ORGANIZING

Well, doesn't it?

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 It is nearing the end of a great week for Hmong teenager Sunisa Lee and a not so great week for Novak Djokovic.

If you can not only correctly spell but pronounce every word in that last sentence then you too should win a Gold Medal.

If not, practice, practice, practice.

There's another opportunity in Paris in just three years.

(the crowd grumbles: Oh shut up, Catalyst, and get on with what we all came here for!)

Okay, okay, let the games begin!

All right, word lovers, with that triple twist I'll just lift a glass at the uneven bars and catch a wave out of here.

Now have a great weekend and never, ever, forget to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(Aw, c'mon, guys . . .)

THE CELEBRITY AT HOME

 

I call her the model these days.

She's my step-daughter, the eldest girl of Judy, aka SWMBO.

I think she looks right natural in front of this rental place at a resort in Sedona.

Word is that it's been named the Celebrity House because of all the  celebrities who have stayed there.

This time it's the BRD and a gal friend staying there.

How long before Hollywood will be calling and she'll be one of the celebrities on the list?

P.C.

 My Scot-loving pal, Tommy Terrific, sent this video over from sunny California today and I found it good enough to share.

With apologies to my favorite Scottish pals, "gz and the Pirate."

SQUASHED

 We had a ferocious thunderstorm hit us for a half hour or more the other day.

It just poured.

Reminded me of movies I've seen of rain like that in the jungles.

The squash and gourd vines took a beating and a day or so later Judy went out to check on them.

In so doing, she plucked a couple of squash.

You can see the plant leaves that did not survived the abuse they took.

And the squash were quite small though usable in the kitchen she said.

She sliced them up and sauteed them with some onions and mini-peppers.

They were pretty bland.

But today there's a recipe in my cooking companion, the New York Times, for zucchini.

(Actually there are a plethora of recipes for zucchini, that most plethorous of plants.)

(I don't know if "plethorous" is actually a word but I think if you've ever grown zucchini you get the picture.)

But getting back to the recipe, it calls for sauteeing planks of the zukes, then a quick bath in some brown butter, garlic and rosemary, before serving them with red pepper flakes, coarse sea salt and a spritz of lemon.

Since our summer squash is a relative of zucchini, both the Master Chef and I think that ought to give them some mouth appeal.

I'll let you know.

(p.s. Apparently plethorous was not a real word. 

Until now.

The Great Google found another word for what I meant: plethoric.

Use whichever one you prefer.)

A BAKING TIP

 Picking up from my success with a Cherry Clafoutis recently, I decided to make one with a partial package of blueberries that had been taking up space in the freezer for ages.

By the way, I've gone to the 9 inch square baking dish rather than the glass pie plate because it's deeper and makes the trip from the counter to the oven less hazardous.

But here's the background of today's tip.

I put the bag of blueberries out on some paper towels on the counter to thaw.

And then when I was assembling, I just picked up the bag and poured the contents into the dish.

I hadn't counted on the berries putting out that much liquid and the result was blueberry soup.

But never say mind.

I finished the pudding base with the other ingredients and poured it in on top of the blue morass and sent it into the oven.

Baking for the normally alotted time (45 minutes) seemed to have done the job; a knife inserted into the center came out dry and mostly clear of any crumbs.

But when I sliced a piece from the cooled product it seemed a bit moister than usual for this pastry.

My Chief Taster and Kitchen Expert said it tasted wonderful but she opined that it would have been better to have drained the berries and left the juice out.

So there's your tip for the day - dry those blueberries.

Better yet, use a firmer fruit and save the blueberries for a different recipe.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 It's Full Moon Friday!

Also the final time my friend Phil can celebrate his birthday by saying "I'm seventy- - - -."

How quickly the years have passed.

So for Phil and all other Senior Citizens, here's a diet regimen to help you live on into your "Golden Years".

And those are the jokes, folks.

Now whether it's your birthday or not, endeavor to have an exciting and excellent weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .