Summer Squash...Fried!

One of my favorite summer side dishes is fried squash!  Tonite we had some, fresh from the farmer's market, with onion rings as well!

Pour canola oil into a cast iron skillet about a half inch deep.  Turn on heat to med high to get the oil hot, for frying.

Pour out about 1-2 cups flour onto a plate.  Beat one egg with some milk in a bowl.  Slice one zucchini, one yellow squash and 1/2 yellow onion into 1/4 inch slices.  By the handful, dunk the squash and onions in the egg mixture, then coat with flour, shaking off excess and then dropping in the hot oil. Don't crowd the pan, and make sure oil sizzles - or it's not ready.  (test it with one slice).  When golden on edges, flip over and fry other side.

Line a dish with paper towels, and using a scoop, remove the golden fried veggies onto the towels to drain.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.

This tastes so good as a side dish, along with fresh sliced tomatoes!

Flight 001

Pretty cool website flight001.com  

Found this water bottle that has charcoal inside to filter out impurities, and a lot of other neat gadgets for travel, including this pretty travel tote! Check them out!

Wall Basket Art

We saw this today in a store and loved it!  Take a flat basket and weave colored ribbon through it, then hang it!  Super cute and inexpensive!

Star Spangled Pin

I saw this in Martha Stewart Magazine and tried it tonight!  It was so easy, and I can't wait to add my  pin on the back so I can wear it!  It just requires grosgrain ribbon that's about 1/2 inch or wider, a bit of glue, and a pin!

The first two photos are from the magazine and the third is the one I made tonight in just a couple minutes!

Cheese Spread

This spicy cheesy spread is easy to make and makes a great picnic or appetizer item for your weekend fun!  It's great on crackers or spread on veggie sticks. (taken from All You Magazine)

(I halved the recipe for the two of us)

Grate 8 oz each of sharp cheddar and extra sharp white cheddar cheese, and place in a bowl.

In another bowl, stir together 1/2 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped; one 4-oz jar chopped pimentos, drained; 1/2 cup mayo; 1 T cider vinegar, 1 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp hot sauce.

Pour this mixture over the cheese and fold gently with a rubber spatula to blend.  Place in fridge for an hour for flavors to blend.  Yum!

Graze Snacks

I haven't tried these yet...but I so want to!  Graze.com includes more than 90 snacks to pick from, to be delivered to your home or office - and they LOOK delicious!

JR's Mix

Peach Cobbler made with fresh peaches - don't let the summer go by without it!

We stopped near Fredericksburg, TX today to get a basket of fresh peaches and found a mix made by JR's Choice Peach Cobbler Mix that we tried with the fresh peaches, when we got home, and oh...my...gosh....

Look at the picture below...need I say more?

Short break....

Pinch of THYME will be suspended for a few days while the Editor of THYME is out of reach helping at Youth Camp until Monday, June 23....please pray for the teens whose lives are being changed during these few days!

THANK YOU...WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN MONDAY EVENING WITH "all new nightly pinches!"

Italian Nachos

We had Italian nachos recently, and a couple of things made them not my favorite...  However, the concept and idea is great...so below are the ingredients and a way to make this pile of goodness taste as good as it looks!

Use wontons for the chips - cook them til barely golden. Use or make an alfredo sauce for your "queso" topping.  Line a baking sheet with parchment, then add the wontons, sprinkle with the sauce, and top with cooked chicken, banana peppers, and mozzarella cheese.

Place under broiler til cheese melts, sprinkle with olives, parmesan cheese and parsley.

The nachos we had were greasy, and they were topped with sausage.  (see below).  However, the second picture looks to be more tasty and healthy....in my opinion...

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Pasta Fagioli

Soup mixes from World Market are delicious, especially Pasta Fagioli.  Adding in fresh veggies, and sweet Italian sausage, topped with crusty bread, makes this a meal all by itself!

Just follow the directions on the package (it takes a few hours, so start early).  It makes a great pot of soup - even for a summer evening in June...

Easy Blueberry Tarts

These tarts are easy as pie to make - seriously!  This recipe is from Taste of Home Magazine, and it's a great one for a cute tasty dessert, especially for guests!

Preheat oven to 375.

In a bowl, toss 2 cups fresh blueberries with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 T cornstarch.  Spoon it into six graham cracker tart shells (found on the baking aisle).  In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats, and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, then cut in 2 T cold butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over blueberries.

Place the tarts on a baking sheet, and bake 20-25 minutes until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Serve warm or at room temp.  (ice cream not optional!)

Cauliflower-Spinach Dip

Great dip for the week, for lunches!  Cauliflower-Spinach - from Martha Stewart Magazine.

Steam 4 cups cauliflower florets in a steamer basket over a pot of simmering water, covered, until crisp-tender (8 minutes).  Add 2 cups spinach leaves and steam about 2 min.  Puree veggies in a food processor with 2 Tbsp each of tahini and fresh lemon juice, 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 coarsely chopped garlic clove, salt and pepper, till smooth.

