Homemade French Fries

I love French Fries. Sprinkled with seasoned salt, dipped in mayo and mustard, with a healthy dose of malt vinegar, French Fries have to be the best thing created by God and perfected by man. One can make a meal of fries by simply adding cheese, bacon, and sour cream. I know, Himself and I have done it before. And how about chili cheese fries 5e4ufidjvkcxn... whoa I just slid off my chair and hit my chin on the key board. That's what fries do to me. I have a little puddle of drool in my lap as I type. While living in Europe, my sister-in-law, Ellen and I took a trip up to Belgium to shop in the village of Tongeren, where one can get the best antique deals. Some of the antiques are older than our country! We had an amazing dinner while in Belgium; Mussels and Pommes (French Fries). To die for. I better be careful or I'll swoon again if I bring up any of my eating experiences while in Belgium. Pan Chocolat. I'm feeling weak...



There is really no recipe for making French Fries, just some rules:

1. Cut the fries as evenly as possible. No peeling necessary.
2. Be sure to use a heavy pot such a a Dutch oven. Mine is 7.5 quarts.
3. Be sure to use enough oil. I used a little under 1/2 gallon.
4. Be sure to get your grease hot enough before frying. About 350-375 degrees, using a thermometer helps. Set you cooktop to medium to medium high heat. The temperature will drop significantly once you add the fries, that is normal.
5. While you are waiting for the grease to heat, soak potatoes to prevent blackening. I used a salt and sugar mixture, kinda like a brine.
6. Just prior to frying, drain potatoes well. I stood mine up in my salad spinner and spun them like crazy.
7. Fry in small batches. I probably fried about 2 potatoes worth of fries at a time. I made two batches.
8. Never leave fries unattended! While they are frying, that is. Don't leave them unattended period! Someone may get them all.
9. Once the fries are golden, remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt or a seasoned salt.
10. Let oil cool completely before draining pot into a container so that grease can be reused or discarded.


Note- If you are looking for some great Belgian Beer, go here: Global Beer Network. Owned by my cousin Cliff Lusso and long time family friend, Steve Villani or Pudge to us. Try the WITTEKERKE ROSÉ beer with its hints of raspberry eur;szhbgtj;igoer......

Carmelicious Shortbread Bars

Layered bars do something to me. I don't know if it has to do with the pretty colors, taste combinations, complimenting textures, or the fact that I am getting a three for one deal, but I love layered desserts. While perusing some new food galleries out there I came across these Carmelicious Shortbread Bars by Velvet Lava. So after reading her story about making these and knowing that she had some trouble with the recipe, I still forged ahead for some carmelly goodness. Then like her, I found myself mad at these bars and muttering hateful words to my pan of caramel as it quickly separated on me, leaving a puddle of ghee on top. I said things like, "You have got to be kidding me! Separating? Don't you know, Ms. Caramel that sweetened condensed milk is $3.49 a can, so don't even think about separating on me. I said, don't do it. Oh no you don't. Poo, you had to go and do it." And my ramblings continued. Nothing is ever easy when it comes to caramel making on a hot day in Virginia. I should have known better. So I pulled that unruly Ms. Caramel off the stove, got out my candy thermometer, fired up the stove again, brought her up to 235 degrees while stirring madly and threw in three magical pinches of baking soda. Cured! Take that. You thought you could take me down.

Although this recipe has three major steps and messes up a few dishes, it was worth it. I cut the recipe in half and made it in an 8x8 pan, only because I only had one can of sweetened condenced milk. Next time I'll make the whole deal. The shortbread layer was exceptionally crisp and light with an excellent buttery taste. The caramel was perfectly thick, gooey, and creamy with a light caramel flavor. And who could go wrong with a whole Valrhona bar melted on top? Pure heaven. I did not have trouble cutting them, as I just let them "set" while sitting out on the counter which did take a lot of patience. I also put the chocolate right on top of the warm caramel and spread it once it was softened. I shared these bars with a friend who needed a little lift and she loved them on the first bite. This recipe is not for beginners, to say the least, since one never knows when caramel will go wonky. But do be brave and give this one a go, it is worth the maddening dialogue with a pan of caramel. I'll go there again.



