Are You There?

Hello friends. I haven't been on in a while. Have you? I'm not sure if anyone's out there reading these posts, but I'll get back on schedule and post, post, post!

I made a new recipe the other day using fresh corn from the garden. I made "corn & sausage chowder". Oh yum! I tried to make it low-fat but mistakenly purchased the full-fat version of half & half (which in itself is better than getting the full-fat version of heavy whipping cream the recipe called for but still, slap it right on my thighs and buttocks with all the fat grams that were in there!). It was sinfully good as all naughty things are. If you'd like the recipe, just pop me a note and I'll pull out the good ol' recipe book I blogged about a few weeks ago (the fresh veggies and fruit one...'member?). Until then, peace. =)

Aaaaggggghhhhh! FRUIT FLIES!

There's nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables right from the garden. It's like Heaven on a plate! But every rose has it's thorn (thank you Bret Michaels): Fruit flies. Yup, I have them all over my house and they're driving me nuts! The worst part is that they are not only a nuisance, they can be a health hazard (((shudder))). The rotten little buggers can contaminate food which can make you and your family very ill! Here's some info I found to share with directions to make an economical, homemade trap:

They love bits of rotting food remnants and seem to thrive in even the smallest amount. When fruit flies move in, they just don't want to leave and will lay eggs in and on anything they can find - fruits & vegetables left on the counter, sink drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles & cans, garbage bags, and even mops and rags.

A Few Fun Facts About Fruit Flies:

- Can lay up to 500 eggs at a time

- Their entire lifecycle is complete in about a week

- While considered mainly a pest, they have the potential to contaminate food with dangerous bacteria

We all know that removing the food, getting rid of the garbage & cleaning up plays a big role, but we also know what it's like to move a piece of fruit and have a swarm of fruit flies fill the air only to escape your attempts at killing them. Where are they gonna go? Obviously the ones flying around can't be easily captured or killed, so they'll linger about until they find some other place to lay eggs and the whole cycle starts again.

The best way to capture and remove the ones that escape is to create a simple trap using a jar, plastic wrap and a piece of food. Here's how it works:

1. Get a small jar you don't plan on using again ( like a baby food jar or something similar ) and wash it out well. Make sure it is not a jar with a funky smell such as a used pickle jar or anything that use to have strong spices. You want a clean, odorless jar.

2. Take a chunk of banana and place inside the jar. This is why you want a clean, odorless jar - so that the banana smell won't be overpowered by other not-so-tempting smells. Banana seems to work the best, but you can experiment.

3. Fit a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar, making sure that it fits tight and well sealed around the edges. Then take a pen or pencil and poke 4 to 5 holes in the plastic, just big enough for a fruit fly to fit into. Once a fruit fly crawls in, it can't get out. You would think they would just fly back out through the holes, but they won't!

4. Place the jar in an area where you have seen the most fruit flies. Depending on the amount of fruit flies you have, you can expect to start seeing the jar fill up within just a few hours. After 24 hours, you will discover just how bad your fruit fly problem is!

This simple, inexpensive & safe method works perfectly and if you don't want the jar on public display, you can always slip it behind the garbage can, in the cupboard or even under the sink (Just don't forget about it!). You will want to empty the jar every 3-4 days before any eggs have a chance to hatch. While adult fruit flies can't easily escape through the holes, their maggots can very easily, and besides that - they are disgusting to see crawling around in the jar. You don't want to see these things crawling on your counter!

Cleaning out the jar shouldn't be a problem. Kill the bugs with bug spray, wash out the jar and start the whole process over again if there are still some fruit flies left to capture.

For bad fruit fly problems, you will want to use this method for a good two weeks to make sure you've captured the majority of fruit flies. You might even want to use a few jars in different places. Before long, your kitchen will be back to normal.

I haven't tried the banana trap but we do use a little jar filled with apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap. I've had these babies out for 2 days and I have at least 100 dead bugs. They fly in and drown. I understand that the fruit flies really love beer (too bad I won't let them have a "happy" death - that would be too nice of me) and love red wine even better. Sorry little pests. If I have red wine in my house, it won't be for YOU to drink!

Don't stop eating fresh fruits and veggies like my husband has suggested (go figure). Just accept the challenge and fight to win! Now I must go clean my counters AGAIN.

