[chocomouse]

We're looking temps in the 90s for the next 4 days, and only possible thunderstorms for rain. I'm watering the planters on the deck every day, and the garden and berries so they get at least an inch of rain each week. We did have 2 days of storms last week, and got 1.37 inches of water in 2 days; that surely helped a lot. The green, yellow, and purple beans are looking good, some sun scald on the leaves, but we're still a long way from eating beans. We do have flowers on the tomatoes, and tiny peppers started on those plants. And of course, we have plenty of spinach and lettuce. I'm hoping we get veggies before it snows!

[chocomouse]

Today I baked 2 loaves of oatmeal-buttermilk bread because the freezer was empty. There won't be much baking happening here for a while; my husband has declared he needs to lose the 10 pounds he has gained since last winter. However, I still have those peaches I bought a few days ago, and they are just begging for a cobbler topping. Okay, I guess he doesn't have to eat any of it, and I will be forced to eat it all by myself.

[chocomouse]

We had baked haddock, fries in the Breville oven air-fry mode, and a green salad.

[chocomouse]

I almost bought that book, BakerAunt. A good brownie might push me over that edge! I enjoy her blog and newsletter, and the foods she recommends are mostly already staples in my diet.

[chocomouse]

Joan, I thought I commented on your peach cobbler post; guess I wrote it but never submitted it? I love peaches, and have added them to my grocery list for shopping tomorrow. However, I'm going to double your recipe - otherwise, it won't be enough for us!! It sounds delicious and quick.

[chocomouse]

DH ate leftover 7 Layer Mexican salad, and I had a mixed greens salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, cukes, lots of herbs snipped on the deck, and pomegranite balsamic. We just had a wicked storm go through here, with more to pass through in the next 2 hours. It was 94* at 4:00, down to 70* now, and only in the 60s tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

Aaron, you should be able to reach it if you just google eater.com, I think.

https://www.eater.com/22537151/who-invented-no-knead-bread-recipe

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by chocomouse.

[chocomouse]

I learned in the Master Gardener course years ago that tomatoes (and peppers) set fruit only when the nighttime temps stay between 55 - 75, and daytimes temps below 90. I remember a year when the temps were quite warm every night for most of a week, and I lost a lot of blossoms.

[chocomouse]

Today we hosted our two children and grandchildren for lunch and chat - first time we've seen any of them since Christmas Eve in 2019. I made a 7 Layer Mexican Salad, baked beans, and a berry trifle, and others brought pasta salad, cole slaw, and pulled pork. It was wonderful to see everyone again - they all live within a 45 minute drive of here, and with 3 kids in college and 2 with teaching jobs, I realized how much of their growing up we've missed in those 18 months. The 7 layer salad recipe came from thekitchenismy playground and was excellent; I would make it again.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by chocomouse.

[chocomouse]

We had brats, roasted potatoes, and the last of the asparagus from the garden.

[chocomouse]

Happy Birthday, Kid Pizza!! I'm looking forward to another year with you sharing your baking wisdom with all of us.

[chocomouse]

Our dinner was grilled chicken thighs, leftover potato salad, and a green salad.

[chocomouse]

We grilled boneless pork chops, with potato salad and asparagus.

[chocomouse]

I think you could rightfully, legally, say that is not the LA Times recipe, but a recipe by BakerAunt!!

[chocomouse]

Today I made Puddingwiches, which I used to make frequently during the summer when my children were young. I used chocolate graham crackers and instant chocolate fudge pudding. Let the pudding set up for about an hour (or less) and then spread a thick glob on graham cracker halves and top with the other halves. Freeze for several hours. You'll need to take them out of the freezer 4-5 minutes before you want to eat them, so they soften enough that you don't break any teeth! It makes about a dozen. Use regular grahams and your favorite pudding flavor. You could even make the pudding from scratch, but who wants to do that on a 90* summer day!

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