Thanks Velvet Lava for this great recipe, I give you a Standing Ovation!

Perfect Potato Salad

There are so many different styles of potato salads out there. But I like the traditional recipe made with a mayonnaise base, celery, onions, eggs, and sweet relish. Don't get me wrong, a good new potato salad with a Ranch Base, cheese, bacon and green onion is another favorite but when I think of a good ole cookout I think of a more traditional potato salad. This recipe does it for me. It is from one of my favorite cookbooks, my old, old church cookbook. The recipe comes from a sweet Southern Belle, Juanita. Sadly Jaunita is gone but I have a few of her wonderfully homey recipes. One of our favorites from her is Creamed Chicken which I will have to blog about soon as it is probably our family's most favorite supper. Well give this potato salad a try, it is simple and delicious.

Perfect Potato Salad
5 cups cubed potatoes, about 4-5 large potatoes
1 cup chopped vidalia onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup sweet pickles, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. celery seed
fresh cracked pepper
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

In a large pot, cover potatoes and eggs (in their shells) with water, cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender but not mushy. While potatoes are cooking measure out the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Drain the cooked potatoes, peel and chop eggs. While the potatoes and eggs are hot add to the rest of the ingredients, stirring well. Check seasoning and add more salt if needed. Let cool on counter one hour then transfer to the refrigerator and chill. It is even better the next day.

Penzeys

On the suggestion of fellow food blogger, Kate from Warm Olives I visited Penzeys. She had blogged about their spices and I had never heard of them. So I did a search and low and behold there is a little shop right near me in Falls Church. So today me and my littlest went to Penzeys. I know most women get excited about candle shops, or home good shops, but I have to say for me, Penzeys was the best little escape I have had in a while. Once I entered the shop, I was not only greeted by a friendly sales lady, I was hit in the nose with the best scents my nose ever smelled and I didn't sneeze like I do in a candle shop. It was hard to tell which I smelled the most, cinnamon? Pepper? Onion? Curry? I don't know but it was heavenly. The sales lady showed me around while my Little colored in the kiddie area (they have a kiddie area!) The spice lady let me smell some of her favorite spices, I asked questions, she answered and offered suggestions, and gave me a big catalog. Then she left me alone for my own smell adventure. I smelled sweet paprika, smoked salts, the famous and pricey Herbes de Provence with its lavender undertones, and their new BBQ 3000. You can see by the picture what I purchased. Click on it for a closer look. Who could resist something with the name Sunny Paris?

In honor of Kate I did purchase the Sandwich Sprinkle and the first thing I made with it was an incredible tasting Garlic Bread. Thanks Kate, I love Penzeys too now!

Cheddar Biscuits and Bunny Hutter

Sunday evening Himself and I went to Wolf Trap to see an Emmylou Harris concert. I was not a fan of her music, as I really have never listened to her before, until Sunday, and I have to say, I am a fan now. She has a great voice. It was a company event and it was decided that we would do a potluck style picnic. Once someone volunteered to bring fried chicken (homemade mind you and delicious, I would have shamelessly gone to KFC!) the menu fell quickly into place. I volunteered to bring the Cheddar Biscuits and Bunny Hutter and my coleslaw. Others brought pasta salad, potato salad, and taco salad as well as some fruit and cookies.

These little biscuits are real special. I used a heart-shaped cutter as I did not have a round one and everyone loved the happy hearts. I packaged the biscuits in pairs in waxed sandwich bags while still warm. Also individually packaged the Bunny Hutter with little spready spoons. We had so much fun we should have been arrested (that is an Emmylou quote.) Oh and what topped off the night was a full rainbow just as the sun was setting.

