Freezing Corn, Canning Beans - And Mama Crowder's Squash Casserole

The July garden starts the cycle of freezing corn and canning beans. And lots and lots of squash.

Corn Freezing Days are drop everything else for corn days. We are all about the corn. The two main things are 1) Silver Queen and only Silver Queen 2) Daddy oversees all aspects of corn. Daddy has a special relationship with corn which includes whispering in it's ears. There are many details to corn freezing the Hunt way which you can read about on the July 7, 2010 post.

So mid July we gathered in Lattimore to freeze corn. This starts with picking and shucking. The shuckers sit in a circle under a tree in the yard to shuck and silk before bringing the sweet tender corn inside. When it was all said and done about 500 ears were picked, shucked, silked, washed, blanched, cut, and bagged into 65 pints that were carefully carried to Mama's basement freezor. A few days later about 200 more ears of corn appeared at my house in Shelby and so now there are 25 pints in my own freezor. Nothing feels better than knowing there is silver queen in the freezor.

Canning beans followed close on the heels of corn freezing. This process starts with planting little white half runners and then picking them at the exact right moment.

Like on corn days, a group gathers outside in the yard to start the process. Beans are looked, strung and snapped into bite sized pieces. Snappers and stringers are careful to remember Mama Crowder's advice "not to include any tough shucky ones". Nobody wants to bite down on a shucky bean.

The day we canned beans, we had several helpers outside in the circle including Casey, Connie, Dad, Ivan, Gustavo and me. The conversation is always interesting and includes English, Spanish, and Spanglish. There's something really relaxing about conversation in a circle, under a tree with a cool breeze, smelling the fresh beans while everybody methodically strings and snaps.

Inside the house the beans are washed, blanched, and packed into mason jars which are then filled with hot water. Mama adds about a tsp of salt to each jar, then runs a knife into the jar to make sure all the bubbles come to the top before she tightens the lids. Then she measures exactly two inches of water in her huge pressure cookers and puts 7 quarts into each cooker. She always makes sure the jars aren't touching which is pretty tricky. The other tricky thing is cooking the jars of beans under pressure which includes hissing and timing and other things that I don't really like to do. But I do like Mama's fresh canned green beans.

Daddy helps by making lunch for everybody which is sometimes fried livermush sandwiches and sometimes the best pimiento cheese you ever ate. (recipe on June 26, 2010 post). Or one of my favorite summer meals - a homemade biscuit with a fresh slice of tomato and a little piece of bacon. With a fresh picked ear of corn and cold juicy canteloupe. Day law as Mama Crowder would say!

And speaking of Mama Crowder. Squash is plentiful this time of year and we eat it all kinds of ways - fried, stewed, sauteed with boneless chicken. (Recipes on July 4, 2010 and July 7, 2010 posts) But something I was hungry for recently was Mama Crowder's Squash Casserole.

Mama Crowder's Squash Casserole

Mama Crowder's Squash Casserole will remind you of Thanksgiving Dressing because it includes cornbread and onions. It's almost a meal in itself because it also includes sausage. Mama Crowder liked using pork for seasoning. She always did like pig better than cow.

So I found Mama Crowder's Squash Casserole recipe which I wrote down years ago on 2 index cards while she gave me her directions. And I quote:

1 lb Jenkins Hot Sausage
3 Cups Cooked squash (cooked in salted water till tender - save juice)
3 Cups course cornbread crumbs - toasted good
(while cornbread is hot, crumble into big mixing bowl and mash in a 1/4 stick butter)
1 1/3 cup chopped onion
2 eggs, slightly beaten with fork

Fry sausage well done. Add enough squash juice to wet the cornbread good. Add squash, onions and sausage to cornbread. Add dash of salt and pepper. When sausage mixture is fairly cool add the two beaten eggs.

Mix together with hands using enough squash juice to make a print when you press on it with the back of a spoon. You don't want it too soupy or two dry.

Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish. Start at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes and then reduce to 350 for 15-20 minutes.

