Sunday, August 14, 2022

Zucchini

 So, I've never been a huge fan of zucchini, but it's so prolific, that I figured I'd better try some new recipes with it. 



This baked zucchini wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't terrible either.



The zucchini smoothie with chocolate and banana was not exactly my cup of tea either.


Now these zucchini egg patties with a basic dipping sauce were amazing! I've made them twice now, and I'd totally make them again! They almost make the zucchini taste like hash browns.


And while I thought zucchini soup sounded kind of gross . . . it was actually really good! Especially with all the fresh basil leaves and thyme for flavor. This recipe joined my list of ones to make more than once.

And that's my garden update of the year. :) 


Monday, August 8, 2022

July in Review

 July is always a crazy month! Here are a few pictures I had on my phone to review the month.



I had the opportunity to spend a week volunteering at Northland Camp! I've had some great summers there, and jumping back in was a blast. The summer staff was probably the most welcoming staff I've ever worked with.
Having been on the 'other-side' where you're there all summer and dozens of volunteers come and go, I know that it's easy to not spend a lot of time getting to know them, since they're only going to be leaving at the end of the week. This staff didn't care that I was only there for a week, they let me jump in, got to know me, helped me out, and made sure I was at home. I loved my cabin, and being back counseling made me miss it! If you ever get the chance to counsel at a camp for a summer, do it.

(Can you tell I'm a die-hard Red Team fan?)


Back home, life is busy getting ready for the corn maze season. Upkeeping the trails is always a job, and it's that time of year where we have to leaf-wack. In other words, we go along with big knifes and cut all the leaves off that are leaning over the trails.


It's a lot of work, but makes such a difference!


Miriam and I managed to sneak out one evening, do some scouting, and pick a few blueberries.


There's nothing like those fresh picked wild blueberries.


I was invited to Zippel Bay for a birthday party, and had a great time. I hadn't been out there in years, so it was fun to see the place again. I also got to go paddle-boarding for the first time. Although, I never did master standing-up on the thing. :) 


When you go to clean church, you never know what you'll find. One day, I found this bag, and I thought, "What more do you need in life?" Looks like they have it all!


One of my cousins got married, and I enjoyed getting to catch up with a dear friend! Miss you, Jess!


As we were waiting for the fireworks to start on the 4th, the guys started a game of hacky-sack, but it was getting dark, so they had their own field-lights with the help of a few cell-phones and some willing sisters.


I hadn't been out to see the fireworks in several years, so it was fun to hang with family and friends and enjoy the show!

In addition to all the things listed above, I also ran a corn maze/Priscilla's Books booth at the Roseau County Fair, and spent a week out that way. O course, there was also lots of babysitting, gardening, maze-work, my job at the coffee shop, a published book, a finished rough draft to another book, weekly articles to the newspaper, and a whole lot of stuff that I've already forgotten!

I hope your July finished up well, and you're enjoying the fresh garden produce!