Hi Friends. Well, my goodness, it has felt like FOREVER since I shared a blog post and a video with you! It’s just been over a week, but this past week has been bonkers busy for me!
As many of you know, each fall I’m crankin’ the stove and fillin’ my oven with my tried and true dishes for fishin’ visitors from around the world! This is my sixth year cooking for Giant Bluefin Tuna Charters, which is owned and operated by my sister-in-law and her hubby. Their charters are booked right through to October and it’s an experience of a lifetime to go fishing with them (they’ve caught tuna over 800lbs!). Our menu hasn’t changed much over the years, as it seems to make everyone happy! My seafood chowder is the most popular, and I also make lasagne, bangers and mash, steak and ale pie, beef stroganoff, shepherd’s pie, chilli, Cornish pasties and more!
Aside from the tuna charters, I’ve also been busy tending to my garden. Green beans have been frozen and more are ready for canning and pickling. I’ve also frozen tomatoes which I will make into pizza sauce at a later date. I’ve got bowls on the kitchen counter filled with cucumbers and I need to get them made in dills and bread and butter pickles. So far we’ve been eating our new potatoes, but soon I’ll pull out the pressure cooker to can them for the winter. Our garlic is drying nicely in my shed and I’ve got a whack of zucchini to deal with, which is actually a GOOD thing. Personally, I can never have too much zucchini – I LOVE it! I dehydrate it, freeze it, bake with it, make fried zucchini and add it to my salsas and relishes. This year I discovered zucchini ‘butter’ and holey moley, is it ever delicious! Here’s how I made it:
- Chop zucchini into 1/2″ cubes and place in a large pan. *Peeled or unpeeled, it’s up to you. I didn’t peel mine. Add a bit of olive oil and butter and simmer the zucchini on low for about an hour. If desired, toss in a couple of cloves of finely chopped garlic.
- Once zucchini has cooked down and thickened up, season with salt and pepper and herbs of choice (I used rosemary and thyme).
- Let the zucchini ‘butter’ cool and place in fridge and/or freeze in individual portions.
*I used two LARGE zucchini and once cooked down I had about 5-6 cups of the ‘butter’. It’s called butter because you can use it on toast (as you would avocado), or you can toss it with pasta, use it in sandwiches, soups, salad dressings, etc. This stuff is addictive! I’ve been slathering it onto my homemade toasted sourdough bread, then adding fresh sliced tomatoes, a sprinkling of feta cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Heaven. Click here for the original recipe.
Of course, I’m trying to take time to savour and ENJOY this time of year too. I must say, it’s been a very soggy summer. In fact, this has been the wettest summer on record for the Maritimes! Every chance I get to ‘soak in the sunshine’, I’m outdoors, with Rosey and Cooper, rompin’ in the yard and going for dips in the river behind our house.
So there you go – an update and explanation as to why you have been hearing crickets on my blog! Fortunately, I always manage to find time to stamp!
I couldn’t wait to play with the new “All About Autumn Suite” that arrived in my pre-order from Stampin’ Up!
ALL ABOUT AUTUMN SUITE COLLECTION #162193 includes: Autumn Leaves Bundle (stamp set & dies), Adhesive Backed Speckled Dots embellishments, Copper & Natural Ribbon Combo Pack, Destressed Tile 3D Embossing Folder, Oxidized Copper 12″ x 12″ Specialty Designer Series Paper, All About Autumn 6″x 6″ Specialty Designer Series Paper. This AMAZING suite will be available to order on September 6th.
The new mini catalogue is truly incredible! If you’re a current customer of mine you should have received the new catalogue I sent to you earlier this month. If you haven’t gotten your new catalogue – or, if you live in Canada and would like to receive a copy, please let me know (serenestamper@gmail.com).
All of my customers who placed orders with me this month will receive a complimentary card kit in the mail to create four cards, as shown in my video demonstration. Every time I use any kind of ‘leaf’ stamp, I can’t resist pulling out my chalks! Our Soft Pastel Chalks make colouring autumn leaves so quick and easy and I’ve also added an extra twist to this popular technique!
I hope you enjoy these cards, the free PDF tutorial and the fun SNEAK PEEK of products from our upcoming new mini catalogue!
Just a friendly reminder that TODAY is the LAST DAY to redeem any “Bonus Days Coupons” that you may have earned in July. Our 30% off kits sale also ends today.
I can’t wait to share my next project with you! Until then, take care & HAPPY STAMPING!
Can I place an order through you and pay with Etransfer? I live in New Brunswick.
Thank you,
Hi Coreen – I will send you an email!
Thanks for sharing about your garden and the recipe, can’t wait to try it. I’m a city gardener but it’s pretty good size. I live in NE Indiana and it has been super dry this summer. And, of coarse I love the cards, can’t wait to make them!
Thanks so much for your comments! I think you’ll enjoy the recipe…just thinking about it is making my mouth water! I love that you have a garden too! Take care and happy stamping!
What a beautiful collection of cards Tina. All About Autumn Suite is the best!