see.summer.okra

Hello blog.
Sorry I've been away... the World Cup is on and I've been pretty busy...
Have you ever spoke with someone you haven't heard from in a few months and just talking to them brings back a memory or a song in your head or a feeling??
Well... for me, it's usually food.
My friend Katie called me the other day just to catch up and chat.
I love talking to Katie. She has a way of just making me smile. After I got off the phone with her I had this incredible craving for okra and tomatoes.
Katie makes this dish (or at least has in the past) and for some reason just talking to her brought on an urge to prepare some for dinner... and that's what I did.
Okra- like many veggies, is in season from June till late September so now is the time to buy!

Okra is prepared in different ways and (I feel) that it is delicious no matter how it is served... pickled, fried, in stew... it's just delicious.

Fresh from the market. Bright and green with few blemishes.

Most (Southern) Okra and Tomato dish recipes call for bacon or bacon fat. And since we are fresh out of meat around here... I had to alter the recipe (only slightly)
1 lbs. Okra - cut into 1/4" pieces
1 lbs. fresh tomatoes (you can also use canned) - skinned, cored, and chopped
1 onion - chopped
1 bell pepper (we were fresh out of bell pepper on this night) - chopped
1 cup veggie broth (you can always replace this with chicken broth if desired)
1 - 2 cloves garlic - minced
1 - 2 jalapeno (depending on heat preference) - chopped
1 - 2 tbsp. butter (yep! butter, to substitute for the bacon fat)
fresh sprigs of oregano
salt and pepper Well seasoned cast iron skillet... this is crucial. OK, it's not crucial but it sure makes food extra tasty!!

Add the butter, onions, bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic into the hot skillet and let them mingle and chat for a while in the hot pan!
When the onion has turned a nice golden color, add the okra, tomatoes, and veggie broth. Cover and let simmer for about 30 mins.

Now if you have read this entire post... I will give my thanks by letting you in on an okra cookin' secret...
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar! Add it to the okra and tomatoes before you let them simmer. This will cut down on the common okra "slime".
Serve over a steaming bowl of rice and enjoy!
Thanks Ms. Katie

see.slug.sluggers

Our shared garden is such a sweet space. We have herbs, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers and much more!
It's so nice to step outside and garden with our neighbors (Mike) and/or just hang out and enjoy the yard (Mel).
When sharing a garden... it is best to contribute a little or poke around in the leaves to look like you are contributing... or you could find intruders -like I did last week!
I found slugs- slimy, gooey, slugs!
This is a slug.

This is what slug snacking looks like!
Slugs love spinach!They eat their broccoli.

And snack on mint for fresh breath!

We couldn't let this feast go on much longer. So we took action and googled it!
Slugs come out and eat at night, they are attracted to beer and corn meal so for the first few nights we set traps! Cups of beer and piles of corn meal. Except... our traps were not that great and instead of dead slugs we had fat, drunk, happy "hugging" (trying to keep the blog G-rated) slugs that were making more slugs!
Our next line of defense- slug hunting!
(note: this contains some graphic slug slaughtering... viewer discretion is advised!)Around midnight, last night we filled a bowl full of salt (slugs dissolve in salt), got out our slug collecting sticks and flashlights and went to work.
It was like a slug street party in the garden. They were EVERYWHERE!!
I have never visited a garden at night. There is so much going on! Did you know flies rest at night much like we sleep? Well they do, and I found where many of them do it... on leaves in the garden.
We also found worms "hugging", tons of centipedes, and other creepy crawlies!
Our next step is to buy some Slug-O to fend off the slugs... but until then each night around midnight we will continue to slug the very hungry slugs.

see.paper.bag.pop!

One of my favorite memories as a kid consists of my mom, a basket of fluffy clean laundry, coca colas, buttery popcorn and Oprah. My mom and I would enjoy this delicious snack while watching Oprah and since then, snackin' on popcorn always brings back pleasant thoughts.A few years back, I started making popcorn at home. The good ol' fashion way. On the stove, hot oil, pop corn, and melted butter. It is SO tasty that way and you decide how much salt and butter to put on the popcorn! This is a fun way to make popcorn except some nights, you just want to throw a bag into the microwave and 2:00 mins later have hot delicious popcorn ready to be snacked on.
This was my dilemma until: my moment of eavesdropping enlightenment!!
While in Columbus, I visited a craft fair. The Columbus Etsy Craft Fair to be exact. While in line for fresh lemonade I overheard 2 ladies talking about brown bag popcorn (this is what craft fair people gossip about by the way).
"It's so easy" she said "you just put the kernels into a brown paper lunch bag, roll up the top and put it in the microwave!"
My mind was literally blown away!

And so we tried it! 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, salt n' pepper, and a little bit of oil or butter for taste (you can also flavor after it has popped)
I like to jazz it up with crushed garlic too!

Put all the ingredients in the bag, and fold the over a few times (be sure to make a nice firm crease)

Set the timer to about 2:00 mins depending on your microwave or just listen for the popping to slow, and the result...

Delicious, fluffy, slightly salty, buttery popcorn!!

Yum!!