Labor Day weekend…the official end of summer.
Whether you’re cooking on the grill, attending a parade, or going to your favorite farmer’s market, the conversation inevitably turns to the end of summer.
At the farm:
“How much longer do you think you’ll have tomatoes?”
“Until the first frost.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
Labor Day signals that summer is coming to a close. Swimming pools close, people have their last picnics of summer, and the Fountains of Lights shut down until the next Memorial Day.
T and I went downtown last night to take a last stroll (maybe) along the Great Miami to watch the fountains shoot their arcs of water into the river. We arrived at 8:15, sat in the swings that overlook the river, and then walked along the path to Deeds Point to watch the fountains do their thing at 8:55 with the Dayton skyline in the background.
Wednesdays at the farm are extra busy days. A couple of the guys go to the Amish market to buy new produce for the upcoming week. At Wednesday's end we move the old produce to the "Treasure Corner" (half off the regular prices) to make room for the new produce that comes in that night.
A bunch of red peppers got moved to the Treasure Corner and I couldn't help thinking about what would I do with those. Stuffed peppers? No. Buy a bunch, chop them up and freeze them? No. I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge that needed to be used so why not make a veggie tray and make some kind of a dip. A tangy and spicy dip. Yep!
Come to find out roasted red pepper and feta dip is a Greek dish and its Greek name is Htipiti. I had fun looking at quite a few recipes and taking ingredients from a few of them to create my own. This will be a repeat recipe, especially when the peppers are half off!
4 red peppers, roasted
2 hot banana peppers, roasted
3 cloves of garlic, roasted with olive oil, wrapped in foil, baked at 400 for 20 minutes
1-8 oz. block of feta drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with 1 t. oregano, baked at 400 for 20 minutes
Juice from 1/4 lemon
Put all these ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
The baked feta makes a creamy dip.
During our working years a big part of our identity is defined by our employment. When meeting new people, often the conversation gravitates to the line of work we are in. And then comes retirement and for some a loss of identity, trying to figure out what's next, where do I fit in? Retirement is not the end of our career but hopefully the continuation of our “true” work. It's our time to figure out how to spend this phase of life.
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| Photo: Five Rivers MetroParks |
As August wraps up, a rare super blue moon will shine in tonight's sky.
August 1 already featured a supermoon, but tonight's moon is the second full supermoon of the month which also makes it a blue moon. Tonight's supermoon is the third of four consecutive supermoons in 2023. The fourth will be the Harvest Moon on September 28.
Anyway, so much for astronomy.
Today my daughter celebrates her birthday! She is pregnant with her first child and a little while ago she asked me if I thought she was going to have a boy or a girl. I had just read about this super blue moon happening on her birthday, so my prediction was boy. She and her husband found out a couple weeks ago that their baby is a boy. I'm over-the-moon excited for them and already love this little guy to the moon and back!
Yep. This one hit the nail right smack dab on the head. You can also add butterflies, sunrises and sunsets, and clouds to the photo collection.
