This weekend we were having a family over to dinner and I really wanted to make something everyone would like. When the kids were younger, we would usually make something fancier for the adults and then have a kid friendly option. Now that the kids are getting older, I really love having the kids at the table with us talking about dinner just like we always do with our friends. On the menu this weekend were grilled flat iron steaks, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob and wedge salads with a super easy homemade ranch dressing.

While ranch is not my favorite, I knew the kids would all like it. I also realized I had only ever tried ranch from a bottle. Here’s what I came up with, I think it’s so much better than anything from a bottle.

2 Cloves Garlic
¼ cup Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives
1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano
1 cup Real Mayonnaise
½ cups Sour Cream, Low-Fat worked great
½ teaspoon White Vinegar
½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Dash Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoon Paprika
Buttermilk (as Needed To Desired Consistency)
Salt To Taste

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle about and 1/8 to ¼ teaspoons of salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork. You have to mash it or you will end up with garlic pieces that are to bold in the dressing. Chop the parsley, chives and oregano very finely and add to the garlic.
In a bowl combine all ingredients, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with buttermilk if desired.

It’s sunny and hot outside, and the tomatoes are ripening on the vines. Not in my garden, but in luckier people’s gardens across the country. My garden had been ravaged by deer this year. The fence I put up to keep them out didn’t work, and as my husband said, my fence really created a jungle gym for the deer with tasty snacks in the middle.

In year’s past, my tomatoes grew well and I canned sauce for our winter pizzas. My mom and I would make an afternoon of picking Italian tomatoes, pressing the seeds out and then cooking the sauce down to perfection. But this year, with no tomatoes of my own, I’m heading out to the farmers’ market to buy several different kinds of tomatoes to make my sauce. I’m also going to go to our regional Tomato Fest to see the variety of specialty and heirloom tomatoes that can be grown here. I’m hoping to come home with a bunch of seeds for next year’s garden. And if I am lucky, I won’t be growing the tomatoes for the deer.

You can look for a local farmers’ market on A Day’s Outing. If you want to make a day trip of it, here are a few tomato festivals around the country:

Heirloom Tomato Festival Westminster, MD  Saturday, Aug 21st

Tomato Fest Sterling, VA  Saturday, Aug 21st

Tomato Festival Harris, GA   Saturday, August 21st

Fredericktown Tomato Show Fredericktown, OH   Wednesday, September 8th - 11th

Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival Reynoldsburg, OH   Friday, August 20th & Saturday, August 21st

We took a fabulous vacation last November back to Costa Rica. I loved all of the fresh fruit juices that were everywhere to drink. They were very light and not nearly as sickly sweet as most of the juices we have here. One of my favorites was watermelon agua fresca. As summer rolled around, I started to look for recipes. I blended a few recipes I found and here’s and easy way to make my new favorite summertime drink. You can adapt this many ways, the key is to infuse the water with fruit essence without turning it into a smoothie or slushy drink. My husband (who doesn’t like to see anything go to waste) came up with the fruit leather recipe below while thinking about ways we could use all of the pulp from the making the drink.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

1 Seedless Watermelon
2 Cups of Good Quality Limeade (I like Newman’s Own)
4 Cups of Water

Cut the watermelon flesh from the rind. In a blender, process half the watermelon pieces until smooth. Pour through a strainer into a pitcher. Repeat the process with the remaining melon. Set the strained pulp aside and below there is a recipe for a quick and easy homemade fruit leather. Add juice to a large pitcher, combine with water and limeade. You can add more limeade or water to taste.

Watermelon Agua Fresca Cocktail

This was a hit at a dinner I had for some friends recently. Follow all of the above steps. Add ice to a cocktail shaker, a shot of Ketel One Citroen Vodka, and the juice from above. Shake and pour into a tall glass. Garnish with a skewered watermelon ball and a lime wedge.

