Thursday, September 5, 2013

The Little Things Thursdays: #38


Welcome to The Little Things Thursday!!

If you are new to our link-up, we like to take a minute to look back on the little things that brightened our week. So often we get busy and forget all of the things that we enjoy as we go through our daily lives. This is an opportunity to stop, remember, and enjoy those things! Nothing is too small...in fact, the smaller the better! That's the whole point! If you have a blog, link-up below. If you don't blog, I'd love for you to participate by leaving a comment. Ready?

1. Two Dozen Roses
This photo does not do these flowers justice! Sean surprised me with two dozen roses in my favorite two-tone color. He said he was walking through Costco, saw them, and thought of me immediately. *swoon!*

2. Self-Pruning Tree
Check this out! It's a self-pruning tree! Actually, what it really is is that every time we have a storm, this tree loses giant limbs. It's not dead, so I'm not sure why it does that. On the upside, Sean got to play with his chainsaw and didn't cut off any of his own limbs!

3. First Day of Preschool Church
My kids have officially graduated from the nursery to preschool church! I actually teared up a little when I got the letter in the mail informing me that they were too old for the nursery. Too old? My little babies! But I think it will be good for them to have some more structure. Now, if we can just get them to hold still long enough for a picture....or sit down during Bible story time...

4. Crying King
After our first day in Preschool Church, we went to Burger King with my brother and sister-in-law, and their daughter Aly. While I took photos of the other kids, I can't stop giggling while looking at this one of Elijah. Apparently, sitting in the booth on his bottom was cruel and unusual punishment.

5. CSA: Week 14
Week 14! Sean's coworker gave us her bag, so we got extra again! 8 ears of corn (with some little cobs growing on the side), two pounds of grapes, two dozen eggs, a bunch of squash blossoms, two jars of blueberry syrup, two half gallons of apple cider from a local mill, eight cucumbers, four onions, two pounds of okra, and my FAVORITE: delicata squash! If you've never had delicata before, definitely look at this recipe for the very best and easiest way to eat it!

Okay, does anyone know what to do with squash blossoms? That's a totally new one for me. Or how about okra? I've eaten it before but never cooked it. Need some help!

Now it's your turn! What Little Things brightened up your week? Link up your post below (or leave a comment if you aren't a blogger) and make sure you come back next week to play again!

The link up rules are super simple!
1. Please add the button or a text link to your sidebar or post to share the fun that we are having over here!
2. Please visit at least one other blog linking up and leave some blog love. Maybe you will find someone else's "little thing" is exactly what you needed to read!
3. Please keep your linked post clean and respectful! Any links directing to offensive posts will be deleted.


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9 comments:

  1. Your kids look like quite a handful! So precious! Interesting about that tree.

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  2. As for squash blossoms, I've only had them in Mexico (from a street vendor) as a filling in a quesadilla, something like this recipe, except the ones they made us in Mexico left the blossoms in larger pieces (http://www.homesicktexan.com/2007/07/hat-skirt-and-some-squash-blossoms.html). As for okra, although it's not the healthiest way to eat it, it's great fried. My mom always slices it, and dips it in a cornmeal coating (maybe egg first?) and then fries it. Yum!

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  3. Okra, yes, I have ideas about okra! You can fry it (I have a blog post on that, hehe), stew it (post on that too, LOL) with tomatoes alone or peppers and squash too and then serve that over rice or potato, put it in a soup something like gumbo or pickle it. I had someone to tell me they have just sliced it and sauteed it and it is good that way too. I also when I have extra from the garden, cut it into 1/2-inch slices and freeze it in a bag for later.

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  4. Yum! Squash Blossoms are wonderful dipped in a Tempura batter and fried in some olive oil. You can eat them just like that or serve with some homemade buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping!

    I have never gotten the CSA boxes because I was afraid that they would have too many things that we didn't eat or I didn't know what to do with. Thank you so much for showing this each week because it has really convinced me to try this next year!!

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  5. I'm curious about the squash blossoms! I wouldn't have a clue what to do with those either!

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  6. Last night I pan fried our okra in sunflower and olive. First I washed them, cut the ends off and chopped them into 1/2 inch sections. Then, I tossed them in flour, sea salt and pepper.
    Fry them in batches and put them in a single layer on plates to dry and cool.

    As for the squash blossoms, I flash fried them in olive oil and sea salt.
    They're amazing!
    xo
    JoLee

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  7. I love to put okra in Jambalya (easy, cheap and quick - that gooey stuff in the middle is a terrific GF "thickener") Squash blossoms? You can google many many recipes - I have seen them stuffed with herbed goat cheese (chevre) then lightly battered and deep fried and then simply tempura battered and deep friend . . . okra responds well to being battered and deep fried . . . I think my big toe would be wonderful battered and deep fried (dreaming of battered and deep fried things now)

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  8. I don't want so scare you, but I am pretty sure I have that "self pruning tree" in my neighborhood. After a while, it turns into a "self splitting tree!" We have had several neighbors have the tree just split completely in half during a storm.

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