Why is it, I always bite off more than I can chew? The blueberries need picking and peaches are in season, so of course I’m on my second basket of those.  Our next door neighbor shared a big bag of his cucumbers with us, as well. The dogs are out of dehydrated pork treats; I had to buy a pork loin for those, and while they are on sale I bought an extra one for us. AND we’re out of ground beef, so I picked up a couple of sale chuck roasts for that.  (If you follow this blog you might remember that I never purchase store ground beef.  You just don’t know where it came from.)  Now, where do I start?

The dog treats take the longest, so I guess that’s as good of a beginning as anything. It takes a while to trim all the fat off a boneless pork loin, then cut it into thin strips and load those into the dehydrator for a 10 hour stint. Why do I bother? Well, Bella has food allergies and can’t have any chicken in any form, not even “animal fats”. Try finding commercial dog treats that fit that bill. I guess she could go treat-less, but what fun is that? Our dogs aren’t spoiled! I guess I’ll save the second piece of pork for next week.  It’s dated out that long.

While I’m working with treats, let me tell you about Hot Garlic Dills. These slightly spicy dill pickles come together in about a week and are the perfect use for those cucumbers that “got away”. You know, the ones that manage to hide in your garden until they are too large and seedy to enjoy as is. After I cut the cukes into spears I trim away the seedy core to produce flawless pickles.  Of course, you can also start with smaller cucumbers and keep the seeds, but just in case…

When ever I’m trimming up pork loins for the dogs, there always nice meaty portions that don’t lend themselves into cutting fat-free strips.   Waste not!  Those chunks go into the meat grinder.  I usually wind up with a good pound of ground pork for meatballs or burgers.  I have my standard recipes for Meatballs and Rib Burgers, but this time I think I’ll try something new. I recently ran across a recipe for Swedish meatballs prepared in the Instant Pot. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I’ll let you know how it goes.

I do have one new summer recipe to share with you: moist and tender Zucchini Meatloaf. You can make it any time of year using grocery store produce, but add this recipe to your arsenal for using the garden’s bounty of this prolific squash. You might even be able to sneak an extra serving of veggies by your picky eaters.

And that second basket of peaches? There are so many options! Michael always enjoys Peach Turnovers. These simple treats call for frozen puff pastry. It doesn’t get much easier than that, so off I go.

Be thankful for what life gives you.