Cheddar Biscuits
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cream of tartar
2 t. sugar
1/2 cup chilled butter
2/3 cup half and half
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, and sugar; cut in small pieces of butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cream little by little; stir only till dough follows fork around bowl. Then blend in cheese until well mixed. Turn out on lightly floured surface; knead gently. Roll to 1/2 inch think and cut using a 2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on cookie sheets and bake at 450° for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Note- On Sunday I 3 1/2 x the recipe for 45 biscuits. The key to light and flaky biscuits is to mix until they just come together, no more. These biscuits freeze well, raw or baked.


Bunny Hutter
one stick butter, softened
1/2 cup honey

In a small bowl mix butter and honey until well blended. Serve with biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers.

Aside- Himself and I are a bit leery of snakes lately, so as we walked to Wolf Trap, I kept making all kinds of noise from stomping my feet and clapping to calling "here snakey, snakey!" At one point we stepped into some tall grass and I yelled "snake" just to let those snakes know who's boss but Himself went straight up in the air thinking I saw a snake. It is hard to spook Himself but I pulled it off for the first time in 15 years!

Lemon Barbecued Kebabs

You had me at allspice...

I am really enjoying this whole food blog thing. I visit my favorites daily, sometimes more, just to see what everyone is up too. I love seeing all that is going on in other people's kitchens, gardens, and lives. When I started this endeavor, it was my original goal to get every one of my recipes typed into the computer, but then I started seeing all these other wonderful recipes to try out. And I am ever trying out some good ones! I haven't had shrimp in forever and needed a good and different grilled shrimp recipe. So I turned to my Jersey Gal, eat! to see what she had up her sleeve and low and behold a recipe caught my eye for the sheer reason it had allspice in the recipe. Allspice. ALLSPICE! Yum! I made Lemon Barbecued Kebabs almost exactly like she did but I left out the chicken, had that last night. Sadly had to leave out the sesame seeds too due to nut allergies for my middle little, so other than those two things I followed her recipe to a tee. Everyone loved it! Very flavorful and we ate all but four shrimp, we were so stuffed. So give it a try. I have a few more recipes from some other sites I want to try out. Your site could be next.

Thanks eat! for this recipe, I give you a Standing Ovation!

Lemonades

Once Summer rolls around I am ready for some good lemonade. I grew up drinking Southern Sweet Tea because Daddy is from Texas and that is how he liked it. In the Summer, Mom added lemonade to the repertoire. She used equal parts lemon juice and sugar and added water to taste. But the lemon juice she used was from that green bottle and a few weeks ago I bought a Costco-sized bottle of the stuff and brought it home. Unfortunately I didn't read the label until I got home, sodium benzoate. Ugh. So no more of that until more studies are done. But lately I have made other versions of lemonade that I have come to love.

Giada's Italian Lemonade is fantastic if you are a basil lover and by July I hope to have plenty of basil for just that. This lemonade is refreshing but I did add much more water than she called for in the recipe.

Now if you want a lemonade that is quick to make and full of pucker power then may I fill you in on Laylita's Limonada. Whole lemons or limes tossed in the blender with some water and sugar and zingo a lemonade that could be president, or beat the Red Sox in the World Series, or put hair on your back. This is not for wimps, it is as if you are eating the entire fruit. Sweet, sour and bitter all rolled into one big delicious gulp. I do use one cup of sugar instead of a half cup. I'm a wimp, I know.


Old Fashioned Lemonade was given to me by a book club friend, who on her 52nd birthday went sky diving and has never turned back. She has 563 jumps and just became a member of the Pink Mafia Sisterhood by passing a Barbie Doll during a free fall with a current PMS member. I wonder how many Barbie Dolls have been harmed in the making of members? Jennifer is PMS #591. On to the lemonade. This lemonade has to be the smoothest tasting lemonade ever. It uses whole lemons as well but in a different way. First a lovely and very fragrant lemon sugar has to be made which I think I will try in a pound cake some day. Sound good? I think so. So see the recipe below for this sweet and lemony concoction that takes a little time but is very worth it.

