Late Summer recipes and reflections on summers past

The Carly Simon rabbit hole

Sep 01, 2024

I am sorry to say, it is ”late summer.” It could even be called, “end of summer.” How did this happen? We just went to our girls’ graduations in mid May.

Long ago, when the kids were small we would decamp each summer for two months from Boston to the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire. They are very green, the White Mountains. The kids went to day camps and tennis lessons and we did hikes with other families, gardened, painted, built fairy forts.

At night during the week when my husband was back in Boston, the girls and I would squeeze onto the couch and prop the computer up to watch Little House on the Prairie. I had never watched it as a kid. It didn’t appeal to my mom or me so I never watched. One Summer my friend Kate lent me her box disc set of Little House on the Prairie. My kids loved it and so did I.

I can see why my mom didn’t like it, or I think she didn’t. It is quite preachy and God heavy. I don’t think you could get away with it now in mainstream media. But it was so sweet! The lessons, so good! We could all use some LHOTP in our lives these days. Sometimes I would stand behind the couch, glass of wine in hand, and quietly sob at the sweetness of the episode. The girls would be distracted by the show so I could have a good cry in peace. It was nice. I looked forward to the evenings.

Alas, by high school the girls found other things to do than being in NH all summer. That was the end of the two months in one ideal, simple place at a time. Now with the kids launched I thought we would be spending at least a few weeks at a time up there this summer. Long enough to have a daily rhythm.

But, no. The kids have been in and out of Boston all Summer. If we want to see them, that’s where we need to be. Family came to visit a few times. We did have a wonderful ten days together on a family trip in June. It’s a different rhythm than the old days. But, as Carly would say “these are the good old days.” (btw, you can fall down the Carly Simon rabbit hole with this YouTube link…I did. And you might might start to sob, it’s ok).

Recipes for Late Summer!

Below are some photos taken this summer of food I loved. The first dish is one my step mom loves to make for big groups. It’s not too hard to prepare and you can throw it together before hand. She adds her own spins on the recipe and I encourage you to do the same! We had it last night and I forgot to take a photo before we all dug in:)

Thai Barbecued Chicken by Barbara Scott-Goodman and the beach house cookbook

Serves 6

1 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup Nam Pla (available at Asian and Indian markets)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

4-8 cloves of garlic, minced (depends on your appetite for garlic, I like 6)

2 shallots, minced

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 10 pieces OR 8 chicken thighs (bones in)

6 scallions, trimmed and minced for garnish

Combine the coconut milk, Nam pla, lime juice, garlic, shallots, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste in a blender until smooth. Put the chicken in a large nonreactive bowl or baking dish. Pour the mixture over the chicken and marinate for 4 hours the refrigerator, turning the chicken occasionally.
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. When the fire is medium hot, put the chicken on the grill bone side down. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Turn and cook, skin side down, covered until the juices run clear, 12-15 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a platter, garnish with scallions, cilantro and slices of lime.

Note: My step mom precooks the chicken in the oven after the marinating and before the grill and she makes a sauce out of the marinating ingredients, though separate from the original marinating sauce.

Ceviche!

Ceviche is delicious in the summer, especially if you have someone catching fish in the family! I have taken the NYTimes recipe as a base and added and subtracted to fit my own version.

Yield: Six to eight servings

1 pound skinless, boneless fillets of fish such as bluefish, red snapper, mackerel or seafood such as bay scallops (or shrimp and pretty much any white fish)

1/2 cup of lime juice (at least!)

1 cup peeled, seeded, fresh, red, ripe tomatoes cut into ¼-inch cubes and drained

4 or more canned serrano chilies, drained and chopped (I’d say start small and add to taste. You cannot make a dish less spicy so easily.)

½cup finely chopped red onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh coriander (at least)

Salt to taste, if desired

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Grated rind of one lime

PREPARATION

Step 1
Cut the fish or scallops up small so that they will soak in the lime juice thoroughly when they are marinating. Put the pieces in a bowl and add the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, even overnight if you like, stirring occasionally.
Step 2
Add the remaining ingredients and chill until ready to serve

Tomatoes Sliced with Basil and Olive Oil

That’s pretty much it…the title says it all…almost! Throw a little sea salt on there to make the tomatoes late summer flavor sing!

Zoomie Hang Out, thoughts:

Protecting the identities of my Zoomie friends…ran out of time to get their approval to use their images…

Five women joined me online for the first Women’s Survival Guide Zoomie Hang Out and it was delightful. We talked about so many different topics and everyone participated. I plan to do a monthly meeting and see what happens.

Too many people showing up is a problem I would love to have. If only one person clicks the link for the September 23 at 7PM EST I will be there with a smile on my face. It was extremely cathartic to be in a virtual room with women around my age just talking about whatever came up. I’ll think up some topics for next time, ideas are welcome!

Join Zoom meeting September 23 at 7PM EST
us06web.zoom.us/j/86195729979?pw...
ID: 86195729979
password: vtXgS2

Eldercare series # 1

Like the Zoom the first Eldercare story was well received and prompted a lot of chat and connection among readers. That was what I was hoping for! The next one will be out September 15th. I have put a tab on the web page where all the eldercare stories will be kept for your easy viewing pleasure. I will put one out every three weeks!

Please feel free to send me your own story about taking care of a parent or grandparent. I will post it (editing and appropriateness pending). womenssurvivalguide@gmail.com.

Happy Labor Day, ladies!

Kim