Well, that worked! So, I'll try some more because actually managed to grow a romanesco!

I roasted that and there's another one in the fridge, I'll probably roast that tomorrow.

I made a caramel nut tart for dessert on Nikki's last day here:

I also baked some maple oatmeal bread, it made great toast for the other breakfasts while they were here:

In other meals, we had the ever present leaves, with some shrimp and wheatberries:

I'm sure there's more, but I can't even remember, LOL.

Annie

Sleeve, I love that sea bass and your veggie pizza. Seeing all your pictures makes me want to add more fresh veggies to everything I make.

Annie, I really don't need the carbs, but I am drooling over the garlic knots. Can you share how you make them?

We had lamb skewers again tonight (yes, I know, I need to try new things....) which I won't bother to post. Lately we have been enjoying our plum wine, so I am posting that instead. This was made with last year's Satsuma plum harvest. We grow Santa Rosa and Satsuma plums. We prefer the Santa Rosas for fresh eating and sauce. The Sasumas make a great wine - off dry and perfect with any meal that you would serve a rose'. They are late to ripen this year and our grapes appear to be coming early. We may have a very wine intensive August, if they are both ready at the same time.

Our garden is producing well, with tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini. The zucchini we planted produces some huge fruit. I am not sure what to do with them.

Annie you made me bust out laughing with the photo of your ball of pasta. We'll all take your word for it and we know it was delicious. Your meals look great.

Lynda, I don't see anything wrong with posting your wine. I love the colour.

I know it's summer when I can make our dear friend 2ManyDiversion's peach salsa. I'll be digging into that tonight.

I like the addition of peas in the risotto. It is very bla looking without. And it looks very creamy. I use my frozen stock. (another cooking forum teases and pokes when no pic is added, and tease and pokes when a pic is posted without a written word). 😜

Annie, are you not dressing your leaves?. I've been making a no-oil salad version using salsa or marinera or tomato juice with B&Pakers oriental mustard powder. Lemon or ac vinegar. Gives it a kick of horseradish. Sounds like a nice visit....grr two years. (the beef needs a funeral 😂)

Yesturday brunch was a watermelon feta fresh cherries salad. Ramen egg. White miso and dumplings last night.

What cut of lamb do you use, the shoulder? We look forward to our rotation of favorites as the prep and cooking is known and predictable. Fall 2019 we strarted getting a local grass fed farm share. Way too many unfamiliar cuts i considered canceling,...until covid hit. Now just every three months or so. It takes a mood to research and plan around the cuts.

Last week was a shaved beef. Third time a charm. I kept it in a hunk and cast iron seared. It is about 30 layers. I wanted 'hot pot' and DH wanted noodles so all fixin's went to the table. The packs are full pounds so that was three meals for us.

Just flowers so far. I'll pick a few more today and stuff them tonight...They stay very fresh on a damp towel covered in fridge.

You are so creative with your food boxes and garden bounty Sleeve. Everytime I see your posts I tell myself I have to eat healthier, but I always fall back on the same old comfort food style grub.

This morning I made an omelette in my air-fyer. My little cast iron casserole dish was the perfect size, so I browned the sausages in it first, then softened the peppers and onions a bit in it. Added them to the egg and cheese and away we go.

Your air fryer is getting a work-out. Must be an easy clean-up using the one appliance spatter contained...small interior footprint, cooks fast.

Fortunately we love the plants as much as meat, carbs, and cheese. Cutting way back on portions. Plant based January that has extended through March...somewhat a failure but much less than 5 yrs ago. More broth than heavy stews and pasta in the winter months. I give credit to keeping quick pickles, kimchi, avocados, ramen eggs, leaf lettuce, etc prepped and on hand at all times....covid lockdown habits. DH will snack on veg/roasted chickpeas and lettuce wraps with a bit of feta instead of making a cheese/hot sauce quesadilla. If veg is prepped. Avocado ripe. Ramen eggs in marinade, he no longer goes for just a slice of cheddar.