Watermelon Fruit Leather

Pulp from the Watermelon Agua Fresca above
¼ Cup of Superfine Sugar
1/8 Cup of Lemon Juice
Non-Stick Cooking Spray (Plain, mine was Sunflower Oil)

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Mix all of the above together. Very lightly spray a 9 X 13 baking pan with cooking oil. (tip- place the pan on the open door of you dishwasher before you spray and you’ll have no mess to clean up on your counter) Wipe up any excess oil. Pour the mixture from above into the pan, it should only be a very thin layer about 1/8 of an inch thick. Place in oven until the fruit is completely dried out and not at all sticky to the touch. In my oven on convection, this took about three hours. I think it would take about 4 ½ hours in a standard oven. When it has cooled, you can peel it out of the pan and cut into strips.

Our whole family loves the Florida Keys, I hope to retire there one day with a boat. We have travel down at least once a year. Usually we drive and that way we can take all of our gear, fishing stuff, skim boards, etc. We have also taken the Autotrain down from Washington D.C. and you can read a review of that here. In the past, we have helped many of our friends with their vacation planning to the Keys and so I decided to finally go on and post my list of favorite places.  I would also like to say that I am not affiliated in any way with the places I am recommending.

These are as you drive down from Miami -

Sunshine Market on Tavernier Key - This Cuban gem is on the left as you are driving down to Key West in a yellow building. The coffee is wonderful and the to-go foods are great.

Home Away Islamorada/Tavernier Vacation House - We loved renting this house, it was beautifully decorated, had an amazing kitchen, we could park our boat right out front and the owner is a delight. We have rented several times through both Home Away and VRBO and we have had a great experience each time.

Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant at the huge Bass Pro Shop on Islamorada - The food is very good and it is a beautiful location to take photos at sunset. It is also fun when they feed the tarpon, grouper, and HUGE lemon sharks that come right up in the middle of the dockside restaurant to eat. The Bass Pro Shop is also amazing and they give great fishing advice.

Robbies of Islamorada- It is great spot to hire a fishing charter, go out on their night time party boat, and their largest attraction is allowing people to feed GIANT tarpon from their dock. There are also cute little open-air shops.

Indigo Reef and Coral Lagoon on Marathon- We love staying here too. You can park your boat right out in front of your townhouse, they are beautifully decorated, have wonderful linens and great kitchens. If you sign up for their emails you can get significantly discounted rates.

Bahia Honda State Park - This my daughter’s favorite place on earth! The beach is beautiful and one of the only real beaches in the Keys. It is perfect for skim boarding. The fishing from the jetty under the Seven-Mile Bridge is also fabulous!

Big Pine Key Deer Watching - You can almost always find some of the endangered tiny Key Deer on back roads at dusk.

On Key West -

Mangia Mangia - A restaurant with great Italian food that has been there since we honeymooned in 1993. It seems to be a little more of a local place and away from the craziness of Duval Street.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach - This another gem of a beach in the Keys. It is very clean and you can snorkel right from the beach.

Mel Fisher Treasure Museum - Who doesn’t love treasure? The Mel Fisher story is wonderful and well worth going to see first hand.

Truman Annex - The homes in the Truman Annex are the epitome of the Florida Keys to me. It is one of the most charming neighborhoods in the U.S.

Parrot Key Resort - These are great townhouse style vacation rentals that also have wonderful linens, great kitchens and are beautifully decorated.

The Mermaid & the Alligator B&B - This B&B is another great example of Key West architecture. We even stayed here on our honeymoon in 1993.

This recipe is a favorite in my house and I am proud to say, it is totally my creation. If you ask me to bring a dessert, especially if there are kids there, you can almost always be assured this is what I will bring. I think the key in the recipe, like most others, is good ingredients. I use real butter, good quality vanilla (I like Nielsan-Massey and I just got organic Nielsan-Massey at Marshalls!), Reese’s peanut butter chips and, of course, good chocolate. Oh yes, No, the whole wheat flour is not an attempt to make these healthy, there’s way to much butter for that! The whole wheat flour seams to make them stand up better to cutting into squares. I also like to add chopped pecans, but that almost always insures kids won’t like them.

