Ten Things I Love About Summer

1. I love the way the sun shines and the special shadows it creates.

2. I love homemade ice cream. Of course I can make it any time of year, but we make it so much more when the days are hot.

3. I love sitting on the porch, watching the children play while we cook on the grill.

4. I love fresh fruit: peaches, cantaloupe, honey dew melon, Mississippi watermelon.

5. I love the longer days.

6. I love the Farmers' Market and the produce it has to offer: butterbeans, pink eye purple hull peas, corn, cucumbers, TOMATOES are my favorites.

7. I love a salad we make with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and sliced onion (recipe follows).

8. I love the College World Series--game three in the championship series is tonight. Geaux LSU.

9. I love shelling peas while watching baseball on summer Saturday afternoons.

10. I love to have herbs on the porch and flowers in the yard.

Tomato-Cucumber Marinade
Layer in shallow glass dish: 2 medium tomatoes (peeled, sliced)
1 medium cucumber (peeled, thinly sliced)
1/2 medium onion*, thinly sliced & separated in rings
Combine: 1/2 cup salad oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. tarragon
1/8 tsp. pepper

Beat well with whisk or mix in blender. Pour over layered vegetables; chill, covered, 5 to 6 hours. Drain, reserving marinade. Pass if desired.
* I use either red onion or the sweet Vidalia onions available only in the summer.

Blessings,
Pastor Margaret