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!?

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. :)