Where does a daughter in law go to resign?

"Octo-mom", Kate Gosselin, and the 67 year old who lied about her age to get in vitro when she was 65 (you have be 55 or younger...55?????) all give me pause to wonder just how ethical the fertility business is these days. There are a number of areas where "It's not for us to judge" doesn't apply in my book. One is definitely where innocent children are involved.

I don't post much politically, but...

...oh, my goodness, if this goes into law, we are in huge trouble.

There, I said it.

Very soon...but yea, verily, not soon enough. ;-)

Most every Sunday we gather with our friends after church and have lunch together. A friend of mine saw me holding the newest baby of our congregation during the service, so at lunch she said, "are you thinking about having a baby?"

Um, girlfriend, I'm pushin' 50. (Or is it pushing me?)

Well, I failed the supermodel test on many levels ;-) , so I imagine it's the oily skin. Maybe acne-prone skin ain't all bad, since this was the second friend who seemed honestly surprised that I wasn't in my thirties. It could be my uppity nature, though, I guess... ;-)

I'll go with the latter. ;-)

After receiving some eggplant, I told a friend I wasn't sure what to do with it. She suggested moussaka, and I figured the least I could do was bring her some to enjoy. She texted back later "the mousekaka was awesome, thx". Yes, that's how she spelled it. I sincerely doubted my culinary skills, having apparently served her rodent droppings without knowing. ;-)

A comment on the events of the last few days...

...in particular, would be entirely remiss without a link to this previous post contemplating the DSM-IV. What is that, you ask? Well, click here for my previous post as to why it applies. Once again, way over the top whack job-ness has invaded our lives. We're strangely used to it, although one never really acclimates.

They're everywhere, they're everywhere...

Here in the South we are currently overrun with zucchini and summer squash in general.

I was given a whole pile of organic yellow summer squash by some fab fellow vendors at a farmers' market. Actually, we were given SCADS of different vegetables this last week: green and banana peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

The cucumbers went to good use in some gazpacho, with the (organic, HUGE!!!) tomatoes. MMMMMMM.

But what to do with all that yellow squash? I don't want to waste it, after all. Already, my fridge overflowed with zucchini, which comes in handy in the zucchini chocolate cake (just search this blog under recipes and it will pop right up).

So I went trolling for summer squash uses, knowing that there was no way in blazes I could just saute' or steam that pile before it would be toast. Plus, hubs was at Teleios so I couldn't count on him consuming them, either.

This is what I ended up with. I changed a number of things from an existing recipe. That's something you CAN'T do successfully with a jam recipe, but with pickles it seemed to be just fine. Plus, the veggie amounts can be approximated. I would just use the syrup recipe as is. You want to end up with the right acidity in order for things to can safely.

These are sweet pickles, that look positively lovely in the jar. A mix of colors and spices...yellow, green, white, red, etc.

Plus, you can just water bath can these puppies. No pressure cooker needed.

You can handle this ! honest. Give it a whirl if you are overloaded with yellow squash. The jars will look lovely sitting on your kitchen counter as they cool.

ten-ish cups thinly sliced summer squash
a couple cups thinly sliced onions (rings would be nice)
diced green and banana peppers
a large jar of roasted red peppers, diced
2/3 cup salt (I used sea salt, but I think pickling salt would be better. Pickling salt is, as I understand it, simply non-iodized salt.

Soak squash, onions, and peppers (other than the roasted ones) with the salt in enough water to cover everything well. Let it sit on your counter for two hours and then drain them.

Syrup
three cups sugar (I used organic demerara cane sugar, but white would be fine. I wonder how brown sugar would be!)
two cups apple cider vinegar
two tsp celery seed
two tsp mustard seed
Combine syrup ingredients and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat. Drop drained vegetables and roasted red peppers into the syrup and mix well. Put mix into hot sterilized jars and cover with syrup. Process in water bath for 15 minutes.

A Southern friend of mine says her mother used to make pickles like this. I guess I just grew up too far north to know about them before! Give 'em a whirl...or if you're my friend you could try asking me for a jar... *L*

Veggie Delight that even a hubby can love...

No, this is not the sub from Subway.

A few days ago, our landlord's kids showed up at the front door of Teleios. They came bearing fresh veggies from their garden. What a nice thing to do! So I put the veggie names in Google, and came up with a pie recipe.

Well, I wasn't about to bother with the pie thing. But I thought the recipe had some good ideas and I snitched some of them.

So in a small glass pyrex dish (probably 6 x 8), I layered the following:

a couple of tomatoes that I cut into small pieces
a thinly sliced small summer squash
a thinly sliced zucchini
a can of mushrooms (4 oz can)--sorry, didn't have any fresh on hand
I covered them with some all purpose no salt seasoning...basil and other spices, that hubs had in his very limited spice selection.
I topped it with a not very thick layer of light mayo
and then topped that with thin slices of reduced fat cheddar.

Since it was a small dish, I slapped it in the large toaster oven (we seldom use the oven down there, and it's a big electricity--and cost-- savings) for 40 min at 350 degrees.

Didn't have to twist hubs' arm to eat it. He finished off his portion with gusto and returned for seconds.

Seconds on veggies...I like it. :-)

Trader Joe's...

Go. Enough Said.

I think of it as an Aldi's for natural food, or more healthy food choices. A store full of store brand stuff that you will actually like, and gives Whole Foods ("Whole Paycheck") a run for its money. Another way I compare it to Aldi is that the assortment is more limited than a traditional grocery store.

Things I like: many of their frozen food options, almond butter that isn't priced out of the galaxy, pizza crust, nuts, dried fruits, pasta, yellow and red Thai sauces, cereal, kefir, goat milk yogurt, harvest grain pilaf, soy chorizo, soy corn dogs, little French chocolate cakes, pizzas, skillet meals, burritos, dried fruit bars, marcona almonds, shelf stable meals, organic pickle relish, organic ketchup, broccoflower, rainbow pears, microwave popcorn, soy milk, chicken burgers...and there are so many other things to try...

Things I didn't like: Masala burgers (they're potatoes, not that they aren't tasty, but when I think of a burger, I think of PROTEIN not CARBS), and their sushi. UGH!!!

It's a sign of God's grace that we are still standing. The waves roll, the winds blow. We cowering in the hold of the boat as it is tossed about. Yet my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. (Psalm 127) A cuddly cat, some time with hubs, a simple yet tasty meal, a grand vista of valley and trees and stars and radiant sun. Sometimes I feel hopelessly ill qualified for the assignments God has given me. The rage, weariness, anger, and a Gordian knot of trouble is outdone by our great God. This isn't some sugar coated thing. Frankly, in some ways I am royally pissed about what He's allowed, and some ways I get equally upset about how others watched and did little or nothing. But there is meaning in my life, in the calling, and that carries me through.

Lemon Pasta

1 lb egg noodles, cooked, of course
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
Juice and zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I might try dill here too)
1/4 cup grated romano (or parmesan)
sea salt; cracked pepper

As you might have guessed, precise measuring is overrated on this one. ;-) Enjoy.