Too much time on my hands

So I was talking to my mother the other day and she was discussing the trials of living in a small town where people think you're crazy. And I'm fairly unsympathetic because a) she chooses to live in said small town, and b) she is crazy. But she was told the other day after admitting that she grows her own sprouts that she has too much time on her hands. And my reaction was, "WHAT?!" They obviously had not ever tried growing sprouts because it takes no time at all. When you're doodling around the sink, you rinse them, morning and evening, and then you are rewarded in a few days with yummy little green sprouts to put on your cheese sandwich. Or whatever, because they are delicious.
I, in contrast, do make things that are beginning to indicate to me that I have too much time on my hands. Like mustard from scratch. Basil-shallot mustard to be exact. To go on my beautiful tomato sandwich. I think this mustard was invented to go on tomato sandwiches...it certainly makes the perfect compliment to a juicy tomato with its basil-y mustard flavor. Unlike sprouts, it does take some time, but it is worth every minute. Here is the recipe, adapted from Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader:
Basil Shallot Mustard
1/4 C. yellow mustard seeds
1/2 C. dry mustard
2/3 C. apple juice
2/3 C. red wine vinegar
1/3 C. water
2-3 Tbsp. minced shallots
3 Tbsp. basil, chopped (I put mine in a glass and use scissors)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. allspice
Grind mustard seeds partially in a spice mill or coffee grinder (not used for coffee). Combine all ingredients in a double boiler and cook over simmering water for about 15 min or until thickened (it will thicken more as it cools). Pour into 4-5 half-pint jars and store in the refrigerator.
The flavors should mingle and ripen for a few days, but I immediately spread mine on my tomato sandwich and it was heavenly. T's eyes rolled back in his head.

Greek honey frozen yogurt

We have had a hectic week with house-sitting that involved a lot of watering (we'll get back to that subject later) and the holiday right smack in the middle of the week. This picture is from the beginning of the week when Sol was still worn out from running madly around my mother's house in the woods. We got to pick blackberries and eat them and feel the cool mountain air. This was especially nice because our air conditioning stopped working!@! It was electrical, not due to the unit itself or the thermostat, which is what we thought it might be and investigated by removing the outside casing, the result of which is shown here. No, it did not help at all to look at the guts of the thermostat, but it was kind of cool anyway. And we needed the distraction as the temperature climbed. But we lucked out and got cooler temps than usual and then it was finally fixed. Oh, and we made Greek honey frozen yogurt. I call it Greek because that's where I discovered how good plain yogurt with honey can be. Our (american) yogurt is not that good, but this still turned out deliciously. The recipe is easy if you have an ice-cream maker, which Tre was generous enough to purchase for me after I pitched a rather child-like fit two months ago. I obviously made some good points though, the main one being that I would make him many wonderful frozen treats, which I have. Here is the
Ridiculously Simple Greek Honey Frozen Yogurt Recipe:
(the name is longer than the recipe!)
1 pint plain yogurt (I used lowfat, but it would be better with CreamTop, or some other whole milk version, I just have tendencies towards migraines when I have cream)
1/4 C. honey (I didn't want it to be too sweet, but this amount is very adjustable to your own liking)
freeze in ice cream maker! Niiiice.

Yellow Squash! and a bulghur salad recipe

We've been getting squash out of the garden for about two weeks now (with the help of much watering during our drought, -13" last I heard), and I'm still at the point where I think I'll never get sick of it. It takes a lot of squash to make me tired of it...I can eat it fried, grilled a million different ways, baked on pizza with lots of basil, and even made into chocolate cake. Oh, and then....pickles!! Squash pickles are so much better than cucumber in my hands, which is good, because I even have trouble growing cucumbers. I know, I shouldn't, but they just seem to die after giving me about 4 mis-shapen little things. Maybe this year will be different--my plants aren't dead yet, so there is still hope. I did get to make a great cracked wheat salad with my first cucumber and some corn (not from my garden, from the freezer). I've been experimenting with more grains since I started working at the local co-op, and I love it!
Here's the rough recipe:
1 C. cracked wheat or bulghur
1 C. boiling water
*combine and let sit until water is absorbed, about an hour
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander (if you grow cilantro, let it flower, seed, and you will never have a shortage again...and mowing the lawn smells wonderful because it self-seeds like crazy!)
2-3 cups frozen corn
4 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar (I put some hot peppers from the garden into a bottle with cider vinegar and use this for anything you want to add spice to)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. veg. oil of your choice, plus a little more if you feel like it
2 green cayenne peppers (I'm pretty sure that's what I planted, but I do have several varieties...feel free to substitute)
small onion, diced
stalk celery diced
medium cucumber, diced
1/2 C. parsley, cilantro, or other green stuff you have on hand
1 C. toasted walnuts, chopped
Mix this all up and let the flavors mingle for a little while, stirring from time to time and taking bites until it is lunch or dinner time!
This salad was so sweet/nutty delicious and refreshing for dinner on the back patio in 80-degree weather. We ate it and didn't take a picture. Sorry.