... I've got the magic in me, when I hit the flow the girls come snappin' at me ...

This week I have been experimenting with voodoo magic.

Well, not really. But it kinda feels like it! After going to the pool with a good friend I have been doing my best impression of a molting lobster. I am usually the sunscreen queen, but was ... um-mm ... having to much fun to remember to reapply. McLain and I actually had to postpone a planned trip to go drifting downriver for the sake of my poor skin. One of my dear roommates who is into natural remedies (and had a sunburn the week before) recommended lavender oil. I was scorched enough to buy in to the idea, instead of sticking with my usual Solarcaine route. While I must admit I still peeled, the oil (and frequent reapplication) did help with sensitivity and kept my skin mosturized (I used a bath oil to help 'carry' the straight essential oil). I may smell like a yoga studio, but I sleep WONDERFULLY and my skin is really soft (where it isn't peeling). Your mileage may vary.

In the same vein as voodoo magic - do any readers use local honey to treat seasonal allergies? I was able to get a pint of local honey (as in, running distance from my house local) from my CSA and was wondering if anyone had seen any success with this treatment. Bradford pear trees are the bane of my outdoor existance.

Our CSA share this week had -

• Lettuce - 1 head
• Broccoli - 1 massive head
• Cabbage - 2 medium heads
• Yellow Squash - 2lbs
• Zucchini - 2lbs
• Green Beans - .5lb
• Cucumbers - 4lbs
• Green Onions -1bunch
• Dill - .3lbs
• Tomatoes - 2lbs
• Kale - 8 leaves

Yes, you read that right. FOUR POUNDS OF CUCUMBERS. And as there are only so many G&T's this girl can muddle cucumbers for ... I called up Grandot. It was time to pickle. We ended up with a plain batch of refrigerator pickles, as well as a dill seed and a mustard seed batch. The pint jar contains radishes I am trying to pickle, because we both hate radishes but both love pickles. I still have a TON of cucumbers left over and will be eating them in salad and with hummus.

McLain has this little crinkle cutter tool that slices the pickles all fancy-like. So our pickles are almost as pretty as the ones at the farmer's market. Go team! What else did we have WAY too much of? Dill, ya'll. And what the heck does one do with that much dill? I got inspired and decided to make some gravlax. Although my sweetie cannot eat fish, I figured I could use up the huge mass of dill with this recipe. Thanks, Pinterest!

Zesting the lemon was hard with only this grater, but I made it work.

 I lined an aluminum pan with saran wrap and layered in the dry salt/sugar mixture and salmon. Then I piled on lots and LOTS of fresh dill.

The gravlax has about 10 hours yet to go, but I am very excited to see how it turned out. I will let you know if it bombs or if it rocks! While I was working on pickles and gravlax, McLain made a lovely rice, cabbage, beef and tomato hotpot in the crock-pot. He also made a great venison and bean mixture that will go great in burritos and with rice. It's great dating a man who knows his way around the kitchen. He's threatening to make sauerkraut with the remaining cabbage, which is fine by me. And to try and use up even more of the veggies and things in the fridge, I altered this Pinterest find!

I changed it up by altering the amount of certian veggies and making a carbonara-esqe sauce. My alterations are below -

• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2/3 cup Parmesan
• 3 eggs 
• 16 oz frozen peas
• 16 oz canned mushrooms 
• 1lb whole wheat spaghetti 
• 2lb (ish) squash
• Garlic, thyme, pepper and salt to taste
• 5 1/2 cups water 

 Whisk the milk, Parmesan, and eggs together. Follow the steps listed in the recipe, but when directed to add milk and cheese, gradually add in the egg mixture while stirring. Ta-Da!

In other news - If you are in downtown Greenville, make sure to try Blue Ridge Brewing Company - their brunch is superb and their beer is wonderful. And their fried pickles ... just go and thank me later. I have yet to try something that isn't incredible. And have a Happy Bomb with the in-house stout. You will be glad you did!

And - final note - if you think you're fancy, check out Pretty Little Pursuits and Southern Accents for a chance to win a Tory Burch handbag! I know these two gals from Clemson, and they are much better dressed than I. Hurry on over!