Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Dog Days Of Summer

It's here.  Those summer days that zap you of all of your energy.  The kind of days where you just want to stay inside in the air conditioned house.  The kind where you find yourself looking ahead on the calendar to see just when it is acceptable to begin decorating your house for Fall.  In my case, Fall is my favorite season.  Not that we necessarily get a "true" Fall here where we live in Southern California.  But I love everything that  has to do with Fall.  The warm, rich colors, the smells, pumpkin flavored everything, fires in the fireplace, shorter days, quilting, leaves falling, football season, comfort foods for dinner, sweater and boot season.   You get the idea.  I LOVE Fall.  Somewhere around the first of September, I begin to change things up here in my house. The apples come out first.  The flags change.  Quilts come out, candles burn, etc.
But the triple digits will stay for some time yet.  Warm weather lasts well into October here.  
In my sewing room, I have several projects that await.  I bought a couple of panels at the quilt show last weekend, along with a pattern for Halloween.
Witches Hat Pattern.
A couple yards of Rooster fabric.  These may find their way into my kitchen very soon.
I continue to work on my flower squares.  I laid them out on the table today to try to see how many more I need.
This has really been slow going, but I think I am going to love the end result!
On Saturday, Geeps went up to the lake to fish.  I was going to go too, but I just couldn't pull myself out of bed at 5:30 that morning.  I was going to drive up later, but then decided not to.  He had the best day of fishing that he has had to date this summer.  He and his buddy Ron caught 12 nice sized trout.  He brought a couple of them home to cook.  I am not a big fan of fish.  I eat it in restaurants, or if it is cooked outside, but I can't stand the smell of it cooking!!!  This is because of the time my husband came home from his annual fishing trip to Mexico when I was newly expecting, and set his ice chest full of fish on the kitchen counter, opening it up to show me his catch, and I had to go running to the bathroom due to the smell!  I cannot smell fish to this day!!!!!
One of these looked and tasted a lot like Salmon.
He did all of the cooking.  I only coached a little bit from the sidelines.
  Dusty was hoping for a little bite, I think.  He used a fish fry coating, and dipped it in egg coating, and cooked it in canola oil, leaving the skin on the one side.
Fried to a golden brown.
He and Drew both thought it was delicious!
No placemats....tsk, tsk!   They don't set the table the way that I do!!
Over the weekend, while watching cooking shows, I saw Bobby Deen make frozen yogurt pops.  I thought they looked so good.  I  bought some strawberries and made some of my own today.  I am not sure what all he put in his.
I cut up about a pint of berries.  Added about a scant 1/4 cup of sugar, two tsp or so of vanilla, and about 1/2 cup plain yogurt.
I put it in my Cuisinart, and then added the juice of 1/2 a lemon, and one large sliced banana.  (Bobby didn't use banana)
Blend into a thick puree.  Pour into cups to freeze.  I couldn't find the molds for my ice pops to save my life. I did find the handles though.  I used small plastic cups and rested the 4 handles that I had on the tops, and used plastic spoons for the rest.
After they had set up a bit, I centered the falling spoons.
Were they good, you ask?  Just ask my grandson Noah.  He had two after school today.
That's all I've got.  Not too much happening here lately.  Just trying to ride out the dog days of summer.
See you soon.
XO  Kris

26 comments:

Jeanna said...

Nice looking fish Kris!

Love your 'fall' fabrics but my favorite is the roosters! I have roosters in my kitchen...I'm sure I could find all kinds of projects to make with that fabric!

Noah looks like one happy fella with his frozen treat. Recipe sounds yummy too.

Hang in there...we can start transitioning to the fall decor soon, even if the temp doesn't!

Gloria Baker said...

ha! O know last days summer and relax, nice, but yiu are thinking in Hallowen? LOL yes the time sgo fast!
Enjoy your summes and lovely days I love all crochet things you make!
xo

Lynne said...

Hi Kris! You have lots of great sewing projects going on. I LOVE fresh caught fried fish. So yummy.
I just received a popsicle mold set from Amazon. Frozen yogurt treats are just perfect in these last days of summer. I started cleaning and getting out the fall decorations yesterday. Planning on putting things out after Labor day. Best time of the year coming up!

Sunny Simple Life said...

I love fish. Any and all fish. I am with you. Wish we got cool crisp fall weather in these parts. I am tired of the house all sealed up and the ac always running. I am making pumpkin fudge for friday night.

Teresa Kasner said...

Hi Kris.. I see you chomping at the bit to get those pumpkins on the porch! I'm with you on waiting until September to start putting some things out. The guys' fish looks yummy.. would be good with fried potatoes and corn! Your pops look yummy. I have news on my blog.. :-) ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Home Meadows said...

The fish look great and the pink one does look like salmon. I hope things cool down for you soon. We've had hotter temps this week, but I can't complain as overall, our summer has been cooler than norm. Can't wait to see your quilting projects, they look like they will be fun to make. Take care, Heather

Tania said...

Haha it seems we are just heading into our warm weather, as you are eagerly awaiting the cooler months. It is going to be quite warm next week, the first week of Spring here in Oz!

I am looking forward to it, but like you, by the end of Summer I have had enough of the endless heat. At least ours is usually a dry heat with little to no humidity.

The fish look very nice, and so do those yummy looking ice blocks! I have just finished a blanket similar to yours, not quite as complicated though. It looks very pretty with the different colours and white!

xx

Dawn said...

I need to get on my Fall decorating too. I am ready for summer to be over and move on to something new. Our leaves are all changing here already. Your fish and yogurt pops look yummy. I love to fish and love to eat it:)

Anonymous said...

