Sunday

Woke up at 7:00 with a slightly aching back. I made a pot of coffee and started working on the Blog. It was a long post and took more time than usual.

I took the soup out of the fridge and warmed it back up. I noticed when I got the coffee out I had half a bag of organic rigatoni, so once it was back to a boil, I added that. Then I added a handful of frozen green peas and about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce (to try and bring out the beef taste). Tried it and yes, that's just about perfect!

I got an email from Amy, letting me know that Melissa and Dave made it okay to North Carolina (thanks, Amy. I was wondering.)

Cleaned up the kitchen and cleaned up myself. I noticed it was almost noon, so I had a bowl of soup for breakfast/lunch. I froze the rest in three separate containers for quick meals this winter.

Made a quick trip to CVS to pick up one of my prescriptions. When I got back, I went back to the mess in the driveway. I hauled six more wheel barrows full of black walnut and leaves to the vacant lot next door. Why? In case the squirrels get hungry this winter, I'll have nuts for them.

Once the driveway was cleaned up, I had intended to pull out all the flowers in the front gardens and get the garden ready for winter, but they still look pretty good, so I'll leave them alone until the frost kills them, I guess (see photos).

So, moving right along, I got out the lawn mower and cut the front grass. Before starting on the back lawn, I took the blower and cleaned off the driveway. I posted some before and after pictures for you.

Now the back lawn. The mower is throwing up dust again, so much so my neighbor flagged me down and asked if I could cut the grass and have the discharge chute pointing AWAY from his yard. His dogs run up and down the fence line, barking, as I pass and he's worried a stick or something might hit them. Seems to me it would be easier to put the dogs in the house until I finish, but in the interest of being a good neighbor, I turned around and cut the grass the other way. I finished up and used the blower to get all the dust and grass off the mower before putting it in the garage. Then I went inside and took another shower to get the dust off of me!

So, cleaned off, it seemed like the perfect time for a nap! I woke up in an hour or so and started dinner. After cutting off the ends, I parboiled the rest of the fresh green beans for 10 minutes. Then I drizzled olive oil and red wine vinegar on them and tossed them with some minced garlic cloves. I put them in a baking dish and set them aside.

I split the butternut squash in half, cleaned out the seeds and put two tablespoons of butter and fresh herbs (oregano, fennel, thyme and rosemary) into each cavity. I popped them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour, adding in the green beans to roast for the last 15 minutes.

I started the charcoal in the grille and came in to make a glaze for the ham steak I thawed out earlier. I used 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of bourbon and a tablespoon of soy sauce, whisked it together and added 3 cloves of garlic, minced. When the grille was ready and the squash was almost done, I grilled the ham steak, liberally applying the glaze.

When it was finished, I took it inside to rest while I mashed the squash up. Put everything together and had a very satisfying Sunday dinner!

I watched my usual Sunday night shows, but fell asleep around 9:30 PM.