FROZEN quilt, Zucchinis Demise & Zucchini report, etc...

If you have been living under a rock for the past year you may not know about Anna and Elsa from the Disney movie FROZEN.  They are very popular.  OK. Now that I've brought you up to date...

I have the PERFECT pantograph for these quilts.  This is Flurries by Lisa Calle, and I bought it through Digi-Tech.

Now for the funeral march.   
What the hell has happened to my zucchinis???

Some kind of bug infestation.  Little bastards.  Tunneling into the stems until there is nothing left but mushy pulp.  Some people have been suggesting that perhaps DH had a hand in this tragedy.  Although he can be a devious sumbitch, I have faith that he would not do that to me.  And he has denied any involvement.

Last week I referred to a recipe I was trying, for Zucchini Soft Taco Shells.  (for your own safety please sit down now)  DH said, and I quote:  "I WOULD EAT THESE AGAIN."  I had to ask him to repeat himself.  If you have a zucchini hater in the house, try these.

Since I will have no zucchini to shred for the freezer (excuse me a minute, I have to go blow my nose).  Sorry.  Last night we blanched and froze 24 cobs of Snyder's Sweet Corn.   Hoo baby!  That is going to taste just FABULOUS in January.

I was so distressed over the zucchini, I was a little crabby and sent Sadie out to work.  Here she is doing her job as a Wind Sock.  Check out those ears!  ha ha ha...

There will be another report next week because I will pick the last wee stragglers today, but it'll be the final year end stats.  Sadly.  :-(

ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week:      7
Picked YTD:         100

Potato Salad - copyright 1958, garlic, and Zucchini Report

Well, I guess my blog post is going to be all about food.  I hope you're not hungry.

I picked this book up at a Used Books store years ago.  Copyright 1958.  It includes weird (!) interesting recipes for jellied salmon salad and other totally gross interesting foods.  If you want to have a 'retro' party, this should definitely be on your supply list, along with a frilly apron.

BUT.  It has my FAVORITE Potato Salad recipe, which I doctor up a bit by adding a tablespoon of chopped fresh dill, and a half teaspoon of regular old yellow mustard.

Garlic.  I have garlic coming out my ying-yang (which can be, ahem, slightly uncomfortable)  I've already given away five or six heads.  I still have three more rows to dig, so this quantity is likely to triple.

Last year I chopped and dehydrated it, then used the coffee grinder to pulverize it into garlic powder (which, by the way, tends to glue itself back together into a big unwieldy glom.  Grrr).  This year, since I have so much, I thought I would do a little Google Research.  It shall be FROZEN IN OLIVE OIL.  See HERE for the full article. Apparently (hmm - time will tell) it will stay soft enough to scoop out, even when frozen.

Freezing Garlic

Garlic can be frozen in a number of ways:

1. Chop the garlic, wrap it tightly in a plastic freezer bag or in plastic wrap, and freeze. To use, grate or break off the amount needed.
2. Freeze the garlic unpeeled and remove cloves as needed.
3. Peel the cloves and puree them with oil in a blender or food processor using 2 parts oil to 1 part garlic. The puree will stay soft enough in the freezer to scrape out parts to use in sautéing. Freeze this mixture immediately - do not store it at room temperature. The combination of the low-acid garlic, the exclusion of air (by mixing with oil), and room-temperature storage can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum.

ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week:    11
Picked YTD:           93

Oooh!!  Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I will break 100 zucchinis next week!

On Thursday, I made chicken kabobs from the Crosby Molasses website.  With the leftovers, tonight I will make wraps using Zucchini Soft Taco Shells.  I promise to let you know how they turn out.

Medallion Sampler Quilt, and News From Mars, Garden Update, Zucchini Report AND Recipe

I love, love, love Sampler quilts.

Everything was s.i.d.except for the squares in the checkerboard border.

The pretty center medallion was s.i.d. then crosshatched in the background.

The checkerboard was quilted with diagonal lines.  The outer border was feather motifs and a fill of piano keys.

Such a pretty back.

Closeup of medallion.

Closeup of setting triangles and outer border.

THE LATEST NEWS FROM MARS
also known as:  Can you believe this???

1. DH and I went on a DATE last night.  Dinner & a movie.  I think he was hoping that if he was nice to me (since he let me pick the movie) maybe I would stop feeding him zucchini.  Hah!  In yer dreams, buddy!!
2. The Italian restaurant we went to... HAD NO ZUCCHINI.  When the waitress told me that, I offered to go home and get them a bushel.

Here are some updated pics from the garden, with little stories attached.  I spent a couple hours out here yesterday weeding and trying to get the tomatoes under control.  I am pretty sure I spend most of the summer with spiders in my hair. 
 If you click on the pic you should get a larger version that you might be able to read.  :-)

And, now for the
ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week:  14
Picked YTD:         82

This week's Zucchini Recipe.  I baked this longer than suggested, and I liked it better on day 2 when I reheated it in the nuker.  DH was not a fan, but he did eat it.  I am such a bad wife.
I have copied and pasted this from a web site that was SO ANNOYING with popups I was ready to scream.  So I have saved you from that aggravation.  You're welcome.

Dilly Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 cup biscuit/baking mix
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dill weed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 large onion, chopped

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, Parmesan cheese, dill, salt and pepper. Add eggs and oil. Stir in zucchini and onion until blended. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 5 servings.

Originally published as Dilly Zucchini Casserole in Quick Cooking May/June 2001, p29

Where the quilt got left, Zucchini Report, and Stash Report

This is kind of where the 'vacation project' got left.  Although there are actually 50 of these blocks, not 16 like in the photo.

Jean and I had a great trip home, staying overnight in Troy, NY.  Troy has some beautiful (!) architecture.  Some of the houses are being lovingly maintained/renovated, while many others are in a complete state of disrepair and boarded up windows.  That makes the whole city a little bit scary, if you are just passing through.  We kept reminding each other to lock the doors.

It took me two days to get my laundry under control, helped by the quantity of cross-border shopping that I did.  Amazingly, the whole garden was not dead when I returned - DH did a good job of keeping things (mostly) watered.  I had a bit of trouble explaining to him one night where he could find the Russian Sage that was recently planted and needed a drink.
Me:  "Can you water the Russian Sage for me?"
DH:  "The what?"
Me:  "Russian Sage.  It has blue flowers and it's over in the hillside garden."
DH:  "Where?"
Me:  "The hillside garden.  It's kind of hard to explain - near-ish to the road."
DH:  "What does it look like?"
Me:  "Blue flowers."
DH:  "Where is it?"
sigh...  Thank the Lord for cheap long distance rates.
Some upkeep on Monday and Tuesday filled two wheelbarrow loads of dead foliage from the perennial geraniums and shasta daisies.  More needs to be done, but at least the front garden looks better.

ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked 7/19 to 8/1:  25
Picked YTD:           68

I've already picked 9 since Sunday so you can expect another prolific report next week.

STASH REPORT
Used this month       0 - lots of things in the works, but nothing complete.
Used YTD               58 m
Added this month       .25 m  - all I bought on vacation was a fat quarter of lobster fabric.
Added YTD            35.25 m
Net 2015                 (-22.75)