Easy Cold Cucumber Soup

 

Summer heat and humidity makes it hard to turn on the stove and heat up the house. Today’s recipe is perfect for hot August days, but is easy and tasty enough for any day. Cold cucumber soup is a quick-to-make, refreshing, and flavorful cold soup. and it helps use all those fresh cucumbers from the garden. Perfect to serve as an appetizer, side dish, or for a light, healthy main dish. I’m using Greek yogurt low fat but you can certainly use regular Greek yogurt too. Add lemon juice, minced shallots and fresh herbs and blend. Refrigerate at least 4 hours up to overnight for a wonderful mouthful of cold goodness.

 

 

Cold Cucumber Soup

Use organic when available. Makes 6 servings of 1/2 cup

 

Ingredients

• 2 large English or seedless cucumbers peeled, seeded, sliced
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 lemon juiced (or lime)

Instructions

• In a blender or food processor, add cucumbers, yogurt, shallot, garlic, fresh dill & parsley, lemon juice and ground cumin.
• Puree for 1 minute until smooth
• Taste and adjust seasoning, add salt and white pepper to taste
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until cold
• Optional garnish of sliced cucumbers, fresh herbs
• Serve well chilled

Enjoy!

 

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Rainy Season Plus Craziness in Florida

 

 

The other day I had an appointment first thing in the morning. Upon my return, tiny sprinkles were starting to blow in the wind against me. A heavy rainfall is expected later, but the moist air felt good on my face.  I captured a few photos of the cloudy sky to share today. Although we have blue skies the majority of the time in Florida, it's not always true in the rainy season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Summer in Florida is HOT AND HUMID!

 

 

 Now - Crazy Florida News!! 

 Y'all, there is no round of golf worth getting struck by lightning. Remember what happened in Caddyshack? This photo was taken on July 23rd in Venice, Florida. Eventually a course ranger had to bring them back to the clubhouse. Always be safe! Photo Credit: Kathy P McSteen

 

 Now I am reporting on the evil people do to make more money. Two men thought nesting birds drove customers away. The answer was to try to drive the birds away with toxic mothballs. It boggles the mind that they thought adding toxic chemicals to a sandy beach was acceptable. I hope they get jail time as well as hefty fines:

 

 

 The "Mothball Mystery" has led to two arrests.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Robert Czyszczon, owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel, and Christopher Monroe, owner of Chris' Beachside Bar, were arrested Wednesday following an investigation into hundreds of toxic mothballs that were scattered across St. Pete Beach earlier this year. Investigators allege the mothballs were placed on the beach to deter protected black skimmer birds from nesting there.

FWC says surveillance footage, Walmart purchase records, and other evidence—including text messages obtained during the investigation—helped connect the two men to the case.

They are facing charges that include felony commercial littering and attempting to take or harass a state-threatened species.

If these allegations are true, what a bunch of losers. Protected wildlife deserves better than this, and trying to solve a problem by spreading toxic chemicals on a public beach is unbelievably unbelievable.

First reported by Angie Angers

 

 

Black Skimmers:   Each summer, Black Skimmer colonies return to nest along Florida’s beaches, including St. Pete Beach. Though they come back every year, their nesting locations often shift dramatically from season to season. From May through September, these unique seabirds lay 3–5 eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand. The eggs hatch after 21–25 days, and both parents share the duties of incubating and feeding their chicks.

Photo via St Pete Beach.org

For information about How You Can Help, check out stpetebeach.org

 

 

 

                                  

   

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Ginger Garlic Vegetable Stir Fry

 

Summer means loads of fresh vegetables, and that makes me happy. Today’s recipe is a quick, under-30-minute meal for a meatless night or a great side dish to your grilled meats. There are really no rules about ingredients in my recipe. If you don’t like carrots, leave it out. Not a fan of broccoli, substitute asparagus. As I always say, make this recipe your own. Today I’m using a small head of broccoli, carrots, green beans, red onion, colorful bell peppers, and mushrooms.  A cup of chopped raw broccoli will yield 2.6 grams of protein, while a cup of cooked broccoli contains about 1.9 grams. Broccoli deserves its reputation as a “superfood” because it’s high in fiber, folates, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. Flash sauté them for just a few minutes. Combined with the other ingredients, they make a sassy stir-fried vegan/vegetarian dish. Serve with brown rice or over pasta. For added protein, add 1/2 cup of cooked legumes, raw cashews or walnuts, tofu, or other protein.

  

Group the veggies by the amount of time they take to cook. Start your cooking first with the dense vegetables that take longer to cook, such as, onion and bell pepper. Add the light cookers last, and mushrooms fall in the middle of the sequence. Broccoli placement depends on taste, if you prefer it crisp or softer. Obviously, the softer you want it, the longer it cooks.

 

 

Ginger Garlic Vegetable Stir Fry

Use organic when available. Serves 4

 

Ginger Garlic Vegetable Stir Fry is ready in less than 30 minutes using the freshest summer vegetables. Depending on your additions, it fits most diets: Vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, vegetarian.

 

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 tbsp grated or minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tamari or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• Optional for spicy sauce: 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

Stir Fry

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup halved fresh green beans
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 oz)
• 1/2 cup optional raw nuts, sesame seeds, legumes, or tofu

Instructions

• Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat
• Add onion, carrots, and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes
• Add broccoli and cook for 1 to 2 minutes
• Add mushrooms to the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender
• Add the rest of the vegetables for an additional minute of cooking
• Optional: add nuts, seeds, legumes, or other protein in the middle of the stir-fry depending on the time needed to cook
• Whisk sauce again and pour over vegetables in pan
• Cook until thickened, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes
• Remove from heat
• Serve over steamed brown rice, noodles, or other grain
• Optional garnish with chopped green onions, sesame seeds, or nuts

Enjoy!