Jolly Brownies

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (4 squares)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose white flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
10 ounces peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350, 325 for convection ovens. In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate carefully over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat very lightly, just until combined, by hand. Stir in both flours. Spread batter into greased 9X13 pan.  Top with peanut butter chips.  Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes in a standard oven or bake at 325 for 30 minutes in a convection oven.

It’s strawberry season! Beautiful red, ripe berries are appearing in farmers’ markets and roadside stands. Now’s the time to macerate some strawberries with balsamic vinegar, sugar and a touch of black pepper. Serve this amazing mixture over your favorite ice cream and you have a simple, but fantastic dessert.  Look for pick your own strawberries in your area.

Macerated Strawberries
2 pints fresh strawberries (4 cups total)
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Hull strawberries, cut each one in half, and place in a bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and pepper, and mix until well combined. Refrigerate until strawberries are very soft and juicy, stirring occasionally with a fork, about 4 hours.

Smith’s Nursery and Strawberry Farm Benson, NC

Cooley Peach Farms and Strawberry Hill Chesnee, SC

Sussex County Strawberry Farm Andover, NJ

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival Vashon Island, WA

I went with my extended family May 13th-15th to the annual reenactment of the Raid on Martin’s Station. There are similar events at the park all summer long and almost every month throughout the year, but the this is the biggest. Wilderness Road State Park is in far southwest Virginia. The park is 310 acres that lie beside the Wilderness Road, a route carved by Daniel Boone in 1775 that followed a buffalo migration trail and opened America’s first western frontier. Martin’s Station is a replica of a colonial frontier fort that was on this site in 1775. Park officials brag that it is the most authentically reconstructed fort in the United States. The three-day event has more than 500 re-enactors, including Shawnee and Cherokee warriors (who were my kid’s favorite) and men, women and children (who were adorable) settlers.

I had never been to a reenactment and I wasn’t sure what I would think, but I knew my kids would love it. I think there is something for everyone. My father has a sincere appreciation for the authenticity the reactors strive for in everything they do and really enjoyed sharing that with us. Other than the other visitors to the site and the cars in the parking lot, there is nothing modern to be seen. It was a wonderful step back in time that brings history alive. Even the coffee shops and vendors in the 18th century Market Fair, serve on tin and there is no plastic anywhere.

My children and my nephew absolutely loved the Indians, their camp and watching them creep through the woods and across the field during the raid. They even told my dad, whom I think would enjoy being a re-enactor, they would dress up and come along to more of these if he would join the Indians. But, I don’t think he’s ready to join sides with the Indians just yet.

My mom, sister and I loved seeing how the re-enactors authentically prepare their meals in their camps. I think it’s a secret contest amongst them to see who can have the best food. A group of about 9 men had ribs, pies, greens, stuffing and salad. They were the winners in the secret contest that day! Although, I think there wives must have helped with a lot of prep before they got there.

I could also appreciate how authentic the camps were. There were no air mattresses, mosquito netting, or coolers anywhere. I have since found out that the coolers are hidden in crates. The men in the first picture below have an actual birch bark canoe they made.  One of the re-enactors told us how the night before that had to get cosy under a lean-to belonging to two people they had never met before during a sudden rain storm. I think I would only be happy camping in the actual fort, maybe!

The two reenactments of raids of the fort were enjoyed by everyone. You see the Indians sneak through the fields, capture the women caught outside the fort (of course!), fire original muskets and a cannon, burn down sections of the fort, and negotiate the return of the women.

I know there are reenactments in many places but the beauty of Wilderness Road State Park and Cumberland Gap is amazing. The town of Cumberland Gap is also very charming. There is only one restaurant, Webb’s Country Kitchen,  that serves great country cooked meals (we ate there 4 times that weekend) and it is quite funny to see the groups of re-enactors there having dinner. Early one morning, my four year-old nephew peeked out the window of our hotel only to see an Indian in the parking lot!