Old Fashioned Lemonade
3 large or 4 medium Lemons
1 cup Sugar
1 quart hot Water

Peel the rinds from the lemons with a paring knife and cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Be sure not to get the pithy white parts. Pithy is a funny word. Set the lemons aside. Place the rinds in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let stand for one hour (or all day!) so that the sugar begins to soak up the lemon oil. After the hour is up carefully pour the hot water over the sugared lemon rinds. Allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Squeeze the lemons into a strainer over a two-quart pitcher. Pour the sugar mixture through the strainer into the pitcher. Throw away the rinds. Add ice and water to fill the pitcher. Stir the mixture well every time you pour a glass. Store in the refrigerator. Serve with ice cubes and it's just delicious on a hot summer day!

Thanks Layla for the Limonada recipe, I give you a Standing Ovation!

Friday Night Food: Chicken Satay

You won’t need to frequent your favorite Thai restaurant for satay anymore. This recipe is fantastic. Serve with white rice and veggies for a main meal or alone as an appetizer. Thanks to my brother Rob for this one. Another perfect Friday Night Food. You have 24 hours to get what you need to make this succulent meal. Grab your canvas bag and run!

Chicken Satay
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in long thin strips
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T. Asian chili sauce or more to taste (I use Sriracha)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, white & green parts, sliced thin
1 recipe Satay Sauce

Combine the soy sauce, oil, chili sauce, brown sugar, cilantro, garlic, and green onions in a large bowl. Add long strips of the chicken and toss well. Marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Thread each strip on to a 6 inch wooden skewer. Heat a greased cooktop grill to med-high heat and cook chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You may grill these the same way on an outdoor grill. Serve with Satay Sauce. Serves 6.

Satay Sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup water, hot
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. lime juice, about 1 lime
2 T. Asian chili sauce or Sriracha
1 T. brown sugar
1/2-1 t. curry powder
1 clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced thin

Whisk the peanut butter and hot water together in a medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer to a small serving bowl, and put aside to use for dipping the finished chicken. Or you may purchase a Thai peanut dipping sauce from the Asian section of you favorite grocer. I sometimes use “Lee Brand” from an Asian grocer.

Blueberry Muffins

We do not have blueberries in season here in VA yet so I have to get my berries at the grocery store for now. I miss NJ blueberries. When I was young we would go out to a farm in Medford to pick our own. After driving us out to the field on the back of a tractor, the farmer would provide us with a coffee can on a strap to put across one shoulder to hold all the berries. There were rows and rows of bushes to chose from and we had fun picking those berries but boy did it get hot and muggy. Then the state bird would attack and ruin our fun. Can you guess the Jersey State bird? Once we got home with our bounty mom would get to work with freezing, making jam, and these blueberry muffins. She also made a nice blueberry pie too. I like these muffins, very simple. I have jazzed them up in the past with crumble topping, glaze, or a sprinkling of pearl sugar just before baking. But today I made them simple for a nice Summerly breakfast.

Blueberry Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup half and half
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°. Cream sugar and butter together. Add vanilla then add eggs one at a time. Mix dry ingredients and add alternating with half and half. Crush 1/2 cup of blueberries and add to batter. To the rest of the blueberries toss with 2 T. flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin. Fold the floured berries to the batter. Spray muffin pan with Pam and fill each cup about half way. Bake 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Makes 18 muffins.

Note- These muffins freeze well.

Even Plants Love Chocolate

Iwish you could smell this right now. Like a rich chocolate fudge brownie right from the oven. I love mulching with cocoa mulch. Isn't the color so warm and delicious looking? I have been using cocoa mulch for a few years now after discovering it through a friend of mine. I commented how nice her flower beds looked and how pretty the mulch was and she informed me that the magic was the cocoa mulch. Once she let me smell it I was hooked. After a quick Internet search I found that the nearest place to get this was in PA. And I have connections with folks who go to PA all the time. So they get it for me or I get it up there when we travel to PA to see Amish Country.