Garden-Fresh Recipes

Years ago, my family traveled to Racine, Wisconsin to watch my husband's cousin play college football. Being the down-home, country cook that I am (AND an avid subscriber to Taste of Home Magazine since 1992), I realized that Reiman Publications was in Wisconsin and got out my map! Was it pure luck or fate - I'm not certain - but Greendale was only 20 minutes away! I was certain to schedule some time for that little side trip and BOY was it worth it!

We arrived in Greendale and let me tell you, it is the most adorable little town! We ate lunch in a 50's diner and I felt like Fonzie, Ralph Mouth, Potsy and Richie were gonna come in any second! Great food, great atmosphere and lots of locals there.

Anyhoo, we found the Reiman Visitor's Center and I went (as I once put it accidentally in 1997 [by mixing hog wild and nuts together] and haven't heard the end of it since) hog nuts! I went downstairs into the Taste of Home Outlet store and found pallets of hardcover cookbooks, and the best part was they were 4 for $10! Like the cookbook with the entire year's recipes in it? It sells for $30 individually! I found a bunch of books I didn't have and added to my collection.

But the one book that I'm finding more useful than all the rest at this time of year? Garden-Fresh Recipes. I LOVE IT. It's categorized by veggie/fruit and the recipes are divine. Today I made a dinner that I like to call "Old Country Buffet" because there really was no theme and it was a wonderful hodge-podge based on the produce from the garden.

First, I had 2 ears of fresh, organic corn grown at my parent's farm that was cooked but we didn't eat last night. I shaved it off the cob and just KNEW I'd find a recipe to use it in. And that I did - Corn Balls! SO easy and a nice change-of-pace side dish. Next time I would serve them with turkey instead of the chicken dish I created (that's another story!) because the first thing out of my son's mouth was, "This reminds me of Thanksgiving!" It's a mixture of sauteed onions & celery, stuffing, corn, eggs, salt & pepper. Mix it up, ball it, bake it and it's super tasty and good, especially with fresh corn! My husband said he'd like to have turkey gravy over the top but I liked the crispy outside and the soft inside. Yum!

The second dish I made was from the Squash & Zucchini chapter, Cheesy Zucchini Saute. More onions, shredded fresh, organic zucchini from the farm, fresh basil I grew on my deck (that made the dish right there!), salt, garlic powder, cheddar cheese, diced fresh, organic tomato and sliced ripe olives. Sounds kind of weird but I will swear on the Bible that these flavors are so tasty and mingled together so nicely! It was one of those dishes that had so many different subtle flavors that taste so good together your tongue will just go into "flavor tasting" shock!

I'll post the recipes here and I hope you'll be able to enjoy the fresh veggies from your garden or local farmer's market in these tasty recipes. Enjoy!

Cheesy Zucchini Saute

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. butter

2 c. coarsely shredded zucchini

2 tsp. minced fresh basil

(or 1/2 tsp. dried)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. diced fresh tomato

2 T. sliced ripe olives

In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until crisp-tender. Stir in zucchini, basil, salt and garlic powder. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Sprinkle with the cheese, tomato and olives. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Served immediately. Yield: 6 servings. * I use EVOO to saute instead of butter and I only sprinkled about 1/4 c. cheese on top to save fat grams and calories. It was divine!

Corn Balls

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. butter

3-1/2 c. herb-seasoned stuffing croutons

3 c. cooked whole kernel corn

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a saucepan, cook onion and celery in butter until tender; set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine croutons, corn, eggs, water, salt, pepper and onion mixture; mix well. Shape into eight to 10 balls. Place in an ungreased shallow baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Yield: 8-10 servings. * Again I use EVOO to saute the veggies and I used some cooked corn AND corn off one cob of uncooked corn. It turned out fabulous! This is a great recipe served with ham, steak, roast beef, turkey - you name it! Next time I make these I think I'll add a little sage sausage to really add the Thanksgiving flavor (my kids are carnivores and love sausage). I love recipes that can be tweaked! =)

My Trip Down Memory Lane

I found some old pictures from 2003 on a cd my husband burned. He had all of our family pictures on his work computer (I don't recommend this) and when he found a new job and realized the computer was going back to the company, he frantically spent almost 24 hours burning pictures to cds! There were a LOT of cds so you can imagine (well, perhaps you can't because you haven't seen my disorganized chaos in the house!) how one slipped through the cracks (or slipped behind some books on the book shelf).

