PIE FAIL

Two of the saddest words you can put together : PIE FAIL

But no getting around this one, no whitewashing to be done, this was not a good pie. Not that I started out with all that much hope for it - what it was, was an easy pie. High Summer is the time for some ice box no bake pie, add the crisp sweetness of August watermelon, and what could go wrong ? ( lots )

It was a little pic that floated around facebook all week, to the point that it just had to be tried. I am guessing its roots are way somewhere in the deepest darkest Junior League of some nice Southern town.

WATERMELON PIE

• 1 small box watermelon jello
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 12oz container of cool whip
• 2 cups seedless watermelon
• 1 store bought graham cracker crust

In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool to room temperature. Whisk in whipped topping; fold in watermelon. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. 

To start off with, what is 2 cups of diced watermelon ? The rest is just as easy as it sounds.

The two textures did not meld well, maybe if I left it longer than 2.5 hours. 

 It could possible work, and the theory behind it is pretty sound - do they make blueberry jello ? That would be pretty good - blueberries and lemon zest. This could possibly work, if you just feel that you need to make this, add MUCH more watermelon than I did. Put in just as  much as the mixture will hold. If I ever do it again, Ill double the topping and jello and just add LOTS of melon cubes.

There are some interesting flavor combinations that you could try.

Dinner was just some yummy and again, easy all day crock pot bbq with a salad.

Summer of Rain, Rain, Rain ...

Seemingly every day for the last two weeks plus. Not an all day gully washer, just pop up Summer storms today , but enough to keep everything damp and stop any outside activity. I did manage to get the lawn finished this morning, and Neil was out in it all that he could be. The they say that some dry-ness in coming toward the end of the week.

It does though lead to some very good frog hunting.

dinner

A Kodaless drippy wet back yard , under the shed most of the time

Some country ribs ( which I have decided can mean just about anything, but these were good  ). I just sort of par-boiled/braised them for about an hour in a little water/ cider vinegar and onion , along with some cumin seeds, which Neil decried and put in a request for " some American food  ". Just went on the grill to finish cooking and add some sauce.

The broccoli is so easy and so very good, just quick blanch ( much less than if you were going to eat it right away ) and shock! the stalks - then onto the grill - when they have some marks and a hit of smoke, stick in a ziplock or tupperware that has some olive oil and flavors in it - or just some Italian dressing. Sort of move it around in the oil and let the final cooking be the self made steam....

RIBS

GRILLED BROCCOLI

RICE

FIELD PEAS

Monsters

Like so many hunters and gathers of old, the modern day gardener goes from house to house sniffing , comparing and in our case gloating , while never admitting that is what is going on. I'm sure its been done this way for generations. Today we were off to the annual visit to the intown garden of Charlie and his lovely ( very friendly ) wife. Rare for one to be in the city of Rochester, but it is a very nice garden, as I have reported here for years. I made an almost instant faux pas , but saying that Neil , the Iris Man, had just as many, if not more day lilies that Charlie, the Day Lily guru..... ooops.

\

Neil -n- Charlie

A break in our never ending summer of rain for a bit to go over - open the car door and BOOM, my head just closed down, ( when I say this , I mean my ears sort of just slam shut , and my eyes just go into instant itch mode ) It has been a long time since this happened so tottally and quickly, and that was always with Christmas trees.

We were late in the season visiting giving much more time for the new Christmas Tree : ANY LILIES at all! ( something about me and Christians ? )

This brooding Hydra was , I am not in my hyperbolic Southern voice here, over 10 feet tall, I really wish I could have got Neil to stand by it and take a photo. His head would have been lower than all the red and white drooping blossoms of death, but just getting this close sent me into coughing fits that would have fit easily into La Bohene - AND there were loads of just normal sized ones as well. I made a hasty retreat back to the car and let Neil visit .....
Odd, it really had been such a very long time since something this severe happened to me...But as soon as I am clear , I am just fine.

A FULL ENGLISH

O



Via JMG and an exploding internet  : Oxford University's Out Of The Blue a capella group has earned 3.3M views on their Shakira cover, sales of whichbenefit a British children's hospice.

 Go you little pasty British smart boys!

Daily Koda : the movie ( part 100 )

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN !?!

Yes, it was a surprise.

So much did happen in July, good and bad, that you think I would be happy to see it go, but Summer here in the far north is just so very nice, not that I do not love Fall and Winter - it is just to early to think about it ending . But, August is that - once that first game day egg is deviled and the first pimento cheese eaten it is, and always has been , a rapid slide to the new year.

So, welcome August , and everything after, just stick around for a good while....