When it's half done, you can crumble cracker crumbs on top.

Independence Day

People from all over were at Lake Lure cooling off and letting freedom ring for the 4th of July. Most every house around the lake was full of family and friends.

People started arriving Friday afternoon and were still arriving late Friday night. And Saturday. And Sunday. And Monday. Thank heavens for the Panini press. Sister had been over for a Panini in Shelby and suggested I take it to the lake. That was a great idea because as long as we kept bread, meat and cheese around, hungry people could just make their own masterpiece. Many a panini was made over the next several days.

We did cook one big meal a day which always included Steve Royster's organic potatoes and fresh cold watermelon. You can fill up a lot of hungry twenty year olds with potatoes and watermelon. At one time or another we fried about everything you can fry - bacon, squash, jalapenos, pickles. Of course David did some grilling including beef and hot dogs or it wouldn't have been 4th of July.

David and I had a fairly spontaneous combustion idea to host a Sunday morning brunch down on the dock for whoever was around. We had a houseful ourselves and some others dropped in. Linda brought over some fresh fruit and something she calls Bramble - eggs, bacon, and some other good stuff on a toasted English Muffin. A real crowd pleaser for sure. Vickie brought sweet homegrown blueberries and homemade bread. Since I burned the muffins that morning, Carol picked her own blueberries and arrived with fresh blueberry muffins. Beth and John arrived with plenty of orange juice to help kick things off. Mimosas helped kick things off too. Rhett made Steve's potatoes into fresh hash browns including lots of garlic, peppers and onions. I made breakfast casserole and Mama's country ham biscuits. As if that weren't enough Cindy decided we needed pigs in a blanket.

Since the twenty somethings had their days and nights mixed up, we warned them several times that Sunday Morning would come early so Saturday night should end early. Somewhere around 7 am on Sunday Morning, Aretha Franklin helped them wake up and THINK about FREEDOM and RESPECT. There's nothing like waking up early on a Sunday Morning to Aretha's testimony.

The twenty somethings were really helpful and carried many things down to the dock. Since the house is built on a hillside, there are a good many steps down to the dock and I was very grateful to have so many young arms and legs to help with that part.

We had the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing playing as people arrived by boat, car and on foot. It was a little bit like watching a parade as folks waved while walking across the bridge.

And speaking of parades, I missed the Lattimore parade this 4th of July but reports were that they had the biggest crowd ever. And that the Mooresboro fireworks were worth driving home for. We did enjoy the Lake Lure fireworks on Monday night.

We also enjoyed seeing people in the house, on the dock and on the lake celebrating Independence. And we had a poignant opportunity to remember something else about the 4th of July.

Several of us were heading out on the boat with little American flags to wave. We were all caught up in the fun and celebration. A pontoon boat floated up and on board was Suzy and her son, Kyle. We hadn't seen them in several years and as they stopped to catch up, Suzy said she wished she had brought a flag to wave.

Then, we learned that Kyle would soon be shipping out to the Middle East. That was one of those stand still moments. When you remember that Freedom comes with Responsibility. And Sacrifice. So we handed over a flag to thank Kyle. And Suzy. And all of the others.

Anniversaries

The last part of June is filled with Wedding Anniversaries. Lots of Anniversaries. MaMa and Pop Ick, Kathie and Bobby, Julia and Braxton, Beth and John, Dawn and Mike.

David and Me. Mom and Dad.

We have spent our anniversaries in a variety of ways. Sometimes not together. One year I was with fun high schoolers and friends in Paris floating down the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower. When we climbed to the top of the Tower, I called David on the cell phone to say Happy Anniversary. There was a beautiful view of the moon from the Eiffel Tower and it brought Kathie's production of "Big River" to mind. I could hear Big Jim singing, "I see the same moon that you see, but we're miles apart."

