and just a little more zucchini

I like to squeeze some scrappy time in on Sunday afternoons. That's just the way it is. Today was my mom's birthday though. So after heading out to the barn, I felt I should clean up some of the filth that's been building up around here before she could come for supper. I managed to get almost everything I wanted done and finished up a few things while Will was reading her a book. Supper was good ... ham, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet corn. But I was lazy with the dessert ... store bought Black Forest Cake. Hey ... if it cuts down on my stress level, I'm all for it. I used to make myself nuts trying to do everything from scratch. I would have two choices of meat, at least two different desserts plus nibblies, etc. I just can't swing it anymore. Too much to do in a day. And everyone still has a full belly of good food so I don't think it matters. But it kind of does to me. I think it's a total woman thing. Or maybe just a me thing. I don't know anymore.

Busy week ahead. Stuff to get caught up on in the barn, a few months of book work to do so I can file my GST return, speech therapy with Paul on Tuesday, Mom's on Wednesday afternoon to help her with a few things, karate with the older boys on Wednesday night, field trip with Will on Thursday. And I've got to squeeze in some scrappy time. I haven't been able to get much of it lately and it's making me crabby.

So a few posts ago, I mentioned my love for zucchini relish. My MIL made a batch a few weeks ago and I've been on a bit of a hot dog binge ever since. I was going to help make another batch, but she had it basically done by the time I got to her house. My only contribution to this relish was grating the zucchini. Can you tell she likes her relish to be very green? This photo is completely untouched. And set beside that beautiful bowl of relish is a chicken dog. I'm not completely sold, but they seem to have a lot less crap in them than my regular Red Hots. Why does bad stuff have to taste so good?



Zucchini Relish

12 cups peeled, chopped zucchini
6 large onions diced
4 large green peppers diced
2 red peppers diced
Mix together. Add 1/3 cup pickling salt and let sit overnight.

Drain and mix well.
In a large pan, mix the following ingredients ...
3 cups white sugar
4 cups white vinegar
3 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp mustard seed
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp tumeric
Add vegetables and boil for 20 minutes.
The last 2 minutes, add 4 drops of green food colouring (I think she added more!)
Put in sterilized jars and seal.