We are officially into the dog days of summer here on the coastal plains of Texas. Rain chances have fled, humidity is high and African dust has settled in, creating some hazy days. Unlike most years, though, we've had rain, so even though we are in the middle of July, things are still blissfully green.
Even the wildflowers are popping out to say hi.
Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus, lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children, two dogs and countless cattle. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining and sometimes adventurous manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com.
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| Don't you just love the clouds after the rain? |
But the hot weather means hillbilly hot tub time.
Yes, it's a trough that we use for relaxing. Something we've done for 20 plus years without a problem. Until recently.
First I caught this cow staring longingly from the other side of the fence.
A couple of days later, I looked out the window to see this.
How rude. Not only his this cow drinking out of my pool, she brought the children. I mean, there's a pond just beyond the trees. (insert rolling eyes) I wonder how she'd like it if I swam in her pond. Stupid cows.
So you've heard me talk about roasted green beans. Or maybe not, since I can't seem to find the recipe. How is it possible that I haven't shared my favorite green bean recipe with you?
Okay, so my favorite way to cook vegetables is to roast them. There's just something about roasting that ignites the flavors of the veggies. Like the other night, I had some broccoli in the fridge that I was planning to use for broccoli salad. Except I was too lazy, but I didn't want to just steam it either. Aha! I'll roast it like I do my green beans, only slightly different. I'll explain that in a minute.
All you do is cut up your broccoli, rinse it, then pat it dry. Spread the dried broccoli onto a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss everything to coat. Place pan into a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly browned. And voila!
Honestly, I could make a meal out of this alone. It's like popcorn. You just can't stop eating it. Cauliflower is good, too. And about those green beans. Trim, rinse and dry them. Then, along with the olive oil, salt and pepper, add a couple slices of uncooked bacon you've cut into bite-size pieces. Toss everything together and bake for 18-20 minutes. Even my boys eat those. And that's saying something.
Now it's your turn. What's your favorite way to fix/eat vegetables? And what are your thoughts on those pesky cows? And what are you doing to beat the summer heat?
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Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus, lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children, two dogs and countless cattle. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining and sometimes adventurous manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com. 
