Confetti

What dishes have you prepared so many times you don’t need to crack open the cookbook to whip them up? The first thing I could cook from memory was either cinnamon toast or grilled cheese sandwiches. I learned to make an omelet from Julia Child, though mine’s more likely to wear salsa and cottage cheese than fines herbes. I can make macaroni and cheese off the top of my head. Not from the box; the kind with real butter and cheddar. I’ve made fettuccine Alfredo without a recipe, but we’ve been dieting so long I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how. Here’s my in-the-head recipe for barbecue beef sandwiches: Stew a 3-lb. boneless chuck roast in a slow cooker with 1/2 cup water 8 hours on low. Remove and shred beef; skim fat from cooking liquid. Put back in cooker with 28 ounces Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce. Cover and cook on low 2 more hours. Serve on seeded buns.

Maltese Cross

Last Sunday one of the five finalists for the Miss USA title was asked a rather complex question. It was a question I touched on only a day before in this blog; one requiring more of an answer than simply “world peace.” With eyes, lights and cameras focused on her, Miss Utah stumbled through a series of incoherent phrases separated by long, awkward pauses. And she did it with a dazzling smile. I’m not the least bit surprised by her response. Given the same situation, most of us would have had trouble coming up with our own names. That Marissa Powell became an instant media pariah does surprise me. Critics call her a product of a state that spends less per student on education than any other and of a culture that values brains only in men. They’re completely forgetting that she was in the beauty pageant for one simple reason: because she’s beautiful.

Hydrangea

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by?

Is that what you do? So do I!

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool, or swing in a tree up high?

Is that what you do? So do I!

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?

Do you march in parades, or drink lemonades, or count all the stars in the sky?

Is that what you do? So do I! – Dorothy S. Anderson

Welcome to the first day of summer. I used to wonder why the longest day of the year comes several weeks before the hottest day. Now I understand it’s because of seasonal lag. I’d explain it, but who wants to think that hard in the summertime?

 

Odd Fellows' Cross

You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating: A psychologist teaching stress management raised a glass of water and asked: "How heavy is this?" Answers ranged from eight to twenty ounces. She replied, "The weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. The weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "Stresses in life are like the glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Focus on them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. Dwell on them all day long, you’ll be paralyzed – incapable of doing anything." Remember to put the glass down.

Cat's Paw

I’m not a big fan of peanut butter. I enjoy it in mole sauce and satay, but I’m not usually happy to find it anywhere near chocolate. I’ll make an exception where these cookies are concerned, as long as the peanut butter I use has no added oils or sweeteners, and it has very little added salt. This is the perfect recipe for warm summer days when you really want a cookie but you don’t want to fire up your oven.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

2 cups cane sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter (see above)

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

In a saucepan bring to a boil the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for one minute, then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of parchment paper, drop mixture into tablespoon-sized mounds. Cookies will set as they cool.

Scrappy Rail Fence

Looking back at the lyrics now, I can hardly believe my school choir teacher got teenagers to sing this song. But it had such a carefree melody we couldn’t resist:

“Give a little time for the child within you. Don’t be afraid to be young and free.

Undo the locks and throw away the keys and take off your shoes and socks, and run you.

Run through the meadow and scare up the milking cows. Run down the beach kicking clouds of sand

Walk a windy weather day, feel your face blow away. Stop and listen: Love you.

Roll like a circus clown, put away your circus frown. Ride on a roller coaster upside down

Bicycles, tricycles, ice cream candy. Lollypops, popsicles, licorice sticks

Solomon Grundy, Raggedy Andy, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, home free.

Cowboys and Indians, puppy dogs and sand pails. Beach balls and baseballs and basketballs, too.

I love forget-me-nots, fluffernutters, Sugar Pops. I’ll hug you and kiss you and love you.”