We are having a "heat wave" this week and of all times for my garage sale, during the heat. John loves to fish and fry it up and when he told me he sometimes fries it outside I was happy! No fishy smell in the house that way. First tho he needs to go fishin' and catch some :)

Deb~in~Denver said...

Love all of your fabrics! Can't wait to see what you do with them. The fish looks SO good! Trout is one of my favorites! I don't mind cooking fish as long as the heads are cut off! I refuse to cook anything that's looking back at me! Thank goodness we cook most of ours on the grill, can't stand that fishy smell in the house, either! Judging by Noah's face, I think you found a winning recipe for those yogurt pops!

Stay cool!
Deb

Dogwood Lane Rambles said...

I feel Ya ! This time of year I'm so over the summer thing. I don't do well in the heat and long for the cool crisp day of Fall. We've been preparing for winter and in my mind the wood stove is already lit! I too have a Halloween panel out and I'm starting to cut, come on Fall!

Mereknits said...

Kris, I am wit you loving Fall. It is horribly hot here, not triple digits but with the humidity it sure feels like it. I did put my great big grape vine pumpkin out on my table yesterday, but that is it. Love the popsicle idea, I wonder if you could use agave instead of sugar?

Hugs to you,
Meredith

From the Kitchen said...

After a beautifully mild summer, we are now experiencing those "dog days". The ac has been running constantly!! I'm with you in that fall is my favorite season. I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where fall was, and is, very colorful. I missed that living in southern California.

Best,
Bonnie

Kelli said...

I am done with the heat as well...it is hot here again this week..I am so over it.

I love your popsicle idea. I may try to make some today for the kids.

Katie said...

Noah is such a cutie! He is getting so BIG! And, so is DREW! ;))

Pam said...

Fall is my favorite season too! I love everything about it.

The popsicles look tasty - my kids would love them.

Holly said...

I feel the same way about the smell of fish cooking. The house smells like greasy fish for days. Won't do it. Wishing for cooler days here too. I still have some of the candle left that you bought me for my birthday. Love the smell and can't wait until it's "appropriate" to light it. We are going to Tennessee in a couple of weeks, when we get back, I'm decorating for fall, I don't care what the weather is. Miss you girl.

Betsy said...

The fish does look good and I'm sure Geeps had fun catching it. I'm with you though, not too fond of it myself, although I know it's much better for you than a lot of foods that I eat.
Fall. Nope. I'm not ready for it although I've been watching the geese fly south for several weeks now. I detest snow and fall signals that snow is ahead. My favorite season is spring as it heralds in summer!

Have a lovely day my friend.
Betsy

Pammy Sue said...

I'm so looking forward to "fall" here too. We have at least another week of 100-degree-plus temps. Not sure what's coming after that. Probably more of the same. Hard to get in the spirit of fall without some cool, crisp air in the mornings and evenings. Your yogurt pops sound delish!

Nicolle said...

I hear you on the dog days of summer! I'm glad that school has started, to distract me from them a little bit. I am SO ready for fall too. It's my favorite! Hope all is well with you. xo

Astri said...

Love the fish- Yum! and that Noah is the cutest. :-)

priscilla said...

Love your new projects ! The witches hat quilt is really cute ! L-O-V-E the rooster fabric , my kitchen is all roosterized :) Glad your husband caught so many fish .. Have a great weekend !

Patty Antle said...

Noah is so cute! I'm glad he enjoyed his yogurt pops. We eat fish quite a bit. Dan seasons it up and broils it. We like broccoli with it and rice if we're not to lazy to cook it. haha Oh, I love that rooster fabric so...can't wait to see what you do with it!

Susanne Tyree said...

I know a gal who was so into decorating for the seasons, she actually had a timeline. She swore you couldn't start decorating for Fall until Sept. 1st. Her house was gorgeous, inside and out. I do not know when she had the time to clean it but it was always perfect. Your fabrics are just what I can picture you to like, the roosters, the Fall prints, all lovely. I love fish, but could never eat one that still had the head on it, yuck! Around here it was always perch, and it had to be breaded in corn meal with Old Bay seasoning. There was occasional big and small mouth bass and these would be filleted and soaked in milk then breaded. I would make salmon patties but of course that came straight out of the can. I laughed when I read about your aversion to the smell of fish. For me it was the smell was Dawn Dish Soap. That was back in the day when Meadow Lark Lemon, the basket ball player was doing the Burger King Whopper commercial, the one where he had the burgers stacked next to him, up to his head. I wanted to barff....going to the grocery store was a miserable time, it all lasted 3 months, all day.....those pops look yummy, and your little taste tester seems to approve!
(((HUGS))) Susanne :)

Jill said...

Those ice pops look so refreshing! I love making different ones for the girls. You are so talented, beautiful patterns! So I've been behind on visiting again. So crazy busy here, I did manage to get a new post on tonight. :-) Have a great holiday weekend!

Blessings,
Jill

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Hi Kris,
Feeling a bit of Fall fever here at my house. Still warmer than usual, but truly feels like Fall in the mornings. The leaves are starting to turn and I love watching the changes from my family room window. The fishy story made me laugh. Hubby always teases me and says that I like fish only if it doesn't taste fishy. Which is true. I really love it if it's fillet, but have a hard time eating it with the skin on. Yup, no fishy fish for me. lol! Your Halloween panel will make a fun project. Love the flower squares! It will be worth all the hard work when you put it all together.
hugs,
Jann