Summer food fun.

    Summer is so food fun! All the fresh vegetables make healthy cooking a snap. I enjoyed swimming at my sister's and brother-in-laws place while they were away and decided to raid their garden. I downed the cherry tomatoes right away, could not resist. But then stole some fresh zucchini and regular tomatoes as well. That evening I made some tempura fried zucchini and a fresh tomato salad with capers, Gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinegar to accompany the pasta con oleo. I also grabbed some cucumbers. So for lunch the next day I decided to make tuna stuffed tomatoes with fresh fruits and vegetables. Why does summer have to end? Enjoy it while it last in the company of food.

Me at the Lincoln memorial he, he, he!

The vacation is almost over and our last outing is to Washington to visit the WWII memorial on which my cousin had included the name of my father. I was excited to see his name engraved as one of the people who gave us our freedom. Unfortunately, anyone who knows me realizes history is not one of my fortes. Jude, on the other hand, is educationally well rounded and knowledgeable, a world traveler. Why are we friends? I bring her back to reality is my reasoning. However, my first question upon arriving at the Washington mall put even our lifelong friendship over the edge. I saw this big, straight, pointy white structure in the middle of the mall and asked Jude "What is that?" Her reply, "I can't believe we are friends!"

It got better after that? I am sure everyone else but me knows that Washington DC has a lot of museums. And most of them are free. It is a beautiful place to visit and has something for everyone. For me the exhibit on FOOD through the ages called. I have been personally effected by Michelle Obama's  new food incentive on childhood obesity. I found the exhibit very enlighten and humbling, Realizing that champions of all causes keep us focused on change, which is a difficult concept for most to embrace.

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Maria and Jude checking out the homemade bread.

Just so you can relish the finished product here is the oysters before I devoured them. They were delicious! The next day was the second adventure of the vacation sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. Maria had arranged with one of her resident professors to take a group of ladies out on his sail boat for an afternoon jaunt. The weather really cooperated with a nice wind and plenty of sunshine. To get ready for the sail we stopped at the farmers market to grab some fresh baked bread, cheese and wine for a snack. Are we having fun or what? This farmers market put our Woodstock rendition to shame, although I am quite fond of my hometown version. The vegetables and fruits were beckoning, lush and colorful. Maria stopped to chat with everyone in her college town and Jude and I were on a mission to find cheese; a chunk of cheddar horseradish the find. Our next stop was to the local health food store where I snagged some garlic and olive oil Chevre cheese spread. Yum! And we brought some white wine to sip with our treats. Then it was off to the boat and our sailor host, Dave, was preparing to set sail. This is the second time on my trip they tried to kill me.
 It started out calmly enough as we motored to the open water but then Dave hoisted the sails and the excitement began. The wind was brisk and the sun was blistering as the boat hummed along the water tipping to the side, skimming the rails. We finely all got our water legs and I decided to venture from the comfort of the cushioned seats and experience the  wind and the ocean. BIG MISTAKE! On the top of the cabin the breeze skimmed my cheeks and cooled the day. Holding on as we came about was a challenge but manageable. SO.. I decided to move forward and enjoy the full impact of sailing. Jude joined me kitchen towel hat and all. (I promised not to publish Judes' hat collection!) We spotted a group of rowing sailboats about to race and Dave had to do some damage control to get out of their way. As he tacked I rolled and could taste the water spraying on the deck. I yelled to Jude to grab me but she was holding on for dear life too. As soon as the drama began, it was over and we both rolled back into position. I realized sailing was not for amateurs and headed back to the safety of the cushioned seats.