Blame it on the Rain that keeps fallin’ fallin’

Ahhhh.  Hello my beautiful sunny iris.

If you squint just right it don’t you think it almost looks like that smoking hot orb that used to hang in the sky above this fair land?

Forgive me the sarcasm.

It’s not as if I’m one of those cheery sunshiny types.  I don’t need the sun to make me smile.  I like dreary rainy days that dispense permission to lounge in sweatpants with each thirst-quenching drop.

But enough is enough. I’m getting kind of cranky.

Maybe that has something to do with swim team practices in the cold rain and my inability to differentiate between a character-building, commitment-keeping lesson and being a mean parent.

But never mind a couple of wet, whiny kids, we’ve got strawberries bursting out of their patch–

My favorite flower flax is flexing its, um, floral-ness

And speaking of things that are taking delight in this everlasting deluge, there’s this, er, thing

This unidentified random weed that I neglected and it grew and grew and just when it started towering over me and hungrily licking its chops it burst into lovely light pink blossoms and now it’s not that scary anymore. In fact, I’m renaming it ‘flowering bush’ and inviting it to stay.

This is the garden.

Unfortunately, that big bare spot to the south represents the broccoli, pepper and eggplant sprouts that, like my shivering swimmers, proved not to be fans of icy rain.   But it’s okay, because I’m sure these guys will fit in just fine–

They look so hearty and tough.

And I’ll just bet they don’t complain to their mother even though she’s hardly the one who voluntarily begged to be signed up to swim.

Outside.

In Colorado.

In stupid old unpredictable May.

Eggplant layers

I am a new lover of eggplant. I never could stand the stuff growing up, but I tried this yummy appetizer at Grandma’s house and came home determined to replicate it. I think I came pretty close. It would work sliced small as an appetizer, but I served it in big pieces for dinner.

Ingredients:

  • Eggplant, peeled and sliced thin
  • Summer squash, sliced thin (optional)
  • Fresh Mozzarella
  • Sage leaves
  • Tomatoes
  • Roasted red peppers
  • balsamic vinegar
  • small bowl each of milk, flour, and breadcrumbs

To Do:

  1. Dredge the eggplant and squash slices in flour, then milk, then breadcrumbs. Fry briefly on each side and set aside on towel to dry.
  2. Place eggplant and squash in a casserole dish. Layer alternatively with cheese, sage leaves, tomatoes and red peppers.
  3. I drizzle the balsamic on top of the cheese, or on top of the eggplant. Just a splash to kick up the flavor a notch or two, you know, like Emeril would do.
  4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.