Simple GAB

In the heat of the summer here the zucchini become quite prolific.  Seems everywhere I turn someone is asking “got any good zucchini recipes?”.  I too was asking that question yesterday when I decided it was time to reduce the amount of zucchini in the veggie drawer (so I could refill with new harvest of course).

I am sure Mr B&W is quite sick of the old standby of Zucchini sauteed in EVOO with garlic and my herb du jour!  I had an idea of what I was in the mood for, a nice baked stuffed zucchini, so I did yet another quick Swagbucks search to see what I could find.  Helps that I also needed to use up some free Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon I had thanks to my participation in the Kraft First Taste program.  So I searched for stuffed zucchini and bacon.

I found this great yet simple recipe on Kayotic Kitchen, a blog from the Netherlands that I had yet to stumble upon. (pretty good BTW, check out her other fab food recipes).  If you want some very Pioneer Woman style recipe posts with a little humor and tons of how to photos check her out!  Here is my slightly altered version of her Zuccini recipe.

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sour cream

¼ to ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp curry powder

½ tomato

1 tsp thyme

2 zucchinis

1 onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 Tblsp fine bread crumbs (optional, I just like ‘em)

cheese

pepper (optional-I left it out as I don’t care for it much at all)

2-3 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon this time)

Directions: Preheat your oven to 400°F

Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp and set aside.

Cook your bacon in a saute pan until slightly crisp. Transfer to a plate covered with paper towel or set on rack to drain.

Dice up the onion, and add that with the minced garlic to your pan with a Tblsp. of  EVOO (or just use bacon grease like I did).  Cook until soft and getting a little bit brown, then add the curry powder. Cook for only about 30 seconds more.  Transfer to a bowl.

While the onions are cooking chop up your zucchini pulp, and dice your tomato.  I tossed the zucchini into the still hot pan just to soften a bit and color the edges.  Toss this and the tomato into the bowl with your onion.

Chop or crumble the bacon into the bowl.  Add the thyme, sour cream and bread crumbs, and mix well.

Place your zucchini boats into a buttered baking dish.  I salted them slightly, then scoop on the stuffing mixture. Top this with the cheese of your choice (I used an Italian blend).

Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.  If you’d like a little more color on top then set under the broiler just until the cheese bubbles and browns.

Let me know if you happen to try out this recipe!

Have any other good Zucchini recipes? I sure could add to my repertoire.

Please post a link if you’ve been blogging about zucchini, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

Do you like Dry Erase boards?

Are you working on a Command Center for your family?

This new product may be just the thing you need!

I recently found out about IdeaPaint™ on the BzzAgent site.  After perusing all the ideas on the IdeaPaint™ site I thought of so many ways to use this product in our home.

The product can used to paint one whole wall, or frame in a small spot, make a design (it comes in several colors), and even can be used to cover a desk or table. Check out the Home Gallery for inspiration, or read their blog.

Other uses are for work or school (painting over existing chalkboards is my fave idea, I mean who likes writing with chalk? )

We’re deciding where to put our IdeaPaint™ project, and will follow up with a review after having a chance to try it out for a bit.  You can buy it online or find it at Lowes.  Want a dry sample? Request one here.

What do you think of the concept of  Idea Paint™?

Where would you use it?

Have you already tried this product?

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for my opinion, nor have I received any complimentary products from IdeaPaint™. My opinion is based solely on what I have read about the product.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

Wow Summer is  really into full swing here, and we have been pretty busy.

The boys made a great summer to do list of all the fun things they want to do or accomplish. We tacked it up to the wall in the kitchen as a constant reminder to fill our days with some fun.  This was a great idea I saw last summer on The Inspired Room, see this post for her list and some inspiration.

A few things on our list:

• See Fireworks  (check)
• Take Swimming lessons  (we’re into that this week)
• Make a bean pole Tee Pee  (it is growing, need pics soon)
• Go to the Beach @ the ocean, not just our lake’s beach   (check)
• Pick Blueberries  (check, but we will be picking more, just like last summer)
• Build new beds from Knock-off Wood (not yet)

Do you have a Summer Fun to-do list?

What is on it?

What have you done so far?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

Spring in New England = Mud Season

A week of rain usually beats a week of snow when it is March, but this time it meant flooding and muddy wet grass.  Everyone is happy the snow is leaving the yard, and the dirt road has no ice, but now it has mud.

