County Fair

The Fair.
Corn dogs, funnel cakes, cows, award winning jam, rides, carnies.
The Hickory fair had all those things and more! Scott and I have been talking about the fair for quite some time and somehow it snuck up on us without us noticing!

The fair grounds aren't to far from our house, and that's where the flea market that I love so much (seen here) takes place.  We happened to be talking to friends who casually mentioned the fair and we knew we had to go before it was to late!

Friday night we headed to town for a night of fried foods, bright lights and lots and lots of people. First stop was the animals. I LOVE farm animals and wish we had a cow. They had an area to feed them and of course I jumped at the opportunity! We also watched a demonstration of how they used to cut wood using the power from old tractors, which was pretty cool. Next up, the blue ribbon showing! Did you know people really do enter big tomatoes, or homemade biscuits to see who's is the best in the county?! I thought those days were long gone, so I made Scott look at everything that had been entered with me. Who knows, maybe next year I'll enter something!

After spotting a hunting buddy of Scott's and eating some of the delicious BBQ he was serving up in order to raise money for a local school, we met up with John and Mary (who went to the hunting house with us) for a stroll and some tasty treats!

Now I don't remember ever having a funnel cake, elephant ears - of course- but never a funnel cake so that was the mission of the night. We all settled in and got a different tasty fried thing and boy oh boy was everything good! Between the 4 of us we got a fennel cake with cinnamon & sugar, red velvet funnel cake, fried Oreos and a corn dog.  Yummm!!

We also watched a man being shot out of a cannon. It was pretty intense and not a job that I would want, and piglet racing.

It was a perfect way to spend a warm summer night.

Soldiers Reunion

Scott's mom Vanessa called to see if I wanted to join her at the Soldiers Reunion Street Fair and of course I said yes! Who doesn't love a street fair?! I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and although it was quite different from the street fairs I have grown to love in Portland (Fremont Fest, Mississippi Street Fair) as there we lots of confederate flags flying, but I had a lot of fun!

The festival is set up around the town square which features the old court house/ history museum. The street was set up with different vendors an local businesses showing off their homemade gifts and whatnot. Although I didn't end up purchasing anything, we did sign up for all of the free raffles and I even won a dance lesson!

We stopped for lunch at a BBQ vendor and it was bomb to say the least. I got a huge cheese steak and after making a mess of myself, decided that if ever I was having a party, these guys would be at the top of my catering list!

It was nice to spend time with Vanessa, and fun to see one of our neighboring towns during their highlight of the year. It is a week long festival and have events from a parade to 5k run to live music in the square. Next year I'll be watching out for this to return and plan out my week!

Flooding

Our summer weather has been crazy to say the least. We recently saw record rainfall totals and flash flooding across the state. The county we live in was hit the hardest with 12 inches of rain in a little more than 4 hours and saw flooding on a massive scale.

Scott and I were very lucky not to have any damage as those around us got hit  pretty hard. Our yard looked like a swimming pool, but no damage to our house. 

Here are some pictures of the storm as it hit us and the aftermath in town. 

Flooding/damage around town.

Our yard in the middle of the storm. 

To be honest with you, I love the rain. I could live without the flooding, but the rain makes me feel right at home. And the best part? Usually where there is rain, there is thunder and lightning!

We have had our share of extreme humidity, rain, cold & hot temperatures. People who have lived here their whole lives have never seen anything like it.

I wonder what this winter will bring!?

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! 

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! 

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! 

Green Thumb

For months I have been working on getting some color into the garden and things are finally starting to bloom! After what feels like forever, all of our hard work is starting to pay off!

We were able to acquire some canna lilies from Craigslist that are going to be beautiful once they are in full bloom. I have also collected seeds from the SeaRoses Scott's dad gave us so I can get some more started! It really is starting to look beautiful, not to shabby for a first attempt at a real garden!

More Critters

It seems that with the summer heat in full swing (actually, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. Check back with me in August. Yuck.) more and more critters are making their way out of hiding and into full view.

You may remember we have already seen our share of various bugs (click here to see), frogs and groundhogs (seen here), our baby robins (seen here) and my personal favorite - lightning bugs (seen here)!

This is what we've had around lately.

Praying-mantis, Lady Bugs, Red Headed house finch at the bird feeder, Japanese Beetle (that is wreaking havoc on my plants!), black snake in the road, and a family of bunnies that live in the field! There are three babies and a mama. I love watching them frolic just before the sun goes down!

We have our own animal park right in the back yard, you just have to look a little harder to find our treasures!

Babies

Scott discovered three baby robins in the shed the other day!