Another year when traveling with the high schoolers, another mom Dawn, was also celebrating her anniversary away from home. Dawn and I had a picture taken in front of the Roman Coliseum with two burly Roman Guards and emailed it home with the caption - "Wish you were here!"

But this year - our 24th - we spent our anniversary together. And with some other folks too.

Tap Dance Teaching Neighbor Beth and her sweet John were married on the same day, on the same year as we were. Our rehearsal dinners were on the same night and at the same place. Their party was in one room at North Lake and ours was in another. We probably should have just held these events together.

Beth's family and mine go back many years but at the time, Beth and John were in show biz living in Los Angeles. Never did we dream we would be backyard neighbors 24 years later. What a blessing and a joy to have such good and talented friends so close to home.

So, we decided to celebrate a portion of our 24th anniversary by going to the Lake for a quiet boat ride and dinner. Well, the dinner was quiet and wonderful. We had John and Jessica's Salmon wrapped in Foil, Steve Royster's Organic Potatoes, David's Tenderloin, Salad with Carol's French Dressing. Seemed like alot of our friends were there. But it was just the four of us.

In honor of the recent movie making in town, John brought Francis Ford Coppola wine to share. They also brought an apron with a funny slogan. Beth and I have several funny stories about aprons.

But the funniest part of our shared anniversary evening at the Lake was before dinner when John and David went tree fishin'. A tree had become lodged down at the extra dock - Cindy's boathole as David Martin calls it. There is a similar dock called Sally's Boathole at the Martin house. But I digress.

David decided it was a good time to try and move the lodged tree out of the way. Using the boat - and ropes - and a lot of ingenuity, John and David worked to free the dock of the huge tree. It wasn't going as planned. In fact, things looked rather dire. John recalled his time working lighting in the movie industry. "How would a film crew do this job? -- Just like this."

Eventually, both John and David ended up in the water, slowly fishin' the tree to the bank and then tying it so it wouldn't float back into the lake.

As Beth and I observed all this from the boat, Beth delivered her own great line, "What would Katniss do?" Followed by, "If I just had a bow and arrow, I could take care of this."

It may have been funnier to the audience in the boat than the tree fishermen. But there's nothing like laughter to remind ourselves how we have stayed married for 24 years.

As proud as we are of our 24 years, it doesn't hold a candle to Mom and Dad's anniversary. They have now been married for 65 years. 65 years. No doubt a lot of laughter has been present.

For their anniversary, Mom mentioned that she would like to "go somewhere I have never been - like Cashiers". Dad authorized me to figure that out and so I did.

Dad, Mom, David and I struck out on a 30 hour adventure. Our destination was the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands which is a mighty fine place to be. Along the way we took Mom and Dad to our favorite lunch spot in those parts - Hot Dog World. There is no finer place for a Hot Dog. Anywhere. The dogs and chili are the best and so are the prices. And the service at Hot Dog World is quick and friendly. They love their customers and it shows.

Leaving Hot Dog World, we were on Laurel Park Highway when Mom and Dad mentioned that they had spent their honeymoon 65 years ago in a nearby inn. So, using the handy IPad we drove around until we arrived at the Echo Mountain Inn.

The Innkeeper and staff were more than happy to open up the Honeymoon Suite so Mom and Dad could see the amazing view from the three huge windows of the room where they had stayed 65 years before. Mom suggested they share their 75th anniversary there. It was a super sweet moment and they shared some stories and a kiss before we headed on our way to Highlands.

We had beautiful rooms with a porch to watch the activity on Main Street. They really pamper you at the Old Edwards Inn and they have the best Vidalia Onion soup ever. We all enjoyed meeting a lot of people from various places. It was interesting that many of these people were also sharing anniversaries - from one year to 24 years to 43 years. But Mom and Dad had everybody beat at 65 years.

On the way home, we spent some extra time in Cashiers and then as we drove toward Hendersonville it felt like lunchtime again. It was unanimous that we would do lunch at Hot Dog World.

Oh the simple things in life. Friends, family, stories, laughter. Hot dogs. Time.

