Breaking your lawnmower at the end of June is not exactly good timing, everyone is busy, including the repair shop. After a couple of no-shows by people I had hired on Craigslist the yard was starting to get a little bit overgrown, and on my street the look of your lawn determines your neighborhood status. Enter my awesome neighbor. For the month of July he mowed my lawn. (Insert awkward pause.) No, really, the grass looked great and I was able to maintain my "average" status without slipping into the "oh, they must be renters" category. Well, It's August now. The mower is fixed and has resumed it's job of hogging up about a quarter of my garage, and sadly, there is no more need for someone to do my lawn for me.
It was time to come up with an appropriate thank you for the neighbor and what better for a married man with a couple of young boys than cookies. These are really called Ultimate Chocolate Chippers and are from
The All-American Cookie Book
, a great resource with an overly patriotic name.
Mmm.. beans. I love beans, but I sometimes don't think to incorporate them into my meals like I should. This is a simple marinated white bean salad. When I say simple it's pretty much the understatement of the day, it practically makes itself. This salad is a summer standard, you've probably met before at a barbecue. The beans are great as a stand alone side dish, but I love them even more on top of a green salad. I wish there were leftovers right now....
Ahhh summer. I love any opportunity to go out to the U-Pick farms and load up on fruits and vegetables, and last week I did just that. This was my first attempt at freezer jam and I can't believe how simple it is. I don't want to clog up my freezer with tons of jars of jam, but knowing how easy these are to make is going to be dangerous.
