What are you up to today? This week?

[grazhina]

1 hour ago, Medieval said:

Is that a dh or real house?

My real front porch, for settin' on! I cut up an old acrylic blanket to make the batting. The square blue footstool is filled with styrene beads from a similar footstool I never really liked. Since too many beads flew out all over the carpet, I used packing peanuts to fill up the gap. Waste not!!

[havanaholly]

Grazhe, considering it's YOUR house, I understand the confusion!

[Medieval]

On 7/4/2020 at 8:21 AM, havanaholly said:

Easy peasy, Jess.  We split the squash in half and I scoop out all the seeds whilst preheating the oven to 450 degrees F.  I lightly salt the cut surfaces and sprinkle them with a bit of cinnamon and lay them cut side down in a 6" X 10" biscuit pan coated with either melted butter or olive oil (I use because both the hubs &  I have high cholesterol) and bake it for half an hour, then let it cool and prepare the filling, which for me is just shrimp, seasoning mix (diced onions, sweet peppers and celery; what Cajuns refer to as "the trinity") and bread crumbs and a hefty dash of Tony Cachere.  How much of each I have to sort of eyeball, because it depends on the size of the acorn squash, but I pack those halved just as full as they'll hold so I sometimes whisk and egg and mix that into the filling.  It's the way I fix eggplant pireaux, only if the eggplants are much bigger I add a few petit peas to the filling.  To stuff the squash I turn them cut side up and gently compress the halves and scoop filling into the halves more or less evenly whilst the oven preheats again, this time to 350 degrees F.  I sprinkle a few more breadcrumbs over the tops and pop the pan into the oven for a half hour, until the shrimps are done and the breadcrumbs and nice and crunchy,  Let them rest a few minutes if y'all can stand it (the smell will drive everyone nuts).  Serve with rice and a light salad and mange tout!

Thanks for sharing!

[havanaholly]

You're mightily welcome.  BTW, I don't use cinnamon for the eggplant pireaux; the hubs & I happen to like what a slight touch of cinnamon does to the flavor of the acorn squash.

Since you have so many, another thing I make with those baked halves of acorn squash is soup.   No cinnamon, I scoop all the pulp out of the shells into my processor along with a tablespoon of minced garlic and a handful of toasted pine nuts and whiz it smooth and serve it warm.  We had some the chef at a little restaurant in Cedar Key had experimented with and used us as taste-testers; the restaurant is no more because the chef retired, but we think of her every time I make it.  I do use butter to bake the squash for this soup.

[Medieval]

14 hours ago, havanaholly said:

You're mightily welcome.  BTW, I don't use cinnamon for the eggplant pireaux; the hubs & I happen to like what a slight touch of cinnamon does to the flavor of the acorn squash.

Since you have so many, another thing I make with those baked halves of acorn squash is soup.   No cinnamon, I scoop all the pulp out of the shells into my processor along with a tablespoon of minced garlic and a handful of toasted pine nuts and whiz it smooth and serve it warm.  We had some the chef at a little restaurant in Cedar Key had experimented with and used us as taste-testers; the restaurant is no more because the chef retired, but we think of her every time I make it.  I do use butter to bake the squash for this soup.

Now that sounds excellent. And here might be a good trade. Ever have cucumber soup? It can be served hot or cold. But what I love about it aside from the flavor is that I can peel, de-seed, and freeze my excess cukes from the garden and have it during the winter. To me it tastes like spring!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252056/creamy-cucumber-soup/

[FurMama]

Yum! When my cukes get too big I scoop them out and saute the innards with bacon, onion and tomatoes then mix with breadcrumbs. Then stuff back in the hulls and freeze. Not alot make it to the freezer though and my silly cucumbers only made little round balls this year.

[Medieval]

2 minutes ago, FurMama said:

Yum! When my cukes get too big I scoop them out and saute the innards with bacon, onion and tomatoes then mix with breadcrumbs. Then stuff back in the hulls and freeze. Not alot make it to the freezer though and my silly cucumbers only made little round balls this year.

Yummmm!  Do you bake them after freezing? And by innards do you mean seeds and pulp or the flesh?

Edited July 6, 2020 by Medieval
Wanted to follow up

[FurMama]

Oops, yes actually before forgot that part...put them in a baking dish with some water in the bottom at 350 for 45min.

[havanaholly]

Yummy sounding, but cucumbers don't like me and DH doesn't like avocado.  I have a weakness for avocado toast once in a while, and the grocery store clerks look at me funny when I check through with my one avocado.

[blueirishmoon]

Hard at work on the Cluny rabbit pillow. I think I'm just shy of half done, yay! A few more days of stitching should finish it, then I can start the Cluny deer. Loving how I'm spending the evenings lately, I put my old Star Trek reruns on and start stitching. Dinner last night was a very indulgent frozen pizza, since my aunt had invited my parents to her house for a gathering, but I wasn't feeling up to seeing everyone. Turns out they all missed me and were asking my dad all about what I've been up to. I did make a contribution for them to take; I baked an apple pie which was a big hit. Surprising, since those apples were rock hard and didn't seem all that juicy to me when I was cutting them up. I also made some banana bread which will last for 3 days, maybe, since mom, dad, and my brother are all fans. Thinking maybe turkey tacos or chili for dinner tonight. Off to make a large breakfast: taylor ham, scrambled eggs, and rye toast with butter and marionberry jam. My eldest brother always signs my parents up for a jelly of the month club for Christmas, so I get to try unusual flavors. I'm keeping a running tally of the best ones to give the company feedback.

