dill from the garden.

Each jar gets a cayenne pepper and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Maybe 5...I like me some garlic-y dills!

Then I pack the jars with cucumber slices and add a large sprig of dill that has flowered and started to go to seed. 

After boiling the ingredients for the brine (vinegar, water, and canning salt) and filling the jars, I then process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Give them a couple of weeks, and I should have another batch of tasty (and zippy!) dills. The longer they age, the zippier they get. Cayennes are like that, don't you know.

[I say "I should..." because Mr. T wouldn't touch a dill pickle with a ten-foot pole...literally. Whenever we eat at a deli, he is adamant that they NOT put a pickle spear on his plate...or anywhere near his food. Of course, "they" usually do put a pickle spear next to his sandwich, so he hands me his plate to remove the offending condiment...so he won't have to touch the thing. Woe be to the server who brings him his order with the dill pickle on top of his sandwich! There goes the tip. Oh he says he hates all pickles, but he had to admit that Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, and Potato Salad just are NOT the same if you forego the sweet pickles.]

So that's the dills. Now, about the Easy Sweet 'n Spicy version that I learned from Momma.

First off, you should know I come from a long line of pickle-producing people. There was Bummer (really, my great-great Aunt Velma Stewart...but she wouldn't have answered to anything but Bummer), who pickled anything and everything (including watermelon rind)...and was famous for her 14-day Sweet Pickles (that recipe nearly caused my Aunt Bonnie Keaton to lose her sanity one hot, humid West Tennessee August...but that's another story...;-). Then there was my cousin Pannie, who was famous for saying "If a recipe takes longer than 20 minutes to make, I won't have it." Her recipe for Freezer Pickles is in our Family cookbook...although I must admit I've never tried them, not liking the sound of "To eat, thaw at room temperature." Sounds a bit soggy to me. 

Anyway, I have made sweet pickles the old-fashioned way (countless hours of brining, fermenting, soaking, draining, rinsing, and repeating, etc.), and I have gone the easy route. I have come to the conclusion that Nana/Momma/Edith's Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pickle method cannot be beaten. Oh yeah, I'm with Edith on this one: take the easy route!

In this case, the easy route begins with a trip to Sam's Club...for the gallon-size jar of whole kosher dills. That's right...we by-pass the garden altogether, folks! 

While I was there, I picked up 10 pounds of sugar (you "only" need 5), whole cloves, and whole cinnamon sticks. I already had a jar of pickling spice in the cupboard.

After removing the whole dills from the jar and draining, I sliced off the ends of the pickles and cut each crosswise into 1/4" slices...maybe closer to 1/2" since I know that the slices "shrink" after they begin to brine. Then you put a layer or two of pickle slices on the bottom of the empty gallon jar, along with 3-4 cinnamon sticks, 1-2 Tablespoons whole cloves and 1-2 Tablespoons of pickling spices...depending on how spicy you like your sweet pickles. Cover this with a "layer" of sugar (about 1-2 cups). Continue the layering process, adding another 3-4 cinnamon sticks about mid-way to the top.

When you get to the top, you are almost done!* You will see the sugar liquefying before long, developing a lovely sweet-spicy brine that will turn those dill slices into sweet pickles in just a few days. After about a week in the fridge, during which time you will want to turn the jar over every day to mix the juices and the spices (keeping a pie plate under the lid catches any drips), you can either leave your sweet slices in the Mother Jar or download them to smaller quarts (which I do, in order to share the goodness...:-). If you do move your sweet slices to smaller jars, you can heat the liquid from the Mother Jar to boiling before pouring over the slices in quart jars and processing in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Pop! That's the last one done...success! The dills are done!!

Pickles packed...time to tackle the tomatoes...! Gardening is never done...:-)

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* Now, at this point, I do add my "secret ingredient," which isn't necessary but is nice. As the sugar turns to liquid and the slices start to absorb the juices, there will be a bit of room left in the jar. I add the pickle juice leftover from the last jar of sweet pickles I made in the previous batch, cinnamon sticks and all. That's it! Just remember to save a jar of pickle juice for the next time you make Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pickles!