That said, we had another burger night. 5 from a gound pound instead of 4. He used to want two. So i rarely made them. Gorgonzola treat. With Sleeve Sauce. (that means i have no idea how i made it). Recently tomato juice, oriental hot mustard, ac vinegar, sometimes a tbsp greek yogurt if i have it.

Don't stock ketchup....too sweet. I used the same sauce to wet the potato salad. Lots of veg in that like cauliflower that needed using up.

Sleeve Sauce..........love it! Hahahha

DH asked about the killer potato salad recipe. "So good, what is in it?". She replies, "not sure" 😂

Found a hint in the prep pic. Maybe some ginger. Night before last i made a quickie salad dressing after freezing a couple half pints of Raos. Rinsed out what was left in the jar with vinegar and oriental mustard. Maybe something else. Delish. DH bought a big bag of potatoes and a half a head of cauliflower needs using up. I like a german style over mayo but this is an inbetweenie. No need to make a side slaw with so much veg in the potato salad. I think the key is the horseradish mustard. No mayo, no oil, but very creamy.

Me again. Air-fried chicken legs and asparagus.

Boneless skinless chunk of turkey thigh. Unfortunately no bone-in skin-on turkey parts here, so after rubbing it with hot paprika, salt and freshly ground black pepper, I coated it with a thick layer of mayo ( Hellmans of course) to keep it from drying. It worked.

Lots of lovely meals here.

My first tabouleh of the summer. I make it using quinoa. So good.

I took 2 pork chops from the freezer and they were still frozen in the center so the air-fyer to the rescue. The last couple of minutes I put bbq sauce on.

Goodness, so many posts and great food since I last popped in.

I cooked a small pork loin marinated in a bought char sui sauce , it was good. Served with rice and stir fry veg of beans, onion, garlic and tomato(?)

I hope you are able to see your family and grandson. As of today we are going to vaccination mandates for all restaurants, all indoor events, Broadway, employees in most businesses...otherwise we will be so scr#ewed this Fall. A horrid summer cold is circulating as well. An employer can call a number and a nurse will come to your business for free.

Last night was cast iron salmon. I say this often....many elements of a meal are so pretty before cooked. (except raw chicken, beef and pork). Why sushi is such a feast for the eyes.

YeOlde salmon in our rotation but we love it. White miso glaze. Did not flip so nice and rare.

Local farm share just arrived. Postponed a few months. So much meat and way too much for once a month. We are kids with the dry ice. (used tongs)...one tiny piece....those are bubbles. 😜...rest delivered to neighbor kids with danger instructions. They are at the age where they will zip to their lap tops to reasearch.

Sunday night we had killer lobster rolls. No beauty pic. Cell phone focused on a background object, (i need new glasses). Covid avoidance. Just the under chopped lobster salad without the big claws on top. like Annies' dough ball, 😂, i show proof of intentions. Made a bit more lobster 'dressing' so added to the potato salad.

Another cauliflower potato salad. In way to small a bowl to toss, just like TV. Martha used to berate her crew that prepped her live-with-audience staff after the show if the bowls were too small. I transfered into a big stainless. (a few friends worked on that show)

Still experimenting with leftover bits since it's free. Actually, this meal cost an extra $1.37 for the limes and cilantro. I had two-thirds of an idea for Mexican chicken and waffles. I knew I needed a sauce of some sort, but thought I'd give it a go anyway. Jalapeno cheese cornbread waffles. Chicken poached in chicken broth seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Tossed in taco seasoning. I tried a cilantro lime sauce. So it needed to be smaller waffles (that waffle iron is packed up, ready to go with the kiddo to university in a couple of weeks). Wrong sauce. Maybe salsa Verde? Suggestions welcome. The flavors were good though. I'd make it again. I think.

I like corn flour waffles. Anything pico fresh, green or red.

