Family First

Hi all. My apologies for being away so long.

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Initially the break from the blog was due to my planned vacation to the Cape for a sort of the college years reunion. I did go and it was a blast.

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Since then life has reached one of those crazy points again...

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You might be wondering why I have so many pictures of this lone tomato...

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Well this tomato came from Grandpa GreenThumbs' Garden.

Perfect isn't it? Deserves all the attention I am giving it!

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My love and focus on this tomato represents the way I am feeling for my Grandpa. Last week he was admitted to the hospital and ultimately given the diagnosis of Leukemia :( Stuck in bed, Grandpa GreenThumb has been fighting and fighting hard.

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We are fortunate enough to be one of those families that understands no matter what family comes first. Each of his children are taking turns being with him so that he is never alone. We grandchildren are visiting as often as possible or needed. Then of course there is his loving wife of over 55 years, my Grammy, who has been by his side everyday.

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What the future holds we are not sure, but all are staying positive. Grandpa is an old timer VT Farmer, which makes him tough, a fighter by nature.

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This tomato was so perfect looking I knew it was not worth cooking it. It would be a shame to overburden the fresh and pure flavor with too many other ingredients...so I kept it simple to allow it's natural deliciousness to be enjoyed.

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Perfectly ripe, I sliced the tomato with a serrated knife.

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The knife choice was to prevent the squashing/bruising that often occurs when a dull knife meets a soft, supple fruit such as this.
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I dressed the slices with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper...
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Then added fresh basil chiffonade from my garden.

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Beautiful!
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Packaged up for work, I enjoyed this for lunch. Each bite I took, I savored and I thought of Grandpa. I wish he could have been the one to enjoy this delicious tomato, the fruits of his labor in the garden.
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Truth be told, I have not had time to cook. Balancing family, work and other responsibilities right now is all consuming. I am not sure the next time I will have the time to cook, which I am sorry for...but family comes first. As soon as I can get back to the kitchen, you all will be the first to know.

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In the meantime if you can, please keep Grandpa GreenThumb in your thoughts and prayers...

Summertime in VT

S'mores...

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and sunsets...

These are the things summers in VT are made of!

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Last weekend was crazy fun. Kicking off Friday with Girls' Night Out, Saturday morning came before I knew it. I was invited to some friends' camp up north and rarely turn down the chance to drink and eat on our beautiful lake.

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I mentioned a couple posts ago that the garden was going wild. After a long weekend of wedding fun, I returned home to find my first zucchini was enormous!

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I debated letting it sit there in the garden to see just how big it might get (thinking of Hussy's Annual Harvest Party's Giant Veggie Competition), but then decided this beast might hoard the nutrients handicapping the growth of future zucchinis.
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Having heard the large ones tend to be stringy and not make good eats, I waited a week to figure out how to utilize this elephant. Ultimately I became obsessed with the idea of stuffing it.

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I began by using my handy-dandy melon baller to carve out a bowl. Then brushed it with olive oil, seasoned with salt/pepper and threw on a head's worth of garlic cloves. Now I am not sure if this made a difference or not, but I began cooking the zucchini halves face down with the garlic underneath. Being slightly hungover from the night before, I also don't know just how long it cooked for at 370 degrees (went by look). About halfway through I rotated and put the beastly pieces skin side down.

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There you have it, roasted zucchini bowls.
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Since the camp party would be offering hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages, I went for more of a side dish for the filling.
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The couscous was cooked in a white wine/herb chicken broth, mixed with a combination of cucumbers, carrots, green peppers (1 from my garden!) and feta, and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Looking back I wished I had added some lemon juice or a vinegar of sorts, it could have benefited from the acid...
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My other contribution was a recipe I received from my Aunt, following her serving it at one of my bridal showers...a goat cheese and strawberry bruschetta.
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As simple as it sounds, I sliced a baguette, brushed with olive oil and broiled to toast. Then each piece was smeared with goat cheese and piled high with fresh strawberries. This easy dish is really tasty!! Sweet with a bite from the goat cheese, yum!

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I do wish I had thought to pull out that balsamic glaze I've been using...but again, I was feeling the effects of the fun night before and wasn't completely thinking straight, oops!

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The day was perfect.
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Even the dogs thought so.
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Hussy created a delicious tomato, basil, mozzarella and balsamic salad.

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Though the grill ran out of gas, our macgyver hostess just went to Plan B.

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Here was my plate...a delicious cheddar burger piled high with a spicy pepper mix and the variety of sides. What you don't see are the massive amounts of snacks I also consumed throughout the day...potato chips, bruschetta, blueberries and lots of beer :)
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Between the wave runner, boat, tubing and water skiing, folks were in the water as long as the sun was up.
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True for all things, even this wonderful day had to come to an end...
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Each of us found moments of respite in this beautiful setting...
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and as the sun began to lower into the horizon...
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the sky began to fill with color.

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It was an amazing day with good food, frosty drinks

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and some pretty awesome friends.

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Tasty s'mores...
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and beautiful sunsets...

Summertime in VT :)

Girls Night - More Grilled Pizza

Alright, since the recent grilled pizza creations have been all the rage, I am officially declaring July as the Official Grilled Pizza Month.

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That is not to say I will not enjoy grilled pizzas from this point on, but my goal is to make them less frequently. Next July we can go overboard again, perhaps make a challenge of it...Grilled Pizza 3 x Day could be interesting or how about Grilled Pizza _____. We have a year to fill in that blank and so with this post I officially also declare the end to Grilled Pizza Month.
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Alright have you gotten the hint yet? I'm having dinner with Blue Light (aka Girls' Night!).

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Though she does not consider herself a picky eater...she kind of is.

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I text'ed, 'do you like shrimp' and the reply was 'NO!'

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I asked 'do you eat goat cheese?' and received no response.

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Since she was unsurprisingly running late, I decided to just pick up the phone to find out what she wanted for dinner.

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I asked if she liked goat cheese and she didn't know.

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Then I asked if she liked arugula (I have a TON from the garden right now) and her reply was 'arug-a-what?'

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I also know she does not care for - fresh tomatoes, salad dressing, anything spicy, etc. Beginning to get a bit flustered for something to come up with, she did offer a helpful bit of advice...'just make something simple.'

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Right, keep it simple stupid!

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White naan, store bought tomato sauce and fresh thyme from the garden.

I LOVE thyme in my tomato sauce, yum!
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I do know that one of Blue Light's most favorite things to eat is fresh mozzarella and prosciutto.
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Piled high, this pizza was dedicated to her.
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Now for my likings :)

Pink Lady apples, brie...

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and some applewood smoked ham woven in!

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The pizzas were grilled...

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and we're done in no time!

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Everything was melted and toasty.

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Since we've had this combo before, it was no surprise that it was tasty. What I didn't expect was how the other one would come out...

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It was freakin' AMAZING!!!

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I am not kidding when I say amazing either, it really hit the spot!
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The apples were not runny like the peaches from the last post. The brie was the perfect cheese to use. And the ham? Well the ham's edges toasted up and the smokey pork flavor brought it all together wonderfully.
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You really need to try this one! Even Blue Light loved it.

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During our fun evening, I did discuss her pickiness with her. She has now decided she will try everything once, including those things she doesn't think she likes :)
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I am happy and satisfied to be leaving you all with this final Grilled Pizza Month Post...it really is something!

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While I hope to get another post or two up this week, I may be dropping off for a while. I'm Cape-bound (WOOOHOOOO!) and reuniting with some of my dear college buddies for the annual summer gathering, can't wait!!!