Super simple sweet summer salad

Like the alliteration there in the title? :)

I've been craving fruit a lot this pregnancy (don't go telling me that means it's a girl [although it is] 'cause I've been craving red meat too). But as much as I love grapes or berries or even watermelon, I'll end up buying them then they'll sit in the fridge. I don't feel like chopping up the watermelon, or eating plain berries after all.

The solution I came up with a week or two ago: fruit salad. Something I could mix up quickly and make a big bowl of, and serve as a side dish on these super hot summer days, or eat as an afternoon snack. I searched online specifically for a "grape salad" recipe that used things I had on hand.

And then I decided to invent my own... (although I'm sure someone out there has made it like this before...)

And it only has 3 ingredients.

Ready?

• 1 block cream cheese (softened)
• 1 container Cool Whip (thawed)
• whatever fruits you have on hand and want to throw in and use up
  
  Beat the cream cheese until smooth, beat in the Cool Whip, fold in your fruit. The first time I made it I used grapes, sliced bananas, and diced peaches. The second time I didn't have the peaches but had blueberries. 

IT'S THAT EASY.

And my hubby even asked for seconds. Then thirds. And my 2-year-old daughter loves it.

It's going to be another hot, dry week. Time to use up some more fruit...

Supermarket vs. Farmers Market vs. Your-Own-Home-Market...

Photo courtesy of mushanga

Last week I made my first trip of the season to a local farmers market. I'd never been to this particular one in years past, so I didn't know what to expect. What I found were 6 booths, each offering something different (which was nice, so I didn't have to feel bad about buying something from one person vs. another!). There were blueberries, raspberries, zucchini, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, honey, and wool/handcrafted items. After paying $4.50 for a quart of raspberries and $1 for 4 zucchini, I headed to the grocery store for the rest of my shopping.

At first I found myself thinking "$4.50 for raspberries?? Yikes!" But I bought them anyway, knowing how much my hubby likes them. And when I got to the grocery store and found they were charging $1.50 for a 6 oz container of non-Michigan berries, I didn't feel so bad.

There's something about picking up fresh produce from a farmers market, where you know the fruit and veggies were grown locally and probably picked within the last 12-24 hours. Sometimes "organic" food like this might cost a bit more than if it was purchased from a grocery store, but as you can see from my raspberry find, not always...

Of course, growing your own produce from a seed packet is ultimately the most rewarding. Knowing the work you've put in to making your crop happen, the planting and weeding and watering and harvesting, just seems to make it taste better. :) And makes you waste less. I try so much harder to eat -- or at least preserve -- every last bit of produce from my garden, where I've been known to toss things from the store that don't get used up before going bad.

But there will always be certain things I just won't grow at home. I haven't had any luck with broccoli or melons. There's a tradeoff of how much effort I put in vs. how much production I actually get. Or if I want to make a big batch of jam, I can't do that with the handful of berries I harvest from my own plants.

How much of the produce your family consumes comes from a supermarket? A farmers market? Your own garden?

Unbelievably Hot!

I never thought I'd think of the 80s as a cool down.

Many who know me know I'm not a fan of summer. I never have been. I grew up without air conditioning, and without access to a pool or lake (unless you count the little blue kiddie pool and buckets of water to stick your head in). I grew up on a small farm, where this time of year was spent getting our animals ready to show at the county fair. No matter the weather. It always seemed whatever day we picked to shave the goats turned out to be one of the hottest of the summer... 

(one of the few pictures on my computer of my 4H days - a scanned image from a newspaper article)

Since becoming part of Rocky's family, I've been able to enjoy time at "the Lakehouse". Rocky grew up spending his summers going to waterski competitions. While I'm not a skier nor do I enjoy tubing on the lake, I do like simply taking a dip in the water on a hot day. We frequently spend Saturdays and Sundays at the Lakehouse, and Abby is starting to appreciate the water too.

Unfortunately, the last few days have been (and the next few will be) HOT. And when I add an almost-full-term pregnancy on top of my already distaste for summer, even the lake hasn't been enjoyable for me. I'll be glad when things cool off again -- even if it's just the 80s. Thank goodness our house is air conditioned! (although I'm scared to see what our electric bill will be for this month...)

We're setting record temperatures here in Michigan. Have you been experiencing a heat wave/drought too? 

Seasonal Celebration and Conscious Consumption

"One of the defining features of our time
is the slow and steady erosion of seasonality."

-Lorraine Johnson, City Farmer

During my pregnancy I've had a few cravings here and there, but nothing too terribly strong. Except I did find myself gazing at various fruits at the grocery store. Longing for them to be on sale. Jumping at the chance to get the occasional "cheap" strawberries or watermelon -- which tended to be those that came from Florida or California versus South America... and weren't really all that "cheap".

About three weeks ago I saw sweet corn in the front and center display, and got a half dozen. One of the [few] things I like about summer is sweet corn. The month of August usually consists of fresh boiled or grilled corn-on-the-cob at every dinner meal.

