Suzanne Duncan Lees's Blog – April 2011 Archive (5)

It seems to me as if we have fired straight through spring right into summer!  After spending a hot day inside a humid middle school with a host of malodorous middle school students, I was ready to cruise home, fire up the AC and let the cooling begin.  Hitting the screen door, flying through the kitchen--I dropped my bags on the counter.  My sweaty palms flew to the thermostat to dial up the cool air.  Click....click...nada.  Sweat dripped from my brow as I hastily dialed my…

Temporarily jettisoned back to 1983, I pull out my fax copy of a recipe that my roommate, Cathy and I used to make in our little apartment on King Street, Shippensburg University.  Our apartment was just above the green awning, and PS—in 1983, it looked NOTHING like this!

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With the dog days of summer just around the corner, nothing quenches your thirst better than a fresh margarita.  You can sidle up to the local Mexican bar with store bought mixer, or whip up some fresh margaritas on your own!   Forget that sour mix and ream some lemons and limes—this one is a keeper.  This recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, beckoned to me one warm, spring afternoon.  My husband, David was feverishly working on the monthly bills at our dining room table.…

May I just say up front, that my relationship with vegetables of any sort is tenuous at best.  As a child, I remember swallowing green peas one by one like aspirin just to get them down.  I fed broccoli to an unsuspecting blind and mentally challenged, older than dirt pooch under the dinner table.  I was unsuccessful.  My mother would put creamed corn on my plate and it was all I could do to not heave right there at the table. Brussel sprouts—yuck.  Even the odor was enough to keep me…



Spring is here!  Bulbs are sprouting, greenery is appearing, birds are returning to the feeders and the delicate scent of hyacinths are in the air.  That can only mean that summer is just around the corner. Clean off the grill, dust off the propane tank and get ready for a BBQ!  As important as the main course, the side dishes always make your mouth water. …