The glue that keeps people together.

I couldn't help but think about Mitch Miller again. Singing along with Mitch in the old days in Lattimore. Just enjoying the simple things. And each other.

"You're the cream in my coffee
You're the salt in my stew
You will always be my necessity
I'd be lost without you"

Just Passin' Thru

So.

Many things have been happening in the last few weeks.

I heard a song the other day that I can't get out of my mind. It touched on one of life's greatest truths. The song is "We're All Just Passing Through," performed by Earl Scruggs, Don Henley and Johnny Cash. And you know that all three of those boys speak the truth.

We have all lost people from our lives and have felt the struggle between mourning the loss and going on.

Most recently we felt the loss of Martha, Bud, Mable Alice, Jack. Last year Kathie and Mike. And D, Peggy, Gina. Sweet little Annie. The list of people who have been a part of our lives, and our families and friends lives goes on and on. Each person so special and unique in their own ways.

It would be impossible to hear most showtunes without thinking of Kathie. It would be impossible to hear a train whistle blow without thinking of Annie. It would be impossible to hear "July, You're A Woman" without thinking of Bud.

The song I heard Earl, Don, and Johnny sing, helped me to remember that we should take nothing for granted. And that we should live in the present.

The song goes,

"I have seen the future in the present. Found the hope within a seed."

How can anyone see the bloom on a zinnia, an orchid, a rose of sharon, or a lily without finding hope. Those blooms may not last long, but they are beautiful and unique and they leave their mark. If we take time to notice.

And the song goes on, "It's a mighty world we live in, but the truth is, we're all just passing through."

When Johnny Cash's deep voice says this line and Earl's banjo is wailing, you know it's the gospel truth.

It's a good reminder to slow down while we're passin' thru. Pay attention to the people and things all around. Find the future in the present and consider our mark.


We're All Just Passin' Thru

Well I have stood upon the mountain
I have seen the other side
Wrestled with the devil
I have wrestled with my pride

Been down in the valley
I have stood out in the rain
Seen my love forsaken
Felt the pleasure and the pain

There's one thing that's for certain
One chord that rings true
Well it's a mighty world we live in
But the truth is we're only passin' thru

I have cried in tears of sadness
I have cried in tears of joy
I have found a life worth livin'
Found the peace within the noise

I have turned my back on hatred
Lyin', prejudice, and greed
Found the future in the present
Found hope within a seed

One thing that's for certain
One chord that rings true
It's a mighty world we live in
But the truth is we're only passin' thru

Passin' thru, passin' thru
It's a mighty world we live in but the truth is
We're only passin' thru

I have seen my bucket empty
Seen my well run dry
But there's water down the road
And I'm only goin' by

If I'm settin' on dead-ready
When my chances come to knock
I'll make it where I'm goin'
I'll be tall just like a rock

But there's one thing that's for certain
One chord that rings true
It's a wicked world we live in
But the truth is we're only passin' thru

Passin' thru, passin' thru
It's a mighty world we live in but the truth is
We're only passin' thru

Yeah, it's a mighty world we live in but the truth is
We're only passin' thru

Family Time - Three Cheese, Tomato and Basil Panini

Besides Cooking School the past week, we have shared a lot of family time. One meal we didn't cook was an early Father's Day get together with Daddy at the Shelby Cafe. Breakfast is a favorite meal and we all like to go to the Cafe, so Libby sent out an email that anyone who could work it out could meet at the Cafe at 8:30 Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning at 8:30 about 14 of us came to breakfast. It was relaxing to not be cooking. And it was a joy to be together.

And talk about joy. We also shared family time with Quinn and Mary Katherine during the last week. The boys dashed out for a float for MK and I shared some quality floating time with her one day. Actually, she liked being held in the pool better than sitting in the float and I think I liked it better too. She is sweet and independent and curious and she notices everything. Watching her notice things is mesmerizing.

