Tuesday, August 20, 2019

August 20th


Who doesn't like bacon?
I mean,
Even if I were to "go vegan",
I'd probably still sneak a slice of bacon.
I know my weakness,
especially with brown sugar glazed bacon.
That's how I made it for tonight's dinner.

We had Egg Surprise.
That's my name for eggs in a hole.
The cut out piece of bread gets toasted 
and goes on top,
with a strip of bacon.
Awesome!

Breakfast for Dinner is
a frequent request around here.
Those lovely eggs, 
courtesy of our girls,
are always delicious.

We also had
Bacon and Ham Steaks
with
fresh strawberries, blackberries and
raspberries.
The CEO had a glass of tea with
juice ice cubes.
Peach, Strawberry and Orange cubes.

Don't throw away the juice from a can
of fruit (natural with no added sugar)
or just mash some fresh berries.
Then put them in an ice cube tray,
and place the frozen cubes in a Zip Lock bag 
to scoop into your tea.
It's great!
It is a nice additive to our 
summertime iced tea.

********************************
This is Spearmint.
It has pretty lavender flowers.
I try to clip the herbs before they flower.
Flowering sends too much energy to the bloom 
and not the plant.
The plants get leggy and 
don't produce as much.
Yes, you can eat these flowers.
What do they taste like?
Mint!

Thai Basil,
whit the same problem.
It's been too hot to go outside
so all of them are flowering.
These are going to seed.
Still quite tasty sprinkled on just about anything.


Patchouli
It smells like the '60's.
Seriously.
You can wrap the leaves up tightly 
and burn them as a kind of "smudge"
It kinda smells like incense.


Bell Peppers and a Cucuzza.
The Cucuzza is so long,
I couldn't get it all in the picture.


A Cucuzza standing quietly 
behind the couch.
Not sure if it was about
to scare someone,
or act as a baseball bat!


Malabar Spinach,
with a small purple berry.
This is a new addition to our backyard.
It is native to India and Asia.
It not really a spinach, but grows on a vine,
and has thick leaves that taste great
in salads or anywhere you'd use spinach.


The plant produces small berries that
are edible but slightly sour.
We don't eat them,
the hens do!
The plant does considerably well in 
extreme heat.
That's a win for us!
It just needs a lot of water.
Tip: Don't plant it in the ground.
It grows like crazy and will take over.
All our herbs are in pots.

*********************************
With all this produce,
I had to come up with a 
few dishes, but it was way too hot to 
heat up the kitchen.
Break out the crockpot!
I made Ratatouille.
Easy dish.
It's just stewed veggies.


Here's the recipe:
1 medium jar of Prego
dried oregano, basil, salt and pepper,
pre cut up in a jar - garlic
Cube these veggies...
1 large sweet onion
1 eggplant
2 zucchnini
(I used half of my cucuzza)
(you can substitute any squash)
2 bell peppers
2 tomatoes
then...
1) coat the bottom of the crockpot with olive oil,
2)layer the veggies in the pot.
3) add a few dollops of Prego and 
sprinkle with oregano/basil and a teaspoon of garlic.
4) Keep doing this till all the veggies are in the pot
and covered in Prego.
5) Cook on medium for 5 hours
6) stir it halfway through cooking.
7) for the last hour, uncover and allow sauce to thicken.
To serve, sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Yum!

***
Then I tried this one.....

I hate frying anything!
So, I looked for a recipe where the eggplant 
was baked.
Here it is...
Melt about 5 or 6 tablespoons of butter and 
a teaspoon of mayonnaise, 
 then coat each slice of eggplant.
(you can use only butter if you like)

Next dip it into Italian flavored breadcrumbs.
I used 1 cup.

The recipe calls for them to be 
covered with grated parmesan and baked 
in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Then flip them and bake for another 20.

Tip: Bake for 20 minutes,
then after you've turned them over,
sprinkle the parmesan cheese.
It'll stay on the eggplant
rounds instead of falling off.

I'm eating them with a dip of 
creamy Italian
(because that's what I had)
The recipe says Ranch.
I don't think Ranch would have 
brought out the parmesan
like the Italian did.
anyhoo….
Hope ya like these.

***************************
Chicken 101

Backyard chicken eggs are healthier
than store bought eggs.
The dark yolks tell the tale.
The darker the yolk, means the more
nutrients, Omega 3 fatty acids,
Carotinoids, beta carotene,
Lutein, and
Vitamins A, D, and E.
Homegrown eggs have thicker shells
due to a greater amount of calcium 
in the hen's diet.
Also...
Chickens are essentially
omnivores.
They'll literally eat anything,
Insects, small rodents, snakes,
fruits and veggies,
even their own eggs.
Our girls haven't eaten their eggs,
but they do eat the crushed egg shells
out of the compost heap.
They also eat a "laying feed"
that contains various seeds
and grains.
That's why their "butt nuggets"
are so good!

**************************
I was perusing the internet 
and came across this...
It's about iconic streets that
are a must see before you die.


Hope you can read the small type,
especially the last line.
I laughed and laughed.....

Bless their hearts...……

and

Remember,
be kind,
you never know
what someone is
going through.





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