Watermelon Feta Salad

Braised Short Ribs

We are enjoying a mini vacation close to home. No reason not to still eat well. This was bratwurst with caramelized onions on some lovely dark multigrain bread we found at the only store.

Short Rib Ragu (planned-overs) another watermelon salad

Jasdip, your air fryer is getting a good workout. If I used mine more, I'd probably be better at it too. (sigh) I would have never thought of making eggs in it!

Lynda, I used the Soft Garlic Knots recipe from King Arthur Flour. They haven't failed me yet with a recipe. I put everything into the Zojirushi, let it run through the dough cycle, then shaped and baked the rolls. I brushed them with some garlic butter after they were done and sprinkled them with parmesan. They were all eaten, so they were well received. Somehow, bread is always well received here, LOL.

Neely, Your stirfry looks nice and fresh. I have one tomato that's nearly ripe, maybe 2 more days, if I can beat the chipmunks to it and it doesn't split from today's rain. All those "ifs" for one tomato. :-)

Sleevendog, I don't care what a lobster roll looks like, I just know it's going to be good. They don't have to be pretty when they are that delicious! And you're right, the beef needed a funeral, it was a terrible end for a perfectly nice tenderloin to come to, LOL.

I sometimes make dressing for the leaves and sometimes not. I don't care for viniagrette dressing and I've tried various flavored balsamics, etc., but I still don't like them very much. I will occasionally stir a little mustard and honey into some yogurt and I've made some avocado dressing that Elery liked a lot. Elery will eat bottled dressing, though, so sometimes I just don't bother. I don't particularly care one way or the other, it's just a plate of leaves and dressing or sauce just doesn't seem to help it much for me. (shrug) So I scowl at my plate and eat the leaves.

Wintercat, I like turkey better than chicken but, like your area, there just doesn't seem to be many "parts" other than breasts and I'm not going to make a whole turkey for Elery and I, that has to be a family dinner or something to justify a whole bird, sadly.

Rob, you're still cooking. I also like cornmeal waffles, Elery likes his with cheese and jalapeno, but I'll pass on the jalapeno, I'm such a wuss. I think topping the corn waffles with a Mexican flavored chicken would be really good, maybe with some fruit salsa. Elery says it really needs some cheese sauce, LOL.

Here it's been busy, someone needs something every minute, it seems. Elery finally broke down and made supper, he got tired of "grab something". So he made some Scotch eggs with ground pork instead of sausage and gave them Mexican seasoning, does that make them Huevos? He also made some red beans and rice and fresh green beans from the garden with some leftover ham from the freezer added for flavor.

I've mostly been canning, taking care of Mother, gardening. On Tuesday we were moving hay and when Elery got on the tractor, the clutch stuck. He drove right THROUGH the back wall of the pole barn. Luckily he was not hurt and managed to steer right through two of the large beams, so he just tore off a sheet of metal and pretty much destroyed 3 of the crossbeams. We spent that whole day putting the barn back together, LOL. I told him it was a pole barn, it didn't need to be pretty and as long as no one was hurt, it was all good. We went to A&W and had chili dogs that night.

I'm getting zucchini by the bucket full, so I made a quiche with shredded zucchini, onion and some Gouda in the cheese drawer. Mother was not impressed, but I thought it was pretty good:

I think I found the same dark bread that Lynda did! Some cucumbers from the garden with some low fat sour cream dressing were good as a side for the chicken sausage patties on those dark buns.

Here's the other side of that corn patch:

Those are two quarters of the garden, they make the south "half". The other end just has butternut squash, greens and various beans, plus pumpkins.

The garden is doing well, clearly, so we've been eating a lot of vegetables. Right now it's cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, beets, onions and beans. We've used a few "new" potatoes, and corn and tomatoes are next. I've made dill pickles, refrigerator pickles, freezer pickles. Sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, ginger pickles with honey. Dilled green beans and pickled green beans with basil. I'm about pickled out but the pepperoncini is nearly ready.