Cocoa Mulch is made from the shells of the cocoa beans, hence the color and delectable scent. As the mulch ages is turns into a dark brown almost black shade. It is light, easy to put down and my plants like it too. Also no trees were killed in the making only, well, chocolate. So I like my "green" mulch. If you have pets you may want to research the use of cocoa mulch for their safety sake. Cocoa mulch is on the pricier side, as all good things are, but I can mulch every other year as the color never fades, only deepens into richer looking gardens. See the picture below of 2 year old cocoa mulch, pretty huh?

Frozen Red Grapes & Dusty Grapes

When I was first married my husband asked me to make frozen grapes. So I did. I had never heard of frozen grapes before and made them the best I thought how. I proudly put a bowl of frozen grapes in front of him, vines and all, and he said not green grapes, red grapes and after trying to eat a few I knew why. Green grapes freeze solid and are practically impossible to consume. Oh and not on the vines either, said Himself. Now red grapes on the other hand freeze beautifully, like little frosted candies. My children are home from school and feed about every two hours so keeping up is very difficult especially in the healthy food department. But Frozen Red Grapes is my answer to the dilemma. The kids love them and Himself can eat a whole bowl of these and considering that it could have been chips then it is fine with me, I'll keep making them.

Frozen Red Grapes
red grapes

Place grapes in a large bowl and fill with water to cover. Add a veggie cleaner if you have it. Soak grapes at least 20 minutes to remove any dirt, pesticide, and grime. Rinse well. Spread on towels to let dry. Remove grapes from their vines and place on a large cookie sheet. Freeze a few hours until frozen solid. Move to a zip top freezer bag. To serve, take out what you need as you do not want the whole batch to defrost. Delicious!

The following is an occasional "treat" version of the above. I serve Dusty Grapes when my kids haven't had sugar in what, a whole hour. A great way to ruin a perfectly healthy snack, but man are they tasty.


Dusty Grapes
3 cups frozen red grapes
2-3 T. any flavor Jell-O powder

Place frozen grapes in a quart sized zip top bag, add Jell-O powder, zip bag and shake well. Be sure that your frozen grapes are right from the freezer because any condensation will cause clumping. I place a small amount in ramekins as treats for the kiddies (well all right I confess, me too!) and quickly return leftovers to the freezer.

Note- I have not tried this with sugar-free Jell-O but imagine it would work fine.

Update- Welcome Stumblers! Thank you for dropping by I hope you like what you see here. Pop into my Recipe Box for more wonderful recipes. I have also completed my first Cooking Salon, a fun little video of me making a very simple appetizer. I love blogging about food! So stick around, if you love what you see, subscribe!!

Do you miss Tastespotting? New Food Galleries Now Open

Some fast thinking folks have stepped in where Tastespotting left off. The following two sites are up and running so that all of us food bloggers can find inspiration and each other once again. Plus the education I got about the food world was amazing! I felt I was always up on the trends.

recipes2share has a wonderful site and is based out of Paris. Got to love that. They promptly posted one of my pictures and the link to my blog post. You may peruse their gallery but must be a member to send a photo. They will ask for your link and ask you to check a box to verify that you own the copyright on the picture and that you didn't just swipe it. You can see many pictures at once and many have joined already. I saw you there eat!

Food Porn Daily has jumped on the bandwagon too. The site is very striking and offers lovely details on the photo and links it properly. To enter a photo one must simply send an email and blog link. She does go on to say that you may opt out of this site by sending an email which may help with any issue of someone swiping your photos. You have opted out, someone sends your photo, ta-da, blocked. We will hope.

If you know of any other sites trying to help out our fellow food bloggers by offering a common meeting ground then let me know. I hope this article helps you to continue to find inspiration, new food blogs, and an avenue to increase your food blog's visibility.

PS just heard from Tanya at Take the Cannoli that foodgawker is up and running and closely resembles Tastespotting. Thanks Tanya!

