Sunday, July 27, 2014

Time Flies!

It's true.  The older you get, the faster time flies!!!  I have heard that all my life, and now I am living it!  I have no idea where time  has gone?  I am so busy, every day, that blogging has just kind of been pushed aside.  I have tried to keep up with what all of my blogging friends are up to.  But with my camera broken, I haven't made the time to sit down and blog much.  My iphone photos are okay, but it is just not the way I am used to blogging.
My garden is at a bit of a resting period now.  I have harvested all of the corn, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard and cabbage and peas.  I have some new seedlings going of lettuces, squash and cucumbers.  My pumpkins are going like gangbusters.  And the tomatoes are coming in like crazy!  I am making roasted sauce, and freezing it about every other day or so.
The aroma is out of this world.  After it cools, I put it in the food processor and pulse til smooth.  Then jar it up, or freeze it, if I am not going to use it right away.
My sauerkraut is done fermenting, and it is gooooood!!!
I rinsed it of the brine, and repacked it in clean mason jars.
We had grilled Brats the other night.  Heaped with krout, and topped with diced avocado.  To die for!

On the side, some diced cantaloupe fresh from the garden.  Wow!  Today, I am making some homemade Thousand Island dressing and we will have grilled Reuben's on the Panini Press.
One night last week, I made a big ol pot of Chili Mac.  My Mom used to make this a lot when we were at Bass Lake, or at the cabin.  And it was such a great comfort food.
I posted this picture on IG and several asked for the recipe.  Well, I don't make it with a recipe, but here is what I do.
Brown up some lean beef, or turkey.  You can also saute some onion and garlic in there too, if you like.  I then added the prepared sauce from my garden.  I used a lot of it.  Probably equivalent to One large jar of pasta sauce, or a jar and a half.  You can obviously make a smaller portion, but I freeze some for later.  I also add a few Tablespoons of tomato paste for richness.  Then a can of black beans, two cans of corn, a large can of black olives, chopped.  I add a good amount of chili powder to the sauce, which is what changes this to Chili Mac.  I cooked a pound of small shell pasta, and added when al dente.  Don't over cook your pasta!  I always reserve some of the water that the past cooks in.  I add a good ladle or so of the water to the sauce.  Top with some shredded cheese of choice, put the lid on to melt cheese, and enjoy with a nice salad and some garlic toast.
We had our granddaughters here for the weekend  recently, so that Mommy and Daddy could go celebrate their 12th anniversary!  We were busy, busy!!  The only photos I got were in the pool.
Erika brought Noah and Linkyn over on Sunday.  Linkyn is Erika's fiance's daughter.  She is one year younger than Noah.  Such a sweetie.  The four kids all get along so well!!!!
Oh my goodness, how I love these kids!!!!!
We have certainly hit those dog days of summer here.  We have had triple digits for several days in a row.  I broke down and bought some of those black out curtain panels and hung them in our family room.  It has made a tremendous difference when that fierce afternoon sun begins to set, and we can now shut out the heat and the glare for watching the telly.
I got a smoking deal on them.  I had a 30% off coupon for Kohl's and these were on sale, from 50.00 dollars a panel, to 11.00 a panel.  I got them for under 10.00 a panel.  If they had three, I would have gotten another one.  But what a difference they make!!
I snapped this of my grandson the other day, one late afternoon while we were inside avoiding the heat of the day.
There is a new place in town called Live From Memphis.  My girlfriend Sue and I went one night to hear a friend of hers sing at open mic night.  She was terrific.  I called my son and told him to come down and check it out.  As it turned out, he was coming from teaching music lessons, and he had his guitar.  So he went up and did a few songs too.
We all went down again the following Monday night for open Mic, and the place was hopping.  There was an amazing band playing, and several other great musicians for the open mic.  Christopher and Breanne came to see Drew sing.  So did Christine's family and a friend of hers.  The place was packed!  Such a fun energy!

If you live in the Corona area, go check out Live From Memphis!!  It is located at the Dos Logos Shopping Center.  Easy to find, as it is right in front.  They have open mic every Monday night.  They do dueling pianos, and something fun every night!  Go check it out.  And try their sidewinders fries!!!  Yum!
Boy is it ever quiet around here this weekend!!!  Our oldest daughter Gennifer, and her family have left for Boise Idaho on vacation to visit her husband Jake's family.  Our middle daughter Erika, is at the river for a few days.  And our son Drew and his girlfriend are away at the cabin for the weekend to celebrate his girlfriend Christine's 25th birthday.  I can't ever remember a time that all three of our kids and their families were all out of town on the same weekend.  Yesterday we went to Sam's for groceries, and then came home and watched movies, (slept) the rest of the afternoon away.  It was heavenly!!!!
I appreciate all of the inquiries as to why I haven't blogged, and where I have been!  I am A okay, and all is well.  Just busy, and finding it a little difficult to blog without my camera!!!  
Have a great day!!!
XO  Kris

19 comments:

Teresa Kasner said...

Hi Kris.. I'm glad you posted.. I wasn't worried about you as I know how busy your summers are with the huge garden and produce to "put up". Sounds like everything is going well there. I enjoyed seeing Drew performing! That sounds like a super fun place to go to. You need a new camera! I highly recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS19, it is only $149 on Amazon. Glad to see you visit my blog! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Gloria Baker said...

