AUTUMNAL THERAPY

Today is a perfect day to do some fall cleanup projects around Cricket Meadow. The sun is shining brightly in a beautiful blue sky, the maple is turning red and everywhere I look I see work. But I love being outside in the glorious weather, pulling stakes away from the hollyhocks and delphiniums, filling the bird feeders, cleaning debris out of the flower beds, properly disposing of a dead snake in the perennial bed, and finally, harvesting produce from a slightly overgrown and a bit neglected garden.

First the tomatoes and peppers. Hopefully, there will be enough for one last batch of salsa. Then I survey the herbs. Mountainous lemon balm plants. Spiky fragrant rosemary. Thick hedges of thyme, borders of basil and shrub- sized sage. I grab my largest basket from the shelf in the kitchen and head out with a shears to begin snipping. When my dehydrator is full, I place the rest on a screen in the garage, topped with another screen, allowing air to move freely around the herbs for proper drying. After a week or so, I begin crumbling the dried plants into canning jars and, covered and labeled, they rest in my pantry or on my kitchen shelves until I need them for cooking.

When winter has its grip on my soul, I reach for a jar of summer elixir, drop some lemon balm leaves in a china cup, pour boiling water over, steep and breathe deeply before sipping a bit of joy. And I can face the worst winter has to offer.

HERB GARDEN PESTO

4 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

Place all ingredients in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Add salt to taste, desired. Place in jars. Cover and freeze.

HERBED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon chives

1 tablespoon dill

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup cold butter

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, chives, dill, baking powder, sugar, soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Brush lightly with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Yield: 24 biscuits.

SAVORY HERBED TOAST SQUARES

4 tablespoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons dried savory

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Stir together all ingredients and mix well. Cut the crusts from a loaf of your favorite bread, butter each slice well, sprinkle with herb mixture and cut into 4 squares. Place on cookie sheets, bake at 250 degrees until slightly brown, about 1 hour.

LEMON BALM COOKIES

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups white flour

1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon balm or lemon thyme

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar together. When fluffy, add egg yolks, vanilla and herbs. Stir in flour. Use a cookie press to make desired shapes on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.

FISHIN' FOR MORE SUMMER...

I’m sitting on the dock as I write this, marveling at how fast the summer went. Flocks of seagulls are holding their late summer rendezvous, acorns are dropping on the wood steps, tree frogs buzz, campsites empty and cabins are vacated. The same as every year, but it always catches me by surprise and makes me a bit melancholy. Life without children in it is something one should adjust to, and I have, (time for grandchildren?) but I still miss my kids a lot when I am at the lake, remembering the fun years of endless water sports, biking and playing with friends. And fishing with Grandpa.

I am reminded of just that this morning. A few yards from shore, anchored in a prime fishing hole, is a pontoon filled with six kids of all ages with their grandpa. He has set them up with drop lines, poles and nets and they are pulling in sunnies as fast as he gets them off their hooks and into the basket. 

They are all chattering with excitement and buzzing with competitiveness. Grandpa patiently answers all their questions, assists them in their every need, and exclaims with enthusiasm over each of their observations and successes with the fishing experience. They exclaim over the tin of cookies Grandma packed as well as the jug of lemonade and cooler of sandwiches and fruit.

And I can still see, and hear, my own kids with my Dad in his fishing boat, just off the dock in the same spot, helping them bait their hooks and remove the fish which swam in thick schools in the fishing weeds just on the edge of the drop-off. No one in our family ever goes far without packing a lunch either, and my Dad patiently handed out sandwiches, cookies and beverages to his fishing buddies.

Maybe before TOO long, we can pass the tradition of fishing with grandkids to some of our own. Hurry back, Lucia!

SUMMERTIME STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

1 cup fresh strawberries

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water boiled and cooled)

7 to 8 cups water

Combine first 3 ingredients in a blender. Puree. Stir in water. Serve iced with fresh strawberries and mint.

CHOCOLATE- CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter

1-1/2 sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Stir in cocoa. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie  sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

TACKLE BOX BARS

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 package chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter

1-1/2 cups Rice Krispies

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder, and vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees in a 9 by 13 inch pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven to melt. Cool. Melt together chocolate chips, peanut butter. Stir in cereal. Spread over cooled bars.

FISHING HOLE SNACK CAKE

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups raw apples, peeled and coarsely grated

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in apples, nuts and raisins. Spread into a greased 8 by 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle powdered