Made one of my favorite summer salads last night. Cucumber salad with green peppers and tomatoes. For added color, I tossed in a few yellow tomatoes. And for additional flavor, some chopped red onion. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning then toss the whole thing in Italian dressing and marinate for an hour or so. Serve topped with pine nuts, and enjoy! Do you have a go-to summer dish?

If I had to grow my own food to survive, I would’ve starved decades ago. My husband and I have not had much luck growing foods over the years, but we do have a patch of raspberries that has produced fruit for several years now. It always surprises me when we get them — and when we get to harvest them before the birds do! Do you grow fruits or veggies?

The last time I made deviled eggs, a friend told of peeling woes when trying to get the shell off the eggs. I know there are supposed to be “tricks” such as adding salt or soda or vinegar to the water. I have found that if I put the eggs in cold water (adding a cup of ice) immediately after boiling, they are much easier to peel! Anyone else have a tip to share?

I look forward to strawberry season every year. I found a new recipe the other day. Chop strawberries.Add some chopped basil.Pour a couple of tablespoons sweetened and thickened balsamic vinegar over and enjoy. If you don’t have sweetened balsamic vinegar, put a couple of tablespoons brown sugar in a pan with the vinegar and heat until it boils. Let it cool before putting over strawberries.

I had a lot of fun putting together the dessert table for Easter yesterday. I forgot to get a pic of the full spread complete with cupcakes, lemon swirl cake and coconut cream pie. But I snapped a shot of this sweet little charcuterie. Did you make something special for the weekend?

Forty-five years ago this week, my husband took me out for a birthday dinner–my first birthday after we began dating. We went to a wonderful restaurant in Palo Alto, California, where we were going to law school. We ordered wine – it was my 21st birthday, and I was finally legal. (Well, I’d been legal in Vermont where I lived when I was 18, but I was finally legal everywhere.) I don’t recall what I had for the entrée, though I’m sure it was good – it was a fabulous restraurant.  But I do recall the dessert – Strawberries Romanoff, a confection of

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I grew up with a mother who celebrated her Irish background. She gave us green milk on St. Patrick’s Day and cupcakes with green frosting. Those were the best parts of our St. Patrick’s Day traditions. The milk with green food coloring was mostly for show—it didn’t taste any different than regular milk. But it did go well with cupcakes. Dinner on St. Patrick’s Day consisted of corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage and/or carrots. I hated both cabbage and cooked carrots. I managed to choke down the corned beef and potatoes, then tried to hide the carrots and/or cabbage under a scrap

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I had no idea how much difference there is between regular farmed fish and wild-caught. I recently subscribed to Wild Alaskan Company and have learned there are a number of health benefits for wild-caught. I highly recommend them! I’m going to eat fish twice a week just because I believe I will be healthier. Not that I’m sick. But I feel we eat too much red meat. My new goal is fish and chicken twice a week, two red meat nights, and one egg night. We’ve already had the Sockeye wild-caught salmon. It was delicious!

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. I was munching some last night and got to thinking about how it’s changed through the years. My mom used to pop kernels in a cast iron skillet. I used to pop it in a pan. Then we had a variety of different popcorn poppers. I have no idea what ever happened to them. Now, we just pop a bag in the microwave. And I eat pre-popped from a bag! I continue to be amazed that it’s actually good. And so easy! 🙂 What’s your go-to snack?

One staple in our house has been Bush’s Best pinto beans (canned), or their chili beans, or kidney beans. The store has been out of this, and other brands of beans, for over a month! I’m soaking beans and cooking them now. Well, I guess that’s probably better for us, anyway. 🙂 Ten-bean soup mix is wonderful with a piece of sirloin steak. After soaking the beans overnight (2 cups of dried beans), I drain them, dump them in a dutch oven, just barely cover them with fresh water, add a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon Beef, and start heating

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