When I was a kid, our family went to Skyline Ranch, in Colorado for a week of canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking and a bunch of eating. I think this was my first dining hall experience and I kinda loved it! We all stayed in different cabins, but could meet up at the Lodge to recap our days and decide where we were going to play that night before our parents rounded us up for bed.
Memorial Day weekend is behind us which means it’s time for summer barbeques and prolific vegetable gardens. This dish is great for both! We’re spoiled here with our year-round gardens. My neighbor got a head start on her summer planting and her squash is going nuts! She dropped off a huge stash last week and I needed some more creative ways to serve it before my family started to protest.
I’ve been shopping our Farmer’s Market this month and I keep catching it at closing time. Not on purpose, it’s just the way it has worked out; but every week as I walk through a man is calling out, “Three baskets, five bucks.” He hands my kids a sample each time and he’s got us hooked. These are the strawberries you dream about, red, juicy, flavorful and sweet. They are amazing, but you’ve gotta eat them fast or you’ll have a spoiled bunch in the fridge.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow…and not in a good way. After making this recipe I’ve learned two valuable lessons.
1. “Loaf” isn’t a very appetizing word. I think we should save that word for when we are discussing bread, and only bread.
2. When having guests over for brunch I should warn them that they’re guinea pigs and make one pre-tested recipe. Lets just say, no one cleared their plates at this fancy party. Well, the 11-month old did, but we can’t trust her…she likes everything.
It had to happen. This adventure can’t be all sunshine and rainbows. If I only show you the good stuff you’d be missing out on what makes this crazy. Each time I pick a recipe I cross my fingers and hope for the best. My goal is to recreate these recipes exactly as my Grandmas would have made them. If they aren’t perfection on the first try I get crafty and make them over and over again until they are delish. So there have been some rough meals along the way at our house. Fortunately we have some good friends who have found the comedy in this as I place the occasional disaster in front of them with a pleasant and apologetic smile.
