Zucchini season....cloudy... 67*

Today from our archives one of our favorite summer recipes...............

Everything season: The time of year (whenever it may be) when you realize EVERYTHING you make needs to have eggs, or milk, or zucchini, or tomatoes, or green beans in it.
 Because you just have  (insert current item here) coming out your ears?
There are lots of "everything" seasons on the farm, but summer is probably best known as 'everything zucchini season' so here's another great use for Zucchini:
Zucchini Blondie's With Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini

Cream together peanut butter, oil, apple sauce, vanilla and sugar. Add flour and baking soda, stir (mixture will be dry and crumbly) add zucchini and continue to stir. mixture will go from very stiff and dry to a thick moist batter as the zucchini is incorporated.
Spread into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350* (until a knife inserted in center comes out clean)

                                            Fudge Frosting
4 Tablespoons butter OR margarine
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1-3 Tablespoons milk

In small sauce pan melt butter, remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. In a large bowl and cocoa mixture to the sugar along with 1 Tablespoon of milk, beat, adding milk as needed to get a smooth spreadable consistency, (you want it thick, but spreadable)
Frost cooled Blondie's. Serve or refrigerate for later

Farm adventures...sunny... hotter..80's

I guess my post Thursday last, was prophetic. Here's more snake pics. While bouncing to the hay barn that night (I wasn't driving) I saw movement in a tree and  I jumped, even though inside the truck. What I thought was a huge snake hanging in the tree turned out to be his skin blowing in a breeze. So I took this picture, and then we carefully got it down so we could measure, and here is that pic. 5 feet long!!!!!  Now that's much bigger than the chicken cage snake, and I hope I don't come across HIM. The tree he used is a Honey Locust, also known as the thorny locust , which has thorns several inches long. That sure wouldn't be my choice for itching!!!!

Five FEET LONG!

Sunday Quotes...........Sunny....80's

And since all this loveliness cannot be Heaven, I know in my heart,it is June.

 --Abba Goold Woolson

              

Frozen Lemon Pie....Sunny and cooler (but still hot!)

With summer upon us, and the busy haying season here, I thought I'd share one of my favorite make-ahead summer desserts with you. Quick and easy to make with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry right now!
Hard to beat a piece of this at the end of a long hot summer day!

Refreshing Lemon Ice pie
1 large can( 12 oz.) evaporated milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup sugar
graham cracker crust

Place milk (Undiluted) in a large bowl and place in the freezer till just beginning to freeze around edges.
Beat with a stand or hand mixer until foamy, add sugar, continue to beat until soft peaks form, add lemon juice and extract, beat just to incorporated and spoon into a prepared graham cracker crust(will be quite high, just pile it in.)
Place immediately into the freezer and freeze for four hours or overnight.
Can be cut and eaten straight from the freezer for a refreshing summer treat!

Farm Adventures....partly cloudy...80's

And to conclude our Then and Now baby pictures here are Threadrick and Patches. They have been getting out of the pen since day 2 and have developed a habit of browsing their neighborhood. When I can't locate them I check Bandit's(the 3 year old wether) pen, that is their favorite place to take a nap. Here they're hurrying to get their share of the hay before I distribute it. These two are going to a sheep farm, to help with brush clearing. I'm happy to learn they will live with predator dogs that will keep them safe.

New born

Since the forecast is for perhaps showers today, I'm gratefully for  a rest from hay making. Wait till Monday when I show you what startled me while putting the last load of hay away last night!

escape artists!

2 months old