KEEPING COOL

While a heatwave is gripping most of the country I thought I help cool you off with some images of one of my favorite spots...

Tucked deep in a sylvan glen of LaDew Gardens is the WHITE GARDEN... It's plants lush and dripping with white flowers. In the center of the garden is this spectacular fountain.

A little boy and his swan have been captured in a graceful and sweetly innocent pose! It is one of my favorites to photograph!

He shields his face and the water splashes around him.

The back of this fountain is as beautiful as the front. The swans wing spreads out across the boy.

What a beautiful garden to beat the heat! 

Keep Cool!

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD

What's a girl to do when her garden is being taken over by zucchinis? When your garden gives you zucchinis... make zucchini bread!

I know there are HUNDREDS of great zucchini bread recipes and most of them taste pretty good!  Just so you could have one hundred-one recipes... here's another ( and it is scrumptious... just sayin')...

I have also tried many zucchini bread recipes and this is my favorite! And, of course it is... because it is the original recipe of the Southern Belle of all things delicious... Miss Paula Deen!

It is moist, rich in flavor and has a little bit of chocolate! Eating veggies with chocolate... life is good!!!!

This bread freezes so well. When the breads (it makes 2 loaves) are completely cool I wrap them in plastic wrap then in heavy duty foil and then pop them into a freezer bag. They have stayed fresh and delicious until after Christmas!!!

Here is a lucky zucchini I picked this morning that is now part of this sweet treat. Look at all the blossoms that will become MORE ZUCCHINIS! Can you see the little yellow flower at the top? That is a cucumber flower trying to steal the show.

SG TIP: If you don't want to freeze the bread you can freeze shredded zucchini. I have lots of 2 cup containers in my freezer filled with shredded zucchini. When you want zucchini, just thaw it in a colander and squeeze out the liquid and use it as directed in the recipe.

Such zucchini YUMMINESS!

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD
3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

1 TBS orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9x5 loaf pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips and orange zest. Stir all ingredients.

Add all sifted ingredients. And stir in till just mixed.

Pour batter into 2 prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the bread and it comes out clean.

Remove from pans to cool.

Visit the Food Network for a  PRINTABLE RECIPE .

In the friendly and gracious spirit of Paula... BEST ZUCCINI DISHES FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS!

Here is another great use of zucchinis from StoneGable

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
Zucchini Latkes

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS # 2 AND GIVEAWAY WINNER

A big hug and hearty thank you to everyone for making the first TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS a great success! We had  76 participants and lots of creative ideas and helpful tips.  I think it was a great first turnout!  

There were many tutorials I would love to try and great tips that made me say, "Why didn't I think of that!".

Here are a few...

Sonya from BEYOND THE SCREEN DOOR showed us how to make this fabulous, modern RAG QUILT FLAG PILLOW. Isn't this one you would love to make? She also has the best etsy shop!

Look at this delicious  SEVEN LAYER SALAD IN A JAR from Cynthia at AN ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN. I am so copying this!!!

Ann, ON SUTTON PLACE gave us very interesting information ALL ABOUT DEMIJOHNS. I learned so much about these trendy collectibles!

Stop on by BE BOOK BOUND for a refreshing lemonade at this delightful LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE LEMONADE BAR. Miriam even gave us a template for the lemonade sign!

Turn your souvenir T-shirts into sassy tote bags! Anita at AUNT NUBBY'S KITCHEN will show you how! What a great idea!!!

If you were featured please grab a FEATURED button from my sidebar!


And here is my Tip...

I just bought a Weedeater E-Lite.This little green machine weighs only a few pounds and is so effective! I was pushing a broom for YEARS! What was I thinking!!! This is the best thing I've done all summer!  Walmart has it for just under $28.00!

STONEGABLE TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS GIVEAWAY

 I got so may e-mail and messages about this giveaway! I was thrilled by how many people hoped to win it!

The winner of the TTT Giveaway is...

Lynn Mosher

from HEADING HOME

Congratulations, LYNN! Please e-mail me with your address and I will get your TTT Giveaway goodies right out to you!

If you did not win, not to worry! This summer I have some really great giveaways lined up. Keep checking back for new Giveaways!



On to TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS...Let's see what creativity you have for us this week...

DRESSER DREAMING

Some peoples dreams are filled with replayed stories of their day... unrequited love... epic battles between good and evil... being chased... being naked in public.. or falling.

My reoccurring dreams are about HOUSES... usually. But lately my dreams, awake and asleep, are all about...

BACK PORCH SITTING

When the weather is warm but not too humid you just might find me back porch sitting! Either on my swing or rocking in our back porch rockers. Come on over... let me show you around!

New black rockers were tucked on either side of our back door bump-out. People gravitate towards rockers! Talking is better... reading is better... and sitting is better when you can rock...

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ Week Of June 25, 2012

Eggplant blossom and tiny developing Eggplant


My garden has taken off! The head lettuce are large and plump... the peppers and tomatoes are growing and maturing nicely and the zucchini is taking over the garden and may only be outdone by the cucumbers!  The eggplant are showing off the prettiest flowers! Life is good in the garden!

