Week 86, 8-13-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
                                                                                  Sam Keen 

I certainly hope so, because I took a day off and watched the first six episodes of Home Fires. I dragged myself through the book, but loved the program. I missed it on PBS, but found that my library has twelve episodes, meaning that I have six to go and can't wait.

The program is nothing like the book,though it has the same cover, and the program says that it's based on a book called Jam Busting. As the King of Siam would say, "'Tis a puzzlement".  

If your library has the DVD's, be lazy and watch them. You'll be glad, and you'll still be respectable. Sam says so.

Pepper and Pals: BJ looks as if she's saying, "I surrender. Go ahead and nurse, even though I should have weaned you by now".

And this is the janitor, who cleans up every night.

Time for Others: We finished two Sketches cards. In order - Jeanne, Katie, Patsy

Things that Grow: Thankfully, the Japanese beetles have gone for the year. The zinnias suffered the least. I'm still harvesting cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, butternut squash, and beets. Blossoms on the zucchini, but no produce. I haven't cooked any of the beets lately; they might be hard as rocks.

Tasting: We had our August cooking club lunch at Bev's.

August 10, 2017, at Bev’s

THE TABLE

THE MENU

Chilled Raspberry Soup

Chicken Salad

Boiled Egg “Mushrooms”

Cantaloupe Slices

Pickle Heart

Carrot/Olive Flower

Sister Shubert Rolls

Cornucopia Berry Dessert

Iced Tea

THE FOOD

PARTY FAVORS

THE RECIPES

Beverly’s Chilled Raspberry Soup

2 cups raspberries

2 cups water (divided)

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs raspberry syrup

1 Tbs cornstarch

2 Tbs Framboise

2/3 cup almond milk

2 cups freshly made crème fraiche

Put raspberries and 1-1/3 cups water in a saucepan and simmer 3 minutes.

Strain to remove seeds.

Add sugar, 2/3 cup water, raspberry syrup, cornstarch and Framboise. Cool.

Add almond milk and cream fraiche.

Chill until ready to serve.

Garnish with raspberries or whipping cream.

BEVERLY’S CHICKEN SALAD

2-1/2 cups cooked chicken or turkey breast, cut in cubes

1 small can water chestnuts, diced

1/2 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

3/4 tsp curry powder (or less)

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup seedless grapes, cut in half (can use Mandarin oranges, if preferred)

1 cup drained pineapple chunks

Half of a red onion, finely diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Toasted almonds for garnish

Cantaloupe slices, optional

Mix chicken, water chestnuts, onion, and celery.

Make sauce of mayonnaise, curry powder, soy sauce, and lemon juice.

Add to chicken mixture and store in the refrigerator overnight.

To serve, add grapes and pineapple to salad and place on a lettuce leaf.

Garnish with almonds and decorate plate with cantaloupe slice(s).

BOILED EGG “MUSHROOMS”

 Boil the egg and peel; cut off a thin slice of the wide bottom and set on a bit of curly kale.

Cut off a quarter of the top of a Roma tomato and hollow it. Place it on top of the egg.

Dip a toothpick in mayonnaise and make “polka dots” over the top of the tomato.

ICE CREAM CONE CORNUCOPIAS

For each serving, place a bit of Cool Whip on a dessert plate and secure the cone on its side so that it looks like a cornucopia.

Fill with Cool Whip, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or fruit of your choice; spreading the mixture out onto the plate so that it seems the filling spilled out of the cone.

Garnish the plate with chocolate wafers of choice and a strawberry rose.

You can also use a very thin slice of cantaloupe and roll it to resemble a rose bud. Secure with a toothpick.

Hide the toothpick with small mint leaves, if desired.

Tablescapes: September tablescapes. I stole one from October - must get busy.

Casual Duck Breakfast

 Soup and Salad

  

Green and Brown Leaves

Sunday Dinner

Taking Care of My Health: Brother Bill and I started a health plan which I abandoned when my life got complicated (seems to happen often). The idea was to add one thing per week, and the plan was cumulative. Week two was added to week one, so that you did two things in week two, three in week three, etc. 

There's nothing difficult - it just takes determination and planning. Week one is easy. Eat apples every day - raw, cooked, juice, baked, applesauce, your choice. I started to say that week one is a piece of cake, but that didn't really fit, did it?

Start a little chart and mark you progress.

EAT YOUR APPLES

SMILE AT EVERYONE

STAY POSITIVE

EAT A WATERMELON BEFORE THEY'RE GONE

TRY A NEW RECIPE THIS WEEK

BUY SOME NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES, EVEN IF YOU DON'T GO TO SCHOOL

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE