What happened to the lazy days of summer?

July was a really busy month for us and it looks like August will be too.  The gardens are all doing well and I am swimming in produce and herbs.  I have been spending a lot of time dehydrating, canning and freezing for the winter.  It will be worth all of the time and effort when I can pull local peaches out of the freezer or open a can of homemade salsa.  You just can't get better than garden or local produce.

Some summer pictures from our house.

 

TBG celebrated another birthday on the 16th.   He decided he wanted to try out a new BBQ place for lunch that day, so we headed west to Sugarfire Smokehouse - The Best St. Louis Style Barbecue.  To our surprise, there was a man in front of us getting a large order to go and when he noticed TBG's veterans' hat, the thanked him for his service and then told the cashier he wanted to pick up our check too.  We tried to talk him out of it be he said you did more for our country than I ever did so I insist.  We told him thank you and I mentioned it was his Birthday so he proceeded to sing Happy Birthday on his way out.  He was such a happy guy, and it was nice to be reminded that there really are some great people in the world.  

Since TBG's party wasn't until the 18th he said he didn't want a cake and chose chocolate brownies with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce.  It really was good.

We celebrated July 18th in Bloomington with a lot of friends and family and it was a perfect day for a road trip. On the trip there I caught this picture that made me smile.

I didn't watch or read much but I did catch one really good movie on Netflix.  Ordinary Angel.  It was a really good movie based on a true story.  I loved it.

Meals we've eaten lately...

Spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread

BLT and zucchini fries

Coho salmon, pinto beans and rice Culinary Adventures with Lori: 52 new recipes in 52 weeks #1 Braised Pinto Beans

Jerk chicken legs, pesto mac and cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion, garlic toast

Steak fajitas, Spanish rice and spicey coleslaw

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this last bit of summer (or winter).  We're heading out to a special girls second birthday party!  Have a great Sunday.