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Recipes

Hot Dill! Pickles

            yield:  Makes 2 quart or 4 pint jars (can double)

Ingredients:

8-10 pickling cucumbers (I use Straight Eights)

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 cups water

2 tablespoons canning or pickling salt

2-4 heads fresh dill, preferably ones that have flowered and are going to seed

4-8 small cloves garlic, depending on your taste

1 Whole cayenne pepper pod for each jar

Directions:

1. Cut a thin slice from the ends of each cucumber; discard. Slice each cucumber in fourths, lengthwise, to make spears. Trim spears as necessary to fit jars.

2. To make the brine, combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, gather your jars, lids, rings, and canning equipment. Prepare as directed by the manufacturer.

3. Remove hot jars from canner. Place 1 head fresh dill, 1 whole cayenne pepper pod, and 1-4 cloves garlic into each jar; pack in cucumbers. Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers to within 1/2 inch of rim (head space). Wipe rim with a clean cloth, top with lid, and add screw ring (but do not over-tighten ring).

4. Process 10 minutes for pint jars and 15 minutes for quart jars, or as directed for your canning equipment.

5. Set processed jars on towel to cool. When you hear a "pop," test the jar lid for a good seal by pressing the center to make sure it stays depressed. If sealed, your dills are OK to put in the pantry until use. If the lid doesn't seal, put in the refrigerator and use this jar first.

These dills are better if aged at least 2 weeks before eating, and they get hotter as they age. Enjoy!

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Edith's Easy Sweet 'n Spicy Pickles

Ingredients:

1 gallon Kosher Dill Pickles (whole)

5 pounds white sugar

4-6 sticks cinnamon 

1-2 Tablespoons whole cloves

1-2 Tablespoons pickling spices 

Directions:

1. Drain the liquid off the dill pickles.

2. Slice the whole dills crosswise into 1/4-1/2" slices. 

3. In the original gallon jar, layer pickle slices, spices, and sugar.

4. Tighten the lid. Put the jar in the refrigerator, using a plate to catch any drips.

5. Turn the jar over every day for 5-7 days. (i.e., turn the jar right side up on Day 1, upside down on Day 2, right side up on Day 3, etc.).

6. Pickles will be ready to eat in a week. You can pack in smaller jars if desired, or just leave them in the original jar if you have the room.

Enjoy!

The Other Side of Sixty

Good morning, from the other side of 60! Truly, it's a good place to be...better than the alternative, as my Daddy was fond of saying. Of course he never admitted to making it to 40 much less 60, since when asked how old he was, he always said he was 39 and holding!

We started my special day off early...at 4:00 a.m. Hadn't meant to get up quite that early, but Elmo decided he needed "Hop on Pop" time at that hour, the Good Lord knows why. (That's what we call it, when one or more of the dogs takes a notion to climb up on Mr. T while he is sleeping...or trying to sleep. Hop on Pop, indeed.)

We had set our alarm for 5:00 a.m. in order to be able to see the sunrise...which Timeanddate.com said was 6:15 for Greensboro and 6:16 for Winston-Salem. Didn't have a listing for High Point, but since we are about halfway between GSO and WS, we figured 6:15 and 1/2 ought to be about right for planning purposes. Prepped the coffee maker the night before...all we had to do was press ON...and then fill up the thermal go-mugs. Sliced up some zucchini bread...just zap in the microwave and smear some butter. Add a banana...grab our collapsible chairs...cameras...and bug spray and we were good to go. Out of the house and off to Oak Hollow lake by 5:45.

