Lunch With Friends

Lisa and I had lunch with our friends Larry and Linda Vanderwilt.  Larry and Linda have been featured in this blog a few times.  We are all friends from Florida and when Larry and Linda are at their home here in eastern Tennessee we make sure we get together with them.  I had been quite a while since I had seen them because of our travels so it was good to be together again.  We ate at Monterrey Mexican Restaurant in Newport and it was a new one for me.  It was good and even though it cannot compare to my favorite Mexican restaurant, La Nopalera in the Jacksonville, FL area it was pretty darn close.  The salsa and queso were very good and our food was delicious.  We will be returning again but next time we will make sure that George and Tim come along too.  We had a nice lunch together and got all caught up.  We will be seeing Larry and Linda again soon before they head back down to Florida.  Lisa gave Larry and Linda some of her homegrown zucchini and yellow squash.  We sat our on George and Lisa's front porch enjoying the evening view and eating ice cold watermelon.  It was another good day here in Tennessee and at the farm.

Freezing Corn On The Cob

Did you know you can freeze fresh corn on the cob?  I did not but I learned all about it when I was at Walmart buying corn on the cob.  It was on sale 5 for $1.00 and it was the mixed white and yellow corn called either butter corn or sugar corn.  So I bought 10 ears knowing that Tim and I could easily eat them before they spoiled.  As I was checking out the cashier told me that you can freeze fresh corn on the cob and then proceeded to tell me how.  According to the cashier all you have to do is shuck the corn, husks and silks.  Wash it and let it dry then when the corn is dry put the corn on the cob in a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer.  So, I did just that.  Later I research it freezing corn on the cob on the internet and found out that most people blanch it but that yes indeed you can just freeze the corn.  So, I have 8 ears of corn in the freezer and two in the fridge waiting for Tim and I to eat them.  I will let you know how the frozen corn on the cob tastes when I get it out of the freezer.  I think tonight Tim and I will have corn on the cob for dinner, yum!

A Nice 4th Of July

For years July 4th was pretty much the same for us.  I usually had to work but I always had the evening off so we always went to the see the fireworks either at Moosehaven in Orange Park, by boat on the river or at Middleburg High School.  Which ever we did we were always with family and friends.  Since we sold our home we have celebrated the 4th of July 6 different ways.  In 2010 we were at Flamingo Lake (in Florida) having a BBQ and we enjoyed their fireworks, 2011 Tim and I  were at Disney World. 2012 Tim and I were in Clinton, IN where the Thousand Trails we were staying at had their own fireworks that did not start until after 11:00 pm because of the light and heat.  In 2013 we were at Yosemite National Park where we could not have any fireworks because of the draught in the area but we still had a great night with Bob and Robin and watching some fireworks later in the evening on TV.  In 2014 we spent the 4th of July with my Mom at her rehab center after she had broken her hip then enjoyed the LEGOLAND fireworks at poolside at a Carlsbad resort. 
This year we spent July 4th at the farm.  We started our day down at the orchard harvesting more zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and blueberries but we also picked okra and green peppers for the first time.  We had a quiet afternoon working on different projects and then had a great BBQ dinner.  Lisa made salsa using all of the crops she had harvested.  It was delicious.  We had grilled pork chops, grilled zucchini and squash, a grilled mixture of corn on the cob, carrots and potatoes, Asian slaw, French bread and watermelon.  For dessert Lisa made a pink lemonade pie.  It was good.  We ended our evening watching at least 5 different firework shows while we sat on George and Lisa's front porch.  It was a great 4th of July spent with good friends, good food and starting a new way to celebrate the 4th for years to come and hopefully with more family and friends.
I hope you had a wonderful July 4th too!

Happy 4th Of July!

Today we celebrate our country's birthday and independence.  Since 1776 we have enjoyed our liberties and freedom and hopefully we will continue to do so.  With all the uproar about the Confederate flag it would be nice if today we could come together and enjoy this wonderful celebration.  We will be grilling, weather permitted, and then attending the Parrottsville 4th of July celebration.  I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July.  Enjoy, be safe and remember how we became a country and all the sacrifices that were made to keep our Nation Strong and independent.   Happy 4th!!!

A Costco Run And A Big Harvest

Yup we took our first Costco run since being back from our trip.  When we left Parrottsville in April we pretty much got rid of all our perishable food so we would not have some kind of lab experiment growing in our refrigerator.  We emptied out our chest freezer in the shed and turned it off.  We turned it back on Wednesday night so it would be ready for our purchases yesterday.  So with our lists made we headed to Knoxville but stopped at Cracker Barrel first for breakfast.  It was a rainy day so it was a good day to shop.  We were surprised how empty Costco seemed to us especially after being in the one in Honolulu where you could not walk down any of the aisles without bumping into people.  We walked all through Costco to shop and look at items and then bought our items and headed for home.  Now we are in pretty good shape for food except our meats which I will share more about that tomorrow. 
After dinner last night we went down to the Orchard to check on the crops and we had another bumper day harvesting zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes.  We also got a few more cucumbers and more blueberries.  We did harvest some items for the first time.  Some green beans were ready to be picked along with a few peas.  Broccoli was ready for the first time and wild blackberries.  So it was another great day for the farm.  I also want to thank Lisa for the batch of fresh blueberry muffins she made and shared with me.  They were delicious!

A Little Productive

So for the past few days I have been busy working in the Crafty Cottage creating Door Prizes for my sister Pam's Stamp and Stack (SAS) that is in a couple of weeks.  After I finished Door Prizes One and Two I had a hard time figuring out Door Prize Three.  I finally did and then the next morning I created Door Prize Four and Five.  I know I only need four door prizes but Pam can always use it at her SAS in September. It will be up to her which ones she wants to use. 
Today we are headed to Knoxville and Costco.  Our freezer is back on since we have been back home so now it is time to fill it up.  Check back and see how we did!

Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti

I loved Baked Ziti so when I cam across a recipe for Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti I wanted to try it.  The best thing about the recipe is that it looked easy.  My sister and I made it when we were still visiting in California and as I am making my grocery list I came upon the recipe again and decided to share it.  This makes a lot so there will be leftovers which is good because it freezes well and tastes even better the next time.  I did get this recipe from Pinterest  but it was originally from GIMMESOMEOVEN.  If you make this and take a picture send it to #GIMMESOMEOVEN but also share it with me.  I would love to know what you thought!

Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti

Ingredients
12 ounces of pasta (any shape)
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (2 small chicken breasts)
1 25 ounce jar of Pasta Sauce (any flavor works)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ( we used 2 cups) 2% low fat works too.
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ( we used Costco's)
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cook pasta, drain and return pasta to pot and add chicken and pasta sauce.  Gently toss until all the pasta and chicken are coated.
3. Pour half of the pasta into a greased 11x7inch or 9x13 inch baking dish.  Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and half of parmesan cheese and basil.  Layer the remaining half of the pasta evenly on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese ( we used a whole cup because we wanted it cheesy).
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and just barely starts to turn golden.  Remove and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.  Serve warm.

We make a salad and some garlic bread to go with the chicken parmesan baked ziti and it was all delicious.  Try it and let me know how you liked it!