Cheese and Chive Tea Sandwiches

Do you know what this is? It is a vintage 1950's kitchen gadget called the "Slice-A-Slice." You place a slice of bread in it, close it and move a knife down between the two sides which guide the cutting of the bread into two very thin slices for tea sandwiches. I found it at a garage sale at a mission that was closing. What a find! I love tea sandwiches and after having tea last week at the Crest Hill Antiques Tea Room in The Plains, VA, I was inspired to make some for our Teacher Meeting Potluck. What impressed me the most about the Tea Room was that as soon as we ordered, the hostess gathered the sandwich ingredients to make our sandwiches, right then, not from a tray of sandwiches made up earlier that morning or Heaven knows when. Now that is fresh! I have this old Southern recipe from back in my officer wife tea days, for a Cheese Ring which is essentially shredded cheese mixed with chives and mayonnaise, molded into a ring with a small cup of strawberry jelly in the center, served with buttery crackers. But I took this recipe and modified it for a tea sandwich.


To make a good and proper tea sandwich the following must take place:

1. Use the freshest bread
2. Always cut off the crusts, unless using a crusty artisan bread
3. Use a serrated knife in gentle sawing motions
4. Cover sandwiches with moistened paper towels then plastic wrap to keep fresh if serving later
5. If using very moist fillings then spread the inner sides of the bread with a thin layer of butter or cream cheese.
6. Only use "Slice-A-Slice" on bread for tea sandwiches that have more solid fillings such as lunch meats, cheese slices, cucumber, or smoked salmon. A moist filling will make very thin bread soggy unless using a hefty pumpernickel or party rye.


Cheese and Chive Tea Sandwiches are very delicate and delicious. The mild chive lends a slight onion taste while the strawberry jelly gives a surprising sweetness to this otherwise savory sandwich. Most will be pleased with the simple balance. These sandwiches travel well and do not get soggy. Try this little sandwich in place of the ever popular cucumber or smoked salmon tea sandwich.


Cheese and Chive Tea Sandwiches
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar or jack cheese (or blended)
2 T. fresh chopped chives
1/3 cup mayonnaise
pinch kosher salt
2 pinches fresh cracked black pepper
8 slices fresh bread (I used honey wheat)
Strawberry Jelly

In a small bowl mix the first five ingredients well. Divide evenly, and spread on four slices of bread. On the remaining slices spread a very thin layer of strawberry jelly. Place those slices on top of cheese slices and cut off crusts. Cut into four triangles. "Slice-A-Slice" not required. You may get one more sandwich out of this depending on how thick you spread the cheese. Makes 16 triangles or serves 4-8.

Note- I usually purchase strawberry preserves and empty contents of jar into a bowl and puree with my immersion blender (my kids have texture issues). But this technique also makes spreading this type of preserve much easier. I think it tastes better too. It reminds me of the old fashioned jellies made back in the day when the women did not use pectin. You will find this to be a bit syrupy but we like it that way. When put in a squirt bottle, it makes PBJ sandwich making a cinch!

PS- The "Slice-A-Slice" can occasionally be found on e-Bay.

Goodbye Tastespotting you will be missed!

Argh- More Snakes!

What the heck? Is it the heat, rain, or my herb gardens that bring these creatures? Zuzu my middle little found this Copperhead yesterday in my front garden. And I had just been weeding there. Aren't those eyes fantastic? I think my next pair of contacts will be Copperhead. I think my next purse and shoes will be Copperhead! A friend who is a snake expert and snake relocator came over to collect this guy and take him far, far away. He was so excited to have the thing alive since the last Copperhead was murdered by my husband after it had bit him. See Note for the story. The thing is still in Bill's freezer. Ew! If you have a snake in your yard or foyer, give him a call, that is if you live in the DC Metro area.



I promise to get back to food soon. I have had a fun week with my Mother-in-Law in town and stuck to cooking my standbys or eating out, I love eating out. We had some great meals in Williamsburg and had the best house dressing ever at Seasons Restaurant. Bought two jars of the stuff. I don't think I could ever copy it just right so I will stick to purchasing it when I am in town or making my own house dressing; Pink Lady Poppy Seed Dressing. We had a wonderful brunch at Nick's Riverwalk Restaurant in Yorktown, VA. The homemade doughnuts were to die for. Yorktown Riverfront has some adorable shops and I always find fantastic gifts there.