Wait... August? But this was the end of May... Oh of course, this corn came from the southern U.S...

Lorraine goes on in her book City Farmer to say "As the specificities of seasonal changes get lost, we progress into sameness. And it's in the sphere of food that the loss of seasonality can be felt most acutely. One by one, the foods that once marked a particular period of time -- a window of taste - have devolved into a condition of always available."

As I'm becoming more interested in growing my own food and visiting farmers markets for those foods I don't grow, I start thinking about growing seasons and which crops are ready when during the summer. I know that peas are early, cherries are in July, and zucchini are in August. Sure, all of these foods are available pretty much year-round, thanks to other states and other countries. But have we lost some sense of excitement and anticipation, or "celebration" as Lorraine calls it, in regards to our fresh food? "Ho hum, it's just another pear, like the one I had last month, and the month before that, and the month before that, every month in fact."

Putting aside all conversation about "food miles" (the arguments about how far our food travels before we consume it), don't you agree that a basket of green beans picked five minutes ago from your own backyard or a few ears of corn purchased at your local farm stand just taste so much better when they're in season?

Not to mention those fruits and veggies purchased in season are soooo much cheaper...

I'm thinking I'd like to try and choose the produce I get from the grocery store based on seasonality. It's easy to do at farmers markets or your own garden since that's all that's available... But walking into a regular store and seeing a display of watermelons or asparagus out-of-season can be so tempting...

What do you think? Are you a seasonal produce-eater, or do you enjoy the availability of it year-round?

The Great Zucchini Bread Secret

The first summer Rocky and I were married we didn’t have a vegetable garden, but the following spring I knew I wanted to make one in the raised bed on the south side of our rental house. So we planted peas, broccoli, carrots, green beans, sweet peppers, watermelon, and zucchini. Lesson #1 for first-time gardeners: Don’t spread yourself too thin.

Lesson #2: Don’t beat yourself up when your broccoli, peppers, and watermelon don’t make it.

Lesson #3: If you plant zucchini, you will need to find friends to share it with, or many many MANY recipes.

Image from buckcooks.com

The go-to recipe for most people with an overwhelming amount of zucchini is bread. It’s easy, tastes good with or without butter, and is a good way to get your kids to eat some veggies.

The very first time I made zucchini bread, I followed my mom’s recipe, which called for “2 cups grated zucchini.” After making a huge mess with the cheese grater and finally making two cups worth, I was vowing to never make zucchini bread ever again. It turned out great though, just like I remembered when I was a kid.

Then my husband approached me with two comments. First: “Do I taste cinnamon?” Yes, of course, it’s in the recipe. “Zucchini bread doesn’t call for cinnamon.” To which I showed him my mom’s recipe, which indeed called for 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. To which he showed me his mom’s recipe, which was the EXACT same recipe – minus the cinnamon…

It was our first second married argument discussion.

His second comment: “You should just chop the zucchini in the blender.”

Really?!

I read his mom’s recipe: Put 1 cup oil in blender and fill with chunks of zucchini until 3 cups. Blend until free of chunks, but not too long.

BRILLIANT!

I never was a big fan of the stringiness of grated zucchini in my bread and muffins anyway.

So that’s the big zucchini bread secret I wanted to share with you today. Maybe it’s not such a big secret. But it sure was news to me. And I love it. You don’t even need to peel the zucchini, leaving the skin on the chunks gives nice little green specks in the bread (which might not be so great if you have picky eaters).

So tell me… is this idea news to you? Or has the rest of the world been making zucchini bread this way forever??

(oh and tell me, cinnamon or not?? :)

The Saturday 7: July 16-22

1. It's been HOT this week. I read on one of the local news station's page that Tuesday through Thursday was the hottest 3-day stretch we've had since July 1995. Boy do I remember that heat wave too -- my first year in 4H at the county fair!

2. Abby is becoming such a water-loving baby. We spent a couple evenings at the lakehouse, and she loves to "swim" around with us in her lifejacket, or go kayaking, or get pulled around in a tube. The other day I filled her turtle sandbox with water and she kept climbing in and out and splashing and having a grand ol' time!

3. She's regressed on some of her sign language. "More" is the only sign she makes for food or drink. She's more likely to go and pull on the fridge door if she's hungry or thirsty.

4. Yet she's picked up on some new signs. Sleep/nap/bed came really quickly, and she pats the top of her head for hat. In fact, the other day we were looking at a book about cats, which I usually call "kitties", and she said something that kinda sounded like "cat", so I tried to tell her how "cat" and "kitty" are the same thing. "Kitty cat." She looked at me funny and patted the top of her head. No, Abby, that's hat, not cat. :)

5. Abby is fascinated with shoes. I got her some pink Crocs at a yard sale a few weeks ago, which are big on her (I was thinking ahead to next summer). She discovered them, and loves them. She tries to put them on her feet herself. I end up helping her, then she waddles around the house with over-sized Crocs on her feet. Too cute.

