It's the first weekend in September, which means it is Labor Day weekend, the last official holiday weekend of summer, 2026! So, lets end summer on a delicious note, shall we? It's been a strange summer, as food goes, but it's time to put all the gloom and doom aside, and take a bite of some amazing recipes. I hope you will enjoy the recipes I have come up with! They sound amazing to me.
"Keep your face to the sun and you cannot see the shadows. That's what sunflowers do."
~Helen Keller
Summer is almost gone, but there are still some sunflowers lining Woodbridge road. Funny thing, it's sights like this that have made me come to mourn summer parting, maybe just a little bit.
"What happens to the hole, when the cheese is gone?"
~Bertolt Brecht
Yesterday was a good day. Hubby and I took a little trip to Trader Joe's to grab some comfort foods... mostly cheese, but there were a couple meats and some, Maple Leaf, maple cream cookies on the list as well! We also bought some absolutely gorgeous Heirloom tomatoes. Yes, I am going out on a limb and trying some produce. Earlier in the day we bought some lovely strawberries and bananas at Costco. I was hoping to be able to pick up some V8 but unfortunately, they didn't have any in stock. Boo! I wanted that more than anything else, but I have a lovely lunch planned for later today of some yummy focaccia bread we picked up, with some mortadella and provolone cheese, assorted fruit, Simply Fruit, fruit punch and one of my small cans of V8! Sound good? Just wait until I photograph it!
By the way, Asiago Cheese with Rosemary & Olive oil, is fabulous! I just have to have all the yummy stuff now in moderation. Damn old age, you suck!
"I'm gonna get that gun of mine... and up till now I've been forgiving and forgetting, because that's how I was brought up. But "ill tell you one thing: if you ever say another thing about me, or make another indecent proposal, I'm gonna get that gun of mine and I'm going to change you from a rooster to a hen in one shot."
~Doralee Rhodes ( Dolly Parton )
9 To 5
Two amazing performers left us exactly one week ago today, Dolly Parton and Time Curry. It would be wrong to not make this post a double feature, as both brought so much to the big screen, in two very different directions. My favorite movie that Dolly Parton did was 9 To 5. What a way to make a living! I loved the song, and hummed it often with my pals, boy and girl, when we worked at both the title company and the marketing offices. My pal, Steven, and I, worked at both companies, so it was an especially humorous inside joke that no one else got! Our actual hours were 8:30 to 5:00 but the truth of the story, and of the song, still held true... office workers rarely get the appreciation they deserve!
Dolly, Jane, and Lily brought it to life, as did Dabney Colman as their egotistical chauvinistic, misogynistic boss, and boy did I meet my share of those! And it was perfect! As 1980's movies go this was one of the best. The movie is directed by Colin Higgins, who never made a movie I've hated. Silver Streak, Foul Play, Harold and Maude, and 9 to 5 are all masterpieces! But this one has Dolly Parton in it, and that makes it all the more special! Dolly was a star in her first movie role as, Doralee Rhodes, and her star shined brightly!
9 To 5 Official Video
Stephen King's
"IT"
"I'm every nightmare you've ever had. I'm your worst dream come true. I'm everything you've ever been afraid of."
~ IT
Stephen King's "IT" ( 1990 )
In 1990, network tv introduced one of the scariest movies of all time, Stephen King's, IT. I am sure that you have either seen this version, or the remake that was done in 2017 and It Chapter 2, which was released in 2019. The remakes weren't for me, oh they were fine, but they just didn't scare me the way the original did! Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise was incredible. He brought the evil clown to life, and even if you never had a particular fear of clowns before, this clown would definitely haunt your dreams. He did mine! Tim Curry was such a good actor. Watching him as Pennywise, didn't make you think of Dr. Frank-N-Furter from the, Rocky Horror Picture Show. That's a good thing. Not all actors can shed an iconic roll, to move between movie rolls, but Time Curry did, and he did it brilliantly! Watch, IT, and you'll see the depth of his talent! I still worry about Pennywise showing up one day, having shed, Derry, in search of a new place to call home.
Beep, Beep Ritchie.
"Let go. Be afraid. You taste so much better when you're scared."
It's been a summer of product recalls, well, actually, I've only been watching the product recall lists since the Taylor Farms recall of lettuce, sourced from their Mexico plant, just a month ago. I probably wouldn't be so hypervigilant about all of it, if Taylor Farms hadn't been a major donor of Donald Trump, and the Republican party. I have zero trust for those entities, but I do have trust in Elizabeth Warren, who is raising questions about how things unfolded with the Cyclospora outbreak, and with influence peddling and corruption this administration has engaged in. Hopefully she will continue looking until she gets the answers we all need to feel safe eating healthy foods again! The FDA's food recall list has everything on it from drugs, to dog food, to frozen foods and of course fresh foods. It's hard to know what to eat. I am doing okay, but I sure miss my berries and salads. But, like I said in an earlier post, I am going to start buying locally grown lettuce, rather than bagged prewashed salad mixes. Today I am purchasing a brand new salad spinner from Cuisinart. It looks like this...
... and after that, keeping vigilant and taking that extra time to be sure there is no cross contamination is happening in my own kitchen, after that, that's all I can do. I will give a review on my new Cuisinart gadget soon, because I am planning to start eating my veggies again, my body has been grouchy without them! Tomorrow I have a a field trip planned to visit my local, Trader Joes and Sprouts. I will post soon about that too!
Can you feel it in the air? Is the sun seeming to be a little more yellow and bright? I know, I know, it's still summer, but it has seemed to me that both those things have begun happening out my window, for the last a couple weeks, so there is not doubt in my mind, it's already autumn! I guess pre-season football has also helped me feel, despite fighting a stomach virus, like autumn is here to heal me, just with a wave and a slant of lovely light. The last day of August is almost here, in fact it's tomorrow, so I really don't mean to rush the natural order of things, but this has been a brutal month as far as temperatures go, and I am really looking forward to the temperatures of autumn. Even the days that are hot, bring early, cool nights that require a sweater, or at least a cozy blanket at the end of the bed!
Anyway, autumn is almost here, so enjoy a little preview of what could be.
It's on 65 days to go until the midterm elections. The midterms should be the great healer this year! Here's to Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026!
