Pillow Case Skirt

This is something I've been meaning to do for the longest time.

I took a sewing class from a fabric/crafts store and then proceeded to NOT sew anything for a solid 6 months.

But I finally got down to business last weekend and made a skirt from pillowcases!

Taking Recycling to a New Level

We all learned in the first grade that recycling was good for the planet.

Recycle, reduce, reuse....and close the loop!

And I do take my plastics, glass, cardboard and junk mail to the recycling center.  I wash out glass containers and reuse them. I even have plans to build an entire house from recycled materials (I love what Dan Phillips is doing).

Flavor of the Week: Carrot Blueberry Muffins

I managed to save just enough freshly picked blueberries for a batch of Carrot Blueberry Muffins this weekend. Not an easy task might I add (the saving of the blueberries, not the making of the muffins....those were some dang delicious blueberries!)

Picking Blueberries!

Add this to my list of favorite things!

I have been wanting to pick my own blueberries for quite a while now and finally decided to just pick a place and DO IT.

Opting not to drive almost 2 hours to a farm recommended by a friend, I searched pickyourown.org for a closer farm that still had reasonable prices. (Be forewarned, this site belongs in the graphic/web design Hall of Shame. I'm sure one of those exists somewhere.)

I think we did pretty well.....

These beautiful blue orbs came from Golden Bell Blueberry Farm just east of Cool Springs at the corner of Oxford Glen Dr. & Clovercroft Rd.

Fish Tacos

After eating at one of the best Mexican joints in Memphis, I was inspired to create my own summertime fish tacos.

Fish is a great light entree in the sweltering summer heat.

I mean, who really wants steak and potatoes when they're sitting by the pool?

I bought frozen, wild-caught mahi-mahi from Costco. I don't buy fish that's not wild-caught because of the mercury toxicity, antibiotics, hormones and chemicals from pollution found in farmed fish.

Zucchini in Abundance

Summer squash grows like a weed (read: very well) in most people's gardens.

And while I don't have a garden of my own yet, everyone else I know who does grow veggies in their yard shares their excess with me!

So with bags of zucchini (and yellow squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, etc.....), what do I do with it all??

For starters, we have been eating lots of straight up sauteed squash and zucchini.

The Beautiful Truth....About Cancer?

I love documentaries.

And good food.

And I love that I have like-minded friends with whom I can share them!

Last week I was treated to a gourmet meal at Thomas & Jeanette's house.

Summer Pasta Salad

Apparently I have yet to outgrow Highlights magazine.

I know what you're thinking.....

"Yeah, I used to read that too!!

"Then I turned 5."

The magazine showed up in the mail at my office one day (why? still not sure....)

I let nostalgia take over as I thumbed through it, harking back to my second grade days when I would search for the differences between two similar pictures (I mean, come on, those things were tricky!)

Then my eye caught the very last page. A creamy pasta salad. Complete with instructional pictures of a Dad and his sweet son (using a plastic knife to cut tomatoes, mind you. Safety first.)

So with a few modifications (and a grown-up knife), I created a tasty Highlights pasta salad.

Attack of the Fruit Flies

Last weekend's canoeing trip on the Buffalo River meant that our friends took us to the Amish farms right down the road. We came home laden with fresh, local honey, cantaloupes, bell peppers, blackberries, green beans and potatoes (!)

Unfortunately, the fruit flies decided to stow away and make a new home in our kitchen.

Were they not happy on the farm?

There are a few words that come to mind when I think about the swarms of those little creatures flying around in my apartment......