Scapes Alive!

We cut the garlic scapes this weekend. Now I need to use them, or store them in some way.

I have cooked them up in stir fry before and put them in sauce. I heard about making pesto with them so I looked up a recipe. This one from the Garlic Farm looked good. I will let you know how it goes.

Colin decided the scape needed a body. I thought it was pretty funny.

This Week in My Kitchen - Blog Hop

I love the blog Beauty That Moves and have been reading and enjoying her photos for a few years. I am joining Heather in her Kitchen Blog Hop.

So here is this week in My Kitchen:


To get these juicy chops....

Start with a cheaper cut of pork chops on the thinner side.

Add melted butter, and salt and pepper. Then grill on a low setting.

We are getting lots of greens and snow peas from the garden.

Which stir fried with mushrooms,

chard and spinach from the garden make a wonderful lunch.

Finally figured out how to 'steam' hard boiled fresh from the nest eggs. The peelings come right off.

Our first harvest of broccoli was a huge hit one night along side some baked beans and dogs.

We really do eat well.

Embarrassingly Hot

Coming to the end of this day. I sit outside below the big Red Oaks in my yard. I hear the leaves rustling and the birds singing. There is finally a breeze. It has been so hot here. I do understand and realize that hot here in Maine is probably not hot in other places. Never the less, I have been hot, and at times uncomfortable and right now at this very minute I am so, so comfortable. I am sure that the glass of Merlot helps, but even without that I can't be denied the breeze I feel.

Today the girls and I packed up the swimsuits, towels, a lunch, the violin (lesson day) and headed to Belfast, our favorite town. After feeding chickens, doing a few small chores, getting everything and everybody in the car we were on our way. I had a lovely tour of the violin teacher's garden. I always love to see how other people do their gardens. I learned about Citrus Basil. It smells so good I plan to plant some next year.

We arrived in Belfast and a shop that I have wanted to visit was finally open and we walked over. For some reason I am wilting in the heat. I feel weak, and hungry. The shop was not as wonderful as I had imagined it was.

We finally get ourselves to the pool. Belfast is right on the ocean. It is really a bay and it is kind of marshy and rocky. I always feel a bit guilty swimming in the pool when there is a whole ocean to swim in. We had a few minutes before the pool opened so we spread the blanket out in the shade and had our lunch. It was hot, but not unbearable under the big maple. Finally we see kids coming in bus loads (literally) and have a little discussion on how we could go to the lake on the way home instead of swimming in the pool. The girls decided to pool it.

So on to the dressing room. I cannot wait to get in to the water. I am that hot.

I take all my clothes off while I am peeing (to save time I guess) and realize I have no 'bottom' to my swim suit. Awesome. Yes, I did say some choice words that I won't print. I put the top of my bathing suit on and put my underwear and skirt back on. I did think about not putting the underwear on, but figured that would not be appropriate.

We get out to the water and I am applying sunscreen to AnnMarie and I tell her that I am thinking of going in with my skirt on. "Really?" she said.  "Yea, really", I say. "You would really embarrass me.", she says. So like a really nice, normal, sweet, mother I say, "I really don't care." I was very hot.

End of story, my daughter survived the embarrassment of me. I waited until she was busy and I inched my way into the water. I clutched my skirt up to my private areas and I scooped water over my back and arms and chest. I sat on the side of the pool for a bit. I did cool down a bit, but not as much as I would like if I was able to get in the water all the way and really soak in.

And so here I am home again. Very cool, quiet and peaceful.