Desk Re-Do

I found this desk on Craigslist for $20 and it will be perfect for the spare bedroom with a little TLC. Since Scott's work schedule requires him to sleep during the day, I am always trying to not disturb him and have been looking for a desk to put into the bedroom so I can work in there when needed. It will also act as storage for all of our office supplies as they are spread all over the house.

Great Craigslist find!

After a little search I found this desk and knew it was the one! We picked it up a few towns over and brought it home. I've already done the first round of sanding and just need to pick out a paint color now and decide I want to change out the pulls.

Hand sanding in the sun makes for a very tired girl!

Halfway done!

I've been searching Pinterest for ideas but there are just so many to choose from! Any ideas?

Summer Garden Salad

Our summer garden has been pretty good to us this year (see here)! With the tomatoes in full swing my new favorite side dish has been this yummy summer salad... Mmmm so good!

Summer Garden Salad

4 c quartered cherry tomatoes
1-2 diced large cucumber (seeded if necessary)
4-6 chopped green onion stalks
1-2 orange (or red/yellow) bell pepper
1/8 c seasoned rice vinegar
1/8 c olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients into a bowl and taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar, salt & pepper as needed. Serve right away or chill for a few hours.

This is one of those dishes that develops flavor as it sits, so I like to make it at least an hour ahead of serving if I have the time. **Also great with avocado

What a nice and tasty way to get your fill of daily veggies! 

Country Drive

The other day Scott and I wanted to take a drive through the foothills seeking a little adventure. I packed a picnic basket Yogi Bear would be proud of, grabbed my sunnies and we headed out. 

Hey bus driver!

It was a beautiful day, something a little rare these days, and we headed for the hills. Along the way we found a camping area and decided to check it out. 

Photo opp by the lake <3

It was no Timothy Lake that is for sure, but I got a bite from the camping bug and have decided that we should do it next year for sure! I'll have to research places more but I am excited about the possibilities! 

I have a feeling camping here will be more like camping in the VI and less like camping at home. Hopefully I'll survive the bugs... Maybe we should double up on repellent. Now all I need is to find a tent!

Summer Squash Bread

Recipe #5 Summer squash recipe round up.

With so much squash on our hands, finding recipes that Scott and I will both enjoy has been quite a challenge. We have had our share of hits (this bread) and misses (squash cakes - which won't be featured). Scott's favorite is by far the fried squash but this amazing bread takes a very close second!

When I made this bread I was letting it cool while I was Skyping home and decided to take the first taste test while video chatting with my mom. I offered Scott a piece which he quickly and politely rejected. My mom's reaction was priceless, she said "Is he really not going to try that?!" Scott looked at me with puppy eyes and replied "I'll try it, give me a piece." Followed by "This is pretty good!" I am not sure if he thought it was going to be like a wheat bread or what because after trying it he was so surprised to find it was sweet like dessert.

The recipe's I found online were all very similar to zucchini bread, and until Nora suggested I try it with the squash I hadn't even thought of it! Of course it would be good, after all in my opinion the only difference in the summer squash and the zucchini is the color of the skin.

My go to recipe has always been this one from allrecipes.com so it only made sense that this is the one I tried for the squash.

Summer Squash Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3 eggs 1 cup vegetable oil 2 1/4 cups white sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups grated zucchini

	Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
	Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
	Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined. (Now if we are going to be honest, I just dump all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until combined, less mess and I can't tell a difference in how it turns out.) Pour batter into prepared pans.
	Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Enjoy with lots of real butter and a cold glass of milk :)

Grilled Squash

Recipe #4 Summer squash round up

Since Scott and I got a grill, I feel like I've become obsessed with it! Unfortunately the rain has kept us from using it a ton, but I try every chance I get! I love that you can take such simple items and with the flavor of the grill, turn them into something wonderful.

I especially love grilled veggies. Asparagus, corn and of course squash!