Three baby Robins! 

I love checking on them in the morning when I go out to pick the squash. I was surprised to find they already flew the coop! That was short lived but fun!

Looks like we are once again empty nesters :(

Buffalo Beals Animal Park

Yesterday in Catawba County there was an agricultural tour/fair also known as Agri-Tourism Day where farms were open to the public (most for free). Scott's Aunt Vickie and her 2 kids joined me at Buffalo Beals Animal Park for a little morning fun.

We decided to buy some feed so we could interact with the animals. It was a great choice that provided much entertainment and laughs! I could have spent hours petting the animals and feeling their velvety lips taking the grains from my palm.  They animals had so much personality!

They had a great variety of animals too! Camels, zebra, monkeys, buffalo, highland cattle, porcupine, kangaroo, various birds and many more. The animals looked well taken care of too which was a big  plus.

There was also a picnic area with a playground and bounce house that the boys enjoyed. They were a little crazy doing flips and everything! The boys rode a pony & horse for the first time and seemed to love it! I was so proud of them for trying something new.

What a wonderful day we had spending time together and learning about the animals. This a a place I will go back to again and again as long as the kids are willing to go with me!

Like I said earlier, I loved feeding the animals. I think I even made a new best friend.

Feed me!!

Fingers taste so good too!

So happy!

I am already looking forward to my next visit! 

Summer Squash Harvest

Our yellow squash is out of control! We started harvesting already and have given away about as much as we have eaten for ourselves!

I can tell we are going to have squash coming out our ears pretty soon. Any great recipes out there that I need to try?

Veggie Garden

With all of the weird weather we've had the last few weeks, our garden is growing like crazy! Mix the rain & heat and we have all the advantages (or disadvantages for us humans) of a hot house. 

At first people laughed at our garden because we didn't plant much, but now people are commenting on how well it is doing! Looks like this city girl has a little more up her sleeve than I get credit for!

3 big tomato & 4 cherry tomato plants.

Already showing signs of a good harvest! 

Pepper plant that produces 4 varieties. 

Yellow straight neck squash. 

Peaches! 

The star of the show would have to be the squash. The 4 plants we have are doing so well and we have already started harvesting them! The tomatoes will start rolling in soon, there are already lots of green tomatoes on the vines. We also planted green & white cucumbers that are getting off to a slow start, but I am confidant they will catch up with the rest of the crop. 

I have such big plans for next year. I will admit, keeping the weeds out has not been easy and I have let the last 1/4 of the garden space we tilled up to grow back. I figured since I haven't planted anything, whats the harm right?

Back Deck - Outdoor Living

In order to get the most out of our back deck we have made a few improvements. We initially got off to a great start (you can read about it here). Since then Scott and I took some time to stain the deck to insure we get as much life out of it as possible!

It took 2 full days of work, 1 paint brush that will never see the light of day again and near heat stroke but it finally got done!

The stain not only brought out the natural grain in the wood but will protect it from the elements.

We also added a grill! After a lot of research and visiting 4 different stores for some hands on comparison, a decision was made and a grill was bought! Just in time too as we were having everyone over on Saturday for a cook out.

I even got a chair to help me with my tan :)

It is really coming together quite nicely isn't it?!

Freezer Jam

I caught strawberries on sale and bought to many to eat so naturally I made some freezer jam! I like as my jam pretty smooth so I whipped out my food processor.

I love my food processor and use it on the regular!

 The final product turned out lovely.

Mmm jam!

I have already gone through a container. English muffins, PB&J, by the spoonful... This stuff sure does go fast! 

Hickory Half Marathon

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go and support Scott's brother Rodney as he participated in the Hickory half Marathon that supports a variety of different charities in the area. I told him since no one else was able to go that I would be as loud as I could so he could feel my love and support for the whole family.

I started by making a sign with Nora (my sister) helping me come up with something to say.

A work in progress. 

Waking up before the sun, I got ready and headed to Down Town Hickory. The race started at 6:30 am so the runners wouldn't have to have the sun beating down on them. With a little pre-run pep talk I wished Rodney all the luck in the world and set off to find a place to cheer him on. 

The course was somewhat of a figure 8 around town starting and ending at the same place. That made it convenient for me as I could pretty much stay in a 2 block radius and be able to cheer (very loudly for that matter!) him on as he started, half way through and of course as he crossed the finish line. 

Rodney did great! 13.1 miles in under 2 hours and finished strong with a sprint to the end! I could not be more proud of him. Out of over 500 participants I believe he finished 132. Good Job Rodney - Looking forward to your next one!