All Talked Out

This evening I went out for coffee with the engaging Karley, over at Chic & Green. We talked for 3 hours straight which is par for the course for us & I enjoyed my seasonal favorite, Pumpkin Spice Latte. I also had coffee with Toni Lynn this morning (*note-I do not generally have 2 coffee dates in one day, I'm not THAT much of a stay at home do nothing....) and we breezed through our children's 2 1/2 hours of pre-school chatting all the while. I have literally talked for 5 1/2 hours today!!!! Not to mention the phone calls from Deanna & Jeannine. I talked to the speech therapist (clearly not for me), my husband & my daughter & LOTS of people at pre-school.

So, I sat down to write my blog post tonight and I've got nothing. Nada. Zero. I think I'm all talked out. All my ideas are gone , fueled by coffee and companionship. I'm completely empty of ideas, but full of friendship (& coffee)!

Catherine had the following on her facebook page-Hi Cath, you inspired me tonight!!!

It's all I've got.

Random Bits About Me
Where is your cell phone................counter

Your hair........................................blonde
Your father.....................................sleepy
Your favorite thing........................My dining room table & chairs. (note Catherine put Family but really, my actual favorite THING is in my dining room)
Your dream last night.........................High School!?!?! eek!
Your favorite drink.............................Coffee
Your goal........................................Happiness
The room you are in...........................Living
Your fear........................................Killers
Where do you want to be in 6 years.......Ruling the world
Muffins...........................................Homemade
One of your wish list items..................Couch
Where you grew up...........................Rochester
The last thing you did........................Coffee with Karley
What are you wearing.......................Jeans & a Sweater
Your TV.........................................Old
Your pet.......................................Deceased
Your computer................................Laptop
Your life....................................I'm Just Getting Warmed Up
Your mood.....................................Contemplative
Missing someone..............................Yes
Your car........................................Old
Favorite store.................................Target
Your summer...................................Busy
Your favorite color.............................Blue
When is the last time you laughed..........Today
Last time you cried............................Today
Three people who email me..................Deanna, Deanna & Deanna
Three of my favorite foods...................good cheese, ice cream & lobster (with butter, I'm a dairy whore & thank god, NOT lactose intolerant)
Three places I would rather be right now......Out to dinner with Jen (seriously, anywhere with my Jen), Finland & Colonial Williamsburgh

Zucchini Dear John

Zucchini- I only grew 2 plants this summer and I've grown oh so tired of it by now. I've grilled it, sauteed it, made zucchini fritters and a large zucchini pancake. I usually make some kind of zucchini bread or muffins but just could not stomach it this year. I even have half of a neglected one hanging out in my refrigerator this very minute. Perhaps for dinner.... Then I will be free of them for another year. There is a tiny one out there right now struggling to make it to my dinner plate but it's cold here this week so I'm hopeful....

I didn't write this, I received it courtesy of my fellow gardener, Jeannine. If you've grown zucchini you can probably relate.


Dear Zucchini,

I’m sorry to have to do this to you in such a public manner, but you leave me no choice.

I have tried to let you down gently, but you just don’t seem to be getting the message. At first, I thought that if I just ignored you, you’d understand. But you didn’t.

I tried leaving you in the refrigerator, but you insisted. I withheld water, but you kept coming. I even left you for three whole weeks, without any contact, and still you were there.

I don’t know any other way to do this but to send you this letter in the hopes that you will finally hear what I’m saying:

It’s over.

Yes, it’s true, things were great in the beginning. You were so fresh and green, the only plant thriving in a garden of that had, up until that point, been bare.

You were sweet, Zucchini. You were. You were always waiting for me when I got home from work and on weekends, you filled me.

I don’t deny it.

But Zucchini, you’re too much. You don’t know when to stop. You put too much pressure on me. You, I could handle. But then your family started arriving, and your extended family, and your friends … what was I supposed to do with all of you?

Look, I thought that going to Italy for three weeks would be the answer. I thought that during that time, left alone to your own devices (and no water), you’d understand that you couldn’t crowd my space.

How was I supposed to know that it would rain for the entire summer? How was I supposed to know that while the rest of the garden slowly began its inevitable decline, you would still be inviting your zucchini relatives over? How was I supposed to know you’d live so long?

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I will always think you’re beautiful and there will always be a part of me that loves you.

But right now, it’s all about the tomatoes. They’re plump and juicy.

You’re not.

Homemade Granola

This morning I made Homemade Granola.

A favorite breakfast around here consists of whole milk plain yogurt, fruit of some kind and granola.

This is so easy to make. I won't post my recipe because I didn't use one. I Googled one when I started making my own and now just throw together what I have since I know the process.

Today's creation consists or Rolled Oats (of course), almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, some cinnamon, a pinch of salt, honey & some butter. Baked in a 350 degree oven for about 20 min, with some stirring. I don't generally use dried fruit because it's not my favorite and I eat it with fresh fruit. I also tend to use a greater concentration of seeds/nuts to oats which makes it nicer than store bought granola.

