Apple cards

I realized a little while ago that I never posted the cards that I made for the last Loonies for Lindor Fundraiser. Sadly,  the amount of work to put on this event just became overwhelming and I have put that chapter to rest. I really enjoyed planning the Event and coming up with a theme. The cards were always so much fun to prepare and motivated me to actually work on some creating. 

So here are the first few in case you were interested....

 

Reading Summary 2023

 I only count up the number of books that I read each year and keep track of the titles.This 

year I read 25 books. I thought I was up from last year but I checked back and I read 24 in 2023. I should probably set my goal based on the year. But next year I would like to try to read 26 books, 1 every 2 weeks.

 

I read most of my book on the Libby library app because I like the lighting when the room lighting may be poor. I am going to try and thin out my physical books as well because they take up too much space. My last book of 2023 was Lessons in Chemistry.

June Swap Card

 We are almost caught up with our monthly cards. Summer is too nice a season to be indoors and lots of vacation and outings take precedence over crafting. I can't remember the name of the company, for sure, I think its Altenew. There are lots of options for the sentiment on the banner and I enjoyed getting my Copics out again.

Keri did this cute stand up card from a Stampin Up kit. Perfect timing for all the summer fun.

Stay tuned for the rest of the summer offerings... Likely in September. lol.

May Swap Card

 We are a little behind but we are sticking with the monthly swap. I borrowed this set from Keri even though I have a number of untouched stamp sets of my own to use. It was too cute... Cerealsly!

Keri made a lovely thinking of you type card, I'm not sure of the brand....

Zucchini Corn Bake

 This year I bought what I thought was yellow zucchini. Then I did a little further research and I think they are actually Crookneck squash. They are a little sweeter and can be used just like regular green zucchini but you need to pick them between 6 and 8 inches otherwise they get tough and have raised bumps on their outer surface. 

I have made zucchini bread with them (delish) and got this most excellent recipe from a friend. Makes a good portion and is very tasty. I have picked 45 so far so I need to keep finding more excellent recipes to try. They are great in a stir fry also.

ZUCCHINI CORN BAKE

3 - 7 to 8 inch market size zucchini 

1 med onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon butter

1 (10oz) pkg frozen corn, defrosted and microwaved for 2 minutes 

1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste 

1 Tablespoon butter, melted 

2 slices of white bread, cut in 3/8 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Wash zucchini; do not peel.  Cut into 1 inch cubes.  Add to a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cook 10 minutes.  Drain.  Sauté the onion in 1 Tablespoon butter till tender.   Combine zucchini, onion, corn, Swiss cheese, eggs ,salt and pepper.  Transfer the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Combine the melted butter with the bread cubes and Parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle on top.  Bake 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

 

Shrimp Scampi

 

This recipe is so simple, it barely needs a recipe but just in case I don't feel like looking it up in the future. I am saving it to the blog for easy access.

Shrimp Scampi

Olive oil/butter

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 1/2 Tbsp minced

Salt/pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine or broth

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped parsley or less dry flakes

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute about 

a minute. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, just

until it turns pink.

2.Pour in wine and add pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Add more butter if needed and lemon juice

3. Serve over rice, pasta, zucchini noodles.

April Swap Card

 So far, so good. Keri and I met again this month and we were both really excited about our cards and we both used die sets.

I used the Spellbinder Pie Perfection set and yes, I had to get most of it! It's going to be fun playing with all the pie combinations and the tin foil pie plate is just too cute. I made a chocolate chip pie and styled my card after something I saw on the Net. I purchased 4 coordinating die sets. 

Keri made a sweet card combining the Lawn Fawn tea cup die and some cute Jolene Boutique bees. Sadly, I used all my bees up for a Loonies for Lindor themed fundraiser.

On to next month. Best get started before golf season starts.