This week went to the dogs. Our neighbor hurt his back and he has a four month old Huskie puppy with lots of energy. I offered to walk her for him as often as I could which meant twice a day for the better part of the week. She loves to get out with our dogs but is not quite ready to be off leash and do a real run. We have added back into our routine the Morris Trail walk over at Colby-Sawyer College. I used to do it quite a bit before we ran into bear season and then I stopped. I love the trail and am glad to be back on it again. In addition to those couple of walks a day I also did my regular Rail Trail walk with my two dogs. On at least two of the days my total was close to 7 miles and 8 miles. It actually felt really good to be out there so much.

We have had so much rain that all the rivers and streams are bursting at their seams. Thursday night we had flood watches and warnings and a number of the towns were flooded and roads closed. Katie and I walked over at Proctor and ended up having quite an adventure. Most of it was fine but when we got to the lower part of the road it was flooded. Our choice was to turn around and go back or take off our shoes and wade through it. Much more fun to wade through the water. At one point it was up over my knees and Bean was swimming next to me. I haven’t laughed like that in a very long time. We all need a little adventure in our lives.

Blueberries and more Blueberries

Our blueberries are in and ripening by the hundreds every day. I picked a quart or two and set about making enough muffins to last the week or at least I hope they will last that long. They seem to be very popular in this household and disappear at an alarming rate. This is the first batch made entirely with our own blueberries. They are so rich they almost look purple/red and oh so good. The vegetable patch is just starting to yield some squash and the tomatoes are beginning to turn red. We should have carrots and beets in the next week or so. The rain has been good for the gardens and the lawn although it has been difficult to find a time to get out and mow the lawn in between the storms. We are behind in our harvest too and I think that has been because we have had fewer sunny days.

Update on Jenny Lane

It has been another quiet week at Jenny Lane. I am beginning to really enjoy the peace and quiet after so many months of constant turmoil. This coming week should bring some renewed effort on getting the outside pulled together and some more of the trim work done inside the house. John continues to paint cedar shakes for the outside of the new addition and hangs them on the clothesline to dry. We have enjoyed this lull in work but are also looking forward to getting more of the finish work done. There are a number of repairs needed to the outside of the house before it can be painted which we hope to do in the fall. I spent a little time this week sorting pictures of the renovation projects and still cannot believe how far we have come in just over 7 months. It really made me realize just how much we have done to bring this place back to life. The kitchen is only one part of it but it is the heart of the house.

A Recipe To Share

We continue to enjoy cooking for others and found some more friends from our past this week. Robin and Peter were friends from way back in our Pomfret days. We knew they had family in this area and finally reached out and found them. They came for dinner and we enjoyed a wonderful catch up. There were 8 of us around the table and the chatter never stopped. Their son even joined us for a little while. He and Jack are about the same age. We served a simple meal typical of summer with hamburgers and corn. With the left over corn we wanted to make corn pudding but you are supposed to use uncooked corn for that so we made creamed corn. Here is a recipe for Corn Pudding that you might enjoy!

Sagaponack Corn Pudding from The Barefoot Contessa

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 5 cups fresh corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the inside of an 8- to 10-cup baking dish.

Melt the butter in a very large sauté pan and sauté the corn and onion over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add the basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked corn mixture and grated Cheddar, and then pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with more grated Cheddar.

Place the dish in a larger pan and fill the pan halfway up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.