We could not have scripted a better sunrise for my birthday. Barely a cloud in the sky...no hint of the almost-daily rain that we've had for nearly a month. Yes, it was going to be a hot one as mid-July usually is, but at dawn...it was just beautiful. A great beginning for this brand new year.*

We followed dawn's early light by being early birds at our favorite breakfast spot, Tex and Shirley's. Of course, I got country ham with my eggs and pancakes...it is all about my favorite things on this day, don't you know? After all, one of my resolutions includes "Enjoy what you eat; eat what you enjoy. The rest is just noise." Diets and deprivation are no longer part of my life. Good riddance! Spent too many of my years fretting about my weight (a number, only a number) and what I should and should not eat. I'm loving 60 already!

A trip to Home Depot for some supplies and a few plants, then back home to enjoy the deck before it got overheated. Mr. T did a little landscaping while I potted up a couple of hanging baskets of portulacae (moss roses). And what fun would gardening be if you didn't get to enjoy the bounty? Look what was blooming for my birthday bouquet: several red roses, including Chrysler Imperial (the AARS winner for 1953, so I call it "my rose"), Always and Forever, and Mister Lincoln; a couple of pink roses (Friendship, the AARS winner for 1979, so I call it Missy M's rose; and Miss All American Beauty...also known as Maria Callas outside of the USA); a Sheer Bliss rose; some Becky Shasta daisies; white zinnias; and a couple of brightly-colored glads.

Then while Mr. T set up our party pool (a fun 8' x 8' x 27" wader...complete with a lounging bench and cup holders!) so we could cool off later in the day, I moved on to my next birthday-related activity: making a Keepsake Garden Stone. I used a kit that he gave me on Mother's Day to document this special occasion. I tried to think of a phrase that summed me up...and the refrigerator note pad that Momma gave me for my birthday a few years back caught my eye: Perennial Optimist. Yep...guilty as charged. So "Perennial Optimist turns 60" it was. 

I mixed the Portland cement with water in a bucket as directed, poured it into the mold provided, and pressed my right hand in as instructed. I was born with crooked little fingers...supposedly the first feature Daddy commented on when he saw me at my birth...so a handprint seemed an appropriate descriptor to document.  I used a butterfly stone that came with the kit to represent my love of gardening and nature's beauty, along with a couple of red tiles to represent my ruby (birthstone) ring I wear on my right hand. I raided my shell collection from last year's beach trip (always a favorite vacation spot and activity) for as many "butterfly" shells as I could include. And then I looked through Aunt Eloise's Lincoln head penny collection (that I inherited from my Uncle Smiley Keaton) and found one from 1953. Huzzah! Just what this memory stone needed! Here's a picture of the finished project...it has to cure in the mold for three days...see what you think.

A dip in a cool pool is just what this 95-degree day needed. Ahhhh...yes, I believe I will have another glass of the Biltmore Estates Riesling, thank you dear. While we are chillin', the steaks can be grillin'.

And how what is the perfect ending for a perfect milestone day? Why, cake of course! Chocolate cake. Look what Mr. T made...possible:

Found those soccer ball candles...thought they'd be good stand-ins for beach balls on this beach-themed beauty. Six of 'em...one for each decade.

[Some regular readers may wonder if this day I've described isn't a tad dull...at least lacking in the Adventure department. True, it doesn't hold a candle (ahem) to Mr. T's 60th (trip to Maui, sunrise at 10,000 feet on the Haleakala volcano, etc.), but I got to celebrate with him...so the "been there, done that" T-shirt fits. I do have Adventures I want to do, but they mostly involve extra-long flights, the International Dateline, and the need for healthy knees for lots of walking activities...think Australia and New Zealand. And, a week of vacation from work (that's 5 whole days, you know) just won't do that Adventure justice. So, instead of trying to accelerate that Adventure to fit the milestone, I'd rather make a wonderful homemade memory...and put the South Pacific on simmer for a bit longer.]

Perfect day. Perfect memory. Perfect cake. Now, fire up those candles...and hand me a knife! 

