A Little Encouragement for the Day!

Here is another little quote on being a "doer."

The Great End of Life is not Knowledge but ACTION!

I'm saying this and I don't want you to be hard on yourself, I only say that because I tend to be that way. But every minute of the day is a choice.  Do the things you want to do to improve (like breaking old habits) and to get the things done you keep putting off.  Don't feel guilty if you didn't make a choice you wish you had made but in the next minute make the choice that will make you feel good.

You really can do whatever you set your mind to BUT you have to DO it!

Goodbye to My Last Little Winged Friend

For several days last week, the hummingbirds were everywhere. Flitting speedily from the hummingbird feeder to the blooms on the mint to the trumpet vine and back to the feeder.  On Saturday evening, this was my last little summer guest.  It was late in the evening and he or she sat
on the garden fence for the longest time.  I was washing the dishes and watching and that's why I finally got my camera because he sat there so long I was able to get his picture.  I'm guessing he was pondering his journey south and taking in the last glimpse of his summer home.

My husband and I enjoy watching these amazing little creatures all summer.  They are so tiny and so fast and so beautiful.  I'm going to miss them!

More Thoughts on Okra

My dear friend who fixed the delicious lunch and served the wonderful whole fried okra, sent me an article from the Daily Oklahoman.  We haven't taken the paper in years, so I wasn't aware that there is no longer articles by Melba but now by Sherrel Jones.  This was a great article on the different way to cook okra.

The two ways that most of us probably use are frying cut okra or steaming or boiling it.  In the article, she mentioned frying it whole, sautéing it whole (and it won't be slimy) and I really liked this idea putting it whole on top of cornbread.  Pick the smaller pods and make your favorite cornbread recipe and add chopped onions, fried bacon and red peppers to the cornbread and put the okra on top of the cornbread and it will roast while the cornbread bakes.  Also, sauté whole okra with some sweet onions, red peppers, some garden fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper and if you like a little heat add some red pepper flakes.  She added, that if you would like to make this sauté a meal to add some sliced sausage links or crumbled sausage or crumbled bacon.

You still might find some okra at your local farmer's market although the season is almost done.  Some of our local farmers still have some small amounts but it goes quickly here.  The early bird does get the worm.

Fudge Waffles

I recently cleaned out my recipe box and found numerous recipes that I haven't made in years or had totally forgotten about.  This is one of those recipes and it's wonderful. I made this for Gary and me over the weekend and he loved it.  Just the right amount of sweetness.

These waffles make a wonderful dessert or they are great with a brunch.  They go wonderful with quiche, your favorite breakfast casserole or a frittata.  You could cut these waffles in triangular shape and arrange them on a long rectangular platter top with fresh sliced strawberries down the middle and dust with powdered sugar.  You could have fresh whipped cream on the side (in a dish) for those of us who like that little extra indulgence.  :)  This is what I did for me and Gary, I bought the frozen sliced strawberries with sugar and unthawed them and then just heated them slightly (like a strawberry syrup) and ladled this deliciousness over the fudge waffle.  Just the right amount of sweetness for a brunch.

2 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) but I wouldn't leave them out
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chip morsels (optional) which I wouldn't leave out   :)

Add all the wet ingredients together and whisk well, then gradually add all the dry ingredients until everything is mix together with no lumps.  Then add the walnuts and chocolate chips and fold in until incorporated into mixture.

I used my Belgium waffle maker instead of the traditional waffle iron.  I think it works better for this sort of waffle. 

I promise, your families will love these!

Lunch with a Dear Friend

A very dear friend of mine that I've known since the eighth grade, invited me to her beautiful new home for lunch.  I felt like I was sitting in Beautiful Home Magazine (I think that's the name of it). It's so beautifully decorated but this touched my heart.  This is her utility room and this is a picture that she painted when she was 6 years old.  I was impressed that she painted so well at 6.  It's beautiful and the picture next to it was done by her oldest granddaughter and it's a picture of my friend and her granddaughter.  These are the little touches that make a house a home. 

Her grandmother and my grandmother had the same dishes.  My grandmother gave me her dishes when I married to use for my everyday dishes and I'm still using them today.  But she had her grandmother's dishes beautifully displayed in a lighted cabinet.  And she uses her dishes for special occasions.  I should have taken more pictures. :( 

She had prepared a wonderful lunch but one thing she made that I want to tell you about is her fried okra.  She fried it whole and you could dip it in ranch dressing if you desired. It was wonderful.  I thought of all the years I've fried okra, I never thought of frying it whole.  But I found some okra at our farmer's market and fried it whole and Gary loved it too.  I don't know if I'll ever cut it up again.  :)

To fry okra whole, use one egg with milk, dip the okra in the milk mixture and then into a mixture of 1/2 flour and 1/2 cornmeal. Drop into hot grease and fry for several minutes.

Pasta Salad

This is my rendition of pasta salad. This time of the year with all the fresh vegetables, I think it taste extra wonderful. This is how I make mine.

1 package of corkscrew pasta
1 jar pitted black olives,sliced
2 carrots peeled and sliced
1 green and red pepper diced
1 purple onion, cut in half and sliced
1 package frozen peas, thawed and rinsed
1 large broccoli crown, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
a bunch of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
one package of Italian Dressing

I buy the packet of Italian dressing, you add water and white vinegar and oil.  I like the flavor of this a lot better than the bottled. You may need 2 packets of the dressing with a large pasta salad. Cut everything up, add the dressing and toss.  Cover with saran wrap and keep in the frig until ready to serve.

The Best Pasta Sauce Ever-Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

This is my first try at making pasta sauce and it is the best I've ever eaten.  This is so easy and you will never be able to eat that bottled stuff again.  This is also a wonderful dipping sauce for cheesy bread sticks.  Please try!

12 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled  (to peel drop tomatoes into boiling water and leave about 3 minutes
                                 until the skins crack, then drop into cold water.  The skins come right off)
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, snipped
1 cup lightly packed assorted fresh herbs, such as oregano, thyme, and Italian flat leaf parsley, snipped
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (optional)
6 tablespoons lemon juice

Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks, add some of the chunks to a food processor. Process until chopped. Transfer chopped tomatoes to a 7 or 8 quart enamel or stainless steel pot. Working in batches until all the tomatoes have been chopped.

Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to tomatoes.  Bring to boil, stirring frequently; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 70 to 80 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency.  You should have about 11 cups stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs and red pepper flakes.

Spoon in one tablespoon of lemon juice into each of six hot sterilized pint canning jars.  Ladle hot sauce into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids and screw bands. 

Process jars in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Remove jars from canner and cool on wire rack.  Makes 6 pints

I didn't add fresh herbs or the basil to my sauce.  My husband doesn't care for fresh basil so I left it out.  That day I used a good Italian Herb seasoning that I get from the coop.  It's really good. 
That day I maybe meatballs for my husband and I just ate the sauce over hot pasta.  The absolute best I've ever had.

Be a Doer of Your Passion

"Performance is your reality.  Forget everything else."        Harold S. Geneen