Wednesday Wackiness-Helpful hints-What I did on my Summer Vacation

mmm-yoso is the name of the blog...written mostly by Kirk and sometimes by Cathy.  Today is a sometimes day, since Kirk is in Peru and all...

Hi.  Since you didn't know me a year ago at this time, we never spent a summer together.  We did, but I barely mentioned it. I took pictures anyhow and thought I'd just pass along some backyard cooking tips at you can use for yourself at home, or for when you have to bring something to an outdoor party.  It isn't like we don't have those out here all year round anyhow.  Then I will appease your voyeuristic tendencies and let you know other things I have eaten this summer.

There is a new Albertsons downtown, on about 12th between Market and G streets.  It is way fancy.  They sell these cheese Kaiser rolls...6 for $1.99...they don't sell these at the Albertsons in Santee.  Makes everything taste better, even a plain cheese sandwich.

So, cooking a burger- push it down/make it a little thinner in the center.  Then when it shrinks down, it becomes level and stays flat and round.  Don't keep flipping it over.  Three times at most.  Be patient.  Always toast the bun, either on the grill or in a fry pan indoors.  It just tastes better.

Potato salad.  As many hard boiled eggs as potatoes. Real mayonnaise. Fresh dill. Salt and white pepper.  (you don't see white pepper when it's mixed in, but you still get that touch of heat/flavor from it.) (We use white pepper in mashed potatoes also-same reason).

  See these three ingredients?

Watermelon, fresh mint, frozen limeade concentrate? Memorize them and then DON'T TELL ANYONE.

Chop the watermelon.  Chop the mint.  Let the limeade thaw.  Don't add water, just pour the thawed concentrate on it all.  Smile when someone asks you what is in it.  If, for some reason, there are leftovers, make some *really nice* smoothies the next day.

Here are some photographs of a pool part we went to this past summer.

My friend, Mrs. T., had it in honor of her dad's birthday.

She made chicken, burgers and hot dogs and we brought the rest and it was a great potluck.

Chips, bowls of home made guacamole, pots of chili, cheese, snacks.  There were fresh fruit places and fresh vegetable plates too.

Cake and Ice cream, of course.  Two cakes, to be more precise.

Mrs. T spent time every day making a pint or two of unique ice creams or sherbets to have to serve with the ice cream.

She used real cookies, peanut butter, candy bars, orange, lemon, and lime juice from fruit  trees in her yard, fresh strawberries and just about everything you could think of.  It made the party just perfect.

One of my dear friends, Mrs. B. has a back yard and and garden filled with miracles.

She gave me these citrus selections from her trees and more than these photographed tomatoes, along with  a  pot of fresh made tomato sauce that I took home and froze into packets. I thought you would enjoy these photos.  The small green ones did eventually turn red, by the way.  Every day I would snack on some and the darkest red tomatoes would be gone, but the next day...there would be more.

Some days this past summer were really hot and I did not want to cook.

We would go to In-N- Out.  This is what we always get.

His is a Double Double with no onions and mine is just a Double (no cheese) with both raw and grilled onions.  Fries.

Then there is Costo .  In San Diego. the eating area is on the outside of the store, making it convenient on hot days. We don't even have to walk inside.

A huge slice of cheese pizza is enough to share. (1.75)

The hot dogs and Polish dogs come with a soft drink for $1.50. I ask for a side of kraut and put deli mustard and onions on mine.  Cheap, easy, plentiful.  No clean up at home.

Finally, a sad commentary into proving I am not much of a Gourmand.

Sometimes I *need* to have Bugles.  WITH Asahi.

and sometimes, just sometimes...oh they brought back Banana Twinkies...this box will last me all year...and the last one will taste as fresh as the first.  I grew up with Banana Twinkies.  That package saying they are "new" is a lie.

I hope all of you have had a nice summer.  It is almost Autumn and time for 'cold weather' meals and baking. I can't wait.   

I'll be back with more interesting blogging tomorrow night.

Comments

[mindless]

Trying to think of some kind of recipe that would use banana twinkies... maybe as a base for an "Elvis" strawberry shortcake?

[nhbilly]

Awesome thanks for sharing your foodie and life adventures make me reminisce on mine.
:-D

[ed (from Yuma)]

Looks good, Cathy.

By real mayo, do you mean homemade?

I do a variation of the watermelon, making a salad with pickled red onions, mint leaves, lime juice, and feta cheese. Don't remember where I got the recipe, but it's very tasty.

[Cathy]

Oh, mindless, no...why mess with the purity of a Twinkie? The artificial banana is enough and seems to take away some of the sweetness...
Hi, Billy-glad to trigger memories for people.
Good Morning, ed! I do make mayo from scratch, but also if I buy, it is whole/real and not "lite" or some variation. Your watermelon salad sounds good...The Mister doesn't like onions, though...but I could try a bit for myself. The limeade concentrate I use makes it all sweet, so the lime juice would lend itself for the more savory salad. I have a bunch of ideas now. Thanks.

[Carol]

Hey Cathy! I like that watermelon limeade salad. I'll have to try that next time for a bbq. Those citrus and tomato mounds look great! Nothing better than homegrown. Thanks for sharing!

[Dan]

Hi Cathy - Going to Costco just for the food. Oh NO!!!! Please, not again, ever. Pretty please?

[Cathy]

Hi Carol! It is so simple to make the watermelon limeade mint stuff, and nobody quite knows all the flavors. I love being mysterious. I kind of liked the photos of the Vitamin D and Lycopene sources.
Hey, Dan...sorry to disillusion you. Usually it is only for a summertime meal when it is so hot out that even cooking at the BBQ is too much. I saw one person at a Costco at lunch with a slice of cheese pizza and he put relish and onions on it. I am not *that* bad.

[Dan]

Great on the watermelon Cath!

For years I've eaten watermelon with tiny sprinkle of sea salt on it and some fresh squeezed lime too. No mint, that's a good one

Even better dissolve as much sea salt as you can in water then pour it off into an old Tabasco or Red Hot bottle. A few shakes of that on the watermelon. Plus good for seasoning lots of food. This has roughly twice as much sodium as typical good quality soy sauce such as Kikkoman. Chinese soy sauce is always fake. Get Kikkoman

[Cathy]

Hey other Dan! Salt on watermelon...oh I am in love. You know I don't crave sweets and I do crave salty and yet I never thought of this one. Now, as for soy...the aisle at 99Ranch has a choice of probably 600 types of soy sauce. I do buy different ones (once I got a mushroom soy and liked it a lot; never saw it again)but I will look at labels from now on. I just saw Kikkoman Ponzu for the first time last week. Thanks for your 'recipe'.

[Dan]

Yeah Cathy this was/is East Coast Dan. Kikkoman is brewed in Wisconsin right in soybean country. Brewed in Japan too. Read the labels on the Chinese soy sauces. Usually carmel and coloring and stuff. Brewed with shortcuts. Kikkoman makes different varieties..... all solid

You can always bring out the sweet on fresh fruit with a tiny bit of salt

[Cathy]

Hi ECD. I knew you were the Point Loma commenter guy, because I have all kinds of magical things I can do behind the guise of Typepad... I just looked at two of the soy sauces in the house and see the HFCS in one and sugar in the other as well as the coloring. Honestly, I have read ingredient labels since the law required them to list ingresdients in order, always fascinated by what was in stuff...Really, that was part of my "dates" with The Mister. I really haven't paid attention to soy sauce before this. I am so embarassed. But, this was my new thing I learned for today, so that is over with :)
Ah, now salt on grapefruit I have always done. My mom always had it that way and it is correct or flavor.