Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Some relief, and carb therapy

I think we might be through the worst of the summer from you-know-where, at least weatherwise. Yesterday was deliciously cloudy and COOL with the barest hint of moisture (see below); today feels – dare I say it? – like a normal Pacific NW summer day. No stretches of days in the upper 90s or higher in the forecast, either. Hallelujah; I can turn the oven on! heh

Last night I made stuffed zucchini; Rick and I polished off two good-sized squash that way. Today I used up the last of the shredded zucchini stored in the fridge to make a lemon zucchini cake – and prompted polished off a big, warm chunk of it. I have been craving some sweet baked goodie and that really hit the spot, physically and psychologically. Yes, I was self-medicating to deal with the stress; hey, there are worse ways.

Here is something else I made with shredded zucchini – twice, because it was that good (thanks for the recipe, Susan!). Pizza, with a grated zucchini crust (served with tabbouleh made with homegrown cucumber and parsley):


The tomatoes in the salad were from my MIL; obviously, her plants are producing better than mine. But look at these little volunteers at the end of the bush beans; they're LOADED with cherry and pear tomatoes! Leigh did a post on landrace garden vegetables; these would be tomatoes to save seeds from if I started tomatoes from seed!

For Chuckie fans (here's looking at YOU, wyomingheart!), here he is checking out Brian's old go-kart. No matter how talented Chuckie is, though, he won't get this machine going; Brian blew the engine out.


Here are some sky shots. #1 was taken on an evening walk; #2 was an arresting sight on my way from barn to house; #3 is a shot of the Big Dipper that I was surprised my iPhone could capture!



The 'peepers' continue to grow and do well in the flock, and will still come up and eat from my hand. ๐Ÿ˜Š I wonder if Poppy will be any less obsessed with them when they stop peeping and start making 'adult chicken' noises.



Here is Poppy with her sister Penny at one of their recent playdates. You can tell we were at Penny's house; we don't have any green grass here!

My sister sent me the following dark humor today:
What prompted this? The news that one of our cousins is in the hospital with COVID; his wife is at home on oxygen with possible blood clots, also from COVID. He is a doctor, she is a nurse; both are UNvaccinated because they listened to the fifth horse of the Apocalypse. I have no words; the craziness in our world blows the mind.

That's it from a still-parched but more comfortable . . .

13 comments:

Leigh said...

You almost make me want to grow zucchini! LOL. Not my favorite summer squash, but it is versatile. :)

Mama Pea said...

Michelle, you are without a doubt the queen of making great meals using zucchini! And, Leigh, I DIDN'T grow zucchini for the very first time this year and, ya know what? We didn't miss it one bit! ;o)

Retired Knitter said...

That last cartoon says it all! And if the children of this world were vaccinated (which they are not yet) I would say - "oh well, you suffered the consequences of your own stupidity." But we still have a precious population to worry about so EVERYONE PLEASE GET THE VACCINE.

Mountaingmom said...

I saw that frame on Facebook yesterday and it says to much about our society, it is sad. Of my grands, only 3 are old enough to be vaccinated and I know two of them are, I suspect the third is too as his Dad is a paramedic who had Covid before he could get vaccinated and again after he was vaccinated (both assymptomatic fortunately). The other 5 grands are too young and some are in school and most in activities. I worry for them. I am anxiously awaiting the booster so I can continue being around them, one is a recently diagnosed Type 1 diabetic (he is vaccinated). I agree with Retired Knitter.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Good grief :-(

Tim B. Inman said...

I agree with retired knitter. As a history guy, it has always puzzled me as to how folks could be so radically split during the civil war that they would be on such extremely different sides - North v. South. I'm beginning to understand that better. Right in my own family.

On a happier note: I did NOT grow any Zukes this year. My neighbors sneak in when I'm off the farm and leave 'em.

I love that Poppy! What a pretty dog, and from the pics, what a fun dog, too.

So, I'm doing what I can when I can; trying to stay quiet when I can't; and hoping to know the difference.

Cheers

Michelle said...

