The Harvest Begins In Earnest...

 

 

Thanks to a dear neighbor (and almost relative) to the north, I have these three pound zucchinis to process this weekend. (This is her Facebook name, but her niece is marrying my dear nephew, Daniel this month. What will that make us?) Most of these huge gems will be made into relish, but a few will become dinner entrees or sides, too.

 

 

Yesterday, I was feeling so much better. The rest, and then the new meds, made a world of difference. I was raring to go, too. I have zucchinis and cucumbers to process, and they've been on hold since my back went out. I'm praying these new meds heal me. I have too much to do to just sit around.

 

I processed two large zucchinis into Zucchini & Sweet Pepper relish yesterday. These jars will get their rings removed, labels applied, and then be stored for future enjoyment.

 

 

I decided I needed to use some of the zucchinis for meals, as I may not otherwise get to all of them before they spoil. I sure don't want a single green squash to go to waste. So, I made two stuffed zucchini boats for our dinner. They're really easy to make, and taste delicious. Handsome said to definitely keep these in our fall meal lineup. That was really gratifying, as it's my own recipe.

First cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise. Then, core out all the seeds. I made these with Italian sausage (infused with cheese); fresh corn removed from the cob; onions; and green peppers. First brown the sausage, and then add the onions, green peppers, and fresh corn. Saute' until the sausage is golden brown and cool before the next step. Put the mixture into a large bowl and add your choice of cheese (I used the grated Mexican cheese blend).  Place this mixture into the zucchini bowls. I topped this with crispy panko breadcrumbs that had been mixed with melted butter. Once this is spread across the top of the zucchini mixture, add salt and pepper to taste, and finely grate fresh Parmesan cheese. Place in a 375º oven for 30 minutes. This is my new - my own - recipe, and it was a big hit with Handsome. I'll be keeping this in my bag of tricks.

I think I'll make zucchini bread (most of which I'll freeze). I'll let you know what I decide to do with the rest of my gifted harvest. I'm feeling like a half-million bucks today (not 100%, but soon), so I'm sure I'll get a lot done today. Even so, I'll be careful not to overdo this and end up two steps back. I think I'll go get that coffee now.

My Lazy, Hazy Day…

As suggested by MA in Wednesday’s comments, I spent most the the day yesterday with my feet up. I took medicine for my back Wednesday night, and it left me in a veritable fog. I got up, dressed, ate breakfast with my coffee, and fell asleep on the sofa. 

It wasn’t a productive day, but I’d never call it a waste. I listened to my body by taking it easy. I’m on a new medication now, so we’ll see what I can accomplish today. 

Sewcial Sisters...

I had a great time yesterday with the Sewcial Sisters at Primitive Gatherings. I took lots of photos to share, too! 

This is Mary Ann with her version of the Everlasting quilt. This is a Primitive Gatherings pattern for anyone interested. The custom quilting on this piece was wonderful.

Karen also had her finished Everlasting quilt with her. It was quilted by the same longarm quilter. Karen customized her center, too. She also omitted the outside border because it would have been too large for where she wants to hang it.

Lori shared her finished quilt. Lori frequently hand quilts her pieces, but this one was quilted with an overall Baptist fan pattern. I love its simplicity. 

Kathy D has been a busy beaver, too! She does all her own longarm quilting, and this is just one magnificent example. This is actually a quilt panel. She concentrated on different quilt patterns to complete it. We all thought it was wonderful.

Kathy also finished this fun string quilt, and chose a really interesting placement for the blocks to create this pattern.

She also shared the blocks from a block of the week project she's been working on. The blocks were each designed by a different designer or shop owner. So many baskets, and so many flowers. (Lisa Bongean's design is the blue hydrangeas in the upper left corner.

Kathy also shared two cross stitch pieces she finished. This is one of them. I think she was thinking about finishing this one as a pillow.

When it came around to my turn, I shared my Everlasting quilt top. I took it along to finish the embroideries. I worked on bees all day, and shortly after I got back home, I stitched the last three bees.

It's finished! Well, except for the longarm quilting and binding, but all the bees are done, and now it's ready to be layered up and bound. I'm planning to send it off to the same longarmer who did Mary Ann and Karen's quilts. I wonder how she'll feel about having to quilt a third one?

I haven't go anything on the shedule except mailing out some orders today. I think I'll take the rest of the day off.