Bubba has been itching to get our and ride this present from Santa:

Unfortunately the road is not quite ready for it.

Instead we broke out the bikes!

I noticed Bubba’s knees were a little to close to the handlebars on his little bike with training wheels and thought it was time to move the seat up yet again.  Um, no go, the seat was up to the last notch.  I went to the shed and found one of AJ’s old bikes. It’s a little beat up, and the tires were sadly lacking air, but it is perfect for mud season.

We pumped the tires and Bubba quickly hopped on, apparently unaware there were no training wheels.  He tipped to the side, nearly toppling over  and said “hey this is missing those back wheels”.  I really did not want to go mess with swapping out the training wheels, so I suggested he just try it anyway.

We head out into the road, me dreading this process (recalling the months that it took to work with AJ on this), and proceeded to give it a whirl. Well, two quick ten feet runs and we suddenly were doing this:

And really, the mud is not too bad, but I am not ready to break out that John Deere just yet.

I want to savor this moment for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

.

I have taken the plunge and worked on my Desktop Decluttering, Cleaning & Organizing project!

I am loosely following this week’s missions from Kelly and FlyLady.  Her first step was clean the left of the desk, but the rebel in me started with the right.  Really I did this because I felt this is the side I look to more often, with the mouse, my pens and my coaster for my coffee over there.  Plus it is closer to the doorway so that is where I tend to set things as I come and go.

Here is the unsightly Before shot:

And the spiffy After shot:

Did you realize all those nice little baskets were in there?

.

These  few simple steps will get you on the right track:

1. Remove the items that belong elsewhere and set in a box (or bag) and return them to their proper home later.
2. Go through paper clutter and toss what you can.
3. Sort remaining papers into piles:  important papers which may need action a.s.a.p.,  papers to file, items to read later (maybe things  like magazine clippings).
4. Decide what you really need in front of you,  pare down and organize in a way that will work for you.
5. Go through and dust or clean your desktop, storage containers, keyboard and screen, then admire your new clean space!

Now don’t forget about that box or bag of items to get put back in their proper place!

Once you tackle just a small spot, and admire how good it looks,  it is such motivation to go finish the rest!

Tomorrow I will jump back over to the left side of the computer, then next it will be the shelf above.

Here are a few sites that may appeal to your own sense of Decluttering and Organizing:

Unclutter: Workspace of the Week, you may find inspiration in these organized office spaces

Organized Home:  Cut Clutter or Get Organized

Organizing your way: Home Office or Principles of Organizing, the site is chock full of other great tips as well.

Complete Organizing Solutions: Organizing or Office Solutions

The Inspired Room: Organization , not a how-to but a wonderful showcase of spaces that may inspire you.

.

If you are following along and tackling your own space let me know how it is going, and post a comment or a link if you are blogging about it.

.

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.

YIKES!

My desk is a mess!

Obviously there is work to be done here.

Sometimes I wonder where all this stuff came from…IKEA 2006 catalog, 2 bottles of hand sanitzer, spa hand & nail kit, rechargeable battery plug, those pesky Coke rewards codes,  random photos and artwork, spool of thread, a coffee mug and a Megaman toy figure for eBay, ink cartridge for the printer I no longer have, an obviously unread copy of “Easy Household Tips”, paper, paper and more paper.

Thankfully this week FlyLady is tackling the home office as one of the Zones for cleaning and decluttering!

If you don’t know who FlyLady is, well you may want to go check out her site.

So I am tackling this mess one mission at a time.

After I get it cleaned up, I am working on a new system for organizing all the paper and other stuff that finds its way into my office area.

Stay tuned for more photos, updates and ideas.

Feel free to join me in a little desk cleanup.  The great thing about following FlyLady’s plan is you only have to do a little bit at a time, so as not to get overwhelmed or burnt out. That makes the process a little bit easier to tackle.

With this project you never know what you may find.  I used to have a large wooden desk with one of those big center drawers, and at  the bottom of  that drawer I left this quote  ”Cleaning one’s desk leads to exciting discoveries”.   Gee sometimes just getting to the bottom and seeing that would make me smile because I made some progress.

If you join in and have a blog,  be sure to do a little post on your blog with some before & after photos. Everyone who joins in please  come back to leave a comment, and  mention some wacky or random thing that was your “exciting discovery”.

Ready, set, go!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To leave a reply when on the main page,  and the “Leave a reply” box below is hidden,  just click the green post # count button at the top left of the post.