[Gayle]

Many years ago, I ordered jellies from the state highway patrol.  One of the jellies was corn cob.  I finally got the nerve to try it and found that I really enjoyed it.  I've since lost touch with them and miss the different selections they offered.

[havanaholly]

My husband's cousin made Kudzu jelly one year, which tastes more or less like grape, depending on the color of the flowers when they're picked.  My personal favorite is red jalapeno/ chipotle jelly, although I have a small jar of mint-rosemary that I like for pork and chicken.

[NellBell]

1 hour ago, havanaholly said:

My husband's cousin made Kudzu jelly one year, which tastes more or less like grape, depending on the color of the flowers when they're picked.  My personal favorite is red jalapeno/ chipotle jelly, although I have a small jar of mint-rosemary that I like for pork and chicken.

Um I 'm a lover of pepper jellies this one sounds good . I'm learning to make them I have been working on a Habanero Jelly Trying to get the right heat. It is pretty good so far. Also a tip my son does Mayo and pepper jelly on sandwiches oh so good..

 

[havanaholly]

I love pepper jelly and cream cheese on my toasted breakfast English muffin.  Are habaneros like jalapenos, in that the riper and redder they are, the less heat they have?  McElhenney makes a smoked chipotle tabasco that's even tastier than the original.

[FurMama]

On 7/6/2020 at 12:39 PM, Medieval said:

Yummmm!  Do you bake them after freezing? And by innards do you mean seeds and pulp or the flesh?

Scoop the seeds and pulp out then scoop out the flesh leaving about an 1/8 inch inside the skin. 

[blueirishmoon]

Slight setback on the rabbit pillow. I discovered a misplaced unit of stitches which was throwing me off. So I unpicked the mistakes and restitched. Of course once I did that, my eyes felt too tired to go further. Meatloaf tonight.

[KathieB]

I sent my 2019 tax docs to the accountant this morning via their web portal, along with a heartfelt letter of apology for the delay. Once the IRS moved the deadline from 4/15 to 7/15 I kept putting it off and putting it off. The papers have been stacked on my desk for months, but I just couldn't bring myself to start organizing them. I don't think the mild depression I'm feeling from being housebound helped much. I hope my friendly accountant isn't slammed by other laggards and is still speaking to me. 

[grazhina]

26 minutes ago, KathieB said:

I sent my 2019 tax docs to the accountant this morning via their web portal, along with a heartfelt letter of apology for the delay. Once the IRS moved the deadline from 4/15 to 7/15 I kept putting it off and putting it off. The papers have been stacked on my desk for months, but I just couldn't bring myself to start organizing them. I don't think the mild depression I'm feeling from being housebound helped much. I hope my friendly accountant isn't slammed by other laggards and is still speaking to me. 

Kathie, I kind of think they expect it, and are just pleasantly pleased when people send their paperwork in early.

[grazhina]

I've always liked this cottage painting by Helen Allingham done well over 100 years ago. As a matter of fact, she must have really liked the cottage too, as she painted it 3 times. I knew what village it was in and wondered if it still stood. It does! It's now a restaurant and bar in Worthing, West Sussex, and I found pictures online, plus several photos taken in the early 1900s.  I also found out it is believed to have been built around 1480. I've started drawing plans to build it in 1:24 scale, but my poor brain is distraught. I'm not used to 1:24, have to keep checking and rechecking sizes, and since I've always had a problem with remembering numbers, it's a lot worse now that I'm 69. I seem to have developed more holes in my sieve of a brain. Like I didn't have enough holes as it was.....My cutaway drawing is 1/4" longer than my floorplan. I think I need to take a break and do something else for a while this afternoon.

 

[KathieB]

1 hour ago, grazhina said:

I've always liked this cottage painting by Helen Allingham done well over 100 years ago.

Wow, what an exceptionally charming cottage. Do you have any photo references to the interior or will you be winging it?

[grazhina]

2 hours ago, KathieB said:

Wow, what an exceptionally charming cottage. Do you have any photo references to the interior or will you be winging it?

Although I have photos of the interior as it stands today, I'm winging it. Allingham altered a few things in her version, and I'll be leaning towards hers rather than the way the place looks today. The house was apparently originally a large merchant's home, then later it was divided into a row of 3 cottages, and at some point was a parsonage. Here's a picture of how it looks today.

[KathieB]

1 hour ago, grazhina said:

Here's a picture of how it looks today.

Once the roads get paved, the neighborhood just is not the same.  I am glad you are going with the painted version.

[blueirishmoon]

LOL, Kathie! Down to 3 colors left with the rabbit pillow. Some more cream stitches, some dark green, and then on to the blue background stitching, which should be more speedy. Had some indulgent Stouffer's macaroni and cheese with the meatloaf tonight, hit the spot. Off to the doctor tomorrow for a checkup, then dinner at Wendy's maybe? Thinking of getting a spicy chicken sandwich with fries and root beer.

[Gayle]

 

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Posted yesterday at 01:05 PM

I've always liked this cottage painting by Helen Allingham done well over 100 years ago.

I can see the reason for the updates but did they have to remove the charm?  That's the problem with a lot of things, updates ruin it.

[blueirishmoon]

Ha! Progress made tonight. After an early dinner, started stitching again. I finished the cream stitches, did all the darker green stitches, and started on the blue background. Things should keep going well, I hope. My doctor thinks I'm doing well, and I haven't gained any weight since she saw me last, so yay! Not sure what I'll have for dinner tomorrow, maybe pizza? I'm in the mood for some pepperoni.