Weekend Rambles

Twins Days "Double Take" Parade

 Walk with Suzi at the Ledges

 

World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational Golf Tournament

Pictures from: pgatour.com.  No cameras allowed by spectators at the event!

Holly and Julie at Twins Days

Holly and Julie came all the way from Washington, D.C. to participate in Twins Days.  Here they are walking in the "Double Take" parade!

Cafe Lights Project

Look what we did!

 

Maybe it's more like "look what Joe did..."

But it was my idea and I did a lot of behind the scenes stuff.

Tools and screws don't just hand themselves to him.  That's right, I hand them to him! You're welcome, Joe.

 Plus, I screwed all the light bulbs in.  That is just under 100 bulbs.

It was a good forearm workout.

 

Anyway, we love the way they look!

 

It will make for some nice summer nights out on the deck.

Who's coming over?

Blueberry Thyme Cocktail

I will be making these again soon. 

 It's really all about the simple syrup which I have found really is simple to make. 

Sugar + Water + Heat = Syrup.

 I mixed this blueberry thyme simple syrup with vodka and lemon juice.  It took some of the dark blue color away but tasted like blueberry lemonade.

 Delicious!  So delicious that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product until I had finished about a third of it.

Blueberry Thyme Simple Syrup

1 Cup water

1/2 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup blueberries

1-2 tsp thyme leaves

Note: If you want a sweeter syrup, use a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar.

Bring all the above ingredients to a boil in a saucepan.  Allow to simmer for 10 minutes - the blueberries should burst and release flavor/color.  Set syrup aside and let it cool to room temperature.

Blueberry Thyme Cocktail

4 oz blueberry thyme simple syrup

3 oz vodka

2 oz lemon juice

Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, top with ice, and shake like crazy.  Fill 2 chilled martini glasses and enjoy.

Great after a hard day of work.  Men, and it appears even dogs, will want one.

Blueberry Picking in Auburn, OH

I went blueberry picking with my Dad on Friday morning.

He had already gone once this summer on his own.  I was gifted a small bag of blueberries after that trip, but I knew I would have to pick my own this time if I wanted any.  He frequently references the "Little Red Hen" story.

The pickings were good though so the work wasn't too hard.

Plus, I ate about a pound of blueberries to energize myself as we went along. 

My dad also thinks the blueberry farm owners should weigh the pickers when they arrive and then when they leave.  They are probably losing a lot of money through people's stomach's. 

I picked a total of 4.25 lbs! 

Now I need to make something with blueberries this week.

Edamame Corn Succotash

Succotash.  Even if you don't like it, it's just a fun word to say.

Luckily I think it came out pretty tastily as well.  

I had this as a side dish when I went out to dinner and thought it was something I could make at home.  Only with less butter.  I try to be somewhat health conscious.  

Give it a try:

Ingredients:

2 pieces of bacon

1/2 shallot, chopped

3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts separate)

2-3 ears of corn, grilled and cut off cob

1/2 cup shelled edamame

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 cup broth (whatever you have, I had vegetable broth open already)

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Over medium high heat, cook bacon in a large skillet or a dutch oven until crispy and fat is rendered, remove bacon and drain on paper towels.  Add the chopped shallot and the green part of the onion and cook for 1-2 min.  Add in corn, edamame, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 4-5 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk the broth of your choice with the cornstarch.  Add the cornstarch/broth mixture, as well as the rest of the onions, to the mix.  Allow it to thicken for about a minute and then remove from heat and stir in the butter.  Crumble bacon on top, season to your liking and enjoy!

Red pepper would be a nice addition to this already colorful summer dish.

Bailey welcomes you.