Paul was up at 4:30 am, ready to drive Chuck and Lisa to the John Wayne Airport. We made it there and back in less than 46 minutes; thank goodness for minimal morning traffic.
Outta my way!
By 5:30 am, I was back in bed, dreaming of a world where mornings start at noon. Finally, we got up at 7:30 am, but I made sure to get my two hours of additional rest – a necessity for all people like us who work hard all day!
By 8:00 am, we were both in the garden working our collective fannies off, and we filled a 100-gallon trash can with three tomato plants. We picked a box of tomatoes, and we are going to make tomato pie.
After two hours of work, we had three tomato plants removed.
We had gigantic beets, so we carefully selected two and will turn them into beet soup later today! Who knew vegetables could be so intimidating? I can’t wait to see how this turns out since they have been in the ground for months!
It was getting hot by 10:30 am, so we ceased our activities in the garden, moved the umbrella over the 91-degree pool, and vegetated for an hour. Talk about relaxing; I was like old Wet Noodle Nelson” from the advertisements of years gone by!
I was sailing along with the breeze.
The day was beautiful, with an expected high of 90 degrees and little humidity.
It was a magnificent day!
Around noon, the cooking bug bit Mary in the tuche, and off we went careening down the kitchen with knives sharp and recipes flying.
The beets felt fabulous after their spa day – all dolled up and ready for their close-up before taking the ultimate plunge into the beet grinder.
Afterwards, they are naked!
Mary had a “SaladMaster” machine from years ago, and we brought it out of retirement and put it into service. It made grinding the beets into child’s play! The machine was first provided to the public five years before Mary was born, and it is still sold today. Heavy-duty stainless steel makes the machine indestructible!
We could grind up bricks with this puppy!
The beets didn’t stand a chance – they were transformed into pieces faster than you can say “beet blast” in just 30 seconds!
Mary started part of the Borscht. Borscht is a sour soup made with meat stock, vegetables, and seasonings, typical in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word borscht is most often associated with the soup’s variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red beetroots as one of the main ingredients, which give the dish its distinctive red color.
Chop, slice, dice and cook!
Everyone in the water; cook and simmer away for about two hours! The flavors were unique, and everything was fresh out of the garden.
We had one slight issue: the eye of newts was missing, so we substituted bats wings.
Beet soup (Borsch)
The Sous Chef at work was slicing, dicing, and cleaning up! I practiced up on my kitchen talk. I can now say “Yes, Mam” in four languages!
Chief prep-cookin action.
Working the magic with the prepared items and into the spice cabinet, she looked for a fresh eye of newt.
Mary provides adult supervision.
We boiled all the tomatoes so the skin would come off quickly, and I prepared about three tons of basil.
Ready for tomato pie filling?
A layer of tomatoes followed by a layer of onions and basil, repeat and repeat. Add cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes with aluminum foil on top. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is golden brown; TOMATO PIE!
Did You Know? The Southern tomato pie is a tomato dish from the Southern United States. It consists of a pie shell with a filling of tomatoes (sometimes with basil or other herbs), covered with a topping of grated cheese mixed with either mayonnaise or a white sauce. It is considered a summer dish when tomatoes are in season.
A sweet version called green tomato pie uses buttered and sugared green tomatoes, with a recipe dating at least as far back as 1877. The taste has been compared to that of green apple pie. The sweet version is less standard than the savory Southern tomato pie.
Layer-by-layer magic: Who has time for one-layer magic anyway?
The onions are fresh and have been drying in the HeShed for a few weeks; they are perfect!
Proper placement is a must!
Oh my, it is excellent served hot or cold!
Right out of the oven.
Once Mary’s cooking light is on, it will take the fire department to put it out. She found some kale from the party, broke it up, tossed it with olive oil and parmesan cheese, and into the oven it went.
Kale chips for dessert!
It was 10:00 PM, and we embarked on a mission to the pool for a late-night soak, armed with a large glass of vino! We went to the fire pit after an hour of unwinding in the warm water. The marshmallows were spared from a fiery fate thanks to our overindulgence in kale chips!
Mary crashed, and I decided to surprise her. I stayed up, cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, and put away everything! She will be tickled in the morning.
12:30 has arrived, and Scout and I headed to bed!
