WEEKEND EVENTS
mc-entertainment
There are few things more refreshing on a hot summer’s day than cooling down with a flavorful ice pop. But before you dash to the grocery store, consider making ice pops at home. Store bought pops are often chockablock full of sugar, artificial flavoring and dyes. How else can you get those neon colors not found in nature? While it’s fun for the kiddies to stick out their electric blue tongues, we can make better-for-you pops they will love.
With Independence Day just around the corner, summer is in full swing and it’s party time! Here’s an easy strategy to host a grand party without a grand budget: throw a tasting party. Doesn’t everyone enjoy sampling food and drink? It gives people a chance to interact, share and find new favorites.
I remember every summer my mom would make the best jams and jellies with all the perfectly ripe seasonal fruits. She made strawberry, peach, plum, apricot, even strawberry rhubarb jam. All the fruits! She’d fill the pantry and we’d have summer-fresh flavor all year long.
WEEKEND EVENTS
Sunday is Father’s Day. If you’re like most households, you’ll gather and share a meal in honor of dear old Dad. While it may be difficult to decide what gifts to get him, you can’t go wrong serving him barbeque. Especially barbequed ribs.
Now that our local Farmer’s Market is open for the summer, my teenaged son goes every week. He’s especially fond of an artisan chocolatier who makes delectable chocolate truffles. The chocolates come in four varieties, and he buys one of each and savors them all week long. I was floored to find he’s been paying $2.50 for about an ounce of chocolate. That’s a $10 a week chocolate habit!
Polenta is a delicious dish made from ground corn that can be an appetizer, side or main dish, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be sweet or savory. Served soft, like mashed potatoes, or cooled and sliced into pieces. It can even be baked crisp into fries!
We’re about to enjoy a glorious three-day weekend. Memorial Day is our opportunity to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives serving in the armed forces. We celebrate their memory with friends and loved ones. Where people gather, there shall be food. Let’s make sure it’s good food!
To keep our grocery budgets on track we need to consume the food we purchase with as little waste as possible. This means eating leftovers.