There were a lot of birds in the backyard and since Mary Katherine couldn't tell me not to, I started singing about birds. It was one of the songs that we used to sing in Lattimore. We had a Mitch Miller record with the words to every song printed on the album cover. We learned all the words to Mitch's songs and it's amazing how you can remember words to songs years later. So I started singing:

"When the red red robin comes bob bob bobbing along -- ALONG!
There'll be no more sobbing when he starts throbbing his own -- sweet SONG!
WAKE up WAKE up you sleepy head, GET up Get up Get outta bed
Cheer up Cheer Up the sun is red
LIVE LOVE LAUGH AND BE HAPPY!

What if I am blue, still I'm walking through fields -- of FLOWERS!
I'm just a kid again, doing what I did again
For HOURS and HOURS!
I'm just a kid again, doing what I did again
SING-ING a Song....
When the red red robin comes Bob bob Bobbing along!"

I really was just a kid again. There are places in the song when you use a lot of GUSTO and Mary Katherine was all in on those parts. No surprise that she understands drama. It was so fun having MK in town. It was amazing to just observe as she explored everywhere and noticed everything around her then made eye contact and grinned.

Quinn, Amanda, Mary Katherine and I spent some quality floating time later on and enjoyed fresh peaches. Inside and outside of the pool. I didn't know that peaches will float. Or that a peach can make a really great pool toy. I also didn't know that Webb's has over 30 varieties of peaches. The ones coming in now are amazingly sweet and I was glad Amanda brought some to share.

Since we stayed outside so long, I decided to fix Paninis for lunch. Paninis are a big part of our Lunchtime Cooking School. You can put just about anything on just about any kind of bread and in 3-5 minutes you will have an awesome sandwich. We got a panini press and a recipe book for Christmas and have loved using it. The boys have gotten into it as well and they have designed some real masterpieces.

But when Quinn, Amanda and MK were here I wanted to make a Three Cheese, Tomato and Fresh Basil Panini on Sourdough Bread. So I layered a little Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapeno, Mozzarella and Saga Blue with Brie on the bread. Then I added Fresh Tomato Slices and Lots of Fresh Basil. I brushed the bread with Tuscan Flavored Olive Oil and loaded it into the pannini press. In less than 5 minutes we were enjoying a crusty, fresh panini. And enjoying family time.

Tuesday Night Cooking School - John and Jessica's Baked Salmon

For Tuesday night Cooking School we decided to see what else besides chicken was on sale. Lucky for us we found NY Strips and Fresh Salmon. It was just the right time to try John and Jessica's Baked Salmon with Jalapenos. John and Jessica had mentioned this recipe recently and I had wanted to try it ever since. It is healthy, quick, easy and really delicious. If you can find salmon on sale it's just about perfect. And I like that it is baked in aluminum foil which makes clean up really easy.

John and Jessica said the salmon is great with rice, but since we had cooked rice dishes for the last two nights, we decided on Sis's Scallopped Potatoes. (recipe on Feb 20, 2011 blogpost)

Peeling the potatoes and slicing thin turned out to be the biggest challenge for Sis' recipe. But the Cooking School students took turns and persevered.

Lucky for us, Jesse had come over to take part in Cooking School and dug right in. She gave us some tips on tenderizing and seasoning steak and then made a delicious dipping sauce.

They also made Carol's Fantastic French Dressing and were amazed at how quick and easy that is. And, as Carol says, you just about always have all the ingredients on hand. (recipe on August 21, 2010 blogpost) We had plenty of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden for a fresh chopped salad.

While salmon was on sale, I bought two more pieces so we could make this dish again. Thanks John and Jessica! It's a keeper.


John and Jessica's Baked Salmon

Salmon
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
Lemon Slices
Fresh Jalapeno Slices

We added fresh dill because it goes great with salmon and also because we had a lot in the garden.

Put salmon on foil and sprinkle lightly with olive oil and spices. Place lemon and jalapeno slices on top. Add fresh dill if you want. Fold up the aluminum foil to make it airtight. Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. When you open up the foil you will be hit with a wonderful aroma of salmon, spices, lemon and jalapeno.
Quick, easy, healthy and really good.

