The Tail End of Summer

I am enjoying the idea that Fall is around the corner. It just happens to be my favorite season. There is something wonderful about each season but Fall stands out to me with the beautiful sights and smells and the end of Summer harvest time. In our neck of the woods a sure sign of Fall is the smell of concord grapes during the harvest which will be starting in a month or so.

Recipes

Graham Cracker Cookies (saltandbaker.com)

I made these for a bakesale since I had graham crumbs that I had purchased out of the discount area in the grocery store. I was very pleased with them as they were large and soft. Similar in texture to the large molasses cookies.

• 1 cup unsalted butter – softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar – packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat, set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and light corn syrup and mix to combine. Use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything gets incorporated.
• Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, portion the dough into round balls. Place 6 balls of dough on a baking sheet. 
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are and tops are just set. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool on pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Zucchini and Summer Squash Casserole (elvolvingtable.com)

Everyone gets overloaded with zucchini this time of year. This recipe turned out very nice and was enjoyed at a picnic I hosted.

• 
  2 lbs. summer squash zucchini and yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch slices
• 2 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 ¼ tsp. salt divided
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese* grated
• ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs gluten-free
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut yellow squash and zucchini into thin, ¼-inch slices.
3. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the zucchini and squash slices. Let sit for 10 minutes and then dab to remove excess moisture with a paper towel.
4. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Alternatively, overlap the zucchini and squash in a row. (See pictures.) You should be able to form 4 rows.**
6. Drizzle olive oil over the zucchini and squash and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. In a small bowl combine Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and garlic powder. Toss to combine and then sprinkle over the zucchini and squash.
8. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
9. Remove foil and turn heat to a High broil. Broil for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until breadcrumb topping starts to turn a golden brown.
10. Serve immediately with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Breakfast Tacos

This is not so much a recipe as me trying to make a copycat of IHOP’s newest menu item.

I used a mix and made pancakes so that when folded they would be the size of a taco shell. I thinned the batter more than directions indicated because I wanted to make them so they would bend but not crack open. Then I scrambled some eggs with cheddar cheese while I was microwaving some turkey bacon. Of course, you can use regular bacon or sausage but turkey was what I had on hand. When the pancakes were warm I gently folded them and lined them up in a pan. My tastetesters built their own breakfast taco and I had syrup for dipping.

Corn Stock

Several posts ago I gave directions on making vegetable stock. This is like that but only with the cobs from corn. I purchased a lot of corn and cut it off the cob to freeze. I put all the cobs in enough water to nicely cover them and brought that to a boil. I then turned the burner down and simmered the corn cobs until the pot smelled very “corny”. Once that started to happen I used a strainer to remove the cobs and then allowed the stock to simmer and cook down some. After it cooled I froze it. The idea of letting it cook down a little allows you to have to freeze a smaller amount and then, if you need to want to, you can just add some water when you use the stock in a recipe.

Crafts

Dollar Tree Ghost

This ghost is made using two bundles of rope from the Dollar Tree. First you cut a half oval for the base of the face out of cardboard. To that you hot glue the rope to the base. about 2/3 of the rope is left hanging off the base. You then unwind the rope to make the bottom of the ghost. I cut eyes and a nose out of black felt but you could use construction paper or anything like that. I made a messy bow and decided my ghost would be a girl. For hanging I fashioned a loop out of some ribbon, glued it to the center back and took a portion of a craft stick and glue that over the ends of the ribbon to secure the loop.

Ghostly Paintings

I went down a rabbit hole on TikTok after my friend, Tanya, told me about the ghost paintings. I decided to try a couple. Keep in mind, I am no artist. First I went to a couple of thrift stores until I could find some pictures, prints or paintings that might be able to be made spooky. I removed them from their frames, cleaned the glass and painted the frames if necessary. Setting those aside, I gathered my acrylic paints and some brushes and gave it a whirl. The first was a photograph that I used traditional Halloween colors to jazz it up and the second was a print where I decided to use pink as the color of choice. Now, the choice of pink is all due to the viral pink ghost blanket that TJMaxx and HomeGoods had that went viral and now you can’t get them anywhere unless it is ebay for over $100. Thanks again to Tanya for making me obsess over pink ghosts. Below are the results of my efforts.

More Pink Ghosties

I used embroider floss to make pink ghosts for a garland. The eyes and noses are drills leftover from my diamond painting which I secured with Mod Podge. I used fishing line to string them on.

I used a metal cutout of a ghost from Dollar Tree and put some pink vinyl on it that I had leftover from a Cricut project. Of course, I removed and then replaced the jute hanger when the vinyl was on. Again, a little ribbon.

Feathers Galore

During our time working at the fair Tanya and I worked on making feathers with yarn. I made several but my favortie is below. Here is the link with instructions on how to do it. It is so simple!

I also tried my hand at making denim flowers which is a different process. I picked up a cheap pair of jeans at a thrift store. The four step picture below is courtesy of Doris Lin.

I cut a feather shape from the seam area or the leg and used a seam ripper to pull strands of fabric from the shape. If you pull them in the direction shown in th picture above you end up with a more whitish leaf. If you pull the threads from the other direction you would get more a blue leaf. The picture of my leaf is below. I want to make a couple of small ones and fashion earrings out of them. Stay tuned………

Window Valance

I wanted a couple of new valances for my windows. I bought some muslin and lace. I cut the muslin into strips and cut same size strips of lace. I tea stained them and just tied them to a tension rod. So simple and so cute!

Life Hacking

• Do you have trouble keeping your hair ties corralled? Use a carbiner from the dollar store.

• Have you ever started to strip a Phillips Head screw and knew you were headed for trouble? A rubberband can be your saving grace here.

The above image is credit winkgo.com

• If you’re trying to fill a bucket from your kitchen sink there’s no need to struggle with holding it up to the faucet. Just shove a pool noodle over the end of your faucet and extend the other end of the noodle to the bucket. The water will flow right through the center of the noodle to the bucket.
• I have always put stones at the bottom of a pot before planting any thing in it to provide for proper drainage. You can cut up old sponges which will retain water and prevent flushing and provide for excess water be kept from rotting the roots of the plant. I think that might be a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!
• Speaking of sponges, they can be used to make your own ice packs economicaly. Just buy a cheap pack of sponges. Soak one in water. Put it in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze it. Cheap and so easy!
• Now, this one is genius! I could have used it when all my kids were home and I had started them doing their own laundry. Just use a dry erase marker to leave notes on the dryer or washer with instructions! Mind blown!
• You can use a lint roller to defuzz your window screens. I already use one to clean my lampshades so I was happy to learn this trick.

Hope you try some ideas or recipes and that the crafts inspire you to be creative. See you next month. Enjoy the end of Summer.