 

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Our Neighbor's White Crepe Myrtle

    

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is a genus of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and other parts of Oceania, cultivated in warmer climates around the world. They thrive in full sun (6+ hours daily), well-drained soil, and warm climates (USDA Zones 7–9, with some hardy in 6). They prefer slightly acidic soil and are drought-tolerant once established. They bloom on new wood, making late winter/early spring the best time for pruning. The flowers can be white or pink.

 

 On the side of the parking lot behind my condo building is a wooden fence separating our neighbor's yard. He has a beautiful white crepe myrtle tree in bloom. I had to share some photos taken from our parking lot. Flowers, blue skies, puffy clouds, and beautiful trees are gifts from God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Happy July!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Easy Pineapple & Cucumber Salad

  

 

Sometimes the best things are just plain easy. For a fast and tasty side dish during the summer heat, try an easy Pineapple Cucumber Salad. It works well with a cookout or a sit-down dinner. Spend 5 to 10 minutes to throw it together. Chill it.  Then devour it.

This makes a great lunch or snack too. Yum!  Halve the cucumber lengthwise and slice. Dice the pineapple in cubes. Add cilantro and lime juice with zest. Easy peasy. (If you don’t like to cut up a pineapple, buy it sliced at the grocery store and just cut in smaller pieces.)  Hate cilantro? Drop it and substitute fresh mint for a great flavor.

 

 

 

 

Pineapple Cucumber Salad

Use organic when available; serves 4 to 6

 

Ingredients

• 1 pineapple peeled & chopped (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
• 1 English cucumber halved & sliced
• 2 limes – zest and juice
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro diced
• 1/4 cup Optional fresh mint diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional tomatoes

Instructions

• Combine pineapple, cucumber in bowl
• Mix lime zest & juice, olive oil, and cilantro separately
• Drizzle dressing over salad
• Toss gently
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Chill until served  

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Nature & History at Phillipe Park

 

 

Philippe Park
2525 Philippe Parkway
Safety Harbor, FL 34695

 

 I was going through old photos and discovered these forgotten photos from Philippe Park, Safety Harbor, Florida.  I hope you enjoy this trip from the archives. It is a lovely park in Pinellas County; it's also the oldest park in Pinellas County, Florida.  The land in the park was once part of a large plantation built by Count Odet Philippe, one of the more colorful figures in Pinellas County’s past. Odet was the first non-native, permanent settler on the Pinellas peninsula.  He owned a 160-acre plantation and introduced citrus growing to the area in 1842. (Pinellas County is a peninsula on a peninsula. Fun Fact)

 

 

 

The original inhabitants were a people known as the Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay. The Tocobaga lived in small villages at the northern end of Tampa Bay from 900 to the 1500s.  In approximately 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez, a Spanish explorer, arrived in the Tampa Bay area. He and his men discovered the Tocobaga. Like many other indigenous people, the arrival of Europeans  brought disease and violence to the tribe’s peaceful existence. The Tocobaga were hunters not warriors. As a result, the Tocobaga Indians became extinct within the next 100 years.

 

  

In the park, there is a Temple Mound that was built by the Tocobaga. It is the largest remaining mound in the Tampa Bay region and is listed in the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The mound was made of alternating layers of shell and sand. Remains of posts indicate there was at least one structure on top, possibly used for ceremonial purposes or the chief’s dwelling. Archaeologists believe the ramp led to a “town plaza” at the base of the mound.  For more information, click here.

 

 

The park has 8 shelters, a playground, fishing, a boat ramp, a softball field, and a mile of Tampa Bay shoreline.

 

 

 

 I like sitting and watching the bay. It’s a lovely place to spend some quiet time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Majestic shade trees welcome visitors.

 

 

 

 It’s also a great place to watch a Florida sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One Pot Ham & Veggie Pasta

Today’s recipe, Ham & Veggie Pasta, is a hearty meal but easy to make for busy weeknights. What makes it superb for summer is all the cooking is in one stove top pot. For summer, I suggest you buy a center cut ham steak of about 1 to 2 pounds. 2 cups of chopped ham is approximately 1 pound; you’ll need 2 1/2 cups for 6 servings. When fall and winter comes, use leftovers from your baked ham. I used a defrosted frozen green peas and carrot mix for my veggies, but you could just use green peas or another vegetable.

I like cute bow tie pasta (Farfalle), but you can change up this recipe by using a different pasta shape or switching out Parmesan for another cheese. If you don’t eat pork, substitute bite-sized pieces of other cooked protein. The sauce is based on low sodium chicken broth and half-and-half. Half-and-half comes in variations, including low-fat and fat-free varieties. Regular half-and-half is 10.5% to 12% fat. Low-fat has 50% less fat than regular half-and-half. Fat-free half-and-half has one-tenth the fat of regular half-and-half. I suggest low fat half-and-half to cut fat but retain the creamy flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Pot Ham & Veggie Pasta

Use organic when available. Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cup low-fat half-and-half
• 1/4 cup flour
• 16 oz package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots defrosted
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
• Add onion and ham
• Sauté for about 3 minutes
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
• Stir in Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
• Cook for 2 minutes
• Whisk together chicken broth, half-and-half, and flour in a bowl until smooth
• Pour into the pot of ham mix
• Stir in farfalle pasta, cover, and cook for 15 minutes
• Add peas and carrots
• Cook until pasta is cooked through, about 8 more minutes
• Stir in Parmesan cheese
• Optional garnish with chopped parsley
• Serve immediately with bread and a salad   

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