The corn here is not mine, it came from the local farmer's market, but mine will be ready in another week or so. The zucchini/yellow squash and the roasted beets are from the garden, and the shrimp was rolled in panko and baked:

I'm so relieved to have vegetables that aren't leaves, LOL, so we had some more of them. These were chicken thighs, pounded flat and dusted with seasoned flour and sauteed, some of the cucumber salad, roasted romanesco, golden beets and zucchini and some green beans cooked with new potatoes. Everything here came from the farm:

OK, I think that's it. We had hamburgers and roasted romanesco for supper, but the pictures are not yet uploaded to the computer, so that'll be next.

Amanda had a seizure at work a couple of days ago and hit her head when she fell, giving herself a concussion. So I made a big batch of beef stew, some twice baked potatoes, some meatballs and took them over so she won't have to cook for a couple of days until her headache improves. No pictures, I just forgot!

Annie

Brats and onions. That's a favourite of mine Lynda.

Sleeve I really like the look of your watermelon salad. Is there anything that feta doesn't taste good with?

Your mention of dry ice reminded me that earlier this week I received a box. It was a frozen pizza that I was to give my opinion of but it was completely thawed. It had 8 empty bags of air that were dry ice. The instructions said to throw it out if it wasn't frozen :(

Rob333 I can't get my head around meat on top of waffles.

Neely your pork loin dinner looks wonderful.

I made another caponata......I should probably try another recipe using eggplant. 😁

I finished it on pasta.

jasdip, while it's a savory waffle (corn meal, cheddar, and jalapenos), it's a take on "chicken and waffles", a pretty standard recipe. Not uncommon for it to be the typical breakfast type waffle??? and fried chicken, drizzled with syrup. Now that, I don't get. To each their own!

Pizza for dinner tonight.

Great looking pizza! Is that a cast iron pizza pan?

I've never had savory waffles either. Something I need to try.

This was dinner on our last night of our trip - shrimp tacos. It is always awkward to know what to cook in a rental unit. This one had a good supply of staples (salt, pepper, spices, oil, butter, coffee, filters), and a nice grill on the terrace, but their pans and dishes were pretty shabby.

We returned home to one tuckered out dog (he was boarded for the first time) and grapes that needed to be picked right away. We have never harvested grapes ahead of plums, so this is a first.

These aren't our main grapes (which are golden muscat), but the Thompson seedless we planted for Garrett to eat fresh. He loves them but they outproduce what he can eat so we make a California Chablis with them. This year, we would like to try blending the output. The Muscat is full bodied with a strong flavor, and the Chablis is light and crisp.

Dinner tonight is spatchcocked smoked chicken with peppers and nectarine sauce.

Yummy pizza Jasdip.

Lynda, love the look of your smoked chicken. Interesting how you use Thompsons seedless to make a Chablis. They are a common eating grape here, very cheap in season. I would never have thought to try to make a wine from them BUT now, thanks to you, I will try to give it a go next season

Sleeve, I love your watermelon and feta salads... can’t wait to make it again. Love all your beautiful fresh foods actually.

Rob your waffle looks good. We dont have a waffle machine (?) so only buy sweet Belgian waffles from Aldi.

Hubby made a chicken green curry and used rice noodles, was a bit gloopy but tasted good. There was some left over so next day I added more chicken stock and chilli so it became more like a Laksa

Below is hubby’s

Below is our meal of another corned beef with carrot and parsnip mash with mashed cauliflower. Maybe a little too much like invalid/hospital food... Oh Well!!

Left over corned beef became a salad with beetroot.

Green curry with rice noodles looks delicious. We haven't made curry in awhile, I need to add it back into the rotation.

Thompson seedless is the western name for Sultana grapes. I learned that when researching what to do with our excess fruit. They are apparently the base of many Calif and AUS table wines or blends. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultana_(grape) We enjoy winemaking, which seems to go hand in hand with cooking and helps us not to waste what we grow.

