Crazy Cat Peeking Through a Lace Bandanna

...sunflower. 

 It seemed like overkill to plant a dozen sunflowers in our small garden, but as they began to bloom just as everything else is finishing up, I knew it was a good decision. The few bees in the neighbourhood have been enjoying them as well. I'm told the petals are edible, but with plenty of nasturtiums and violas available it doesn't sound all that tempting. 

This one grew a bit taller, reaching the second floor, and has bloomed since the photo was snapped. Danny can see it from his bedroom window although the flower head is pointed in the other direction. When he was small, I planted a stand of sunflowers outside his bedroom window so he could see all the birds on the farm that came to eat the seeds. I guess that makes it a tradition to plant sunflowers outside his window, though I never suspected we'd have a 20 ft. tall example!

The lemon cucumbers keep coming. They're pleasant, have a thinner peel than traditional cucumbers, and don't have a terribly strong smell. I've been serving them with tomatoes, onion, Greek olives, and a simple oil/vinegar dressing. Sometimes basil gets added if I'm feeling fancy. That's pretty much been my evening meal all week, and I'll miss it when summer is over. 

September means prune plums, and we've already gone through quite a few.  Years ago, I was buying plums and an older woman beside me was doing the same. She said her son's birthday was in September and she always made him plum dumplings. That was a long time ago, but I hope she and her son are still celebrating his birthday with dumplings. I do pie. One for us, and one unbaked and carefully wrapped for the freezer. Holidays can get hectic, and being able to just stick a pre-made pie in the oven is as nice as having plums in the winter months. Recipe is HERE. If you make one for the freezer, omit the crumb topping and do a two-crust pie. 

September's other purple fruit, Concord grapes also make wonderful pie, but seeding them is work! First, the grapes must be slipped from the skins, then heated in a pot, then put through a sieve to remove the seeds. The pulp is then recombined with the skins and baked with sugar and instant tapioca (or cornstarch) to thicken. So, not a quick pie, but as it only gets made once a year when the Concord grapes are in season, it isn't too bad. These grapes aren't true Concords but rather a variety crossed with Thompson (green) grapes. They're pleasant for eating out of hand, which isn't always true of Concords. I wonder if my vines are still producing on the farm? Most years, the pheasants would eat more than I did! This is the grape pie, and yes-I'm still giving my pies sinister faces because, why not?!

You can also puree and freeze the grapes to make a chiffon grape pie at a later time. That recipe may be found HERE.

(old photo).

It isn't all pie around here though (not that there's anything wrong with that). 

This was Fiskebuddig (fish pudding), potato lefse, cranberries, and pickled red cabbage. The fish loaf was simple enough-some ground cod, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, salt and pepper. It gets baked in a pan set in a larger pan of boiling water-almost like making a cheesecake, except cod. The boys loved it, and wondered why I hadn't made it in 10 years( the perks of having a cookery blog to look back at). That's a good question, and I need to remember to revisit old recipes occasionally. You may find the recipe HERE. I was able to adapt if for dairy free using margarine and oat milk. 

These are homemade Runzas (also known as Bierocks). They're minced beef cooked with cabbage and onion, then baked in bread dough. I've successfully made them with soya mince, and according to Danny, there's little difference. They're quick to do as you can cook the filling as the dough rises. All told it is about an hour, which isn't too bad. I made some onion rings to go with them (just like going out for Runzas) which isn't something I do often. The advantage to frying at home is being able to use good oil to cook them. The recipe for the vegetarian version is HERE but you can easily switch it out for beef if you prefer. I also suspect ground chicken or turkey would do well in these, but I haven't tried it. 

Right, enough cooking-let's talk clothes,. Anyone else breaking out vintage gloves to wear in public? I always knew they would be useful, though I wasn't thinking pandemic chic. 

The skirt and top aren't vintage but everything else is. This was a bit more revealing than I'm used to, but somehow at my age it feels less of a big deal. I sincerely doubt anyone is checking out my elderly er...balcony, but if they are, power to them.

I've since re-potted the plants behind the purse and am hoping they will thrive in their newer, larger pots. It only took 6 months of being home to get around to it. 

This dress isn't old, but rather purchased last year at World Market. I no longer have a reason to go there as they can ship me a dozen boxes of PG Tips at a time. I only ever went there for tea, though the clothes were always a temptation and this one was irresistible in the sales. The gold is much brighter in person than the photos suggest. 

Vintage sparkly gold shoes.

And yeah, matching bracelets just because.

Excuse the toilet in the photo-it was 6 AM and I didn't notice. Also didn't notice my slip was just a bit too short. This is what I wore to do the shopping last week. I rarely get to wear my good vintage pieces anymore, so I went ahead and wore this one. I also had matching brown gloves which made for a nice retro look. 

If you've been around this blog long enough you'll remember this dress that is a firm summer wardrobe staple. 

Tiniest straw handbag.

Vintage straw shoes by Qualicraft. The heels are cork. 

I do love a good bit of embroidery. 

More summer favourites though the orange linen jacket creases a little too easily to be practical. I expect a bit with linen, but this is above what I'm willing to put up with. The rayon shirt and trousers always drip dry perfectly. 

The shirt ties at the waist and is intended to be cropped but I'm so short it lands below my waist. 

Yes, those are my legs, and no the photo isn't retouched. I was joking around with someone that it is a pity I can't run on my arms which get decidedly less of a workout. I'm back to my pre-pandemic weekly miles and I was pleased that it only took about a month to get back. What I've lost in motivation, I still kept in endurance.  For an old broad, I do a shit tonne of cardio. The shoes are crappy, but expensive running shoes aren't in my budget at the moment particularly when the running is all indoors. They'd be shit for pavement or trails but acceptable when running like a lab rat on a wheel. Anyway, they were brand new for 5 dollars at Hand-Me-Ups last winter when I never suspected I'd be where I am now. 

Alright, I'm off to pick aphids off my sunflowers. See you later. Stay well!