JeffreyW’s yummy zucchini and summer squash
A bit delayed this weekend. No real excuse, except life, as usual, was a little hectic. Today I went for my first ride in at least a year. Had to test out my bike after the crew that was here to replace my furnace and add energy upgrades, also fixed my bike. Loved those guys.
When I got home, I was startled to find a hawk sitting peacefully in my driveway, awaiting my return. I believe he was a young Cooper’s hawk.
For this week, we are raiding the garden – Zucchini and Summer Squash Saute featured along with a Family BLT on Monday.
One of JeffreyW’s many BLT photos. Now I’m hungry.
You can find all the menus and recipes here: July Menus Week Three
At least someone has fresh tomatoes…mine are a long way from JeffreyW’s crop.
Click here for the PDF of the shopping lists, July Week Three Shopping List. Reminder that they are color-coordinated and you can easily cross out ingredients you won’t be using.
Technically this is my BBQ pulled pork sandwich, but you get the idea.
Friday’s menu features Slowcooker Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, perfect for those hot mid-summer days when you don’t even want to fire up the grill.
I’ll be out of town next weekend, so next’s recipes could be delayed. I’m a little nervous – first time with the new pet sitter. She seems great and has had Great Danes herself. But I never know if Bixby is going to be a big lovebug or decide to throw his weight around. And fingers crossed Bailey doesn’t decide to eat any more furniture. Crazy dogs.
What’s on your menu this week? What’s your favorite summer garden food? Mine is corn on the cob. Someone asked in one of the recipe threads how best to cook on the grill. I like to peel down the husks, wash off the silks and then pull the husks back up and grill the wet corn. The steam helps it cook quicker. If you desire a little char on the corn, once it’s done cooking, pull the husks off and grill for a minute or two more, turning often until desired char is achieved.
Open thread!
TaMara (HFG)
I’m off to walk the dogs now that it’s cooler. I’ll check back and see if there are any questions.
Speaking of questions, CZanne if you’re around, I had the same recommendation as Mom Says I’m Handsome on landscaping materials. :-)
Iowa Old Lady
One of Mr IOL’s bridge partners brought over raspberries from his garden. Oh yum. I saw a corn truck by the side of the road Friday too, so this week, we’ll have some.
debbie
@Iowa Old Lady:
The farmer’s market near me has had black raspberries. I haven’t seen them since I was a kid. Now I’m gorging on them like I was a kid.
I’ve been spiralizing zucchini all summer, which is probably cheating, but I’m going to use those ingredients in the sauté recipe.
NotMax
Zucchini is evil and irredeemably repugnant. Period. Won’t let it anywhere near the mouth in any form, under any circumstances.
YMMV (but you’re mistaken – – ;·) ).
Omnes Omnibus
@NotMax: I generally agree with you on this, but I have had zucchini bread that was quite good. One couldn’t taste the zucchini at all.
WaterGirl
@debbie: What is spiralizing zucchini?
MomSense
That grilled corn looks fabulous. Sorry to hear about Bailey’s taste for furniture. I’ve been there. Hoping your time away is uneventful for the dogs and happy for you.
Jeffro
I put on my “best of 80’s hair metal bands” CD this afternoon and made:
– sausage & spinach stromboli, and oven-roasted vegetables (for tonight’s dinner)
– chicken, asparagus, and noodle salad (for lunches early this coming week)
And prepped
– sorta-paella…everything but the shrimp…(for tomorrow’ night’s dinner)
– turkey meatballs (for Tuesday night’s dinner)
I’m liking this Sunday-cooking thing – just rock out and make several days’ worth of awesome dishes!
Also: FB is reminding me that 3 years ago today, me and the family were out on the trip of a lifetime at Glacier Park. Snowball fights in July! Paddling across Two Medicine Lake! Will have to plan a trip out that way (perhaps even further north) for next summer…
eclare
I grill corn the way you say, pull back the husk, remove the silks, put the husk back, but before I put the husk back, I spread on a little butter mixed with cajun seasoning.
MomSense
@Jeffro:
My oldest has been to Glacier a couple of times. It is one of his favorite national parks. If you have any photos, we’d love to see them.