Wow that's a lot of grapes Lynda!!!

LOL at your invalid/hospital food resemblance Neely.

Another air-fryer meal. Chicken Parm with crashed potatoes. It was really good.

Jas, I'm watching your foray into air fryer cooking. My DH just bought one from an online auction. He was very pleased with himself and said "here you go..." I've only done frozen onion rings, which turned out well. Tonight I'm trying breaded zucchini sticks, so we'll see but I love having your experiments to use!

Tonight I fixed something I haven’t had in ages — lamb shank cooked Greek style in a tomato sauce seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and Greek oregano. And served with manestra/orzo that was cooked in the sauce. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. My mom used to make braised chicken this way, also served with manestra. I think it was my favorite dish when I was growing up.

Lamb is getting expensive. Looks so good. Next order for a rack we will cut the amount per meal down to have it as a treat meal.

Thankful for the garden as prices are rising. I put in excessive summer and winter squashes. Thankfully.

Wow, the grapes. I'm a loser at pruning. I know how but turn into a temper tantrum child when my vines need attention.

We have been all over fresh salads. Greens, beans, grains, slaws. Let the crisper and fridge thin. Just garden produce. Put off Misfits for 4-5 weeks, then had a delivery Saturday. Perfect for things i don't grow.

I'm growing leeks, onions, beets and potatoes but not ready yet.

So worth it having such great prices. The cherries are well over a pound. I paid 4.50 for the bag. Whole foods is near 7$ a pound.

Ten+ years ago i grew romanesco, purple cauliflower, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussel sprouts, with success....the few following years failed. I gave that garden real estate to more tomatoes and garlic. I will re-think and maybe expand the garden next year.

I think it was friday we 'piggy-baked' a smoker session. Three cheeses on top rack, two salmon fillets, then four sausage links, then a 3lb brisket slice. The brisket went into the kitchen oven to finish braising low and slow. With carrots, onion, celery and potatoes.

DH started snacking on the cheese and sausage so i made a late brunch plate. Then a big zuccini flower fritter stuffed with herbed goat cheese. Crispy bottom, I don't flip.

No need for the brisket planned main course.

Saturday after the veg delivery i made a boatload of sides to have with the brisket. I had food savered some brisket with a couple sausages....unaware DH had been snacking....😂.

But that is what it is for. So salads again with a side of brisket. Excellent sucotash...corn, greens, zuccini, herbs, cherry toms.

My step-father took me out for an early birthday lunch today. My birthday is coming up on Monday!

I chose the restaurant and I had souvlaki.

1 chicken skewer, home-fries, rice, Greek salad and even pita bread.

Happy birthday Jasdip!

Annie, I'm concerned to hear about Amanda's seizure. Do her meds need adjusting again?

I think if I was cooking a beef tenderloin it would have made it rare and then returned Nikki's portion to the oven to turn to leather. I'm sure that Elery and you were happy to see them after two long years!

Yes, prices are skyrocketing here also. What can you do? Maybe not buy as many expensive or frivolous items, but the staples are staples and we must have them. DH has been on a new medicine and he's definitely lost some of his appetite. Now if he could only lose that paunch! He's down about 7lbs, and he's not heavy (size 36 waist), but it's all in his gut. The pandemic has done terrible things to my weight. I thought getting my pandemic puppy would help me exercise, but my crummy knees and feet seem to thwart me.

We traveled to the suburbs of Atlanta last month to celebrate DD's 40th! Wow, I'm still amazed that she's that old! How did it happen? LOL! We took a side trip to Hilton Head Island SC for a few days with the family. It was a first for all of us and we had a great time!

Wow, that IS a lot of grapes. I have some seedless Concord vines for juice and jelly, but the vines are a tangled mess and, like sleevendog, I'm an absolute failure at pruning. I do have lots of leaves, though, I ought to send them all to Shambo for stuffed grape leaves!

sleevendog, the produce all looks good. Like you, I've been eating from the garden, and ignoring Misfits. Maybe in the fall...