I also took my MIL to Lake Ann Plaza, my favorite retro shopping place. It is like stepping back into a contemporary European village in the 1960's, so Bohemian. We ate at Café Montmartre which makes the crispiest spring rolls, surprising for a French place. In the evenings during the summer this little café offers about 30 different martini's that go so well with the musical entertainment on the square. My kids like splashing, very legally I might add, in the fountain. Mom and I loved the used book shop and chocolate shop as well.

Oh and if you are ever in The Plains, VA, just outside of Middleburg, may I suggest the Crest Hill Antiques Tea Room. The Full Monty Tea was excellent and her scones are the best I have ever had, no lie. I would definitely go back. So off to the grocery store to reload.


Note- Hubby was keeping a safe distance from the thing. Of course I cracked up at the picture when I saw my hubby's t-shirt. Caption could read "Offering new skill at Bible Camp this year: Snake Handling 101." Snort.

Tomato and Mayo Sandwich

The Tomato and Mayo Sandwich. Each of us can blurt out many things that “Summer is”. “Summer is” the beach, farmers markets, cook outs, long walks, baseball, vacation, good reads, s’mores, bike rides, cicadas, crabs, etc.! But one more thing to add to the list is the good ole Tomato and Mayonnaise Sandwich. Remember? Tomatoes picked fresh off the vine while still sunny warm, gobs of cold mayo, salt and pepper on two shingles of stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth Wonder™ bread. Memory lane heaven. When I was a little, little girl my folks tended a garden in the backyard and would let me eat the warm tomatoes right off the vine just as one would eat an apple. Their juices dripped from my chin rolling down off my elbows, the taste was happiness. Now that I’m a grown up foodie I still love my dog days of summer splurge but with a mature twist. The same vine-ripened, thinly sliced tomatoes but now tucked between just-born artisan bread, fresh ground course sea salt and black peppercorns, and pungent basil from my kitchen step herb garden. “Summer is” the Tomato and Mayo Sandwich all grown up.


Epilogue: Once, I offered hubby one of these blissful sandwiches to go with fresh guacamole and corn chips. He agreed but he would have his sandwich with peanut butter too please, “oh and by the way I really don’t like guacamole, never had.” I was rendered speechless, downright dumbfounded, reeling at the epiphany that I had married, for life even, someone who ate food, any food, for the sole purpose of filling his pie hole minus any desire for sapidity.

Broccoli Ramen Salad

In my opinion this is the best way to eat broccoli. I like broccoli but it is not in my top five of veggie love. But when put raw in this salad, cut in bite-sized morsels, broccoli is crunchy goodness. This salad has fantastic flavor and texture and is sure to please most. A gal I used to know would bring this to every potluck, shower, or party and it was always the first dish to go with many recipe requests, which she generously shared with all. I made it for our very first potluck at our new church with the same overwhelming response. I even received this thank you letter in the mail from one of the church elders:

"...You may be interested to know that it was an item you brought to our fellowship dinner, week before last that stirred inquiries. It was the delicious salad you brought that was so good that it was all gone in almost no time!..."

Wow! How sweet was that? The letter was even typed on a typewriter. Now that was cool. I keep that letter from our precious elder (82 years old and still going strong) tucked amongst my cookbooks where I hide many of my treasures and mementos. Make this salad for your next party so that you will receive a hand typed letter of appreciation.

Broccoli Ramen Salad
Sauté until golden:
1 cup walnuts or pecans
one package of ramen noodles broken up
4 tablespoons of butter
Drain on a paper towel.

For dressing, mix:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 T. soy sauce
pinch salt
pinch pepper

Toss:
Romaine lettuce, about 3 heads washed and torn
broccoli florets, about 2 bunches washed and chopped
ramen mixture
dressing

Note- Ramen mixture and dressing can be made ahead. Do not toss until ready to serve. Recipe is for a BIG salad. If you feel that the entire salad will not be eaten in one sitting then do not toss salad elements together serve separate and let everyone create their own. This way the greens will stay fresh and not get soggy.