Tomatoes!

My good friend, Beth, gave me 2 huge boxes of tomatoes yesterday. I spent most of the day coring, chopping, putting them through the food mill and cooking down the sauce. Then canning the jars of sauce. I got 6 quarts. FROM ONE BOX.
Today the same thing! I am hoping to get 6 quarts from this box. Currently, I am in the cooking down stage. And I am in the middle of baking bread. I am some white whole wheat flour instead of all bread flour. Boy, does that change the consistency!

We planted 12 tomato plants but they are not doing well. We are getting some tomatoes but they are very small. I got a few green peppers and I think they are done. I don't know what is up! Only a few of the corn stalks got ears on them.

West Side Market

On Wednesday, August 13th, while we were visiting my sister in Cleveland, we went to the West Side Market.

Here's a photo I got from the internet because I did not get one myself. This building was originally a train station. Isn't it magnificent!?! I love it when cities keep their historical buildings intact.

This is a photo that I took inside. The ceiling is amazing. It is an inside farmer's market. The food was so beautiful. We bought some fresh perogies, chicken sausage, veggies and some great bread. I got a fantastic Italian Percorino Romano. Delizioso!

I bought one of these bagettes. Yummy!

Check out this blog that I found which has a video of when my man, Tony Bourdain, went to Cleveland. He and Ruhlman went to the market. You get to see the inside!

http://allthingsclevelandohio.blogspot.com/2008/05/clevelands-west-side-market.html

Movies

I have a secret!


But I will share it...I love Simon Pegg.


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0670408/

He's the star/writer of "Shaun of the Dead' and "Hot Fuzz". I am waiting for "Run, Fat Boy, Run" to come on DVD. I saw another of his movies the other day, "Big Nothing. At first, I thought this bites, but I stuck with it and laughed my butt off!









We watched this movie last night. It is based on a book, The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. I really liked the movie.
Will, turns 14 and wierd things start happening to him. He is told that he is the seeker and must find 6 signs to save the world from the Dark.

Love Thursday

My youngest loves pancakes. I would buy the frozen kind for days when I did not feel like making them. But what are those ingredients! Plus I want her to eat whole wheat. So here's my recipe for "Buttermilk" Pancakes that I make for my little honey!

"Buttermilk" Pancakes

Wet Ingredients

1 1/3 cups of milk with 1 T apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 beaten egg

1 T light tasting olive oil (or whatever vegetable oil you use)

1 t vanilla

Dry Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of white whole wheat King Arthur flour

1 T sugar

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

Mix wet ingredients into the dry and mix to incorporate. May be slightly lumpy. Pour into hot pan. Cook until done.

I love King Arthur Flour. It costs more but it is worth it. The company is American and it's owned by the employees. Do you know if your flour comes from America?

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Last week, we were visiting my sister and her family in Cleveland. On Tuesday, we went to the Rock Hall as they call it .

The Rock Hall is very interesting. We got to see a lot of Rock Memorabilia. There were costumes - some of Freddie's (From Queen), Stones, George Clinton, Bowie and more. On the top floor, there was a room filled with stuff from the Doors. I wish we could have taken photos in inside.

I was a little disappointed that much of the space inside was taken up with a store and a restaurant. There was only an album cover from Led Zeppelin. I would have liked to have seen some of their stuff.

One area had signatures from the inductees. It was cool to see their names. Check out the list. http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/

The only performer I don't think belongs in there is Madonna. Who even remembers her songs? Certainly not me! It's ROCK and ROLL not POP! Who are they going to let in next Shania Twain? Someone needs to build a Pop Hall of Fame.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Anyone love red velvet cake? Here's a link for a cupcake recipe!
http://ciaoitalia.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Waterproof Beach Bag

I get emails from Family Fun and they had the directions for this cute bag!