Serve warm or at room temp with pita bread or crisps.

Happy Hamper

I ran across this really cute laundry hamper that looks like a washer!  Not a bad price on Modcloth website - a fave for clothes, too!

Cool Wraps

These Mediterranean salad wraps are so easy to make, and make for a great picnic food.   In fact, the mixture tastes better after it's been refrigerated for a while!

Prepare one cup of cooked brown rice, let cool.

Mix in a bowl:

Cooked brown rice, 1 T olive oil, 1/4 cup chopped cucumbers, 1 chopped large tomato, 1/4 cup chopped scallions, 1-2 tsp lemon juice, 2 T coarsely chopped mint, and salt/pepper.

When read to enjoy, place in a multigrain tortilla, roll up, and eat!

Wine Bottle Craft

Saw this in my All You Magazine and thought it was so cute - a soap dispenser craft made from a wine bottle!  You just need a wine bottle, paintbrush, glitter glue, glass glitter, newspaper, spray sealant for glitter, paint pen, chalkboard label and bottle pourer.

Super fun!

Funnel Light

We recently purchased a funnel light from IKEA and hung it in our kitchen.  Then I saw this DIY funnel light idea in Martha Stewart Magazine.  Awesome!

What's Left Pasta

Tonight our dinner was made from whatever was left in the fridge...because tomorrow is grocery day!

Here's what we had:

half large onion
one large carrot
half zucchini
cauliflower
half head of broccoli
7 strips fried bacon
3 Roma tomatoes

penne pasta in the pantry
parmesan cheese

Bring salted water to a boil and add in the pasta, cook until al dente.

Stir fry the veggies (coarsely chopped) in olive oil, seasoning them with Bill's Seasoning and Colorado Citrus Pepper, as well as a squeeze of lemon.  Add in the tomatoes (chopped) after a few minutes.  Keep cooking until veggies are fork tender.

Drain the pasta, toss with the veggies, and top with freshly grated Parm.

It was delicious!

Porch curtain

Saw this really CUTE photo of a porch with a curtain - love it!  It's from HGTV Magazine, and the fabric for the curtain is available on line here!

Window Decor

My crafty daughter-in-law made this decoration that was used at her wedding shower, and wedding, and wanted to use it somewhere in her new home...and it looked just great over the bedroom window! She just tied fabric strips to twine!

Tri-Bowl

Loving this triple bowl set - especially the colors inside each bowl!  A great gift for yourself or as a hostess gift for your summer parties! Found this at Target...online only.

Snacks for All

Helping our kids move this weekend, we need some snacks for energy!  These include brownies, pretzels rods dipped in peanut butter and rolled in peanuts, crunchy apples, and homemade granola bars from Giada DeLaurentiis!

Cherry Almond Scones

Most things I post are recipes made from scratch, but these scones were from a box, and my husband made them this morning!  They are super delicious!  We got the mix from Sur La Table.

A Bag for Carrying

A great find today at Ross!  This bag was under $8 and is a cute print for beach trips or just for carrying items anywhere!

Flashy Flautas

Tasty flautas were easy to make!

Heat 1 inch of oil in a frying pan, while you prepare the tortillas.

Mix 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken with 1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese (shredded) and 1/2 cup green chili salsa in a bowl, with 1/2 tsp salt.  Heat corn tortillas wrapped in a towel, in the microwave for 1 minutes.  Roll the mixture into the tortillas and place seam side down in the hot oil. (Hold there until the rolled tortilla stays - otherwise it may unroll and all your mixture spill out!)  Turn once, then drain on paper towels. Even if some of the chicken mixture does fall out into the oil, it's great crumbled atop the flautas.

Mix 1/3 cup sour cream with 2 T lime juice and season with salt.  Use this for dipping!

Hibiscus Peach Tea

Hibiscus peach tea - it's a great summer drink - and adds a little "something" for your guests when they arrive after a long, hot day!

Whisk 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 cup warm water in a bowl til sugar dissolves.  Add 8 hibiscus tea bags, cover the bowl and steep 5 minutes.  Remove tea bags.  Fill a pitcher with ice and sliced peaches (1 1/2 cups).  Pour in tea and 7 cups cold water.  Stir and serve!

Add little paper umbrellas - easy to find in the party goods section of the grocery store!

Edamame/Avocado Dip

This called eda-mommy dip - not sure why - but it's from Real Simple Magazine - it was a great appetizer!

Cook 2/3 cup edamame and puree with 1/2 ripe avocado, 8 basil leaves, 1 T olive oil, 1/2 tsp lemon zest, 1 T lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water in food processor til smooth, about a minute.  Season with salt, and serve with crostini or veggies.  (keeps in fridge for a couple days).  I found it tasted better after it was refrigerated - not warm.