Summer's heat....

....hasn't deterred these lovelies -

Remember that "blue moon!"

Busy days....

....this week with a UMW Mission u in a nearby town.  I've not had time to spend on keeping up with blogs or responding to comments.  Hopefully I will get back on some sort of schedule next week. 

The week-end is here!  I hope you have a good one!

This has been the focus of the study I chose -

Those leftovers....

.....came from this recipe -

About half this amount now remains!  No "weeping" on this meringue this time!  Don't know how I avoided that!:-)

Not just gluten....

Often, when someone has shown a sensitivity to gluten, difficulties may also be noticed with a group of vegetables called "nightshades."  I am not knowledgeable enough to be able to list all of those, though tomatoes and peppers usually make the list.

So - in my quest to locate a recipe for Baked Beans that didn't have a tomato base - or an ingredient like chili sauce - I was thrilled to see this one!

I made a change or two in this one, using Navy Beans (Eden Organic - low sodium) instead of the Great Northern and omitting the bacon - just in case some vegetarian family members dropped by and wanted something to eat.:-)

I was so immersed in preparing the recipe that I neglected to take a picture until this point....

The recipe makes enough for a crowd!  

The Husband....

....was happy!

Chocolate Cream Pie - with meringue - from Food.com!  City Girl helped us enjoy it and took some home!

Pie plate - Longaberger from several years ago when pink was featured!

Another good one....

....for summertime enjoyment is this one -

Instructions for this Pasta With Pesto are not difficult.

8 oz. dry pasta (I used Ancient Harvest gluten-free elbows).

2 cups broccoli florets

Prepared pesto, homemade or your favorite store brand

Grated Parmiagano/Romano cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli florets to pan during last two minutes of cooking time.  Drain, then place in serving bowl.  Add pesto and toss gently.  Then add cheese, and toss again. Good at room temperature.  Be sure to refrigerate leftovers!

Speaking of baseball, :-), the All-Star Game is scheduled for tonight in Cincinnati!  Will you be watching?

I made it!

Here is that wonderful White Bean Salad that Susan Branch recently posted!

It's a great dish to have in the summer - or anytime!  Cauliflower florets, red onion, celery, fresh herbs, and cannelllini beans - good for a side dish - or a main dish!  

We are having good luck with our sage this season.  Those are our very own fresh sage leaves that you see there!

On a hot summer day....

....this was a good choice for lunch!

A homemade ground chicken lettuce wrap!

To make the filling:

Brown one pound of ground chicken with chopped onion in skillet.

Add a can of diced tomatoes.

Season with 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon (or more) of fennel.

Salt and pepper, as needed, then simmer for about 15 minutes to let the flavors develop.

Incidentally, this was the topping on the pizza in the last post.  I kept out enough to make the lettuce wrap.  I usually don't purchase iceberg lettuce at the grocery, but this time it looked really good.

Another try....

....for a gluten-free popular item!

This is the "before...."

....and this is the "after."

Mixed reviews on this one, though it is not a bad choice.

Why the interest in gluten-free?  Well, a dear family member, after enduring some dietary restrictions for  30 days, has shown a sensitivity to gluten!  So - the search is underway for some good substitutions!

If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

On this day....

....in 1909, this person was born.

This is the earliest picture I have of my father.  I have been told he was in the eighth grade when this picture was taken.  Is that what you remember, Sister?  

Unfortunately, he passed away in 1973 on Sister's birthday week-end, at the age of 63 (before he had his 64th birthday).  While that is, to me, a young age, he actually outlived his three brothers and my grandparents.

It was a blessing to have a good man such as he was as my father.  I've childhood memories of fishing trips (can't believe I actually helped dig red worms for bait!) and local baseball games with him, as well as listening to the radio tuned to the broadcast of a major league game.  I don't think he missed any!:-)

    

Attempting....

....gluten-free biscuits....

....made with brown rice flour.  Still more experimenting before I get them right! 

Leftovers.....

....are always good to have!

It was really nice to bring some of this back home following a Fellowship Coffee at church on Sunday!  I used a packaged Hodgson Mills gluten-free cookie mix for the base.  Whipped cream cheese - 8 oz. - with a Tablespoon of powdered sugar was a tasty topping underneath the fruit!  

Ree Drummond's recipe....

....for Blackberry Cobbler....

....was a "hit!"

It was really good with vanilla ice cream!:-)  I think whipped cream would be great, too!:-)

Voila....

....a freshly baked blueberry pie for celebrating the Fourth of July!  

Just out of the oven!  

Sending wishes for a happy holiday week-end to all!

Out our front door....

Looking out our front door we see this....

Rain!  Glorious rain!  

June was a very dry month, and we have a deficit in our average rainfall for the year.  That's why it is good to see the rain.  

Hoping all is well with you!  We've been away for a bit and had a very slight Internet signal, so I've not been around to check on you in quite awhile.

Have a really good Thursday!