Summer meals

On hot days like today, I raid the freezer for ...whatever looks easy and cool.  Shrimp salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, salads with veggies and fruits and grains.  We ate at a Lebanese restaurant on Friday, and enjoyed tabouli salad.  With the grill and a salad, it's hard to go wrong.  Last night, we skipped the starch part of the menu and had grilled pork chops, grilled onions, broccoli and carrots.  You haven't lived until  you've eaten grilled vidalia onions.  A large one is enough for two people.  Pork chops are delicious on the grill.  I   just used salt, pepper,  grated lemon zest and a bit of olive oil and minced garlic.

Here is the recipe for the onions, from the disgraced Paula Deen, but this recipe makes you want to forgive her.
 Grilled Vidalia Onions in Foil


It's strawberry season and I went all out and made a strawberry shortcake  with a sponge cake instead of a biscuit recipe.  To Die For.  Well, see for yourself.

Strawberry short cake with whipped cream -

The recipe is right here: Strawberry short cake with lemon pepper syrup

The tablecloth, so summery, is an old one from the Simon Pearce outlet in Quichee, Vt.  It's so old and soft that it barely needs ironing, a good thing.  Made in India, by the way.

The garden is gifting us herbs for cooking:  chives, thyme, rosemary,  sage, parsley, and huge batches or oregano.  Basil, too.  Can't wait for the tomatoes.  I already ate the first Insalada Caprese.    Summer is wonderful.  The farm down the street has "Pick  your own strawberries."    I'm taking two young ladies along next week.    We will probably eat as much as we pick.  My grandmother had a huge strawberry patch, and by the end of the summer, I was actually tired of them, although now I cannot conceive of such a thing.

What do YOU like best about summer foods?             

Do It Yourself Mother's Day Steak House Dinner

Ruth Chris' steakhouse has recently offered a three course meal for $99 for two people. Add the $40 for drinks, the tip and the tax and the transporation and parking and you've topped off at $195.00. And this is the bargain meal.

Mother's Day, like Valentine's Day is the worst possible time to go out to eat. Too may people, bad service, screaming kids--what's to like?

Have yourself a wonderful feed for $30.00. I kid you not. Rib eye's were on sale this week, and I got two BIG ones for $11.35. This morning I used a Pillsbury pie crust ($1.69) filled with blueberries and blackberries to make a lucious dessert ($6.97 for the fruit.)

Baking potatoes purchased a while back, a big bag for $3.00, so figure $1.00 for two big potatoes. That includes butter, bacon bits and sour cream (all bought on sale). Add another $1 for incidentals, and the total comes to $30.00.

We are eating like kings, and Mom just has to cook the asparagus in the microwave and toss a salad. Potatoes bake themselves and Significant Other grills the steaks. The dessert took about 5 minutes after breakfast. It is a free form tart with the berries, sugar, lemon juice, apple pie spice and a bit of instant tapioca thickener. Looks lucious. Actually, if the two of us went out for this it would probably cost closer to $250.00. But these days, we wouldn't.

I washed 8 sweaters and a pair of good slacks, thereby saving $46.00, which will be more than enough to get all my winter coats cleaned. The sweaters look great. I wash them on hand wash and block on towels to dry. I due these two each and dry them on the washer and dryer.

One has to be a little clever and a little creative and pare a bit of cheese. By the way, Trader Joe's has great prices on cheese, and some of their crackers, esp. the flax seed ones are sooo delicious. Discover your inner cheese parer.

When I was a young woman, a couple got married and the wedding reception was in the hotel basement or at the bride's house. Talk about cheap! Weddings, birthday parties, all sorts of events have gotten out of hand. We can still have fun and enjoy our friends while we spend a fraction of the money we formerly did. Build frugal habits for a lifetime.