On the zucchini (Leigh, Mama Pea, and Tim): though I'm struggling to keep up with all that my overplanting is producing (and I'm giving lots away, Tim!), I so look forward to the bounty and the recipes I've accumulated for it! Harder to use this summer, though, with the extreme heat sapping all desire to cook....

As for the vaccine, it amazes me that people will tout expensive treatments like Remdesovere(sp?) and unfounded treatments like Ivermectin (it's a HORSE WORMER, people!) before they'll take a FREE vaccine with a great efficacy rate and decades of research behind it (mRNA vaccines have been used successfully in horses for years). I'm old enough to remember getting vaccinations as a child with grateful older relatives looking on who experienced living through the fear and heartbreak of unchecked diseases. My cousin should, too, but that Fifth Horseman is just so pervasive and persuasive....

wyomingheart said...

Oh, Michelle!…thank you for my Rock Star ⭐️ pics! Such a precious boy! So, the Big Dipper pic is really awesome, but the photo before that one is simply spiritual! It’s like the Lord is smiling directly at me! Thanks for that!

Jeanne said...

Michelle, thanks for your post, and all the lovely pictures! I enjoyed looking at the zucchini pictures and comments. We were given two zucchinis yesterday. Number one daughter can't eat them, but I think I would love a zucchini bread, if I can find a recipe the will suit my complicated diet. I'm certainly going to try. Where did you find your lemon zucchini cake recipe? Could you share that one with me? Just in case I can adjust it to fit my diet!

The Chuckie pictures are so cute. He certainly looks like he'd like to get it going and take a ride. Such a cute kitty! - And speaking of kitties, our green-eyed beauty continues to be goofy. She loves to sit at the front door and watch "kitty TV"! When I get up and start moving around, she asks to have the blind raised a little so she can see what the world is doing.

Your three photos taken of the sky are gorgeous! I especially like the second one, and the one of the big dipper is amazing! We've had so much wildfire smoke, I'm not sure we could get anything like those.

I'm glad your peepers are still willing to eat from your hand! I hope they will continue to do that.

What was Poppy checking out by that woodpile?

The "five" horsemen thing is quite the deal. I'm so sorry about your cousin and his wife.

Take care, and keep up the zucchini stuff!

Fat Dormouse said...


I can't understand anyone who won't have the vaccine, but a nurse & a doctor who won't...Sorry, that makes my brain explode and my blood boil! Still, I think you're of the same opinion, so I will "hush my mouth"!!

Your inventiveness with courgettes/zucchini is amazing. Unfortunately the slugs ate all our plants: courgette, butternut squash, beans AND even my sunflower plant. I said some very bad words. Happily, my passionflower has not been eaten, and is thriving. I really hope it survives the winter.

Michelle said...

You're welcome, wyomingheart! That sky shot was a gift to me as well.

Jeanne, here is my recipe for “Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread,” which I made as a ‘poke cake’ in a small casserole (5”x11”?) so the glaze soaked throughout. My son is still raving about it, which doesn’t happen often anymore. ๐Ÿ˜‰

2 c. cake flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 t. ginger powder (this was a new addition from me; I recommend)
2 eggs
1/2 c. oil (I use whatever I have on hand)
1 1/3 c. sugar
2 T. lemon juice (I used 2 t. lemon extract and extra whey to make up the volume)
1/2 c buttermilk (I used whey left over from a neighbor’s yogurt-making)
zest of one lemon (I used dry minced lemon peel from Penzeys Spices)
1 c. packed, grated zucchini

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. lemon juice
1T. milk

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until center tests done with a toothpick.

To answer your question about Poppy, she was “pointing” towards the chicken run, obsessing over the peepers!

Yes, my head (and heart) hurts to think about my cousin and his wife, too, FD. What's worse, he's persuaded others to follow his lead. ๐Ÿ˜– Your slugs were HUNGRY this year!

A :-) said...

A doctor and a nurse??? Wow. That boggles the mind.

Donna said...

I am constantly amazed about some of the truly crazy ideas the nurses I work with have about these vaccines. It boggles the mind.