Im agree the times fly!
Week after week I feel that!
And you work so much in summer:)
The kids look amazing and happy!
xo

Betsy said...

Hello Kris! It's good to see you back but what with your garden and your family, I wasn't too surprised to not see a post. This one is great though. Well done Drew! How fun for you to hear him "live and onstage!" The grandkids look like they're loving the pool and the sunshine. We have similar curtains hung in our west window in the bedroom. I am very happy with the difference they make in our electric bill! We also like it dark to sleep so it's nice for that too.
Enjoy your beautiful garden. We're just beginning to harvest a few beans and tomatoes. Yum.!
Blessings always,
Betsy

Between Me and You said...

For once, we can complain about our heat though we never reach triple figures, thank goodness, the high doubles are bad enough for me - I'm such a wimp when it gets too hot! Great bargain with your black-outs and glad you're getting some relief with them. Great recipes too - that Chilli Mac will be great as a winter dish. Always lovely to 'see' you Kris. Have a good and hopefully, cooler week! xxx

Home Meadows said...

I'm missed your blog posts, but understand how busy life can be. Your homemade sauce looks and sounds great. I made chili mac this past week too! My grandmother used to make it and called it goulash, I make it can call it mexi-mac (I don't add the beans). Take care and stay cool, I don't envy the triple digit temps. Heather

Amy at love made my home said...

I hope that you can get the camera situation sorted out soon, because it is annoying having things like that not how you want them isn't it. Your pictures look great though, and it is nice to hear from you! Your roasted tomato sauce sounds delicious!! xx

Mereknits said...

Glad your summer is going well Kris, and I bet Drew was amazing when he performed. I have trouble now commenting back to comments on my blog. I feel like I have lost touch with you as I can not comment on your comment to me if that makes any sense at all! Hugs to you dear Kris,
Meredith

Gracie Saylor said...

Loved catching up on your latest, Kris :) Just today some friends after church were sitting around talking about the time flying by faster the older you get! One said that when we are younger we have less to remember, but the older we get the more we have to remember so time seems shorter. Interesting :) I am so glad you were able to enjoy Drew's performances and that you and your hubby are having a restful weekend. [ Your cooking looks sooooo yummy :)] xx

The Tuscan Home said...

Hi Kris,
Summer at your place looks like so much fun! The food, well, it looks amazing as always! Such adorable kiddos, too! Yes, summer goes by way too fast, especially when you're having fun. :) xo, Liz

Dawn said...

I agree time is flying these day. I can't believe my kids are now grown :( I love following you on IG to keep up. I guess I missed the post of a broken camera, what happend?

Holly said...

I just can't believe how much you get done in a day, every day! Love that nothing in your garden is going to waste. Wish I could go hear Drew sing. Miss you!

Debbie said...

It was good to catch up a bit with you Kris. Glad to hear your busy as usual with that WONDERFUL garden. Many yummy looking dishes here. Yep, time flys alright. We are already almost into August. How can that be? LOVE LOVE LOVE that picture of Noah with your dog laying on the floor there. Just so sweet. Enjoy your week!

Deb~in~Denver said...

Yes, time flies by! I can't believe summer is quickly coming to an end. Kids will be back in school in about 3 weeks. Your sauce looks SO good, I can't wait for our tomatoes to ripen! Your gardens are finishing up and ours haven't produced much of anything, yet!

How fun to watch Drew perform, live! Sounds like a fun place.

Hope you enjoyed your quiet time, you don't get that very often!

podso said...

You look busy. All good things!

Pam said...

I was wondering where you were... glad all is okay. It sounds like your summer is as busy as ours is. xoxo

Susanne Tyree said...

It is a little hard to do it all, be all things and yet find a few minutes just for yourself. I know how it is. When my husband had the garden then my entire summer and fall was spent taking care of all the produce. When things get ripe they do not wait for you to be ready to take care of them. In a matter of days the food will spoil and rot and there went an opportunity to do something with it. Besides, all the hard work of planting and tending to it all just went down the drain and it was all for nothing if you don't deal with the stuff. And then making time for family is special too. Those grand kids won't be little for ever and so time spent with them is precious. School will be starting soon. Enough said. Your son has your smile. I can see a lot of you in him. Sounds like fun on open mic Monday. More good times and memories. Hope you have a great week Kris. XOXO
(((HUGS))) Susanne :)

corners of my life said...

You are so busy with such fun "stuff"- I am exhausted just reading all of your adventures.

Andrea at Opulent Cottage said...

Such a simple and yummy-looking recipe for the tomato sauce! So many seem so complicated. We can't grow tomatoes, not enough sun, but our basil is going like gangbusters! A trip to the farmer's market is in my future, and I'm going to try your sauce for sure. It's been so hot here in Dallas too, but we're getting a break in the temps and a little rain. Sure wish I could send you some:/ Love reading your posts, Kris!
xo, Andrea

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

I find myself saying this more as I get older. Why is it that my mouth always waters when I visit your blog? It is because you always have such yummy food posted. I just gained five virtual pounds and I am on a diet!