I look forward to walking in my garden in the morning and evening... watching the progress, picking weeds here and there and gathering in produce!  Right now my zucchinis are going crazy.

 I just love zucchini attitude! They try SO hard! You plant them... and once acclimated to their surrounds they go about growing and producing and fulfilling their veggie destiny with such GUSTO! They want to do a good job... give it all they've got ... they are like the little engine that could... well sorta.




I think they are the people pleasers of the vegetable world. They want you to notice their good effort! They want you to like them...so they are going to give you more zucchinis than you and your neighborhood could possibly ever use! They seem to be making up for their common green-as-grass color and baseball bat shape with their eager little personality!

It must be draining being a zucchini!  One day you look out and there they are... totally exhausted and spent. They have given you everything they have... and are done! And when a zucchini is done... it's DONE!

But their hard working, people pleasing attitude will live on in our memories... and pantries and freezers till next spring!

Here's what's ON THE MENU...

MONDAY

Hamburgers On The Grill

Hamburger Fixins

Cucumber Salad

TUESDAY

Sage-Rubbed Grilled Pork Chops With Roasted Tomato Salsa

Thai-Styled Grilled Eggplant

WEDNESDAY

Rosemary And Lemon Roasted Chicken

Orzo

Garden Lettuce With Lemon Vinaigrette

THURSDAY

Orange Poached Salmon

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

FRIDAY

Artichoke And Chicken Stuffed Shells

Ceasar Salad

SATURDAY

Leek And Onion Tart

Tomato And Olives

SUNDAY

Artisan Grilled Pizza

Garden Salad With Italian Herbed Vinaigrette

OTHER YUMMIES ON THE MENU THIS WEEK...
Pizzucchini

PRINTABLE RECIPES

StoneGable Hamburgers

Sage Rubbed Grilled Pork Chops With Roasted Tomato Salsa

Thai-Grilled Eggplant Salad

Rosemary And Lemon Roasted Chicken

Orange Poached Salmon

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Artichoke And Chicken Stuffed Shells

Leek And Onion Tart

Just a reminder...
If you haven't entered the

STONEGABLE TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS GIVEAWAY



celebrating my newest weekly linky party
 TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS
click HERE to enter!


Now what's ON YOUR MENU...

Thanks, for joining us and sharing!

* Please link your post using your permalink

* Please link back to ON THE MENU MONDAY in the body of your post

* Please visit other OTMM participants

* Please link up only photographs that belong to you.

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ June 24, 2012

Wailing Wall, Temple Mount Jerusalum

Paper written with prayers and stuck between the stone of the Wailing Wall... mine are there too!

Please pray for the people of Syria and Egypt.

SALAD DRESSING PRIMER and GIVEAWAY

Cool, fresh and colorful is the way we want to eat when the temperature begins to soar! And there is an abundance of garden and farm stand veggies to make spectacular salads... just what we crave in the summer!

Why make a salad with all of that just-picked flavor and put a bottled salad dressing on it? Enhance your salad's in-season taste with a dressing as fresh as your salad!

Here are some of my favorite salad dressing recipes and  handy formulas for making your own...

dressing clockwise from 6:00... lemon vinaigrette, parmesan peppercorn, bleu cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, italian herb dressing

Salad dressings aren't ROCKET SCIENCE so you don't have to be exceptionally precise when measuring. Close is good enough! Don't you love a recipe like that?

Let's start with a vinaigrette. Most vinaigrettes follow an easy formula...

 3 parts oil + 1 part vinegar + emulsifier + add-ins + enhancer 

 This is the how I first learned to make homemade vinaigrette. A vinaigrette is  USUALLY made using at least 2 or 3 categories of the formula and some use all of them! 

This chart ( and the creamy dressing chart) are not an exhaustive list of ingredients by any means, but they are ones that will let you make a wide variety of delicious dressings! As you get more comfortable with making your own salad dressings you can move on to other ingredients.

Here are a few of my favorites vinaigrettes...

Lemon Vinaigrette

 So easy to make with an outstanding lemon flavor! It only uses 4 ingredients!

1/4 cup good olive oil

juice of 1 juicy lemon
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
good dash of kosher salt

Put all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake.

My favorite way to eat this is drizzled over arugula or boston bibb with shaved Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

Printable Recipe

Italian Herb Vinaigrette

This is a beautiful soft, gently seasoned Italian viniagrette. Don't expect that in-you-face bottled Italian taste. This dressing will caresses your salad... not stomps on it!

2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
2 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 TBS fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/4 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients together.
Printable Recipe


Balsamic Vinaigrette
I use this on steaks, roasts and even chicken as my go-to marinade! It is scrumptious on roasted vegetables... my hands down favorite! You can't beat it!

2/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped finely

2 tsp mustard

juice of 1 lemon (or two)

1 TBS Worchestershire sauce

pinch of salt and pepper

 1/2 cup fresh basil, chiffonades

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

The printable recipe is for my favorite grilled summer vegetables. The balsamic vinaigrette/marinade is at the bottom of the recipe. 

Printable Recipe 

Now, on to Creamy Dressing...

