Hi Everyone! I am sorry I haven't been on GW for so long. I will try to do better. Skip has been gone for almost 4 weeks, and I have had a lot going on around here, with the business, the house, the garden, looking for a job, etc. He will be gone another 6 weeks. I went down to Georgia last weekend to see him, (14 hour drive) and to pick up Devin. I have been working in the garden a lot, and my garden looks pretty good this year. I have been helping the kids a lot. Mary Kate is pregnant and she has been really sick. Throwing up 5 and 6 times a day. She had to go to the hospital once to have an IV because she was dehydrated. There were a few days that I had to go over there to help out because she could barely hold her head up. But the past three days, she hasn't thrown up, so that is good. She is due the day after Christmas. Bug, your clematis are amazingly gorgeous! Thanks for putting the pictures up. I have 4 of them, and my favorite is Betty Corning. She blooms nonstop all season. I hope all is well with Leo. I see you mentioned he had to go to the doctor, but I can't seem to find an earlier posting. Julie, glad TCS enjoyed his school year, and sorry to hear about your knife accident. Kathy, the pictures of your trip are beautiful. What a treat! Cindy, how exciting that your brother hosted a tour! It's fun to have family who has a common interest. Woody, looks like you are becoming quite the clematis collector too! I love the picture of the neighbors house on the garden tour :).. Glad you enjoyed it! Your gardens look really nice, and I wanted to tell you that I have been looking for a Bressingham Blue all season with no luck to far :). After seeing yours, it is on my must have list! Michelle, that penstemon is gorgeous!! I saw a pina colada red at the garden center yesterday, but it looked more like a foxglove. Couldn't find yours. Mary, sorry if you have been feeling out of the loop. I plan to go to Idyllunion this year, and can't wait to see you! It seems like it will be a smaller group this year, but we will have a lot of fun, of that I am sure!! I have to go now, and take the dogs out, feed the herd that I now have hanging out in my backyard, and do some laundry. Hope you all have a nice evening!! Drema

I made two vegetables sides this month that I thought were really good. Both are easy to make, don't take a lot of time, don't have lots of ingredients, & taste great. Muffin-Pan Potato Gratins 3 to 6 servings 2 medium-sized Russet potatoes, very thinly sliced 6 tablespoons heavy cream coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heavily coat 6 standard muffin cups with unsalted butter. Place two slices of potato in each cup and season with salt and pepper. Continue to add potato slices, seasoning after a few slices, until the cups are filled. Pour 1 tablespoon heavy cream over each cup. Bake until potatoes are golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife, 30-35 minutes. Run a knife around each gratin. Place a baking sheet on top of the pan and invert to release the gratins. Flip right side up and serve. Martha Stewart Living Zucchini Cakes 4 servings Old Bay seasoning added to these vegetable cakes makes them taste a bit like crab cakes. These cakes are lighter and more tender when made with fresh breadcrumbs. Place a day-old baguette in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. For a quick sauce, mix some chopped fresh herbs (such as chives and dill) and lemon juice into mayonnaise. 3 cups coarsely grated zucchini 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from a baguette 1 egg 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying 1 teaspoon butter Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand 30 minutes. Press with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Zucchini should be fairly dry, and you should have about 2 cups. Place zucchini and remaining ingredients (except oil and butter)in a bowl. Mix well. Form into 8 patties the size of crab cakes. Chill. Heat oil and butter in a skillet. Add patties to skillet and cook on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towels. www.relish.com Notes: I made a half recipe which made five nice-sized cakes. Instead of fresh bread crumbs, I used half panko and half dry bread crumbs. I did not add red bell pepper; diced celery or shredded carrot would be good substitutes. I didn't make a sauce. Still good flavor & easy to make.

Happy Birthday, Kate! Hope you have a great day, fun evening, and you get all that gelato to yourself! Hmmmm, wonder where I could find gelato here? This morning I'm going to make a couple of loaves of bread, 'cause I'm out. Then I will continue quilting on the Bubbles #3 quilt and cut some more "coins" for the stacked coins quilt. I also need to work on my portion of my round robin quilt. This time we took favorite photos/pictures and blew them up, cut up into 6 sections, then each member of our group makes their section to replicate part of the photo, plus adding 1/4" all around so the owner can sew the 6 sections together to make her quilt. Tomorrow I'm going to help my mom wheel Dad down to their patio home for lunch. The Memory Center where he lives is just a short walk to their home, so when the weather is nice, we like to take him home for a while if possible. Teresa

Grits and greens with my added comments :o) 3 cups milk 1 cup water **I used chicken broth and did not use the bouillon cube as well 1 chicken bouillon cube 1 cup "quick" grits 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese **Used Kraft pregrated 3 cheese italian 1 lb. greens (mustard, turnip, collard, spinach, chard, or any combo of these) or equivalent amount of frozen or canned greens ***Used one can of Glory turnip greens 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings (or oil or butter) **didn't need cause I used the canned greens several slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled **Used 4 thick sliced, cut into cubes, and fried. Put half in the grits and half on the top of casserole salt and pepper to taste Directions: In large heavy saucepan or pot heat the milk, water and bouillon cube to just below a boil. Slowly whisk in grits and cook for 5-10 minutes or until thickened, stirring often to prevent scorching. When grits are thickened, stir in 1 and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and allow to melt (reserve 1/4 cup for top). Remove from heat. Meanwhile, wash greens and heat bacon drippings in large skillet over high heat. Put greens in skillet while still a little wet from washing. Cook until thoroughly wilted, then drain. If using frozen greens, just heat and drain well; if canned, just drain well. Chop greens up very fine. Stir into grits mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into casserole dish (I use 2 pie pans and freeze one of these for later). Top with crumbled bacon and remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. You want it to still be a little bit loose. It will thicken as it stands. Use broiler to brown top. This freezes well. Just thaw beforehand and cook as above, adding another 10-15 minutes