6. I made a stupid mistake Thursday night. I'd turned on the sprinkler in the front yard in the evening, and after awhile I moved it to another section of the yard. And promptly forgot all about it. I woke up at 4:45 in the morning to the sound of the spigot knob being turned. Rocky had run out to turn it off. Oops.

7. We're considering getting an mp3 player. I want something that can store all of our music (currently ~13gb), and the audio Bible I have (~5gb), and have room for additional music and the occasional audio book. So that when we're on the road or walking or running we can choose to listen to anything we own. Not really interested in any of the fancy apps and such available on an ipod touch. Just something that can store music, for less than $200. Thoughts?

Dinner for a hot summer night

Goodness, it's hot out this week... highs here are in the 90-95 degree range and lows around 75... yuck! I obviously don't want to have the oven on to cook dinner, and standing outside to grill something doesn't sound appealing either. Peanut butter and jelly? Eh.

Enter one of my recent-favorite go-to recipes that can be adapted for every family member, and even Abby likes it!! Stovetop quesadillas. I always keep a supply of fajita-size soft tortilla shells in the fridge. Soften one in the microwave, put some shredded cheese on half. Top with whatever else you feel like -- salsa, lunchmeat ham, leftover hamburger, chopped onions or peppers. Another layer of cheese. Fold in half. Fry in a skillet on the stovetop, just until the outside of the tortilla is slightly browned and the cheese is melted. Let cool for a couple minutes (while cooking the next one(s)!), then I slice ours with a pizza cutter. Voila! Serve with extra salsa, sour cream, etc.

Sometimes Abby will eat a whole one herself (cut up into bite-size pieces), and sometimes mommy or daddy will finish hers... It's filling, and with the right ingredients you can get all 4 major food groups in there.

I would post a picture, but we ate all of ours very quickly tonight...

What's your go-to recipe for a hot summer night?


This post is linked to the No Ordinary Blog Hop: July.

The Saturday 7: July 9-15

1. Took Abby to the zoo for the first time this week. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped, she was more interested in playing in the dirt and stones than looking at the animals. :( But she did like the penguins. But maybe that was just because it involved water...

2. Last night the 3 of us went up to the Mecosta County Fair in Big Rapids -- a place I spent so much of my time in middle and high school! I was in 4H for... 8 years I think. I've gone back probably 8 of the last 10 years to help judge the Showmanship Sweepstakes competition. It was so weird to realize the last time I showed animals up there was 10 years ago. I felt so old.

3. Rocky and Abby walked around the Fair while I judged, then we walked down the midway together afterward. Abby seemed to enjoy the animals more last night than she did at the zoo. At the end of the midway was a petting zoo (well, a big pen with lots of goats and sheep that you could reach in to pet and feed), and she actually tried to pet some of the animals. That's my girl!

4. Abby has been pretty "talkative" this week -- although not with real words or real babble. Maybe it's more singing. We'll go places in the car and she'll just carry on with one syllable -- usually dadadadadadada or something similar. She's still not saying any full, real words (except dada), I'm trying not to worry about it because...

5. She has been picking up a lot of sign language all of a sudden. She'll consistently say "more" at the dinner table when her tray is empty (it's so cute to see her focus on her fingers!), and we've been doing a little more with actual food words -- like cheese, grapes, milk, and waffles. She signed "cheese" to me the other day at lunch, so I jumped up and got her some, so she'll really associate that sign with that word. Rocky's really jumped on board with the sign language, and it's a lot of fun!

6. Monday night we played 2 softball games. The first went alright, we lost, but only by a couple runs. The second was NOT fun. We got mercied 30-6 in the 5th inning. We were so tired and hot and the other team was so good and could hit the ball anywhere they wanted... Only one more week of regular season play, then the following week starts tournament play.

7. I woke up Monday night/Tuesday morning with the worst headache ever. It was moaning-and-groaning-and-nauseating-bad. I finally fell back to sleep after an hour or so of agony. The next day I felt mostly better, pretty groggy and tired, and still a little nauseated, but the headache was gone. I think I got dehydrated and maybe a little heat exhaustion at the games. I've been trying to take it easy this week and up my water intake.

That's been our week!

I need your input!!

Ahhh it's finally here! The last day of school! Both Rocky and I will be done by noon tomorrow! And while I have to work once or twice a month and Rocky will have some tennis practices to go to, we've got soooooo much more free time! Yay for being married to a teacher!!

So that brings up the question -- what do we DO?! I find amazing blog posts like this one and this one and this ebook and get so inspired!! But then I think... I have a one-year-old. Boo. She can't appreciate most those things. :-(

So I feel stuck. I want to be "intentional" and plan activities and outings and things for our family. I don't want us to sit on the computer and watch Abby play with her toys and discover summer is half over and we've been lazy.  I'm a natural planner, and Rocky likes to have a plan for any given day.

I need your input!! What should we do this summer?? What activities can we do, what places can we go, with a one-year-old?? Help!!!