My life - My Garden

I will start with bad news and move onto good news....

 Part of my garden has been destroyed.  My precious brussel sprout leaves were a meal for some critter.  I am not sure if the plants are going to live......I am SO pissed and disappointed.  It happened overnight.  I hope some animal out there has a REALLY bad stomach ache!

Here is my favorite summer meal. I usually go to the local garden stand and buy fresh tomatoes....not this year!!  Straight from the garden!!  Goat cheese, really good balsamic vinegar and my fresh tomatoes.  I made happy mouth noises the whole time I was eating this!!

My life - Chris' party

My friend, Chris, through a party for her mother's birthday. She has the ability to take small things and make it beautiful. Here is her backyard...

 She made little sitting areas around her yard.  Here is one of my favorite spots....she had an arbor and put a bench she already had in it.  She hung mason jars that she put tea lights in.  She bought these special tops that had the chains on them.

Look at this centerpiece.  It was SO pretty and simple.....and at night it looked just as beautiful!!

My life - My bug adventure

Look what we saw today.....

 It was staring at me and then......

It jumped on me and this was the next picture I took.

Restaurant review - Frank's Diner Kenosha, WI

I heard of this place from the Brenners.....and it was on triple D (Drive-in, Diners and Dives on the Food Network with Guy Fieri).  I tried to go here once before, but it was so crowded that we gave up.  Not this time.  We got there at 11:15 on a Thursday and we were able to sit immediately at the counter.  No tables were ready for about another 10 minutes.  People don't move fast here - customers and employees.....but that is all part of the experience here.

 On the weekends, there are bikers there that hang in the front.  They hang out, drink and see to have a lot of fun there.  Just be careful parking your car - you don't want to hit any of their Harleys.

 Here's the inside.  All kinds of fun little signs on the walls....and lots of action behind the counter.  People going back and forth, taking orders, serving, clearing. Action galore!

 This is the grill area. Great place to sit and marvel as to how they cook for so many people on such a small area.  So much action.....moving so fast.

 Look at my bloody mary.  It was a "virgin" bloody mary since I had no designated driver - but it was sensational!  Spicey, tasty and rimmed with Old Bay.  A perfect bloody mary - minus the vodka (this time!).

 This was our son's order.  Simple and great.  The ham was about 3/4 of an inch thick.  The bread was fresh and the hash browns crispy.  He did say the eggs were a bit runny/wet.

I had oatmeal - nice steel cut oats.  They had a nice texture to them - not too creamy, not too dry.  Just right.

Keep in mind - you don't got here for the food - you go for the experience....and the Bloody Mary.

My recipe - Dark Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

What to do with the giant zucchini from my garden....zucchini bread.  I got a recipe from Food Network - Paula Deen's recipe for chocolate chip zucchini bread.  I made some changes, to make it a bit healthier.  With Paula's new health kick - I think she would approve of my changes.

Here is my version of Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread - indicating the original recipe and my changes.  This recipe makes 2 loaves - I doubled it to make 4 loaves....but I left measurements here for 2 loaves.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1.5 cups white sugar (this was 2 cups of white sugar)
• 1 cup apple sauce (this was 1 cup of vegetable oil)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini 
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (this was semisweet chocolate chips)

I didn't do, but it was in the original recipe:

• 1 cup chopped pecans 
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• Whipped cream, for serving
• Zucchini ribbons, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans. (I used tin foil pans so I could give them away)

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in apple sauce, vanilla, zucchini, and chocolate chips. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. (I ate it right away....who can wait when the kitchen smells SO good?!?)

 Here is the "raw" batter in a tin foil pan that I had buttered. Make sure that there is about 1 inch of space still in the pan.  I buttered the whole pan, so when it rised, it all would come out cleanly.

 In the oven - all pans lined up together.

 See how much is rises?  Here is the stick coming out cleaning - indicating it is ready to come out.

 Here is a close up of the finished loaf.  Isn't it pretty?  See the color?  Browns, golds, greens....so pretty!!

The finished piece.  Moist, not too sweet.....perfection!

My life - My Garden

Sorry for not writing for awhile....the summer has been so busy.  You can see part of what I have been doing right here.....growing my garden.  With the heat we have been having, keeping ahead of the heat has been a challenge.  I water my garden every day, always watering down low, to make sure the water gets to the roots and doesn't just roll off of the leaves.  I have a sheet on my fridge to keep track of how much I have harvested....I'll let you know at the end of the season my final count.

 Here are my brussels sprouts....see how they are budding along the thick stem?  This plant has been my most fascinating.  It is so different from how everything else grow - fruits coming from flowers vs. the intersection of stem and leaves.

 Here is the eggplant.  The color contrast between the leaves and the veins are so pretty.  And the deep purple of the vegetable.  Wow.....

 This is a spaghetti squash.  It has quite awhile to go.....but it's getting there.

 See the cauliflower growing in there?  And look at the wonderful blue, gray green of the leaves.  It needs more time, but it is going well.

 Here is broccoli.  I already picked on large bunch.  Each plant only grows one bunch.....not much yield for the amount of space this plant needs.

 I have a jungle of tomatoes.  You can see them starting to ripen.  I already have been able to pick the smaller ones.  The larger ones are taking longer.

And now the piece de resistance.....my giant zucchini!!!  Isn't this crazy?!?!  It grows SO fast.  I am going to make zucchini bread.  I'll post pictures and the recipe soon.

My life - Camping and Madison, WI Farmers Market

We just got back from camping in Smokey Hallow in Lodi, WI.  We have been camping for almost 9 years - this time there were 11 families.  Some folks were in one space all together, a few in another, and us and a couple other families a bit away.  We had great weather - warm during the day and cold at night.  We cooked over the fire only for dinners.  Breakfasts we just had cereal and had some other things from other families (pancakes, waffles).  Lunch - cold cuts, snacks and sharing food with others.  Dinner Friday night I made chicken, baked potatoes, and brats - all over the fire.  Speaking of fire....we made our fire from scratch - no fire starter!  Twigs and logs - so much more fun. Saturday night dinner was a bust....skirt steaks that I marinaded, peas (from the farmers market) and baked potatoes.  The steaks were just off.....I don't know if it was the marinade or the steak itself, but it just tasted not quite right.  No one ate it and I ended up throwing it away. And the peas got too smoky flavored for anyone to eat. So....potatoes and the generosity of others.  Totally sucks.  I hate when my meals suck.

On Saturday, we went to Madison's Farmer's Market. It is one of the best farmer's markets around.  It goes around the capital building on both sides of the street.  Everything is so delicious and fresh.

 This is our favorite thing to eat at the Farmer's Market - hot cheesy bread. We eat one there and one at the campgrounds.  When we get it, it is warm and fresh.  SOOOOOOO tasty!!!!!!!

 This is where the bread comes from.....find it, buy it, love it!!

 See how the booths are just all around the street?  SOOOO many people, so many booths.

 All kinds of vegis.....

The capital building.