Goodbye to Summer

Cooler temperatures are finally here.  Now begins that special schizophrenic time of year, where the day time highs can still reach the 90's and the night time lows make you wish you had a sweater!  But before summer comes to an official end on September 23rd, you still have time for one more big BBQ blowout.  Now, we all know the staples for a great grilling experience, hamburgers and hotdogs.  But if you want to take advantage of the last few long days, you have to spice it up and stretch it out. 

A great recipe for getting it started is a delicious BLT dip that I found in Taste of Home's August issue.  It is really simple and so darn good.  All you need are 6 little ingredients!
1 cup (8 oz) of sour cream
1 cup of your favorite Mayo
4 oz shredded cheese (I love sharp cheddar)
1 cup chopped, seeded tomatoes
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (too hot to stand over a stove still?  Try precooked bacon, zap them in the microwave a little longer than recommended to get them nice and crispy)
1 Tablespoon green onions
Mix this all together and enjoy on crackers or chips.

Since this dip whips up in a single bowl, mix it in your pretty crockery to take it from fridge to table with as few dishes as possible!

We know all that hard work making that dip (no one has to know it took less than 10 minutes) will make you thirsty.  Now, a beer is great with brauts, but sometimes it isn't appropriate.  So we found a recipe that gives that summer time staple, Lemonade, a taste-lift with the iconic flavor of watermelon!

Watermelon Lemonade
6 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 8 large lemons), 4 squeezed lemons reserved
4 cups chopped watermelon

Bring the water, salt and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from heat, add reserved lemons, cover and let stand for 10 minutes (this is your syrup).  While that is sitting, puree the chopped melon in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of water.  Pour syrup and watermelon puree through a strainer into a pitcher.  Stir in lemon juice. This lemonade can be made up to one day ahead.

Don't forget to decorate for your party.    Never underestimate the value and versatility of a terracotta pot!  Paint them or leave them natural and you can use them to hold utensils.  Line them with parchment and you can use them as serving bowls (new ones only please, and give them a good wash just in case they come in contact with the food).  Large ones filled with sand can be used to hold tiki torches (tacky I know, but we love them anyway) or citronella garden candles.

You can even use them to hold wine glass and wine bottle stakes, like this one (left) from giftedgrape.com.

Galvanized buckets and tin pails are great for BBQ's too.  A large bucket (like a #10 washtub) can be filled with ice for use as a cooler.  Smaller pails can be used like the terracotta pots above.  You can buy painted or plain metal ones.  Dress them up with a bandana folded into a triangle and then tied around the pail "bandito" style.  Fill them with flowers, candles or anything else that strikes your fancy. 

Most of all have fun, summer only comes (and goes) once a year.  Try to remember the feeling you had as a kid, the excitement of summer and the promise of fall.  Of course, you aren't a kid anymore, so don't forget the sun block.  Saddle bag skin is so last year, people (http://www.skincancer.org/Go-With-Your-Own-Glow/).

Finally....

The kids have gone back to school, and you know what that means: before long they will be Batman and Princesses, kittys and pumpkins.  Only one thing comes after that...Christmas.  Ok, I know it is still hot out there, so there will be no herald angels harking quite yet.  But we are thinking about it, and we know you are too, even if you don't admit it.  Well, we are going to make that "most wonderful time of the year" a little less stressful and a little more wonderful.  September 3rd we are hosting a Sip N Shop, grown ups only please, to debut our newest additions to our family of quality products.  Stop in and see our varied stock of toys, including Melissa & Doug's line of quality wood educational toys.  We will be open from 7-9 pm for this exclusive shopping experience and will be providing drinks and dessert.  While you browse the store, you will be able to take advantage of special discounts only for those who attend, as well as learn more about our exciting "Letter to Santa" service.  We will provide wish lists that you can fill out, gift certificates for purchase, and free gift wrapping on anything bought that night!  We will see you there!

Friday the 13th! Yikes?

Friday the 13th is traditionally an unlucky day. And while I have always known this, I have never known why. So I went on a quest to find out the history of this unluckiest day. First of all, I found out there is a name for the fear inspired by this day; it is friggatriskaidekaphobia. This word was coined in 1911 and appeared in “mainstream” in 1953.


According to the Wikipedia, one theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day.



In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve gods of Olympus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.



Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's The Canterbury Tales, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s. It has also been suggested that Friday has been considered an unlucky day because, according to Christian scripture and tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.



But whatever the origin, we can be sure that it is another reason to party! Why not throw a Friday the 13th Freak Out party, with some simple decorations and a roaring good time? Make sure you invite the appropriate number of guests, 12, so that with you included you have a total of 13 people. Start the party off right with an open ladder in front of your door, so that all who enter will have to pass under it. Open some colorful umbrellas and sprinkle them around the room. Horseshoes hung so they point down would make great decorations at the corner of a “Friday the 13th” banner. If you were interested in party games you could toss PLASTIC mirrors to each other, until someone drops it. You could have saltshaker relay games. Be sure to incorporate your favorite superstitions while you are thumbing your nose at traditional fears.



What ever you decide to do for entertainment, make sure you remove all solid wood items from reach…there will be no knocking on wood at this party!