Cucumber Basil Salad and Crafty De-lights

My dear friend, Sandy, showed me how to make darling tea light candles for the gardens. (Vintage jars, sand and wire.) Finally! A crafty-type project that doesn't require skill or patience. Right up my alley.

My BBQ went off without a hitch. At least, I thought so until I looked in the 'frig this a.m. to discover I'd forgotten to serve the super fab cheesy potatoes. I may have to eat those high calorie goodies all by myself. Life can be tough some days but I'll find a way to muddle through.

So nice to take a break since I frittered away the entire week on such ridiculous chores it's kind of embarrassing. 

Moved all the flowers from one garden into another. Finally admitting to myself that cutting corners just doesn't cut it. On one side of the house, I amended the soil and things are hunky dory:

On the other side of the house I thought, "Oh, why bother?" I'm sure you know how this story ends. So, we're starting over and believe you me ~ this time I bothered:

Dedicated 3 mornings trying to reason with the horse. "Let's go in the barn." [me] "I don't wanna go in the barn." [her] "Go in the barn!" "I don't wanna and you can't make me." On the third day, I prevailed. Then she refused to come out of the barn.

So, she's got my number. And, sometimes I feel my daily life is so meaningless...

The Perp:
I was lost. But, now I'm found!

Oh, and I lost the dog.

I had half the county out looking for him. Six hours later he strolled up the driveway wondering what all the fuss was about. Toying with the idea of embedding a GPS tracking device in his brain. Plenty of empty space up there...

So that was my dumb week. On the up side, fancy heirloom tomatoes are ripe for the picking. And, so are cute as a button baby cucumbers.

I didn't grow these, but I picked them. Does that count?

As a grand apology for a blog post containing nothing the slightest bit newsworthy, here's the yummy recipe that got rave reviews at the BBQ!

Cucumber Basil Salad
Start with 2 boxes of couscous, cooked and cooled. Then add a few of your favorites:

• Diced cucumber
• Diced tomatoes (heirlooms, of course.)
• Fresh basil
• Fresh Italian parsley
• Snipped tops of fresh green onions 
• Pine nuts and sunflower seeds
• Squeeze a lemon over this mess and toss a bit.

* The whole process takes about 15 minutes but do like I do... act very harried when the guests arrive and they'll think you've been cooking for hours.

First Harvest @ High Star Organic Farms

Bok Choy, fresh from the High Star Organic Farm greenhouse.

Wednesdays I get to see how the other half lives. By other half I mean coddled organic veggies, safe from high winds and cozy warm inside the High Star greenhouse. It's just not possible to grow such pretty veggies in my own wild and woolly gardens.

I volunteer at this organic farm every Wednesday, where my zen-y chores include weeding ~ small intruders in the raised beds vs. the monstrous weeds that invade my own gardens.

High Star Organic Farm is at higher elevation than my frigid gardens, but it's a sauna inside these greenhouses.

I got roped into this assignment by innocently saying hello to the owner at a horse show about 2 months ago. It was a combination of me never being able to say no, guilt over the fact that Master Gardeners are expected to do community service projects though I never do...

Plus, volunteers get a share of these scrumptious veggies. Like I'm gonna pass that up.

First harvest included these fresh-picked radishes. I don't even like radishes, but they look so pretty I may need to expand my horizons.

Radish rejects go to Jake, our mascot. If he'll eat them, they must be marvy.

Have you ever wondered about the truthfulness of restaurants who claim their oh, so pricey menu items were fresh-picked, from local growers, that very day? In the case of fine dining in my tiny resort town of Park City, Utah, I now know for a fact that is true.

'Cause I picked 'em! And, I gave 'em a bath, too.

Bok Choy & Radish Coleslaw

• 1 head fresh bok choy, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
• 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh, chopped basil
• 1/2 cup chopped green tops of fresh green onions
• 2 tablespoons Litehouse brand light coleslaw dressing

* High Star Organic Farms is a brand new biz located in Kamas, Utah. In about another month they'll be strutting their stuff at the local farmer's markets.

Tuna Haters To Die For Tuna Marinade

Hazel's Zinnias

On Tuesdays, we round up the usual suspects and cook a special dinner. It's not easy. There's the 2 teenagers who prefer every meal be mac 'n cheese. There's a happy little carnivore who thinks bacon in mac 'n cheese might be dee-lish.

And, then there's the pescatarians. Fish lovers.

I hate fish. Truly, madly, deeply hate fish. Now I know what you're thinking... certainly not salmon. Everybody loves salmon.

Indeed they do! I can't begin to count the number of times people have invited me to dinner naturally assuming I would eat salmon.

More of Hazel's Zinnias

'Twas salmon that inspired me to manifest my hatred of fish into a life threatening allergy. You see, if I tell people I don't like fish then they'll still expect me to eat it. "Oh, give it a try," they exclaim. "You'll love MY fish."

But, if I tell them I have an allergy...

I will surely die if I eat your fish...

Then they're lots nicer about the whole situation and typically cook up something truly palatable. Like a steak!

This charade worked out well for many years. Right up until my daughter decided to become a [cringe, shudder] pescatarian. Because she knows the truth about me and my fish allergies. She knows I'm a big, fat liar.

Happy Little Butterflies on Hazel's Zinnias

Last night, just to be nice to Lauren, I grilled tuna. I also made a big vat of potatoes and a (from scratch!) chocolate cake so normal people, like me, wouldn't starve. But then something strange happened. It smelled so delicious that I took a little bite. And, it's killing me to admit this but it wasn't half bad...

Tuna Haters To Die For Tuna Marinade:

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire
• 1/4 cup minced roasted garlic
• 4 tbs. crushed rosemary

Marinate 6 oz. tuna fillets for a couple of hours in this mixture. Grill fillets on very high heat, basting with the marinade. Then feed them to Bad Dog and go buy yourself a cheeseburger.

* Joking about the dog. This is a truly tasty recipe. If I like it, I imagine anyone would. I feel the same way about Hazel's Zinnias.