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[From the 2025 Summer Magazine]
Hello my Foodie Friends!
Ah, Summer, my favorite season. It is still my favorite season and was especially during my childhood. Summer was the best season for a host of reasons: First, no school; second, you could wear T-shirts and shorts; and last, getting to sleep in late and then play all day until the streetlights came on. Back then, we didn’t have cell phones, but we had moms that wanted us to stay outside allowing us to roam much farther than kids are allowed today and called out from the back porch at the end of the day to get home for dinner. We had a lot of freedom. We relished each summer day, even if it rained because, as you know summer rain is made for kids. The smells and scents the rain would bring to our young senses were new and unforgettable. Oh, and the mud it created was our favorite. Our property was unique in that we were surrounded by ditches for water runoff and a stream that to us kids, was a “moat.” Our house was the castle and every kid in the neighborhood wanted to come and play at our “Castle” (just a ranch) and moat. One of my favorite and my own children’s favorite movies is The Princess Bride and the Miracle Max movie line: "Have fun storming the Castle.” Even decades before the movie came out, this was something my mom said every day to us during the summer announcing; “ok kids you’ve finished your breakfast, now get outside and have fun storming the castle.” Not only was our house the castle with the moat, we were the first family in the neighborhood to get an inground pool that kept our house the number one summer destination well into our teens. How my parents were able to afford it remains a mystery since they were not well off. My mother did say that your father “knows a guy.”
Along with having a house full of people, my mother also incurred the task of having some summer foods available, such as; fresh tomato sandwiches, cold iced tea, watermelon, and so much more. Perhaps that’s natural since my mother’s caregiving included keeping five children well-fed. We probably seemed like bottomless pits to her. The garden yielded my mom’s favorite tomato sandwiches. We sliced an oversized beefsteak tomato and placed the slices between two pieces of white bread. Of course, we slathered mayonnaise on the bread first. We didn’t mind when the juicy tomato and excess mayonnaise dripped down our chins. We ate the sandwiches outside anyway. When we couldn’t wait to return to our play, we just grabbed a tomato and bit into it. A little sprinkle of salt enhanced the flavor.
When I reflect on all my summers, it can stir such nostalgia in me. Food definitely makes the most important part of our memories. We connect most of our childhood memories through food. Sometimes the smallest things take us back to the carefree time of our childhood. It can be while cooking something and a particular smell of that food makes you think about your childhood. There are quite a few “summer favorite foods” that take us back to the time when summer meant vacation. Still among my favorites are; Freezer pops, ears of corn, fresh raspberries, and grilling--that’s what I think about when asked what I remember about summer meals.
Creamy Pineapple Fluff Salad
Ingredients
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 cans (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained or chop a fresh pineapple
- 1-1/2 cups multicolored miniature marshmallows, divided
- 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1/3 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
Instructions
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, milk and lemon juice until smooth. Add pineapple and 1 cup marshmallows; fold in whipped topping. Sprinkle with nuts, cherries and remaining marshmallows. Refrigerate leftovers.