Before Summer is Over...

There is no denying that summer is fleeting but before it is over why don't you...

  

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Go Outside and Read an Entire Book

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 Dip Your Toes in the Water

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Go For a Bike Ride

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Listen to the Ocean in a Seashell

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Eat an Ice Cream Cone

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Go Skinny Dipping

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date"

- William Shakesperare

Grilled Corn

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Is there anything better than fresh corn in the summer! Nothing completes a summer meal or barbeque like grilled corn and here is a great way to add some zip to yours:

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Need:

Fresh ears of corn

Lime

Butter

Sea salt

Chili powder

Ice cubes

1.  Shuck the corn. Put the ears in pairs on pieces of foil and fold the edges.
2.  Put a piece of lime and butter on each ear and then sprinkle with chili powder and sea salt.
3.  Put two ice cubes on each pair of corn and fold up the foil into a packet.
4.  Place the packets of corn onto the grill and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

ENJOY!

Adirondack Chairs

Photo by Rare Brick

The first Adirondack chair was created in 1903 on the banks of Lake Champlain near the Adirondack Mountains by a man named Thomas Lee who wanted his family cottage to have comfortable lawn chairs to sit on in the summer. 

One of my favorite memories of our summer cottage was the original white Adirondack chairs that were perfectly placed - looking out to the lake.  I spent hours reading and daydreaming in those chairs and I remember my parents and their friends taking them over at cocktail hour.   

The Adirondack chair has certainly gone through some changes in the past 100 years but it is still the same recognizable, comfortable chair that almost anyone would want to relax in at a summer cottage, by the water with a book or in a circle with friends watching the sunset.

Photo by Rare Brick

Watermelon Sorbet

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To me melons are the official fruit of summer as nothing tastes better or keeps you nutritionally hydrated on hot days since they are water saturated.  My personal favorite is watermelon and here is a fun way to enjoy it and keep cool:

 Watermelon Sorbet

Half of a watermelon sliced lengthwise
Small can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted
Large can of crushed pineapple, undrained
Sugar to taste
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

1.  Scoop the watermelon flesh and put it in a blender or food processor.  Process it until it is smooth.
2.  Pour the puree through a strainer into a bowl, discard the pulp and seeds.
3.  Measure out 8 cups of juice.  Add the lemonade concentrate, pineapple and sugar.  Stir until sugar dissolves.
4.  Pour the mixture into a 13 X 9 inch pan.  Cover with platic wrap and freeze until firm.
5.  Break the frozen mixture into chunks.  Place half of it back in the blender and process until smooth.  Repeat with the second half.

Garnish with fruit or mint and ENJOY!

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Beach Reads

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I am sorry for my absence but Summer was calling and I just had to answer!  We have enjoyed a few little get-aways, time at the Lake and I have been lucky enough to be hanging out at the beach with some great books.  Some of my summer reads so far have been:

Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand

Island Girls by Nancy Thayer

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinski

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams (absolutely loved this book)

This weekend I will be off to the lake and my beach chair with The Summer Everything Changed by Holly Chamberlin. 

I hope you are enjoying your summer and have a wonderful weekend!

Summer Cocktails - Drink Garnishes

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During the summer everything feels like a celebration and our refreshing cocktails should look as festive we feel.  Here are a few garnishes that are a great way to dress up your drinks:

Lime Zest

Use a vegetable peeler to cut a narrow strip of lemon peel and twine it around in the glass.  Slice a lemon round in half and place on top of the glass.

Orange Spiral 

Cut a narrow strip of orange peeler with a channel knife.  Twine it around by hooking one end to top of a glass and the other around the stem.

Pineapple Chunk or Stalks
Cut a chuck of pineapple to adorn the top of your glass or cut two long squared strips to stand up in the glass - one being a little taller than the other.  Top the tallest strip with a cherry using a toothpick.

CHEERS!

Beach Cabanas

When we were in Myrtle Beach I absolutely fell in love with these great little houses that were along the ocean. They are certainly tiny but so perfect right there in the dunes among the sand and sea grass. There is no parking or curbs so it was a bit difficult to get photos - that is why I only got pictures of two of them. I would have done anything to get a look at the interiors.

I was finally able to find some information on them and learned that this area is called the cabana district and they are only 200 square feet and 12 feet high. The cabanas are in very high demand and those who are intent on buying and cabana that becomes available are wait listed.

The funny thing is that nobody is really sure how the cabanas came to be. The theories are that they belonged to the homes across the street or to a hotel that was once there.

They would be so much fun to decorate - it is said that because of the small space, interior designers use boat cabins for their inspiration.

They really are unique and lovely - aren't they?