Mike in NC
@NotMax: We grew up on almost all canned vegetables, including Del Monte zucchini, which was about 50% zucchini, 25% salt, and 25% tomato sauce. I was shocked to see the real thing years later.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
It turns vegetables into “pasta.” You just sauté it for a couple minutes and Boom! Dinner for the Lazy!
WaterGirl
@Mike in NC: That was me with broccoli! I thought it only came in frozen broccoli spears and “broccoli cuts”! I tried to make a broccoli casserole with fresh broccoli, without cooking it first. Hey, I didn’t know!
It had to cook all day in order for the broccoli to become tender enough to eat, at which point the whole thing was sickly pea green. Totally inedible. When I offered it to my cocker spaniel she turned her nose up at me and walked away. Only food she would never eat. She even ate pineapple and ears of corn, leaving the cob and the hard part of the core, of course. She would even hot peppers, which I would never give a dog now. But I was 20 and stupid, what can I say?
WaterGirl
@debbie: So it comes out like spaghetti? It doesn’t get mushy or icky?
edit:I also have to ask… how easy is it to cut yourself on that thing?
debbie
@WaterGirl:
No mushiness. You can also spiralize carrots and cukes and I think potatoes.
I nicked myself once, but then I’m accident prone. There are many different models of spiralizers; many look safer than the one I have.
Omnes Omnibus
@debbie:
Do not have babies with Cole. Please.
WaterGirl
@debbie: Thanks. Is the one you linked to the one you own?
HRA
I lost 23 pounds in 6 months. This weekend was a challenge to mainyain it.
Friday the groom’s parents had a picnic at their home for both families. Saturday was the wedding where the food was all fresh roasted vegetables, salad offered with homemade dressings, pasta with freshly made sauce and 3 different meat dishes. Cupcakes were in place of the wedding cake. I made the desserts which were requested by my daughter who was the bride. There were 2 trifles (strawberry and lemon), 2 peanut butter and chocolate cheesecakes, a cheesecake sheet cake with pineapple and sour cream topping, 2 cream puff cakes, 4 baklavas and a grape salad. Today was a post wedding celebration up the street from my house at my granddaughter and her husbands home. They started out with 40 lbs. of wings made on one grill, a variety of dips (I liked the spinach and feta one), the usual hamburger, hot dogs and sausage on the grill, 3 pasta salads (Tortellini was amazing), green fresh salads, crock pot chicken in a light sauce, roasted vegetables, cakes and pies.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
Yes. It was in a bin at Bed Bath and Beyond, and I bought it on impulse.
eclare
@HRA: Wow, those were impressive feasts! Kudos to the dessert/pastry chef!
WaterGirl
@eclare: That’s high praise coming from someone named éclair !
@HRA: It all sounds amazing! And with all the work you did, I’m sure you worked off everything you ate.
WaterGirl
@debbie: Okay, I am going to buy one. Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables.
(sorry Omnes)
I read the description and it says you can do a thick fettuccine size, too.
HRA
@eclare:
Thank you. Prep work that could be done was on the previous weekend. Baking began on the items able to be done and stay well was on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday I received a note from the wedding venue to have the desserts plated and brought on Friday by 1 pm. Thankfully 2 granddaughters and the bride showed up at 9 am after they picked up a daughter from CA at the airport to help me. Then 2 more daughters came to finish the work.
@WaterGirl:
I was doing really well until today although I did feed most of my chicken to 2 of my beggar grand dogs :)
WaterGirl
@HRA: My advice is to not spoil your lovely weekend with worrying about anything you ate. The trick is to get back to eating the way you want this week, and let the weekend be a sublime food experience. Not that you asked my opinion!
HRA
@WaterGirl:
Opinions are always welcome.
DanR2
Corn: Pick it. Shuck it. Boil it for about 4 minutes. Roll it in on a stick of butter, sprinkle some salt on it, and marvel in its awesomeness.
On the other hand, if it’s not fresh picked or if it’s over-ripe, then just do whatever you have to to get someone else to eat it. Like grilling it. Ack.
(ETA, Rest of the food looks really good though!)
eclare
@HRA: Sounds like you had a very organized kitchen army!
Mnemosyne
@HRA:
I’ll tell you an old Weight Watchers trick: call it a vegetable, and move on.
IOW, don’t beat yourself up about it, just get back on the wagon with your next meal. Perfectionism that leads you to give up will hurt you worse than one day of not-so-great eating.