Grilled Squash (or any kind of veggie)

2-4 summer squash cut into 1/4 inch rounds
3 T olive oil
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Vegetable oil to prepare the grill

Preheat grill to medium heat and oil the grates with a paper towel.
Toss squash, olive oil and salt & pepper until well coated.
Arrange squash flat directly over heat not moving until grill marks form. Turn once and cook until tender.

Dinner is served!

Summer brings such a bounty of so many great veggies, I am doing the best I can to get my fill while they are fresh! 

My Hero!

Scott has a lot of amazing qualities I love. For example, he makes me laugh like no other, takes out the trash, works hard to provide for us and kills spiders (even the semi-deadly ones)!

While going out to check the mail he noticed this little friend in the garage and promptly came back in to tell me. I grabbed my camera and took a deep breath...

Umm yes that is a Black Widow! Eek - I thought it wasn't that big, but Scott told me that it was large for a Black Widow, goes to show I've never seen one before! After I bravely took a picture Scott killed it with a fly swatter.

My Hero!

What would I do without this guy?! I tell you what, I am so thankful that he doesn't mind being the bug killer in the relationship. :)

Squash Casserole

Recipe #3 Summer squash round up

When we gave Scott's mom a bag full of squash she told me she was going to make a squash casserole. I had never heard of such a thing and was instantly intrigued! After a little recipe comparing online and taking a few things here and a few things there, this is what I came up with.

Squash Casserole

6 cups large yellow squash (diced or cut into half moons)
1 T bacon grease (I always save it in the fridge!)
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the squash and onion in bacon grease and butter over medium-low heat until it has almost completely broken down (still retaining the shape but most of the moisture is cooked out), about 20 minutes.

Mix the remaining ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

I like the texture of the big chunks of squash. 

I spy some bacon grease...

The finished product!

Vanessa (Scott's mom) does it a little different, she uses Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Stuffing as a topping to the casserole which I am sure is lovely, I just didn't have any on hand when I made mine.

To me is taste like Au Gratin squash and the added flavor of the bacon fat was amazing! This is a recipe I will continue to tweak until I have it perfect, but in my opinion, I don't have far to go! 

Pickled Squash

Round 2 - Summer squash recipes.
I asked my sister Nora for some help finding ways to use our summer squash and she sent me this recipe (just one of many) she found on a blog called The Kitchn. I knew right away I would try it!

They look like art work in the jar!

Although I had to make a few changes from the original recipe as I didn't have everything on hand, they still turned out pretty great! Here is what I did:

Pickled Yellow Squash

2 pounds small yellow squash
1 sweet Vidalia onion
1/2 a small red bell pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 pinch hot pepper flakes

Slice squash into very thin rounds. Remove both onion ends, peel, and cut in half lengthwise. Slice 1/2 of the onion into very thin strips, reserving the other half for another use. Seed and finely dice the bell pepper.

Toss squash, onions, peppers, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add a handful of ice cubes and just enough cold water to cover. Stir well to combine, and set aside for thirty minutes.

Rinse the vegetables well and place in a colander or sieve to drain. Meanwhile bring the vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes and yellow mustard to a boil in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from heat, stirring to make sure the ingredients are dissolved, and allow the vinegar to cool for 3-5 minutes.

Gently pat vegetables dry with a towel and place in an airtight container. Pour vinegar over the mixture, tossing a fork to make sure all the slices get soaked. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Strain from brine before serving.

Prefect side to a BLT

They turned out great! I eat them as a side or just snack on them. Mmmmm, my mouth is watering for them now! 

Squash Recipe Round Up

Scott and I were blessed with a ridiculous amount of yellow summer squash which led to a lot of new squash recipes! With the help of my sister Nora and a little research of my own I'll share with you all of our squash adventures.