Happy Birthday, Jasdip!

Neely, I'm still smiling at the "hospital food" comparison, LOL.

Ellen, Amanda is just working too many hours. She works midnights as a CNA in an assisted living facility and they are having a terrible time finding workers. They pay terrible wages for hard work, and they don't want full time employees, nearly everyone is part time, so no benefits. As a result, Amanda is pulling extra shifts and trying to cover because she loves her residents and wants them properly cared for. She is on vacation now, preparing for Makayla's graduation party next weekend, so at least she'll get some sleep. Hopefully, that'll help.

Your DD is 40? Amanda will be 40 next year, geez, where did the time go?

No food pictures, our power has been out for the last couple of days. Elery plugs in the generator, but it mostly runs refrigerators, freezers, the pump for water. It's on right now, but I see lightning flashing through the front window, so I'm only hoping it stays on!

Supper tonight was pork chops and fried cabbage done on the old Detroit Jewel, which I can light with a match and french fries from the air fryer. The double electric ovens would pull a lot of electricity, but the air fryer just takes a little, thank goodness.

That's an interesting picture of the ice cream "licker" up there, LOL.

Annie

Odd time for a power outage. Has happened to us in the summer months then restore tends to be lazy without freezing life threatening temps. We have had nightly thunderstorms for a few weeks. Wet soils means trees down. Fingers crossed.

The most unusual season in 30 years+. Minor drip irrigation on a few young trees. Not a watering needed for weeks in the garden. Just some squashes that big leaves thwart the rain downpours. Umbrella effect. One English gardener i follow prunes his excess squash leaves...tempted to do that.

We are having a power excess so asked to cut back. Keeping the AC just to cover the humidity.

Years past August harvest is such a joy. Beans and cukes are slow in such heat. Squash are insane. Tomatoes shut down in this heat but next week they will thrive when the weather cools....

I've been sloppy. More than usual?. Good food, just eclectic. Less planned meals.

Don't care for struffed zuccini boats or any most suggest. If i freeeze i never use in the winter months. Grrr. Beef stuffed zuccini does not apeal to us.

We like green and yellow summer squash fresh saute. With garden corn, tomato, fresh basil/herbs. Not tired of it yet. Keeping lots of choices in the fridge like slaw, beans, grains, ramen eggs, dressings and mixed leaves. Fruit salads, cheese. Avocado.

DH smoked/grilled a tri-tip and some sausage we barely touched last night....just snacked on a big shared salad late afternoon/early evening.

Jasdip, your birthday is the 16th? Mine is Sunday the 15th. Same as Julia Child. Traditionally a lobster roll is on the wish list. I ordered a pound frozen a couple weeks ago for the occasion....with fresh corn and a nice slaw. Herbed goat cheese stuff squash blossoms....

Happy Birthday Jasdip and Sleevendog! Jasdip's early celebration Greek meal looked yummy and Sleeve's lobster rolls are sure to be epic.

Annie, Always good to hear all what you have going on the farm. I am in awe how you manage so much. Thank you for the garlic knot recipe and I am sorry to hear of DH's accident and Amanda's seizure.

Shambo, Your Greek lamb shank looked amazing. My kind of meal.

As predicted, August has been all about winemaking. A day after we turned the Thompson seedless into 12 gallons of wine, we needed to harvest our Satsuma plums. Yesterday, they became 12 more gallons of wine. The 10 gallons of blueberry wine from spring, was ready for bottling and looks and tastes amazing.

The Satsuma harvest got turned into spicy plum sauce and wine. Satsumas are a deep red inside (like the color of a beet). Our Santa Rosa plum has a deeper colored red/purple exterior but is yellow inside. I am never sure why some years are better than other. This year we got almost no Santa Rosas and an enormous crop of Satsumas.

This was the blueberry wine before we bottled it. It came out nice and clear with a lovely color.

