Martha Monday--Zucchini galore!

My zucchini plant has done well (despite the fact that I've never grown it before), which shouldn't surprise me because zucchini is like the cockroach of the garden...it does well whether you want it to or not.  I've heard tales of how prolific zucchini is, but I'm still shocked at how fast those things grow!  I'm picking at least two each week, and that's just off of one plant. Amazing!

This summer, I've had plenty of sauteed zucchini (this is how I prefer it as a side dish) and I've given some away, but now it's getting hard to keep up with my plant's output.  To use a bunch up at once, this weekend I made a double batch of Martha's Zucchini Spice Bread. 

I made a regular size loaf for the TMI household.  Note: the recipe calls for baking it 1 hour and 10 minutes, but I burnt the sides with that amount of time...my point is: start watching it at the 50 minute mark.  I also made four mini-loaves for friends and neighbors. 

Then, because I still had grated zucchini left, I made Martha's chocolate-zucchini cupcakes.  Yum!

Of course, even though I only have one zucchini plant, I am still swimming in it. There's a huge zucchini waiting for me at home, and here's what I plan to do with it:

This is Martha's Salmon and Zucchini Baked in Parchment.  My plan is to modify the recipe a bit by wrapping it in foil so it can go on the grill. 

And, with any leftover zucchini I might have, I'll give these Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches a try:

I'm guessing those two recipes can be done with the ginourmous specimen that's on my kitchen counter right now. But for tomorrow's zucchini, and the zucchini from the day after that, I'm going to give these Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes....

...and Judy's Zucchini Pickles a try.

With all this zucchini on my hands, you might wonder if I'm tiring of it.  Not all all!  In fact, next year's garden plans call for THREE zucchini plants.  Zucchini for everyone!

Almost there

After years of planning and months of relatively hard work, I think I'm becoming a bona fide gardener. 

I've been getting cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes for a few weeks now, but take a look at this huge tomato and cantaloupe! Isn't that awesome?  I have to tell you, when I picked this stuff on Wednesday night, I was beyond proud.  Beyond!  Finally, after years and months and weeks and days and nights, I was mastering the "Gardening" aspect of becoming just. like. Martha. Stewart.  I had arrived!

I mean, tomatoes and cucumbers and zucchini aren't that hard to grow, but I was really impressed that I had gotten a cantaloupe out of my Midwestern garden.  Melons normally need more constant warmer temps to do well.  But there I was, with a huge, juicy melon!

I cut into it yesterday morning, intending to eat my fill of over-the-top yummy melon...only to taste the blandest piece of yuck ever to disguise itself as a cantaloupe.  Seriously, this thing was awful! 

You can only imagine what this did to my self-esteem.  I went from omg-I-am-JUST-LIKE-Martha-Stewart-because-I-have-mastered-gardening elation to holy-crap-this-is-a-bona-fide-disaster depression with just one bite.  I don't know what went wrong.  You can tell from the picture that it was a tad overripe--I probably should have picked it a few days earlier--but that shouldn't have affected the flavor that much.  The melon I grew had NO sweetness or even flavor to it...the texture said melon, but the taste said "bland butt."  Not cool, Garden, not cool!

Fortunately, before I broke out the xanax and curled into the fetal position, my huge tomato redeemed me.  Seriously, it was that good. It was like the biggest piece of juicy vegetable/fruit/candy ever.  This tomato completely restored my belief that I am, in fact, a gardener.

We grilled up hamburgers last night, and a slice of this tomato was bigger than the burger.  THIS is how hamburgers are meant to be served...THIS is why I will grow my own tomatoes from now until as long as I am possibly able. 

My plan for the weekend is to whip up a batch of pasta sauce from my roma tomatoes and bake some zucchini bread from (what else?) my home-grown zucchini.  Hopefully both endeavors will turn out fabulously, and I can put the horrific cantaloupe episode behind me.  Wish me luck!

Martha in the news

I found this bit on CNN's entertainment page yesterday:  Martha Stewart Rides a Harley.  Motorcycles are not my thing, but maybe I'll relax a little when I'm 70 years old.

I'm glad to see that Martha was wearing the necessary safety gear and riding an American-made bike.   The last sentence of the article certainly made me sit up straight:  "Her ties to the biker community apparently aren’t new; there’s a 2005 thread on the Harley Davidson Forum titled “is Martha Stewart sexy??”"

Awesome!  Now I can add my love of Martha Stewart to the list of things that I have in common with the biker community:

1. The love of Martha Stewart

2. Hair that looks like it's been blowing around in the wind all day.

I might need to put some more work into this list. 

Martha Monday--Martha's "Ultimate Fan" sweepstakes

Martha is having an "Ultimate Fan" contest exclusively on facebook, and the winner will receive a once-in-a-lifetime Martha Stewart fan experience. This includes a trip for two to see The Martha Stewart Show LIVE in New York City, round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations, lunch for two at one of Martha’s favorite BBQ restaurants, and two complimentary facials at Mario Badescu Skin Care Salon.

Martha's Ultimate Fan....HELLO!?!  Look no further, Martha, I'm right here!

Of course, if you think you are Martha's Ultimate Fan, you can enter the contest, too. 

To enter, go to the Martha Stewart Facebook Fan Page by September 26^th, select the Sweepstakes tab, “Like” the page if you are not already a Fan, and complete and submit the Official Entry Form.
All entrants must be 18 years or older, and entries are limited to one per person. See the complete rules here. 

ReStore in Aurora

Have you heard of ReStore?  Run by Habitat for Humanity, ReStores are located throughout the US and Canada, and sell reusable furniture, household goods and building supplies.  We are in the market for an entertainment center, so we headed to our local ReStore in Aurora last weekend.

This was my first time at ReStore, and I was surprised by the amount of everything they had! Need a couch? Choose from over thirty available.  Interested in kitchen cabinets?  They must have had over 200 there. 

Donations come from individuals, building companies, restaurants, offices and more. All proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity, which is a great cause.  And bonus! All this stuff has the chance to find a new home which keeps it out of landfills.

The Red Lobster up the road was remodeling.  Hmmm, I wonder what they did with all of their old booth seats and tables?

Many of the building supplies are surplus and therefore brand new.  The Aurora ReStore had a great selection of lighting...everything from lamps to fixtures to chandeliers. 

I noticed some really nice antiques at ReStore. There were several bedroom sets and desks that were clearly very old but still in great condition.

We didn't find anything to suit our needs for an entertainment center (I have a particular style/function in mind), but the kids were excited to find the antique cradle and rocking horse. 

I found this great buffet that would be perfect for the foyer.  Big Guy, can you hear me?

I was really impressed with my local ReStore, and I'm sure I'll be back soon (quite possibly for that buffet).  Do you have a ReStore near you?  What's your go-to place for inexpensive furniture?