August Already

I hope that you’re having a good Summer so far and staying cool. I was never an air conditioning person but I have become one of late. There are several things to share with you in this post and hopefully, something is of interest or help to you.

I have been redoing my bedroom. You know curtains, etc. I ordered a comforter online and when I got it the color just didn’t go with my walls like I had hoped. It was a Land’s End brand and I scored it at a great price. That led me to decide to get a duvet cover if I could find one in the color I needed. Once I found it and had it in my possession I realized I had never used one before and it might be a real mess putting one on the comforter if I didn’t know the best way to do it. Of course, I consulted Google and came up with this little video from the Rachel Ray Show that was wonderful and worked just as they said it would. I am sharing the video below.

Thanks guys! You made it a breeze and now I am so happy with my teal duvet and batik curtains!

Product Reviews

I present to you, Bag Balm! Wikipedia states;

Bag Balm is a salve developed in 1899 to soothe irritation on cows’ udders after milking. It is used as a treatment for chapped and irritated skin on humans and can be found in places such as drugstores, ski resorts, online vendors, and needlework stores, in addition to farm and feed stores.

There were certain things that my Mom always kept in the house. She had worked in a drug store for several years and saw fit to keep in stock some tried and true items. Just as Wikipedia states it was developed for cows’ udders but is extremely healing. I am using some right now on a spot that I scraped the skin off. It really works well! A little dab of that and a bandage and there you go! I bought my recent can at Tractor Supply. Walmart carries it for under $8. If you decide to pick some up, you won’t be disappointed.

Another item that I always keep around and is extremely handy in hot weather is Anti Monkey Butt Powder. It is amazing for all those areas that you like to keep dry! I buy the container for women but they have a full line of product. Trust me! This is a must have in the Summer!

How many of you have heard of or maybe have around a bottle of Witch Hazel? Maybe you have it and you don’t know why. Maybe Mom gave it to you and it has set there in the cupboard for years. Maybe it is time to pull it out and set it to work. It comes from the Witch Hazel plant, is very inexpensive and very useful. There are so many different uses for it that I had to just cherry pick some to share. Let me know if you know any other tricks for this product and if you try it.

• mild disinfectant (not strong enough for Covid germs) that can be used to clean wounds
• treats diaper rash and body acne
• will ease the discomfort of bug bites, dry skin, razor burn and varicose veins
• it is a mild astringent which can be used on your face and will shrink puffy eyes
• you can clean your dog or cats ears with witch hazel
• it will clean delicate jewelry
• you can use it to fade bruises more quickly
• finally, due to its astringent powers you can make your own version of Tuck’s Pads at home on the cheap

There are many different brands and you can even find it at the dollar stores. The above picture is of my bottle.

Recipes

At this time i am featuring recipes using zucchini since they are so plentiful at this time of year. I have made all three of the following recipes. Of course, I have so much zucchini that I still have grated and frozen a lot to be used later for baking and soups. I measured the grated zucchini into 1 and 2 cup portions for easy use later.

Cheesy Baked Zucchini *homemadeinterest.com

• 40 ounces (approximately) Zucchini, large, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 5 ounces Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• 6 ounces Gruyere Cheese, grated and divided
• 4 ounces Parmesan Cheese, grated and divided

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Prepare zucchini by slicing it and then lightly salting it on both sides. Place the salted zucchini slices on a layer of paper towels and let sit for 15 minutes before flipping and letting sit for another 15 minutes. This will remove the excess water from the zucchini before baking.
• In a baking dish place the prepared zucchini slices in rows one on top of another until the dish is filled. Set dish aside.
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
• Add onion to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften. Then add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Pour the heavy cream into the pan stirring until it begins to bubble.
• Add 2 ounces of Parmesan cheese and 4 ounces of Gruyere cheese to the heavy cream, onions, and garlic. Stir together until the cheese melts.
• Pour the cheese sauce over the zucchini spreading it evenly over the zucchini.
• Cover the casserole dish with foil and place in the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil, top with the remaining Gruyere and Parmesan cheese and bake for 5 minutes more or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the zucchini is tender. 
• Remove from oven and serve.

This was an extremely delicious casserole. The only thing I will do differently next time is that I really didn’t cut my zucchini slices at least a quarter of an inch each. They were too thin and although delicious, it would have been better with thicker pieces.

Zucchini Relish *constantlycooking.com

• 5 – 8 medium zucchini
• 2 – 3 medium onions
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/3 cup (90 mL) coarse kosher salt
• 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) white vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) white sugar
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) each celery & mustard seeds

• Halve 5 of the zucchinis lengthwise and cut into one inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Using a food processor (or you can do this by hand with a sharp knife), chop zucchini into pieces approximately 1/4 inch or smaller in size. Put them in a large bowl or food storage container (capable of holding more than 12 cups / 3 L).
• Use the same technique to prepare the onions, celery and peppers, adding them all to the zucchini. If you’re not yet at the 12 cup / 3L (approximately) mark, chop additional zucchini as needed.
• Sprinkle the vegetables with the coarse salt and stir gently to blend.
• Place a plate on top of the vegetables (it doesn’t have to completely cover them) then weight the plate down with a large glass jar (or a large glass measuring cup) filled with water.
• Let sit overnight so the vegetables will release some of their moisture.
• The next day, drain the vegetables in a sieve or colander and rinse well.
• Prepare your jars by washing well in warm water and placing in an oven that’s been preheated to 220F. Turn the oven off. Place the two parts of the lids of your canning jars in a small pot of water and bring to a boil.
• In a large pot, combine sugar, vinegar, garlic and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the drained vegetables and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. With a ladle and wide-mouth canning funnel, transfer the relish into the sterilized jars. As you fill each one, wipe the rim with a clean, damp cloth then immediately put the hot lid on and tighten the band with your fingers.
• The relish can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 months. For longer term storage, or to store at room temperature, please follow instructions for safe hot water bath processing for high acid foods.

Makes about 12 cups.

I honestly think it tastes just like cucumber relish. Let me know if you give it a try!

Now you know I can’t do zucchini without mentioning zucchini bread! I have been making zucchini bread for years. It all started when my 3 younger kids would be given zucchini by our neighbor. I made bread the first time they brought it home and they loved it so much! After that when our neighbor would give them some they would come home carrying it like a giant prize and proudly tell me that we could now have zucchini bread!

Best Zucchini Bread Ever *afamilyfeast.com

• Butter and flour for preparing baking pans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3½ cups grated zucchini (you can use as few as 2 cups and as much as 4 cups)
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup apple sauce
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and lightly flour two 8”x4” loaf pans.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir gently to combine.
3. Shred zucchini, lightly packing it down as you measure it.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix very well.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients (about 1/3 at a time) mixing as you go – then beat well to fully combine.
6. With a rubber scraper or wooden spoon, stir in shredded zucchini and nuts into the batter and mix well.
7. Pour half of the batter into each prepared pan.
8. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out cleanly. (The bake time will vary depending on how much shredded zucchini you add to the batter.)
9. Remove from the pans and cool on wire racks.

I hope you enjoyed this post and are able to use something that was mentioned. Please leave comments! I really enjoy hearing from readers. Enjoy this wonderful time of year with all the fresh vegetables and fruits and see you next month!