This colorful, rinseable carryall is the perfect beach bag for kids -- great for packing up gear, collecting sandy treasures, or toting wet suits and towels.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
13-gallon garbage bag
Scissors
Colored duct tape (we used red and white)
Marker or pen
Yardstick or measuring tape
4 (2-foot) pieces of white cotton cording
Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. Turn the garbage bag into a large sheet by cutting along one side seam and the bottom seam. Tape the sheet flat to your workspace and draw a 16- by 30-inch rectangle on it. Cover the rectangle with slightly overlapping strips of red and white tape.

2. Cut out the tape rectangle and flip it tape-side down.

3. Lay 2 pieces of cording across the rectangle about an inch from one of the shorter ends. Fold that end over the cording and tape it down to make a casing. Repeat this at the opposite end with the other pieces of cording.

4. Fold the rectangle in half and tape the sides together to form the bag.

5. To make the drawstring, pair up one cord from each casing and knot them together at both ends. Repeat with the remaining 2 cords, then pull one knot at each side to cinch the bag.

Summer Recipes

I got some emails today with recipes. Some of them are great so I am sharing!

The first one came from BHG.com. I have never made French Onion Dip, not even with the soup mix but this one looks easy. I would swap out the sour cream for greek yogurt. I like it better and it is better for you!

French Onion Dip
Prep: 15 minutes Chill: 1 to 24 hours

1-1/2 cups chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 8-oz. carton dairy sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 tsp. snipped fresh chives
Milk (optional)
Fresh chives (optional)
Chips and/or sliced fresh vegetables
Directions
1. Cook onion in butter or margarine in a medium skillet about 5 minutes or until tender; cool.
2. Combine cooked onion, sour cream, salt, black pepper, and red pepper in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until nearly smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in snipped chives. Cover and chill for 1 to 24 hours.
3. Before serving, stir in a little milk, if necessary, to make of dipping consistency. If desired, garnish with fresh chives. Serve with chips and/or sliced vegetables. Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

The next one is also from BHG.com. This is something else to do with zucchini. If you planted zucchini this year try it. Our plants are gone. One died and one was eaten.

Zucchini Cakes with Mushroom Ragout

Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 of a medium zucchini, shredded (1 cup)
1 8-1/2 oz. pkg. corn muffin mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
12 oz. assorted mushrooms, quartered (4-1/2 cups)
1 cup drained bottled roasted red sweet peppers
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In mixing bowl combine zucchini, muffin mix, cheese, milk, egg, and cayenne pepper; spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes or until golden.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Place roasted peppers in blender. Cover; blend until nearly smooth.
4. Arrange 3 cakes on each plate with some of the mushrooms and pepper sauce. Makes 4 servings.

The next recipe is from Barilla. I would use a different pasta but it sound delish!

Cheese and Spinach Tortellini with Yellow Squash, Thyme, Chicken and Tomatoes

1 package (family size) BARILLA Spinach and Cheese Tortellini
1 each yellow squash, sliced
2 each chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can (14 ounces) canned diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
to taste salt & freshly ground black pepper

BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil.

SAUTÉ garlic in olive oil for two minutes or until slightly yellow in a large skillet.

ADD yellow squash to skillet and sauté for 1 additional minute.

ADD cubed chicken breast and thyme; sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ADD canned diced tomatoes and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, COOK Tortellini according to package directions. Drain and toss well with chicken and vegetables mixture.

Freaky Friday

Here's my selections for this week!
Police, including SWAT officers, were called to an apartment in Mesa, Ariz., in June after neighbors reported a fight between a man and woman that included yelling and breaking things inside. When they arrived, they found only a 21-year-old man, conducting the fight by himself, alternating a high-pitched voice with a low-pitched one. He was referred for a medical exam. [Arizona Republic, 7-1-08]


"(A) person with a sneeze fetish can find erotic pleasure in those few seconds," according to the ABC News Medical Unit, in an April report, when "the eyes close as the body prepares to forcefully expel air," but "experts are stumped as to why." An Internet "sneeze fetish forum" allows members to wax rhapsodic ("She has the cutest sneeze ever") and recall pleasurable experiences (such as the thrill of discovering that one's new college roommate has allergies and will be sneezing frequently), and many use language and suggest visions that mimic sexual behaviors. [ABC News, 4-18-08]