Cooking School - California Chicken

One day last week Jay and David started talking about learning to cook some of their favorite meals. So we decided to turn supper time into Cooking School.

Chicken was on sale so it was a good time to learn how to make Grilled Chicken and California Chicken.

On Sunday night we marinated several pieces of chicken in Zesty Italian Dressing and grilled them over charcoal. We renamed this old favorite District 12 Chicken in honor of the coal district portrayed in the recent movie uptown.

For a side the boys made our version of Weasy's Rice. I call it Weasy's rice because years ago I got the recipe from Jane who got it from Weasy. I'm sure the recipe has changed over time and actually we make it with several variations. On Sunday night, the boys mixed 1 cup of rice with 2 cans of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. For extra flavor, they sauteed a little celery and onion in butter and mixed that in too. Then they baked it for about about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the rice was baking, the grilling session of Cooking School began. David was in charge of the grilling and you know they learned from the master. They grilled the chicken and then grilled buttered toast which turned out great. District 12 Chicken, Weasy's Rice and Grilled Toast is a winner.

Monday night we had more chicken. One of the boys first Cooking School requests was California Chicken - based on Mrs. Smith's recipe in the first Charity League cookbook. This recipe is a go-to stand by for us because it is so good and so easy.

It's really quick to put together and then it goes in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Quick and Easy couldn't have been a better choice for Monday Night Cooking School because we had the unexpected pleasure of a visit from Mary Katherine.

The boys assembled California Chicken and put it in the oven. Mary Katherine and I played and rocked on the front porch. What could possibly be more fun?


California Chicken

Grease a 9 x 13 pyrex dish with butter
Layer One envelope of Dry Onion Soup Mix
Layer uncooked rice (regular, not minute rice)
*The recipe calls for 1 cup rice but we use about 1 1/2 cups and add a little extra water halfway through the baking if it looks dry
Layer Chicken - we like to use boneless breasts and thighs but you can use with bones. The amount of chicken depends on the size of the pieces. We put as much chicken as we can fit into the dish. You can cut the boneless breasts in half.

Mix together 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup with a can of water and pour over chicken
Dot with butter and sprinkle a little black pepper

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Check about halfway through and if the rice looks dry you can add a little more water.

On Monday night, we had California Chicken with a salad and cold, juicy watermelon. It was delicious, easy to put together and gave us lots of time to play with MK!

What month is this? And Who is Jake Wade? - Jake Wade's Blue Cheese Dressing

It was hard to tell where May ended and June started. And with the extreme heat the last few weeks felt like July anyway. In fact it kinda feels like we have packed three months worth of activity into the last few weeks.

My USTA tennis team wound up play on a steamy hot night. Our season started out with some great wins but as the weather heated up so did our opponents. We finished in the middle of our league which was better than last place last year so we celebrated the seasons end with some team time together at Joe's for dinner. Several teammates are playing summer leagues but I'm looking forward to playing early morning beat the heat tennis for a while just for the fun.

The hydrangea bush that I planted several years ago has grown huge with the most beautiful light blue flowers. Beth, Carol or I have clipped flowers almost daily for interesting arrangements. My most unusual mix was to put fluffy blue hydrangea blooms with lacey white flowers from an overgrown cilantro plant. This turned out so pretty and reminded me of wedding flowers. And speaking of weddings, the boys attended a fun wedding recently. It was the first wedding of the newly graduated college crowd and I am sure there will be many more to follow. Weddings are such a happy time and the boys really enjoyed themselves at this one.

Work has been fun and exciting lately too. Hollywood came to Shelby for filming parts of a movie and that made for some new experiences around town for a lot of people. The thing that struck me the most was just how team oriented the movie business is. There are location people scouting for space, set designers, casting people, set builders, then prop people, art people, lighting people, actors, extras, directors, producers and a bunch of other people to house, feed, clothe, and otherwise support the production. It's even more team oriented than that in that first there were the three great books and whatever it takes to get a book to a script. Then after the 78 days of filming there will be editing and special effects and who knows what else before the movie is released next March. Needless to say you begin to understand why movies take so long and have such big budgets.

