Do you remember the volunteer squash I talked about a ways back? Turns out it is a squash - a pumpkin to be exact. There are four baby pumpkins of varying sizes throughout the largest vine I have ever seen in person. The thing spreads six feet by six feet easily and reaches up the garden support a good three feet. This pumpkin means business. Unfortunately, I have also discovered a good case of powdery mildew. So far, the only treatment I've been able to uncover is a broad spectrum fungicide, a solution to which I'd rather not resort. I've read in a few places (and, really, if you can't believe what you read in the Internet, what can you believe?) that using 5 tablespoons of baking soda in a gallon of water works well when spritzed so I'll at least try that as a stopgap. Can't hurt, right?

We've been in a period of transition here at Hot Water Bath and I noticed the other night that a great deal of my cooking is reflecting the changes we're experiencing. It's not just my cooking (today I had six inches cut off my hair and am now sporting a lightly layered bob) but that seems to be the area that has become most noticeable, primarily because meals - especially evening meals - are one of the few times that the whole family is gathered together. We live by the "Cook's Choice" rule, meaning that whoever cooks gets to decide what the rest of us will eat.

Since I'm the most frequent cook this means that I usually get to decide what we have for dinner. Much of the time, this is great. Lately, though, I've felt the burden of routine and have been actively trying to put new and different dishes on the table. I'm crediting this urge to the aforementioned transitions that are affecting effecting (oh, bother) impacting all of us.

We started the week with bulgogi, a Korean beef dish, that we wrapped in Boston lettuce leaves. This was a hit with everyone, especially the Boy Wonder - largely because every food he encounters is immediately classified (and not always correctly) as a Finger Food or a Fork Food. And this was finger food he could cozy up to. The basic marinade can be used on beef, pork, chicken, seafood or veggies but I'm given to understand that beef is traditional. And, since what I had thawed was lean ground beef, that's what I used with the marinade/sauce instead serving as cooking liquids. To make bulgogi start by browning one pound of ground beef in a very small amount of oil or broth. As it browns, add in two largish cloves of garlic, minced and two tablespoons of minced ginger (I use the tiny holes on my box grater for this). When all of the meat has browned, pour over three tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of white granular sugar. Off the heat, stir in a quarter cup of sliced scallions. That's it - super easy. (If you want to use something other than ground beef, stir all the seasonings together and use as a marinade for thinly cut meats and vegetables. After marinating, cook quickly over medium-high heat.)

Serve with separated and washed Boston or green leaf lettuce leaves. I had a dish on the side that also had bean sprouts, shredded radish, and minced cucumber as add-ins.

Fast, inexpensive, filling, and very tasty. Excellent for busting out of a culinary rut, to boot.