Joan, I like to add caraway, dill seed (not weed), and onion to my rye breads. I bet you'd like those also.
Today I baked most of the chocolate cookie dough. I was disappointed in the outcome -- they did not spread or flatten at all, and are very "cakey". But the flavor is excellent and I really like them with the small M & Ms. Next time I'll use one of my preferred cookies recipes instead of the "on the bag" recipe.
That looks good, Joan! You've given me an idea for my husband's potluck next month. I could put that in small (4 oz?) mason jars and send to his dinner in a cooler. One participant brings ice cream every meeting; this would be a nice addition.
Our dinner tonight was leftover chicken, mushroom, spinach casserole, with the addition of fresh green beans from the deck - our first picking of many more! So good. . .
I mixed up dough for chocolate cookies with mini M&Ms. They are chilling to be scooped and baked in the morning.
Early this morning before the temps rose into the 90s, I made two salads for dinner. First was rotini with ham, cheddar, onion, red bell pepper with Italian dressing. The second was orzo with baby spinach from the deck, orange bell peppers, black olives, and feta cheese with Ranch dressing. Delicious, and no work in the heat of the day. We have leftovers for another night.
In spite of the 96* heat, I made a chicken casserole today. It starts with a layer of sauteed onions, spinach, and mushrooms, then chicken breasts (I slice them in half horizontally to decrease the cooking time) and topped with mozzarella cheese. We have leftovers for another night.
Leftovers here.
That's nice that Diane is recovering quickly!
Our dinner was grilled salmon, veggie slaw, and potato salad. It was a working day with my husband and son taking down the cracked retaining wall behind the garage and house; they have a little more work to do with the excavator and then the backhoe for the rest of the re-landscaping. A miserable job in 97* with high humidity.
Our beet greens on the deck are ready to eat. Lettuce is doing its thing - growing and growing. The green beans should be ready in a day or two, and I started a 2nd crop today. The snow peas are over - they are a cool season crop. Tomatoes and peppers are coming along, but they are still small. It's been a crazy season: very hot, then rain, and more rain, cool, nights in the 40s and 50s; the poor plants don't know what to do. Finally, this week, we have dry, sunny days with temps in the mid 70s to the mid 80s. Perfect gardening weather. All the berries are looking great - a huge crop this year throughout Vermont. And the skunks are enjoying the Japanese beetle grubs, which should turn into beetles and fly soon.
Last night we had salmon patties on burger buns, with veggies on the side. I used some dill-zucchini relish I made last summer mixed with mayo to make tartar sauce.
We grilled chicken thighs and ate broccoli and winter squash from the freezer.
We had chili and dinner rolls, both from the freezer. The temperature did not rise out of the low 50s all day, but we used the heat pump to warm it up to the mid-60s inside.
Those look yummy, Joan. I have also not baked cinnamon rolls for a long time, but now you've reminded me how good they are - thanks! My husband thanks you too!
Yesterday I baked 2 loaves of pumpernickel bread. Today I made a carrot cake, but still need to make the cream cheese frosting for it.
Tonight we had leftover lasagna and a green salad.
Dinner tonight was ribs and potatoes, cooked on the grill, and asparagus and green salad. Included in the salad were the first of the snow peas that I'm growing in a hanging basket on the deck.