This is so much cheaper to make from scratch than to buy. I buy all of the nuts/seeds in the bulk section at the grocery store and usually only get what I need for the recipe. I may try one with cocoa powder and coconut, trying to duplicate the Kashi, Cocoa Beach that I would spend $4.50 for 14 oz!

I love wire bale jars to store things in. I bought a bunch at an auction cheap and they make homemade goods look so cosy! They are also environmentally friendly!

The pumpkin is the very beginning of my fall decorating & the chestnut I picked up on my morning walk-It was so shiny and pretty!

I Love You iPod!

Seriously, why didn't anyone tell me about the iPod?

I'm usually late to the party when it comes to technology. I text like a 10 year old. Actually, more specifically, I don't text like a 10 year old!

I don't usually listen to music so up to this point, have had very little use for the iPod. Recently I got a used (3rd hand!) one and I'm hooked!

I never really considered how having music I "liked" at my fingertips would have a positive impact on me. I've listened to more music (on my own accord) in the past month as I have in probably the whole past year.

I've been walking/jogging and created my own play list (Who even knew this was possible!!!) Ok-Everyone right??

My current walking/running playlist

As Good As I Once Was-Toby Keith-This song just makes me chuckle and it's a good warm up tune.
Smooth-Santana Featuring Rob Thomas-Is anyone surprised by this? I could play this over & over. Inside I'm a Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa.
Big Time-Big & Rich-My simple guitar playing, singing vagabond self if I was actually any of those things & a man.
Disease-Matchbox 20-Tortured Rob Thomas
Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)- Big & Rich-What girl doesn't need a cowboy once in a while?
Lot of Leaving Left To Do-Dierks Bentley-See Cowboy example above.
Last Beautiful Girl-Matchbox 20
Rest Stop-Matchbox 20
Downfall-Matchbox 20-Rob Thomas wants me so bad it's practically painful
Real World-Matchbox 20- I see a pattern here
Since U Been Gone-Kelly Clarkson- Kelly Clarkson gets pissed 0ff right when I'm starting to get tired.
Lonley No More-Rob Thomas-I may need help!
The Game Of Love-Santana

So many of these have a heavy guitar sound which I completely blame on an old High School boyfriend. They do, however, serve me well for a good long walk!

The only problem I have been having with the ipod is my overwhelming urge to sing out loud when I'm walking and my newfound propensity to dance around the house when everyone else is in bed!

Where I Pick My Battles

Here is a picture of my daughter eating an Heirloom Tomato like an apple.

Note the crown she got the day before at "King Burger" with my mother. She won't take this crown off her head and puts it next to her bed at night while she sleeps like a real princess. She wore it into Wegmans yesterday and I could feel the eyes of all of the other moms peering into my cart to see what kind of junk food I let her have after obviously plying her with fast food before our trip to the store.

This may be worse than last year when she insisted on wearing a winter knit hat into the library in the middle of summer while wearing a dress. At least then I looked like a hippy mommy rather than a junk food mommy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

This is my Saturday morning garden harvest.

Saturday night I went to a Southern Themed Dinner Party and my course to bring was the appetizer. So I brought Fried Green Tomatoes with Cayenne Buttermilk Ranch Dressing from the Dinosaur BBQ Cookbook.

Small aside, this cookbook ROCKS! I can't tell you how dirty this book is from all of the things we've made from it. The worst (for you) of which would have to be the Shepard's Pie topped with MACARONI & CHEESE. Could you just die?!?!? I don't think I've made anything in this book that I don't love.

Anyway, the tomatoes. I had never had Fried Green Tomatoes before and most of the dinner guests had not either. They were FABULOUS! They didn't even taste like tomatoes. Kind of like fried tart vegetables... I can't think of any other way to describe them. The Panko crumbs gave them just the right crunch and the dressing was so good! Everyone liked them, even my non-tomato eating friend whom I made try them. At this time of year Green Tomatoes can be found in any home garden (and I've even seen them at the Farmers' Market). You should try these-they were super easy too!

I recently read an article about Fried Green Tomatoes and the author wondered why Fried Green Tomatoes are a southern invention, given that tomatoes grow quite well in the south. He imagined that the North, with it's shorter growing season would need to be the ones to figure out what to do with all their green produce before a frost.

My guess is that only a Southerner would try and fry a tomato.... This dinner party was a regular fry fest with my course, Fried chicken and FRIED PICKLES. (These were surprisingly yummy!)

And in true Frugalista Fashion, I stole magazines from the Hosts recycle bin on my way out.

Don't Try This At Home

In case you were wondering.

If a 41 lb child hangs from your new towel bar which is anchored into your new drywall in your new bathroom, the bar will be ripped out of the wall and everything will land on the floor.

And make sure you tell that 41 lb child not to hang on the bar EVERY DAY because if you don't, when you ask them why they hung on the bar after you told them not to, they will tell you,

" You didn't tell me not to hang on it TODAY."