A good day's harvest

Recipe #1 Fried Squash

This is by far Scott's favorite way to consume our bounty! We've tried it with 2 different batters, here they are:

Deep Fried Squash

2-4 summer squash cut into rounds about 1/8 -1/4 in thick
1 1/2 c flour
1 T seasoning salt
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
Oil for frying
Salt

Mix flour & seasoning salt in a pie plate for dredging. Whisk together egg & milk in another pie plate.
Wash and cut squash into rounds. Dip into the egg wash and toss in flour mixture until well coated. Gently place into hot oil and let fly until golden brown. Drain on paper towels or newspaper and dust with salt while still hot.

Getting nice and toasty!

Squash with cornmeal batter.

I also made the fried squash with a little corn meal in the flour mixture (equal parts flour & corn meal) which added a different texture however it tasted the same. You cal also have fun with the spices you add into your flour mixture by adding things like cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dill - the possibilities are endless!

Let me know what you try and how it turns out! 

Beets

Papaw showed me how to make pickled beets! It took 2 days and lots of patience, but we did it! There isn't a lot of measuring so each batch is unique, but that is ok with me, each jar I've had has been delish! These won't be ready to eat for a while but I am so looking forward to trying them.

The process.

Makes my mouth water just looking at them! 

I can't wait to plant my garden next year and make them for myself! Just call me Susie Homemaker :)

4th of July - Biltmore Estate

For the 4th of July Scott and I decided to go on adventure to Asheville and tour the Biltmore Estate and gardens. This is something I have been wanting to do since I moved here and Scott was able to get discounted tickets (because it is pretty expensive!) through work, so it all worked out pretty perfectly.

We have been stuck in this rain pattern for more than a month now and I really wanted to explore the gardens so while it was pouring on our drive over we prayed for a break in the weather. About 10 minutes before we arrived in Asheville the rain stopped and they skies turned blue!

As you enter the grounds of this humble summer house, which is about as big as my high school, you drive up a 3 mile driveway surrounded by trees, flowers and a babbling brook.

Once you reach the parking lot you have the option to take the shuttle to the Estate or walk the trail. Scott and I opted for the trail which only took about 5 minutes to get to house. Man was I in for a surprise!  The house was gorgeous, and so much more grand than I had expected.

Thankfully we were smart and got their close to opening so the crowds weren't that bad and we really didn't have to fight our way to see anything. After you enter the house you have the option to pay for an audio tour or they have a guide book that you can use to navigate yourself which is what we opted for.

You aren't allowed to take pictures in the house, but I can say I've never really seen anything like it before. Each room was so unique and so extravagant! They had a formal dining room that seats 64 people, bowling alley and an indoor swmming pool that is still outfitted with the original under water lighting system from 1985!!

The shining star for me was the library which features about 11,500 books and beautiful painted ceiling. If I am going to be honest, it brought a tear to my eye. And as silly as it sounds I imagine the Beast showing Belle his library for the first time. I know exactly how she felt now.

After Scott and I made out way through the house, we grabbed a quick snack, bought a postcard or 2 and headed to the gardens.

Red Velvet cake for Scott and a chocolate croissant for me! 

I loved the gardens! They were in full bloom, although the rain has done some damage the more delicate flowers and shrubs, but it was easy to look past that! I tried to take notes of what I liked so we could plant them in our yard next year :) We follow signs to the bass pond and waterfall which took us on a nice little hike all over the area. We saw lot of little fish, a turtle and a huge black snake that some other visitors pointed out to us.

Between the sprawling lawns and stone busts I felt like I was in a Jane Austen novel, always looking for Mr. Darcy. Biltmore was an amazing experience and I look forward to going back at Christmas when I know it will be even more magical!

We hadn't planned on doing anything for the evening of the 4th since we had such a big day but Scott's Aunt & Uncle called to say their plans were cancelled because of the rain if we wanted to come over and do fireworks with the kids. Of course we jumped at that opportunity!

The night was full of fireflies, fireworks and family. Pretty perfect in my book!