Saturday, June 25, 2011

Button Heaven . . .

Have you ever had a day when you just couldn’t get up enough energy to do anything constructive?  I actually hate those days because I feel worthless.  Well, that’s me today.  My husband left early to do some work at church and I just went from watching TV to watering some plants to laying down . . . well, you get the picture. 

Then, he came home!!!   He had stopped at an estate sale and brought me a “present”.    A big vase full of buttons.   I LOVE buttons . . . any buttons. . . but especially old buttons like these.  Instant energy.

It doesn’t take much to make me happy.  ;-)

Gotta go – I have buttons to sort!!

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Our garden overfloweth . . .

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I have a love-hate relationship with this time of year. . .

My husband loves to plant a garden and I do love the vegetables, but  why, oh why, do they all have to come at the same time!   I have made 10 loaves of zucchini bread, 5 casseroles (in the freezer), sliced zucchini for soup later and froze bags of shredded zucchini for more bread. 

Now, here come the cucumbers!  I really must find an easy pickle recipe before they take over my kitchen. 

I am about to start frying green tomatoes because there are so many on the vine that if they all start ripening at the same time I will have to give them away.  (I don’t mind sharing our bounty, but I LOVE tomatoes.)

And figs – I don’t even want to go there.  Our tree is heavy with half-ripe figs and we don’t even like them.  Now those, I would happily give to a new home.

We do love this zucchini bread recipe though so I thought I’d share it.  It makes 2 loves and freezes well.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp. each baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt
3 cups flour
3 cups grated zucchini
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.   Spray two 5 x 8 loaf pans with cooking spray.  Beat together eggs, sugar and oil.   Sift together baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flour.  Mix flour mixture together with egg mixture and add zucchini, vanilla, coconut (and nuts).  Mix well.   Bake for 1 hour. 
(I mix all of this by hand.)

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