Why I love Summer

Summer has never been my favorite time of year until just recently.  I school I really didn't like summer, I was an only child and I've always been easily bored.  Most of the time I would hide in my room with a bag of those big minty pastels that look like Hersey's Kisses and read.  If I was home everyone else was traveling, if I was traveling everyone else was home.  So I was BORED!!!  Now that I'm in college, I love summer.  It's an odd switch, but I'm nothing if not odd.  During the summer my course load goes down to one or two classes instead of four or five, either way I still have a full time job.  Summer is a breath of fresh air, I get to recharge, read what I want to read not the dry accounting books I relegated to during classes and I get to cook.  I love cooking, it relaxes and recharges me.  Cooking is a vent for my creativity, yes accountants are creative and not in the bad Madoff way! ;)  So this summer like all others I've been relaxing and cooking.  I did some experimenting and a few of them turned out well.  I make this bread from Annie's Eats, it uses powdered dry milk which I haven't found a substitute for.  Just this weekend I made homemade lemonade, Vegan Dad's Rhubarb Syrup (which didn't go so well and became Rhubarb Jam), homemade Ciabatta Bread and a new Salad.  The picture has the lemonade, jam and ciabatta.

Vegan Dad's Syrup Jam
Follow the link and get Vegan Dad's recipe.
The only change I made to the ingredients is that I used Raspberry Jam not Strawberry.  I think any berry jam will work with this.  The boo boo I made was while straining the syrup into a new pot I accidentally dropped in about 1 1/2 c of the pulp.  I think this was a happy accident.  This changes the cooking slightly, the jam will not foam, but keep stirring it once it starts to boil and keep stirring until it gets glossy.  Move to a jar and allow to cool.

Veg's Summer Pucker Lemonade
I love sour lemonade so I only used 3/4 cup of sugar.  I prefer brown sugar, I think refined sugar has a harsh taste, you could also use agave syrup.

7 1/2 large lemons
1/2 - 1 1/2 sugar
1 gallon water

Juice the lemons, stir in the sugar and add the water.  Chill and enjoy.

Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Salad
This is my go to salad, you can use anything really the mainstay's are the black beans and corn.  It's easy and perfect for a quick easy summer salad.

1 can black beans
4 ears grilled corn, cut from the cob
1 c salsa, or canned diced tomatoes
2T cilantro or flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1c quinoa
1/2 lemon, grate rind and use the juice
S & P to taste

Cook quinoa per package instruction, I like to use vegetable broth.  Once the quinoa is finished cooking put everything up to the the salt and pepper in a large bowl, mix well.  Add the salt and pepper if you want, but it's not really necessary.  Chill and enjoy.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day was founded to honor our soldiers that have fallen in battle.  People flock to the cemeteries to honor those brave men and women that gave their lives so that we could be free.  Me I hate cemeteries, and I hate crowds, so I stay far, far away from parks, cemeteries and national monuments.  How do I celebrate, well bar-b-ques and beer of course!  Yes I am one of those American that believe that this is the perfect way to celebrate Memorial Day, but I also know why we celebrate Memorial Day.  Far to many Americans think of Memorial Day as just some random three day weekend, hence the beer and bar-b-ques.  I celebrate Memorial Day thus because I believe the way to truly honor those that fought and died for us it to relish that we are alive, to honor the freedom's that we have, to continue to fight tyranny and bigotry.  I believe that I honor our fallen soldiers everyday, because I live and I remember them.   If it weren't for those fallen soldiers I may not be alive, and many of you can say the same thing.  I have had ancestors serve in many of America's wars, including the Revolution.  If any of them had been the one to die, I wouldn't be here and neither would my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  So I ask all of you on this Memorial Day, to have a moment of silence and thank those that died so we could live, then LIVE and be free.  And take the time to thank a solider, I know it's not Veteran's Day but they really don't hear it near enough.

In memory of Patrick Pruett, loving father and friend.  We will always miss you.  1948-2009