My Kitty Loves Baseball

I get to see a fair share of Phillies games. Sometimes I use my own season tickets, other times I sit in the box with the other ladies. Sometimes I sit on the couch with my Grandma and Coakley. Grandma loves baseball! (Grandma also loves Coakley, but I think everyone who meets him loves him.)

This Zucchini is Lasting Forever!

I'm horrible at growing stuff; flowers, crops, grass and weeds.  Yes even my dandelions look pretty sad.  That being said, one of the great things about being a vegetarian around here is all the free vegetables people give you from their gardens!  We have a lot of roadside stands, farm markets and grocery stores that only carry locally grown stuff when it's in season.  (All of which are awesome ideas!)  There are rules to what can be sold in the grocery store and there are people with gardens who can't eat everything that's grown (summer and winter squash are big on that list!)  All of that has lead to some zucchini and tomatoes being brought into work, and me making lots of yummy zucchini goods.  Today's creation was Zucchini Tahini Bread.

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, drained
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce (as egg re placer)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup tahini
1 cup coconut milk (you can use soy, almond or rice milk)
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg and 1 tsp baking powder. Set aside.
3. In another bowl combine zucchini, apple sauce, 1 tsp baking powder. Mix well.
4. Add milk, mix well.
5. Add in dry ingredients, mix well.
6. Pour into a grease bread pan. Bake for about an hour. (do the toothpick thing, when it comes out clean, it's done)
7. let cool before removing from pan.

This bread is amazing! It's got a slightly nutty texture, YUM!

Time Killer, Supply Killer, Money Saver

Johnson's Department Store hangers.
My Grandmother used to do alterations for them, about 60 years ago.

These hangers have been hiding in the back of a closet for 30 or so years. I think they are perfect for hanging garments and taking pictures. Maybe I'll find more hidden away.

Yoga Skirt
This is what I use to teach folks how to sew.  It's useful and very easy to make.

The everlasting collection of fabric will dwindle down at some point, but not yet! I'm not really sure why I bought this stripe 2-way stretch knit, but it made a nice skirt.

A very slight cowl neck.

A few years ago optical illusion type shirts were all the rage. (okay, it wasn't a few years ago, it was 1997.) In cowl neck form, they seam to be making a tiny comeback. I'll be wearing this somewhere, I hope.

Birthdays and Summer Treats

Pop-Pop turned 92. I made the mistake of asking him what he wanted for this celebration. "An Ice Cream Cake!" was his very energetic answer. It's a great idea to buy your dying, diabetic grandpa an ice cream cake, right? (Please do not answer that!) Anyway, I lost that battle, and he got his cake.

There are other things he really likes. Football, lobster bisque, crab cakes, the little black kitty, anything with sugar, the isstory Channel...the list does go on for a bit. Instead of trying to buy him something, I made him some Blueberries and Creme Popsicle. It took two attempts to get the recipe to where I wanted it; a low sugar, vegan creation. The original one was a little heavy and syrupy, but it was good.

Blueberries and Creme Popsicle
ingredients:
1 pound blueberries
1/4 cup splenda
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk

1. In a pot, over medium heat cook blueberries, Splenda, sugar, and water until the "sugars" dissolve and the blueberries are soft. (about 10 minutes.)

2. set aside to cool (about 30 to 60 minutes)

3. Put a mesh colander in a bowl; strain the liquid out of the berries. Press the excess liquid out of the berries. Discard the berries. (okay, keep them if you will use them in something else like I did.)

4. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk to the blueberry syrup.

5. Fill Popsicle molds with the blueberry mixture and freeze.

If you don't need to make them vegan, the coconut milk can be replaced with heavy cream or milk. Just remember that anything with water will make it more icy.

Treat yourself, if you've earned it

Over the last few years I've spent too much time deciding if I've earned a reward. Really, Have I earned that piece of lemon pie? Have I earned that ice cream? How about that dress? Those shoes? That painting? Pftt, ridiculous! If nothing else, thirty one years of hard work is finally paying off....I can financially afford the pretty dress, the ingredients to the pie or ice cream and the supplies to paint the painting. Have I worked for them? YES! The 40+ hours of retail jail, the 20+ hours of physical activity and the zillions of ideas that have passed through my brain (some jotted down, some not); I deserve those rewards. In all fairness, there were some years that the hard work wasn't so hard and there have been some times when I wasn't the best person I could be. I think that's behind me, I hope. Reward time!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups!
 ingredients:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1 /4 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk

1. Create your pan. I used a cupcake pan with lining papers. There are endless possibilities, including a bread pan lined with parchment paper, creating a "cake"!

2. Make your graham cracker crumbs. I do mine in the food processor using stale graham crackers. (Remember, I live with old people who don't seal containers after opening them, I have a lot of stale baked goods....)

3. Melt peanut butter and butter together in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until creamy. Stir between the 30 second heating. *I do not recommend using chunky peanut butter because it may burn. The chunks do not do well in the microwave.*

4. Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar to the mixture, stir until smooth. (as smooth as it can be, you did just add crackers to a liquid!)

5. Put your mixture in the cupcake cups, distribute evenly. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes to set the mixture.

6. Heat chocolate chips and milk in microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring between. It may take two or three times to make a nice silky mixture.

7. Evenly distribute the chocolate on the peanut butter-graham cracker cups. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.