Zucchini Spread

Twenty-four pints now, and more to come as the season advances. Made with celery, kale, carrot, tomato, onion and garlic, fresh oregano from the garden. Put everything through a food processor, so it is small and uniform, easy to cook. Then put 3/4 of it through the blender. I add seasoned dry bread crumbs to soak up any excess liquid.

This savory spread, or paste, is great for toast or burritos. Add a bit of mashed garbanzos or black beans after opening a jar, and fill a fried, seasoned tortilla shell. Roll up, dust with shredded cheese, and broil until the cheese melts.

Broccoli Zucchini Soup

Garnished with Alfredo Sauce and Za'attar.

Zucchini and Egg Noodle Alfredo

The zucchini is sliced long and thin, oiled and seasoned with za'attar, then broiled. Cook the noodles, add the Alfredo sauce. Garnish: Thinly sliced snow pea strands.

Swiss Chard - Zucchini Torte

Boil the chard in bullion, drain, then lightly press out liquid. Shred the zucchini in long thin slices, then toss with olive oil and za'attar, and broil. Grill and season bread crumbs. Make the egg-milk mixture and set aside.

The first layer will be the chard, then the zucchini, then the bread crumbs. Pour the egg mixture over, add a few streaks of sweet chili sauce and some mozzarella cheese. Bake for about a half hour, let set, slice and serve.

Oat-bran Bread with Zucchini & Carrot

80 Degrees and Sunshine on Sunday

So, we spent several hours canoeing the Black River.
This tranquil river is the ultimate canoeing experience.

Then we enjoyed a hike in the Capitol Forest. My kind of day!

30 lbs of Zucchini - Canning Time

Zucchini is a bumper crop this year - over 30 lbs so far!
Zucchini spread is a mixture of onion, garlic, black beans, carrot and tomato.
This first batch will be used for burritos. Next on my list, broccoli soup with zucchini, and zucchini bread.

Chocolate Chia-Zucchini Cake

What can I say...my daughter gave me three POUNDS of chia seeds, and my zucchini at the garden is thriving. The chia was ground in my coffee grinder, and the zucchini was shredded. This turned out better than I thought it would, so I cut the cake into little squares, wrapped it in wax paper and plastic bags, then froze it so we could enjoy it over the next few weeks. When George came home from work yesterday he bemoaned, "Where is the chocolate cake? I only got one piece!"

Baked Yam with West African Tsire

Chopped dates and sauteed peanuts are tossed with Tsire sauce, a savory blend of spices and butter. Fragrance: Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. This was so good, once baked then broiled, that we ate the skin too! (Click on photo to enlarge - you'll love the detail!)

Served with Zucchini Burritos and Tabouli.

Snow Pea Salad - Crisp, Sweet, and Spicey

The secret to the dressing for this salad is sweet chili sauce in the dressing. Cabbage, carrot, currants, red pepper, a hint of mint.

Beet and Red Onion Salad

Beets and red onions have done well in the garden this year, and this salad is a favorite - Mandarin oranges and walnuts, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

New Potato Salad

This year I planted yukon gold and reds. This salad has a little finely chopped zucchini, to bring the glycemic index down...less starch.

Dehydrating Oregano

Canoeing the Richard Gilmur Waterway

People and wildlife now have a new place to explore nature near one of North America's largest container ports.

The Port of Tacoma recently opened the $220,000 Richard C. "Dick" Gilmur Shoreline Restoration and Kayak Launch on the east side of the bay.

This was our last paddle with Dick before he flew back home yesterday.

Getting Reacquainted - Daniel and Dick

Canoeing the Columbia at Vantage

George's brother Dick spent a week with us, enjoying the waters of Washington state. We went as far as the ocean, then over to eastern Washington to find good canoeing...and the best weather.
We paddled along the shore of the Columbia in shallow water.
Marsh terns, enjoying the sun. They skim insects off the surface of the water and dive for fish.
I packed a snack: Rasam soup; cauliflower with honey-mustard dressing; Greek yogurt; a bagel with peanut butter and walnuts; a nectarine; and hot green tea.
This little spot was an unexpected surprise in the desert.

Canoeing Lake Kachess

We headed over Snoqualmie Pass.
Lake Kachess is in the Wenatchee National Forest.
This was a delightful paddle, with sunshine and easy paddling.
The shoreline, wooded, with many boulders and rock faces.
The best part was meandering through the trees, submerged in high water.

Canoeing in the Rain at Lake Quinault

Our most memorable canoe paddle in the Olympics was on Lake Quinault.
Rain gear was necessary, warm clothing and gloves! We paddled up this creek as far as we could go.
We packed a lunch and had a picnic on the beach.

A Morning at the Ocean

We stayed overnight in Forks, and spent the morning at the ocean.

Breakfast at Kalaloch Lodge in the Olympics

So good - steel cut oats with raisins and cream!

Paddling Sequim Bay with Dick

A very overcast day for a paddle, but the harbor was worth exploring.

Enjoying the Mountain at Kautz Creek

We were able to fit in a hike on Mt Rainier before Taraz had to return to Denver.

Getting Rahmat Squared Away - Hood River