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*Brand new year — I advise my coaching clients to save up making New Year's resolutions until their birthdays...since it truly represents a new year for each of us. Am taking my own advise...and will post more on this subject in the coming weeks.

The Squash Are Coming! The Squash Are Coming!

Fair warning: if you see me coming toward you with a grocery bag, I'm probably bringing you some of this morning's harvest...and there's probably a squash or two or ten in that bag. What can I say? It's that time of the year. Squash, green beans, and tomatoes, oh my! 

Here's a picture of a zuke that almost got away from me. It was hiding under a couple of leaves, growing to town.

Most folks suggest harvesting squash from 4-6" in length...when they are just ripe and most tender. But it rarely takes more than 24 hours, especially when the weather is this warm and wet, for the little morsels to grow into mammoth mallets! Our neighbor said he picked a zuke while we were gone to Looeyvul that he described as big as a baseball bat...said his wife commented "did you drive that thing into the house, or carry it?" Wish he'd taken a picture...

[Be sure to check out my post over on our garden blog, Gardening With Giants, to read more about what's happening in the Kitchen Garden. Click here to go there.]

On tonight's menu: Tequila Lime Chicken and goodies from the garden. Included are BOTH Squash Casserole and Zucchini Bread. [Here's a shot of the hot loaves, cooling on the rack. You can also see The Nest Egg Legacy, the family cookbook I did years ago, there on the stand...well-used, don't you know. (Recipes below, by the way.)]

Since one is a savory dish and the other is sweet, I don't think there will be any objections. Sliced tomatoes are a simple but tasty addition...I like 'em with salt, pepper, and a dollop of mayo in the middle. Learned that from my Papaw, who used to use Miracle Whip...but I'm partial to Hellman's, which isn't nearly as sweet.

I can't eat Zucchini Bread without thinking about the first time I had it: about 1975 or 76, I think...in Senatobia, MS, at the home of my W friend and former second floor Callaway dorm-mate from Tunica, NPW. I had never heard of making bread with it, and all I knew about zucchini was that it was a vegetable...and I had a pretty limited veggie range at the time, which did NOT include squash of any sort. But my Momma always insisted we take one bite of a dish when we were guests in another's home, so manners kicked in...and am I ever glad they did! Loved. It. Thanks, N!

Somewhere along the line, my taste buds matured...or my palate longed for Southern-inspired dishes to cure a taste of homesickness in all of our moves about the country...whatever. I developed a much longer list of veggies that I liked...including the formerly-hated squashes, especially if you added enough cheese...:-).

Recipes? Did someone mention recipes?

Here you go!

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Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I use pecans)

1 cup raisins, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 (9x5x3-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray.

In large bowl, stir zucchini and lemon zest until well mixed. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients (except sugar). Stir nuts and raisins into dry ingredients. Add dry to zucchini. In large measuring cup, beat the eggs into the oil; add sugar and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend thoroughly.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 50 to 60 minutes,  or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on cooling rack 10 minutes.

Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days. Serve warm or cold. Spread a warm slice with cream cheese for a special treat! Enjoy!

Makes 20-24 servings (2 loaves, 10-12 slices each)

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*Katrina's Squash Casserole

Ingredients

4 cups sliced Summer squash: yellow, zucchini, or a mixture

1/2 cup chopped onion

35 buttery round crackers, crushed ( I used Town House brand)

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I used New York Sharp Cheddar)

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt (I used a seasoned salt)

ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add squash slices and onion, cover, and steam until squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the cooked squash and onions. In a small bowl, mix together eggs and milk, then add to squash mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. 

4. Spread into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cracker mixture, and dot with 2 tablespoons butter.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

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*Katrina was my 3rd cousin, once removed, on Momma's Farris side...I hope I got that relationship correct, since she was a crack genealogist in addition to being a loving wife, Mom of four children, a nurse by training, and a fabulous cook in a family of great cooks (her mother and her aunts). Thought the world of her...