Summer Cookin

I have been trying to figure out how to make healthy and VERY cheap meals.  So that means that we accept whatever free food that we are given!  And right now Terry (Matt's mom) is growing squash and zucchini.  So I am trying to figure out cool ways to cook zucchini, so that it actually tastes good.  Stuffed with ground beef, onions, garlic, and diced zucchini is good. But barbecued is definitely the best way to go!  Matthew hates to barbecue, so I realized I would have to bbq on m own if I wanted it to happen.  So one day I decided to barbecue everything we had and see how it went. I marinated chicken in garlic and herb marinade, and the zucchini was marinated in that as well.  The squash was marinated in italian dressing.  And the asparagus was drizzled in olive oil and then spiced with Trader Joes' 21 Seasoning Salute and some sea salt and pepper.  It all turned out quite delicious, and I discovered I'm pretty handy at the grill. The chicken was cooked completely through and there were not burnt parts. Oh!  And I didn't set any bushes on fire when I lit the grill.  I have barbecued a few times since then, basically whenever we want tasty zucchini!  Tonight we had carribean jerk chicken and garlic and herb zucchini.  Yum-O!  

Here are some pics of the barbecue extravaganza:

Governator

The Governator, who I met in Salzburg, see below, has declared a statewide drought. Those in the East Bay already knew this was coming and are rationing water. Most people in So Cal think the world revolves around them and there has to be somewhere else we can steal water from (Oregon? It's probably very clean)! haha Anyways, I have been starting to try and conserve water already. After my last trip to the bay when I wasn't allowed to take a bath (showers are fast and ok), I felt guilty for stealing Northern California water, and began the conservation effort. How did we (I got Matt in on it too) do this? Well, let me tell you a little saying that was heard many times around the Koenig household a few weeks ago: "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." (Sidenote: if it's yellow but hasn't been flushed in 3 or 4 uses, then it's okay to flush it down. ) I think you get the drift. So, we will continue to try to save water (I used to like baths...). I hope you can to. And that's my public service announcement for today.

Lauren, how's the water in Germany?