Lemons & Loopholes

Well, What do you do when life gives your lemons with Funny Bumps on them? Of course Draw a funny face on it
( I think I played way to much Ink Blotz as a kid. You can take any object and I have this habit of turning it into something else....so tell me, what do you see?)

( I think I see Big Birds love child.....).....

Anyway

Christopher got up early, nope no way was he going to get stuck doing the dishes this morning. He rose at a decent hour, 8:15.

he looked at the sink, and checked on Gabby, she was still fast asleep. I went ahead and told Christopher to take the trash out and poop scoop. He did with out any lip.

At 9:15 Gabby rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She noticed she was going to be the one stuck doing dishes.

This is where Christopher felt like he found a loophole. In his mind, he figured Gabby was the last one awake she would be stuck doing dishes, which is true. BUT HE WAS GOING TO HIT SNOOZY LAND as soon as Gabby Got up.

I told him..you have to help dry.......

Christopher was all like " I am tired"


I said 'take a nap later, but if you go to sleep now you will be the last one up and will have to dishes. '

Christopher "well, I won't be tired later......"

See, one kid may have to wash, but the other one has to dry.

Well lets just say


score
Mom 1
Kids 0

Lazy Summer days

Well, Enough is Enough all ready. After about a month of no schedule what so ever I am about to lose my ever loving mind.

the kids seem to have free rein of the house. they eat alot. Stay up late, sleep in....

So I am hoping this will start giving one of the kiddos incentive for waking up earlier.

Maters & Friends

Well, Not sure where to start, not even sure where July went.

It was turbulent time with my Mom and I think the rickety bridge that was there has fallen and perhaps it fell in the depths in the Earth and put on fire.

Its Hot!! When each day the temps have been hitting about 100, then add the heat degree index. I think the old saying has to be true, its not the HEAT, ITS THE HUMIDITY. When you walk out side it feels like a giant puppy dog breathing on you (probably Clifford). The drastic change from being in an air conditioned environment then walking outside is like Ape scent gorilla slapping you in the face. Showers don't take. Sure you shower and get rid of sticky stinky sweat and for the first 5 minutes when you walk out of the bathroom you feel so revived and fresh...then the feeling fastly fleets. I am sweating in places I did not know you could even sweat at! lol

I am sorry when I say this But I could bear winter much better then summer. Once your naked and hot..there is nothing else to take off. During winter, if you are still cold..just pile more clothes or blankets and drink something hot.

The Garden is a pooper this year. Sure, my herbs did fine. My tomatoes not so much..and maybe just not as good as I had hoped and wanted. With the wicked weather late in spring then these demanding oppressive temperatures things have just flopped. Maybe too my heart was not into as much...and maybe too that I bought some rotten producers. I thought for sure I would have had tons of tomatoes by now. But Mr. Stripey is a big deceiver. Sure he gets real big and bushy, but then most of his blooms fall and want little is producing is slowly getting eating by bugs. Then there is the German Queen...hmmm I have another select name for her.

the tomatoes that are doing the best for me is my Grape tomato plant and my Cherokee purple. oh and a tomato plant I did not even plant, it just came up all on its own. I think it a Campari Tomato.

So, Now I have been picking my tomatoes even though that they are not ripened and put them in brown paper bags to mature. At least this way I know I grew it for us and not the bugs outside.

Not to be a total whiny butt, so something positive now. the cucumber produced way above and beyond what I had hoped and expected. I found a great recipe for a Cucumber & Avocado soup. Sounds so refreshing and delightful. However, by this time last year I had already a couple batches of gazpacho and not one batch yet.

With the excessive heat appetites have slowed down. Even by the kids. I have had a loaf bread that has almost lasted a week!! Wow!!

Tonight for dinner however I am making salad Nicoise. The Heidi Way/
It is going to be such a sexy meal too!! I love taking fresh ingredients and combining the flavors.

So, I ventured over to the next town over to pick up some yellow fin tuna steaks.
came home and got to work on prepping. Now the vinaigrette is traditional, but the serving will be different plus I added in my own flare of flavors that I love.

First...
Marinated the tuna in Evvo and salt/pepper

got started on the cannellini bean salad. this is the part of course that is not traditional, but this is where my "tomato" part of the salad will be found.

Cannelllini beans
fresh maters diced
couple of table spoons of purple onion minced
Fresh Basil
Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
Evvo
Lemon juice
crumbled Parmesan
salt
pepper


then for the Potato and Green bean part
again, made a salad like.

Fingerling red potatoes boiled briefly
green beans blanched
4 small scallions diced
then mixed with vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

Evvo
Lemon juice squeezed
Fresh thyme and Rosemary
tablespoon of minced shallots
Dijon Mustard


there will be Baby arugula and Boston lettuce dressed very lightly as they will wilt when the Hot grilled tuna is put on. A small serving of cured black olives.

Good Music...A glass of Vino.
Life is Good.

the break down of this fine and wonderful meal. I know the Meal sounded extravagant, but it came in at under 7 dollars a head. for 6 servings it cost 6.41

2.00 2 cans if Cans cannellini beans
5.00 Good Aged Parmesan cheese
2.00 4 lemons
2.50 Fingerling Potatoes
1.50 Fresh Green Beans
3.50 Arugula
2.00 French loaf
18.00 yellow Fin tuna 6 Steaks

I did not include the Olive oil or olives. Most of the time anyway these are staples we have on hand, even lemons and parmasean. Was just out this day.

Bacon Bits

Summer is in full swing and schedules completely thrown off...

to do something different Gabby illustrated a short bit by Jim Gaffigan. The bacon bit is one of our favorites. When I volunteered to do the technical work, I did not realize that a 2 minute bit would have taken 6 hours!! So, hence there will be a part 2 because my pillow is calling me to check the back of my eyelids for cracks.