But the main thing I noticed in observing a fraction of this movie project was just how calm and courteous and professional everyone seemed. Even when it was way too hot and when there were a ton of different things going on. No doubt it takes a lot of discipline and patience to be involved with making a movie. One veteran told me that they are kind of like ducks on the water. On the surface the cast and crew seem serene and graceful and calm, but underneath they are paddling like crazy. Mostly, they all seemed to enjoy what they are doing and they seemed to enjoy working together. Definitely they were a joy for us and it was also good for the local economy.

We cooled off at the Lake a couple of times recently and enjoyed Music on the Martin Deck with Jackson and his Calm and Collective friends. Their Fusion Reggae with a Sax sounded great and while we missed some songs and friends from the old days it is fun to see and hear a new generation of Music on the Martin Deck. Here's to more music this summer and maybe a chance to fuse some "I Can't Stop Loving You" with some Beatles and Willie and CCR and The Honk into the mix. You never really can predict what might happen with Music on the Deck. But you can almost always predict that somewhere along the way there will be Dancing on the Deck.

While we were at the Lake I made our first BLTs and Fried Squash of the summer. It's hard to beat a BLT and fried squash and no doubt that will be on the menu again as the fresh squash starts coming in. (Fried Squash recipe on July 7, 2010 blogpost)

And speaking of the garden, we picked our first cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, sweet peppers and cucumbers this week. David IV had weeded the garden but I asked him to leave the volunteer zinnias because I love them. So now we have a strange mix of vegetable garden and zinnias growing together. Mama Crowder most likely would not approve of this. I ran into Dickie the other day and mentioned it to him. He reminded me that if you plant marigolds in the garden it will act as an insect repellent. We laughed wondering if maybe the same holds true of the zinnias. As a matter of fact I haven't noticed alot of critters on the vegetables so far.

Last night, I wanted to use the fresh cherry tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers from the garden for a cool refreshing salad. So I chopped some crispy cold iceberg lettuce and mixed in the fresh garden veggies. I added crispy bacon and sauteed chicken strips and topped it off with homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.

I have had a recipe called Jake Wade's Blue Cheese dressing for many years. The funny thing is I thought I had gotten this recipe from my neighbor, Mrs. Sarazen. The Sarazen's have travelled all over the world and tasted wonderful flavors from many places. I was certain that Jake Wade's Dressing came from an exotic restaurant somewhere that the Sarazens liked and I had always tried to picture Jake Wade. So I called Libby and Mrs. Sarazen to ask about Jake. Neither of them had heard of him. And they use a completely different blue cheese dressing recipe.

So now I have no idea where I got Jake Wade's recipe but I love it. Thanks Jake whoever you are.

Jake Wade's Blue Cheese Dressing

3 oz Roquefort Cheese*
4 oz Blue Cheese*
*I use all blue cheese but not the already crumbled kind. Buy a block and crumble it yourself.
2 Cups Mayo** (Hellmans for me)
**This dressing is really thick. To make it thinner, sometimes I use 1 1/2 cups mayo with 1/2 cup buttermilk. Or use 2 cups mayo and thin with regular milk.

2 TBSP vinegar (I used cider vinegar, but the recipe calls for wine vinegar)
2 TBSP olive oil (or less)
5-6 shakes celery salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp msg (I always omit this)
Dash Parsley flakes or fresh if you have it
Juice of one lemon (or one capful of bottled juice)

Combine everything except cheese and lemon juice and blend well. Then add lemon juice and cheese and blend. This is also a great dressing for chicken wings or for a vegetable dip with carrot and celery sticks. It keeps well in the refrigerator and gets better as the flavors mingle.