This recipe has been a family favorite in my house since I was very little. The icing is the key to the recipe and can be a little tricky to make. I can remember trying to make this for my mom when I was little for birthdays and Mother’s Day as a surprise and almost always the icing would end up pooled around the cake in the morning.

I have made the cake now three times in the last month and I now have it figured out and almost foolproof. This is a great cake for people who don’t care for the super sweet and sugar crunchy frosting you get on many cakes. I have also frosted a German chocolate and a lemon cake, topped with a little candied lemon zest, with this icing and they were great. Make the cake part of this recipe first and be sure it is completely cool before you try to ice it.

Banana Cake
There are many recipes for banana cake online. I like this one the best, but I cheat and use a regular Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix. I cut the water from 1 1/3 cups to just 1 cup and I add 1 very ripe banana that I blend well with the water and oil. I use two 8-inch round pans and slice each round into two halves for a four layer cake.

Boiled Icing
2 1/3 cups milk (whole is best, but 2% works fine)
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
1 cup soft butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pecan or walnut pieces to top the cake

Heat 2 cups of milk slowly. Mix remaining 1/3 cup of milk well with sugar and flour to make a paste and add to heated milk. Cook carefully on low until very thick and has the consistency of peanut butter. Remove from heat, cover and cool completely in the refrigerator. I like to make this part the day before.

Cream very soft (room temperature) butter and confectioners sugar and blend with the milk mixture briefly on low in a mixer. Add vanilla and beat smooth. Refrigerate until you are ready to frost your cake.

*this is not my photo for the cake, they have added nuts to the batter and it is only three layers, but the look of the frosting and cake is correct.  I messed up with my camera, again!

When you are visiting farmers’ markets this year keep an eye out for fresh eggs.  Once you have tried an egg from a hen that has roamed around a field foraging on fresh grass and bugs, you’ll never want to eat a grocery store egg again.

We added a chicken coop and hen house to our yard two years ago. I purchased an assortment of chicks from McMurray Hatchery, but my favorite ones are the Polish hens with the top hat feathers.  I raised the chicks in my office, which you might think is insane and you would be right. The chicks make a huge mess so I have to clean their cage twice daily. I know folks who have raised the chicks in their garage and this works, but keep in mind the smell can move through the house if you are not really careful. After the chicks’ feathers have come in, which takes about four weeks, they can be moved to their permanent residence outside. It takes another six months or so for the hens to start laying eggs.  It’s quite a process to go from chick to hen to eggs.

I now have a new batch of chicks in my office. These little ones will grow to be beautiful hens. Some will stay with me and others will go to friends who are excited about fresh eggs for their family and friends. If you want to try fresh eggs, look for a farmers’ market near you. Once you try eggs from happy and healthy hens, you may want to raise some yourself. Maybe not in your office, but you never know.  Here’s a video to give you an idea of what is going on inside my office right now!

Recently while reading a blog I love, one of my friends wrote about her family’s recent trip to the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show. While the Houston Rodeo is the world’s biggest rodeo, it reminded me of the fun my family had last year at a local rodeo near our hometown.

We had seen this rodeo advertised at a local farm on our way back and forth to D.C. Finally last summer we made plans to head out there one Saturday and not only did we have a great time, but it was a wonderful experience for my kids.

I had the opportunity to talk with a young girl beside me whose teenage boyfriend was a new bull rider. She explained that he trained by asking a local farmer if he could attempt to ride his bulls. He would literally stand on a fence and jump onto the backs of unsuspecting bulls!

There were many activities for the kids. Of course, by far the favorite event was the “mutton busting”. Which for those of you who might not know (I had never seen it before), it is kids riding sheep like bulls. My mother in law has a small farm with sheep and my daughter now wants to train, Oh Boy!

Here are some rodeos nationwide-

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Houston, TX

Angola Prison Rodeo Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola, LA

*this rodeo has an amazing history!

National Championship Rodeo Old Fort, NC

South Carolina Apple Festival Rodeo Westminster, SC

Christian County Cattlemen’s Association & IPRA “Rodeo” Hopkinsville, KY