Poetry & Prose ~~ "Let Us Not Forget"

Let us not forget what Memorial Day is all about,

            And remember the men and women, who without a doubt

Gave of themselves to serve, many giving up their lives

            To defend our God given freedoms by their sacrifice.

Freedom is not free, it comes with  a very great cost

            By the many battles won and by some that have been lost.

Freedom is worth defending, something we do not want to lose.     

            Peace is what we long for in our present and in our future too.

So as we celebrate this day with family and friends,

            Remember those who fought for our liberties to the end.

Let us give thanks for those who served and paid the price,

            That we may enjoy our freedoms everyday of our lives.

Happy Reading in Poetry's Presence.

Submitted by Lesta of Heartsong Treasures.

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Tomatoes - Straight From The Horse's Trough

August delivers many things including fresh tomatoes along with corn on the cob and other healthy veggies. Those featured photo above include the Roma variety along with the Heinz slicing ones.  Roma's are good for making salsa or canning of tomatoes to use in your winter soups and stews. Here's the finished product all lined up:

A few years back my ever lovin' surprised me and installed a couple of horse troughs in our back yard in which I could grow my herbs and vegetables. To find out why tomatoes thrive in this type of receptacle, please check out my digital E-book titled Straight From The Horse's Trough on Amazon.com. 

Here is the link:   https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Horses-Trough-Gardening-Suburbanite-ebook/dp/B00C2YU5Z2/ref=la_B004S20HAO_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470775255&sr=1-5#nav-subnav

It can be a challenge to grow your own food in a small space, but it's amazing what you can do with just a bit of ingenuity, creativity, and elbow grease.  Here's a picture of this year's plants half way through the growing season:

If you are short on time, put the heavy scope on these 20 Recipes for Fresh Summer Tomatoes featured in this web link: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/summer-tomato-recipes/view-all

For all of you health experts in blogger land, here's the scoop: http://www.floridatomatoes.org/news-events/10-reasons-why-you-should-be-eating-more-tomatoes/

What is your favorite way to use tomatoes in your meal planning other than serve them sliced with a dash of salt or sugar on top?  Please leave a comment as our readers would like to hear from you!

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Science With The Grandkiddos

During one of the grandkiddos' recent visits, they made two ice cube trays of citrus slices.  These have been such a nice relief during our recent one hundred degree temperatures.

Depending upon the ages of your grandchildren, you may have to slice the lemon or lime into small wedges for them.

If your grandchildren are old enough, they can read the instructions for themselves:

1. Rinse a lemon or lime, dry with paper towel, and cut into small slices or wedges.

2.  Place one wedge into each compartment of the ice tray.

3.  Place the ice tray in the freezer overnight.  Invert the tray to remove the cubes.  If you only desire to use one or two at a time, they can be removed from the tray by grasping the citrus wedge.

4.  This is a fun way to explain to young children how water can be a liquid and a solid.

5.  Other suggestions for the citrus wedges ~~ place them inside a glass of iced or hot tea or a citrus drink!

Happy Reading & Learning.  Stay cool!

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Sweet & Savory Friday ~~ 4th of July Spread

INGREDIENTS:

• Two 15-0z. cans Cannellini Beans
• Two Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Two Tbsp. diced garlic
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Boar's Head Horseradish Sauce
• 1 tsp. freshly ground kosher salt, optional

DIRECTIONS:

• Rinse beans thoroughly with water and drain in colander
• Place inside food processor
• Add all other ingredients
• Blend until smooth

Serve with crackers, bread, or condiments of your choice.  I used three grain sweet potato crackers, tomatoes, and greens.

If you are looking for a different spread for your Fourth of July spread, try this one!  It's delish!

Happy Dining & Happy 4th!

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