Who doesn't LOVE creamy dressing on a crisp salad. Cool and satifying!!!  I think we love creamy dressings because of their great bold flavors and FAT!

Here is an easy formula to remember when making Creamy Salad Dressings...

Mayo + Tangy + Add Ins + Liquid

It is important to remember that a creamy dressing tastes best when given time for the flavors to marry. I make my dressings up the day before I am going to need them...better yet, try to have a great dressing in the frig at all times!


Here is a chart to help you make a great tangy creamy dressing...

One thing to remember... use full fat mayo and sour cream for the best flavor. I would rather have a little of fabulous than a lot of just okay.

Here are a couple of my favorite creamy dressings...

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
This is a winner! Full of great Parmesan flavor
 2 tsp. finely grated onion

1 finely grated garlic clove

2 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

dash of hot sauce

1 1/4 cup good mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

juice from 1 lemon

dash of salt

2 tsp. ground peppercorns

1/2~ 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients but the Parmesan cheese. When the ingredients are well blended, add the Parmesan cheese and mix.

Make the dressing 24 hours before serving for best results. Refrigerate.

Printable Recipe

Bleu Cheese Dressing

This dressing has a whole lot more going for it than the Bleu cheese. Filled with subtle flavors, it is just different enough to make an impression in the world of Blue cheese dressings!Bleu Cheese dressing on a wedge salad makes a fabulous meal! It is Bobby's favorite!

1/2~ 2/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese (use good quality cheese)

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream 

2 TBS cider vinegar

1/4 cup chopped green onions, use green tops too

1 TBS fresh parsley

1 TBS fresh dill

salt and pepper

2 drops hot sauce

Mix all the ingredients in a blender. You can also mix by hand if you like a chunkier dressing. This recipe can be doubled.

Printable Recipe

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

This is such a great summer, when herbs are fresh, dressing!

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup chopped green onions, white and green

2 TBS chopped chives

2 TBS basil (or tarragon)

2 TBS parsley

1 TBS anchovy paste (don't leave this out)

4 TBS lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 clove garlic

Add all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Use immediately or refrigerate.

Green Goddess Dressing

The Worlds Best Ceasar Salad Dressing

not bragging... just truth... If you try one dressing, this is it!

2 large garlic cloves (use 1 if you like less garlic)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1-2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce (I have a heavy hand with Worcestershire)

4 anchovy fillets~ don't skip this!

juice of 1 lemon (I use 2- I like it lemmony)

1/2 ~2/3 cup LIGHT olive oil or vegetable oil

 coddled egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute

pepper

Add To Salad

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

To Make Dressing

Coddle egg and set aside.

To coddle egg: Boil enough water in a small saucepan to cover an egg.  Once the water is boiling, add an egg in it'sshell. Turn off heat and let it sit for 1 minutes. Take it out of boiling water to stop cooking. (When you crack the egg it will look raw. The white part of the egg will look just slightly opaque near the shell.) If you don't want to coddle an egg, use egg substitute. See note above.

Put the garlic, mustard, Worcestershire Sauce, anchovy fillets and lemon juice in the blender. Process until smooth.

While the blender is running add a continuous stream of oil, very slowly. Process until oil is incorporated.

Add coddled egg. Process until incorporated. If you add egg substitute the dressing will be a little thick, almost like a garlic lemon mayonnaise, but delicious.

Add pepper and process.

Printable Recipe

To see how to put the whole Ceasar Salad together click Culinary Tutorial

Here are a few helpful tips for making great homemade dressings...


~use a combination of olive and another light oil, like canola, for a less bitter dressing
~mix vinaigrettes in a jar with a tight fitting lid
~use kosher salt
~ keep all dressings refrigerated
~take vinaigrettes out of the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before serving for the oil to liquidify
~ vinaigrettes make great marinades
~creamy dressing taste wonderful as a sauce over fish
~ creamy dressings make great dipping sauces

Now throw out those bottled dressings and make your own delicious salad dressing!!!!

Remember to enter the TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBIT GIVEAWAY going on here at StoneGable.

Click HERE to enter!


Drawing  for the giveaway will take place Wednesday, June 27th at 6:00 PM.

Foodie Friday

Seasonal Sunday

FAVORITES ON THE FIRST

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS #1 AND GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the very first

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS

I am so thrilled that you joined me!!!!

Giveaway and Linky are at the end of the post...

WHITE CURTAINS

These tailored white curtains are a Pottery Barn find. I purchased them (on a major sale) over 6 months ago and they have been packed away in their box until yesterday. 

What are they waiting for?  A bedroom to be painted! But, I just couldn't let them sit any longer... 

I thought they would bring a pretty summery feel to the eating area just off the kitchen... at least until the woodwork in the bedroom is painted.

I had Belgium linen curtains there, but it is fun to change things up... just for the summer.

I like the light and bright change! I wonder if they will ever make it back up to the bedroom?


Remember..

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS

StoneGable's brand new linky party will go live at 8:00 tonight!!!!

Share your DYI's, tutorials, tips, fun tidbits. If you have something to show off... tell us about it and share it HERE!!!!