Be Grateful #6

yummy white chocolate cream brûlée at Greenhouse Grill before Noises Off

1)  I am thankful it's week six of the semester.  Only ten to go until finals (I believe ;)!  I do enjoy my classes (teaching and students), but as this is only my second semester to teach, it's still rough at times.  Speaking of that, I'm relieved that the quality for my Phoenix class this time around is much higher.
2)  I am happy that we bought a Theatre Squared subscription so we can go to hilarious plays every other month.  Noises Off made my weekend.
3)  I am grateful for the encouragement I find in the Quaker meeting we attend.  We don't get to go as often as we like, but when we do, we are never disappointed in meeting with Friends and with God.
4)  I feel appreciated by my workplace this week.  They honored us part-time folks last Friday with a video and a certificate.  :)
5)  I am so proud of my husband, who was one of two people from our division accepted to an advanced leadership training program.  He's going to keep doing great things!
6)  I am pleased that husby and I got to celebrate our anniversary (third wedding/fourth together) with a low-key celebration.  It was so sweet!
7)  I am ready for the weekend:  Vietnamese home cooking in our home, zoo times in Tulsa, and Florence + the Machine in Kansas City!

Photo a Day in July #8

8.  Lunch

We had lunch with Zach's Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Chuck after Meeting this morning.  Zach and I hadn't seen them since Walker's birthday party back in March--Walker is their grandson--so visiting them was long overdue.  We had ham and roast beef sandwiches (I had Grey Poupon on mine because I'm sophisticated, according to Chuck *lol*) with chips, potato salad, pickles, watermelon, cantaloupe, vanilla ice cream, peaches, and pecan sandies.  I really should have taken a picture of the dessert because it was delish!  Jeannie took a cookie, topped it with some Yarnell's ice cream, and spooned some peaches over it.  Ahhh, I had forgotten how good Yarnell's vanilla is; I'm so glad they are back in business!

Next Sunday, we have plans to go out there again since Zach's cousin Camille will be in from NYC!

If you can, please say a prayer for Jeannie (who was diagnosed with cancer sometime ago and her markers were down from 700 to 200, but now they are back up to 400 with new cancer cells in the fatty tissue right below her bust--she thought she had an ulcer).  Please also pray for her best friend Jetty, who was diagnosed after Easter with melanoma that had metastasized in her brain and a lung.  Unfortunately, unlike Jeannie, Jetty has gone down very fast (she can't walk or talk right now) though the doctors say she will beat the cancer.  These two ladies are just wonderful, and we were so blessed to get to know them better when we stayed with Chuck and Jeannie while we were looking to move after Zach got his job.  It breaks my heart that they are going through these things, but I know prayer can do impossible things!

H is for HONEYDEW

This weekend, I really wanted to make a fruit salad because I have been craving fruit like crazy since summer is right around the corner.  However, since we are going out of town to Fort Smith to visit Zach's best friend Kevin and his wife Bree for Memorial Day right after Meeting tomorrow,  we won't be able to transport it in the heat without tons of ice and such.  Zach suggested I just make it at their house, but their apartment has a tiny kitchen, and I hate crowding someone's kitchen with my dish when they are hosting dinner.  As such, we decided to bring a surprise dessert (but more on that later this week!).

We still bought some fruit to munch on until we leave, including our first honeydew of the year!  Zach thumped on one, thought it sounded hollow enough, felt dense, and swooped it up.  :)  I was too tired to recall how to pick out a melon, so I let him do it, and I think he did a great job!

When picking out a honeydew, you want to look for one that is yellower than paler.  Feel the stem end and see it gives a bit when you push.  Try the opposite end as well.  Thump to see if the melon sounds hollow.  Then compare it with a similarly sized melon to see if it is fairly dense.  You can also shake it to see if you hear seeds moving around; it's good if you do.  (I have bad hearing, so this doesn't work for me.)  Finally, sniff the stem end for a melony smell--one that is not too strong.  If all of these things line up, then you probably will have a good, ripened, and sweet honeydew on your hands!  The only thing ours was missing was the melony smell.  :)

Since honeydew is in the same family as cantaloupe, I am assuming it is high in folate, Vitamin A, and potassium, which is very important for your health (though the others are as well).  The thing I love about this melon is its slight honeysuckle flavor.  I served mine cut into larger bite-sized pieces with a dash of lime juice, a sprinkle of salt and sugar each, and some mint leaves.  It was very delicious and light for breakfast!