It was a trip down memory lane! Our first family vacation with our 3-year-old and 9-month-old. Were we nuts or what? We went to Cincinnati to Kings Island and spent 2 fun days there before driving to Hilton Head Island for a beautiful week at the ocean. Boy, did these pictures bring back memories...ones that I miss terribly. My little children who depended on me to take care of their every need and did so with such unconditional love (as versus the kids I have now who love me but expect that I be their personal servant and take care of their every need even though they are more than capable!). Ah, those were the days. =)

When I find that I have many pictures with a similar theme and would like to get my album finished lickety-split, I like to use a designer template that I can use as is or modify a bit the way that will accommodate my pictures best. The template I used for the amusement park isFamily Fun Days by StoryRock. It has a simple design, it's fun and worked great for the theme park pics. The beach pics are on a template entitled Sand & Surf by designer Kelly Hann Mize. I liked the simplicity of the pages with subtle pics of shells in the background supporting our ocean theme. I had fun putting these pages together and reliving those sweet, sweet days!

MORE Freebies!

Please be sure to check out our Facebook page...Mary's been finding freebies and is posting the link there! If you haven't yet joined our Facebook "like" group, please be sure to arrow down the right side of the blog and click "like". =) Thank you and see you there!

Mary's Blocked!

I found out recently that Mary doesn't have access to this blog. Tee hee hee! I truly didn't change anything but her password doesn't seem to work any more. SO! She has given me full rights to blog my heart out. And blog I shall! Until my next post...I wish you the best of health and happiness!

My Daughter's 1st Communion Invitation

Think My Memories Suite is just for scrapbook pages? Think again!

I created this invitation in Polaroid's My Memories Suite utilizing an image my business partner, Mary Moseley of Mary Moseley Photography, captured. I threw on the 4x6 guides, played with the opacity slider a smidge and added text. It was fast, easy, and if I DO say so myself, made a most beautiful invitation! I had them printed on pearl paper and it just sparkles. LOVIN' it!

Announcing MORE Than Just A Freebie!

OKAY! I'm so excited STILL I can hardly type fast enough! Here's an exciting, amazing announcement I am thrilled to share with you!

Beginning October 1st, The Memory Boutique will be carrying digital scrapbooking kits, papers and embellishments in OUR online shop! We're so excited that our product cart is filling up with great products for you to use to create some awesome memories for you and your family!

To kick off our new venture, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Legacy Digital Design. Jill Means, Founder and Designer at Legacy, has graciously given us a freebie for you to use! But first, let's get to know Jill:

A couple years ago, I started creating photo books but I was not satisfied with the limitations of the templates provided by the printing companies. I looked into digital scrapbooking products, but I had a very difficult time finding products that reflected my classic, clean style. So I started creating my own. I have a passion for showcasing family heritage, memories and values in my home and creating meaningful gifts for my family and friends. I hope my designs can help you do the same. I love to hear your comments, suggestions, and ideas!

-Jill Means

Founder/Designer

Jill is a wife and a mother of five children. She has been a graphic designer for over 13 years. She graduated in 1997 from Brigham Young University in graphic design. She currently resides in California. Legacy Digital Design will also be adding more designers that share Jill's classic style to provide customers with even more great design. Stay tuned!

SO! For those of you who follow this blog, you will be the first to download this freebie from Legacy Digital Design (our email with this link and announcement will go out later tonight so I hope you feel very special because you are!). We asked Jill Means to select a special freebie for us to share with you and her personal choice to help you get a head start on your holiday cards (because it's never too early to start!) is a wonderful paper pack for the holidays (see the picture of Jill above? Those are the pages you can get!) Grab this freebie up so the holidays will be stress-free (well, that's a total exaggeration but you get the idea)! Simply click here to get your free paper pack. Can you leave a comment to let me know you grabbed it? Thanks a bunch!

August FREEBIE Coming SOON!!

Oh my gosh, have you ever had one of those days where it seems as though all is yuck and yet it turns out being a super-duper, great day? Yup, I'm having one of those now! I just found out what our August freebie will be and I'm so stinkin' excited! (There should be about 10-12 exclamation marks here but I think that looks cheesy so I won't do it...just pretend please =)

Here's the bummer news - I can't say what it is just yet but I PROMISE as SOON as I have the go-ahead, I'll get it posted right here! Eeeeks! I'm excited about this! =) It could be tonight, it could be tomorrow or the next day but I'll hound and hound until I find out for sure. Until the next post...Bwah ha ha ha ha! =)