A "Cool Stuff" Yard Sale and BBQ Chicken

As I write this, I am blanching tomatoes for tonight's sauce for my Mushroom Zucchini Lasgna (I will post it later to share) - it's one of my favorite dishes to make on the weekend as you need a little extra time to devote to it. 

The COOL Stuff Sale

This Fabulous Life Experiment to live well with less motivated and inspired my "Cool Stuff" Yard Sale today... although not much stuff was sold (apparently what I think is cool was overpriced for the patrons who ventured into the yard...)  It's so hard to let go of that really amazing something or other that you may have paid $50 for and then someone comes and offers you 50 cents!  I guess they figure you want to get rid of it anyway - so might as well start the bidding as low as possible. 

Total Made Today:  $7.25

Total Effort:  Several hours of gathering and sorting through "cool stuff" to put in the sale, 1/2 mile round trip of walking to post the "Cool Stuff" Yard Sale signs, 6 hours of standing, sitting, smiling, and trying to sell the "Cool Stuff". 

So to make the best of the experience and set the ambience for a "Cool" Yard Sale, I brought out an old record player and put on some Benny Goodman records...then I made

Homemade Blackberry Smoothies to pass out
(1 cup blackberries, 2 cups strawberries, one banana, cup of ice, cup of cold milk - soy or rice - and lots of honey),

I put a basket of random items out for free to encourage folks to lighten my load... (No one ever wants to put their stuff back into the house once its been placed in the yard for sale....except our old timey ice cream maker and juicer.  That came back in!

Having a yard sale is hard work.  Out in the sun...Greeting and meeting with neighbors and strangers alike... explaining why you want more than they are willing to buy something for... so what to do but cook and have a good time anyway! 

Because we had to keep an eye on all the cool stuff but still eat lunch, we elected to BBQ chicken on the grill and have a simple picnic style lunch.  Following are two really easy recipes (one for a glaze toward the end of grilling, the other for my favorite version of potato salad! Enjoy!

Ginger Honey Citrus Marinade
(apply during the last 5 minutes of grilling)
1 tablespoon diced ginger
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 fresh squeezed oranges
tiny dash of cayenne
(Mix together and pour over chicken while its still on the grill)

Garden Vegetable Potato Salad
6-8 small red potatoes (I steam them until soft) skins on - put a little red wine vinegar and salt on them while they cool down.
2 carrots diced small
1/4 cup red onion
2 celery diced small
diced rosemary, chives, dill and parsley
Cucumber Ranch Dressing (I use Kraft)
Mix all together and serve with fresh chives on top (salt and pepper to taste)

And - whenever I serve melons, I squeeze some lime over the fruit and top off with a touch of honey. 

SWEET.