Shelby

It's been such a hectic time. Ronnie went out of town fishing for a few days. I had some serious chores that I've been putting off for literally years so while he was gone I worked my ass off. I wasn't very hungry so I didn't cook much. Steak quesadillas the night before he left Thursday night I didn't eat anything.....wine was my meal lol. Friday I was a bit hungry. Had grand plans to make linguini with clam sauce ( canned clams ). It's an easy dish but by 8 pm I had petered out and didn't have the energy. So, I opened a jar of store bought pesto and made a little caprese salad. Basil and tomatoes from the garden. For lunch on Saturday I decided to try some ramen noodles I bought from Misfits called Spicy AF. O M G they were so hot. They definitely live up to their name. I couldn't finish them and ended up drinking about a half a gallon of milk. Yesterday Ronnie got home and wanted venison meatloaf. So that, with squash, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and tomatoes Also made some assorted squash pickles from Vivian Howard. Good stuff.

Looks delicious! So good to see you again!

Great looking pizzas. I love the eggplant one especially. I remember when I watched that movie for the first time. On VHS tape. Still one of my favorites.

I don't have a link to her post, either, but I copied and saved exactly what @Mmmpomps said: These are roasted spuds my Aunt in England showed me how to make: Preheat oven to 425 to 450.Peel whole potatoes, boil in salted water 4 to7 minutes until the outside is softened to about 1 cm in. Drain in the pot and with lid on shake the bejeebus out of the spuds to rough them up. Use a heavy pan..cast iron is great and pour VEGETABLE OIL *this is the secret to the crispiness* You can preheat the oil in the oven if you want. Then toss spuds in and coat them in the oil and salt aggressively. Cook 30 to 45 minutes until crispy brown, turning once. My potato salad is pretty basic--I do the potatoes and eggs in the IP: add a 1 1/2 cups of water to the liner. Place basket (or whatever you use) in the hold the peeled, diced potatoes and eggs. High pressure for 4 minutes quick release and open the lid. Put eggs in cold water. Peel eggs--sometimes I leave them in slices on top, sometimes I stir them in. Dump potatoes into a bowl. Add diced onion, celery and pickle. Salt, pepper. Like @Norm Matthewssometimes I add some dry ranch dressing mix. Yellow mustard and Hellman's or homemade mayo.

Yes so many possibilities. Definitely going to caramelize some and freeze them in my rubber ice cube trays. That really comes in handy. I think maybe the end of next week I might try making a blooming onion (one of those fried things you can get at a restaurant) just for fun.

We have a new winner

Just make vanilla pudding--I actually made it from scratch this time. Nilla wafers on the bottom of the pan. Top those with one layer of banana slices. Then cover with pudding. Repeat. Then a layer of the Nilla wafers on top. Dab the meringue on top. Bake at 325 until the meringue gets brownish and done.

Sunday night was steaks on the grill--Ronnie did them perfectly and I missed getting a picture. Bad Shelby. Sides were @Mmmpompspotatoes @Jaymes' squash stuffed mushrooms and jalapenos Monday was spaghetti night--meatballs and Italian sausages Yesterday Ronnie smoked a chicken for the 4th Garden stuff Potato salad Banana pudding for dessert. Hadn't made that in a long time.

Finally. I've been searching for something that does this for years.

Hot Dog Eating Contest was delayed due to storms. It's now starting in 15 mins. Go Joey!

Dammit again. Mine will be here Thursday. Sigh.

This sounds delicious

Sure. Pile it on.

Gorgeous strawberries. I bet they taste heavenly. You are now an official member of the Sneak Zucchini To Your Neighbors club.

STOP. You're killing me. FIGS.

I love sour cherry pie. I buy the canned ones that are Oregon brand. They are SO expensive right now. Almost $8 a can! Anyway, we went to the Mennonite Market--they sell damaged packaged goods, fresh produce from farms around here, overstocked items that other stores want to get rid of etc. I was thrilled when I went to the freezer section. Bags of pitted sour cherries! $5.99 a lb. Each bag was about 2 lbs. I vac packed and froze. Trying to stop myself from going back to buy more.

Found more doves in the freezer 🙄I swear these are the last of them. Mac and cheese, green beans and Yukon potatoes to go with. Last night salad Pepperoni, onion and mushroom Cherry galette for dessert

Today's pick. First okra!

We have sand hill plums that we planted along the driveway. Some years they make, others they don't. This year they did. Ronnie wanted to pick some so I went and helped--he had visions of a pie, but that wasn't going to happen lol. There is very little fruit left in a plum after peeling and pitting which is why most people just make jelly. We aren't huge jelly eaters....soooooooo I was trying to think of something to do with them when I remembered shrubs! My mom has been making them for a long time--which is what put the idea in my head-- using rhubarb and then mixing in what ever fruit she has around. And ginger. She loves some ginger in there. Anyway, these plums are tart so I thought it would be a good start. No where online could I find anyone ever making a sand hill plum shrub but I found a site that had a recipe using regular plums. Plums after picking The recipe used equal parts fruit, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Put your fruit in the jar, then the sugar and muddle. Heat the vinegar to a simmer and then pour over. Took it out of the fridge after a week today Strain I had to test it--prosecco, ice and sand hill plum shrub I'm impressed. I'd like to experiment using different vinegars. I think I'd like a champagne vinegar with this. Thanks @blue_dolphin and others for the ideas and recipes in this thread. I have some strawberries that I need to use. So, I'm thinking those with some more plums (ugh I have to pick and clean and cut more plums lol)

Been harvesting a lot of onions. Best ones I've ever grown. First dig of Yukon Golds

A few quick meals: Brats, onions and peppers Lamb/venison gyros--a few tiny garden cherry tomatoes in there Fried some crappie up last night--Mac and cheese and squash to go with. Forgot to take a picture.

Thanks...it seems like folks just don't know what they've got and plow it under. It's sad.

Drooling! We used to have a blackberry patch not too far from us. SO good. Sadly, it's gone now. And, our mulberries didn't make this year so I will live vicariously through you. I can only imagine how fresh picked blueberries taste--must be heavenly.

Oh man, I'm so sorry. I'm glad it was early enough to replant. You're not alone. Not too many summers ago Ronnie had re-planted grass for the millionth time in some big bare spots. It was up and thriving. Then he drove across it all dragging a container of some kind of tree killer--had to get rid of some pesky ones growing in the field. The container was leaking and killed tons of grass. That was the last time he ever replanted so we live in bald spots lol.

OH that looks so good! Roasted chicken, garden asparagus and @Mmmpompsroasted potatoes Cherry galette for dessert Ham paninis with the first tomatoes from the garden @lindagmade me buy these: So we had breakfast to test them out. Worked great! Thank you Linda Poached eggs, boudin, potatoes and the last of this years asparagus The garden is much later than last year due to weather...this time a year ago I had already started a crock of pickles. This is our first cucumber that we were able to pick. Along with the first garden squash, spicy chicken and penne Last night was a huge salad. Lettuce from the garden. Sharp cheddar, ham, roasted chicken, garden onions, garden cucumbers, garden radishes, a few garden cherry tomatoes and broccoli.