With all this harvesting (and more to come), dinners have tended to be simple. We did have this nice chicken parmigiana with mozzarella. Served with my home grown/made tomato sauce and topped with fresh basil.

The other night we had sushi. There was no special occasion, other than we had it for lunch at a restaurant one day while we were on vacation in Catalina and were all really disappointed with it. I call this sushi season, because we always have cucumber to use up and the ahi we buy is local during late summer.

This was oceanic trout, which was probably the best of the three.

Local ahi tuna

The Scottish salmon was expensive and not that good. I might have to give it a pass next time.

While at the fish market, I picked up some locally caught pacific yellow tail that I am going to attempt to make it into a Mexican style ceviche for dinner tonight. I've yet to successfully replicate restaurant ceviche, so we will see how it comes out.

Sleeve!!! We've gotta get together and celebrate!!! Yes, mine is the 16th.

Lynda, with your skills, I'm positive you can replicate any restaurant meal, and your sushi is better than what you had. I'm rooting for you on your ceviche.

I put my basil under my cheese on my chicken parm. My leaves are huge on my plant, and one leaf pretty much covered my chicken.

Annie, places have an awful time finding and keeping enough PSW's here (Personal Support Workers). Both working in long-term homes and going to homes looking after patients. Tom had some come in every day; usually a different one every time. Some were better than others, and it wasn't long before we had our favourites and would try and request them. They were run off their feet going from home to home, with a set schedule to get there, etc. Of course we treated each one with respect.

I treated myself to a new dough whisk for my birthday. Tom had given me my other one for my birthday a number of years ago. A few months ago the pig tail wouldn't stay in, and I really miss it. So I now have a new one. I mentioned to the clerk about the pig tail (I was hoping she'd say they have a lifetime warranty)). She said that that's unusual and she uses hers all the time too. So hopefully this one stays in one piece forever.

DH had a rough mid week zoom meeting. Wednesday i think. We had a few salad, salmon, sea bass meals previously so a meatball pasta treat was needed. Comfort food.

My meatballs have always been good but sometimes a bit dry. I usually make minis to add a few to soups from frozen. I used the middle sized cookie scoop, packed flush and flat. Flat side down to brown on the stovetop. Added some broth, covered, and into the oven to braise. So tender with some caramelized crisp bottoms. For company i would glaze and brown the tops a bit.

And a brunch late lunch fridge salad...

I'm going to try meatballs in the air-fryer when it's time to make more. Doing mine in the skillet seems to make them more triangular, with too many flat sides, instead of round :-)

Leo solidarity. August babies. Meatballs should do well in an air-fryer.

Look at that sushi!, and lots of love for a big glass carboy. We made beer for our wedding 30yrs ago and for friends weddings as gifts. (most fun was making the labels). Not a great climate for wine grapes here. Mabe if i pruned properly but only have a few crazy vines....just the concords do well with minor attention.

DH mincing veg for some side salads...so hot today. Thin sliced tri-tip. Hope it is rare.

Sending my parents Misfits. LOL. Dad is such a downer so out of character un-like years past. Such a complainer about a gift. Mom is giddy going through the box. Pantry items like nuts, crackers, dried fruits. Almond butter filled pretzels. She has always loved holiday visits with unusual treats from NYC. Dad complaining is odd. Fresh cherries, blueberries, he was snacking from the get-go on the fresh cherries. It is a gift. It is for my mother, tough titty pop.

Once a month is perfect.

I get the delivery allert. So i called. Hearing mother so happy is priceless.

My snack DH makes. .smoked chedar snow popcorn.

Isn't it wonderful and satisfying when such a small thing can bring joy? How fun for your mom getting goodies? What do you think is up with your dad? Is it the weather, the whole covid thing, or do you think he should see a doctor? Obviously you know best.

Tri-tip was very tender. Phew. Bean/grain salad. Smoked tomatillo, hatch chili salsa from last

Fall. Avocado, fresh tomato pico, lettuce for wraps....all served at the table so no plating pics. Hav ing similar tonight. Easy salads already prepped. Made another fresh slaw this morning for variety. Extreme heat wave should break tomorrow .

Jas. Pop has been stressed about old age. Mobility. Eyes, hearing. And sure, the covid stress. When we visit i cook for them, DH handles construction chores. I fill their freezer. We have always done that. My older siblings do not cook. They are all retired and have been for a while. My oldest sister is vegan whole food in a blender. She eats for herself and does not help much. My sister that lives nearby can't boil water. My brother and his wife are clueless about what a visit entails. Mother cannot cook for 5-6 people. When they visit it is stressful.

Whe we visited after vaccinations, he was over the moon. (we are still working). Just surprised why a box of treats, good treats, is a downer. I think it is distance frustrations. He would like to see us more often. 93 and 92 is old. Pop is just frustrated. Mother is a spitfire in mobility. Adorable and enthusiastic but early dementia. Never expected Ba-Humbug from Pop. 50 bucks once a month is priceless. We are letting him know that mother will be taken care of at home. He thinks he will die before her. They have the investment money or i will pay for it.

He has plenty medical adivce. He really could use some elder care emotional support. If i had ten more lives in my 20 already, i would love to help the elderly...just a visit and a voice. An ear.

I'll be making my own birthday meals tomorrow. DH wants to learn but fun it will be. Scrapple for breakfast...homemade, ...herbed zuccini blossoms, then lobster rolls....DH has been collecting squash blossoms...

(((Sleeeve)))

I picked up a bag of peppers (8 big ones) for $3, some mushrooms and tomatoes at my local little grocer. They had drumsticks for .99/lb and I can never resist buying them. They're really meaty, only 4 fit in my little milk bags that I always freeze them in.

Anyhoo, I'm going to cook up some drums and make a stir fry tomorrow. Tonight was just a pasta veggie salad. I'll finish up the rice pudding later.

Here's the drumsticks in the 1-litre milk bag for your viewing pleasure.

Jasdip, it's kind of like my ball of dough, LOL. We have it and we're GOING TO cook it, that counts!

Sleevendog, aging is sure a complicated process. Hugs to you and to your Dad. Happy Birthday!

Here I tried to use up some garden produce. I'm baking cakes for Maci's birthday, which was actually yesterday. We had chicken, corn on the cob, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash and it was all from the farm.

Annie

Happy Birthday Sleevendog!!

Happy birthday to all the Leos. Most important the young ones....Maci.

My summer squash is out of control. Not complaining as one tiny seed can produce so much. This year i sowed five hills, 5 seeds per hill, then culled to the three strongest. They like this heat and daily thunderstorms. I did the same for winter squashes so that crop is thriving as well. 😀

Potatoes, leeks, and onions are happy. Shade frames on salads. Started a new crop of herbs and some greens inside for a Fall crop. Carrots look good. Looks like i'll get a Fall rhubarb crop that happens every few years...

I should try a grill roasted plank cut summer squash mix, garlic, roasted corn off the cob, maybe hatch chilis, a few tomatoes. Basil or mixed herbs. The roasted/smoked grilled flavor in the winter months? Such a waste to process, can, or freeze if it never gets used. All things corn and tomato...salsa, etc are always used all winter. String beans,... yuck frozen.

I've been growing the tiny french flagolettes that are so good fresh.

Last night was a cast iron easy seared flank steak. Shaved salad. Chili crisp.

Happy Birthdays! We are approaching 100 posts, so we should start a new thread with some birthday meals. I feel certain they will be cover post worthy!

It is great to hear what many of you have growing. Where I am, there is a lot of commercial agriculture, but minimal backyard gardening.

My ceviche turned out well as a result of a better recipe and more suitable fish. I am not sure it reaches restaurant level, but we enjoyed it and I would make it again. We used homegrown, tomato, jalapeno, cucumber and key lime and store bought red onion and cilantro.