Category: Summer

‘Terrifying’ Footage Shows 10-Year-Old Jumping Into Pool to Save Mom Having Seizure While Swimming

What started out as a fun summer morning for one Oklahoma family enjoying a dip in a backyard swimming pool quickly turned into one mother’s “worst nightmare.” Terrifying security camera footage shows Kingston mom Lori Keeney on Aug. 5 suffering a medical episode while wading, but tragedy was narrowly averted when her brave 10-year-old son,…


Soft Tomatoes? Turn Them Into This Fast, Fresh, Ultra-Summery Pasta

My children have an arrangement with an area farmer. After the weekly farmers market, he supplies them with surplus produce, which they sell at a roadside stand in front of our house. They split the proceeds 50/50, with the farmer getting half, and the boys dividing the other. What’s in it for me, you ask?…


Ratatouille Brings Out the Best in Late Summer Produce

Best made in late summer using ripe vegetables, ratatouille is an iconic French Provençal stew of tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers, slowly cooked together until creamy soft. While an uncomplicated recipe, making a good ratatouille does require a bit of time. Make this stovetop version on a weekend, and enjoy it throughout the week—ratatouille…


Growing and Juicing Fresh Mint: Tips and Recipes

Traditionally speaking, mint is an herb widely known to help people with stomach pains, a flaky scalp and even weight loss goals.  So, today, I want to show you how easy it is to grow mint and some ‘do’s and don’ts about using mint properly. First, let me say … It’s summertime and I am…


A Secret Ingredient Makes a Simple Slaw Shine

This slaw is the Goldilocks of coleslaws. It’s slightly sweet, but not too sweet. Slightly creamy, but not too creamy. Juicy, but certainly not too wet. It has a bite, but not too sharp. The only category where it doesn’t compromise is texture: It’s very crunchy. After all, a crispy, crunchy slaw is non-negotiable. I…


A Meaty 2nd Act

Leftover steak is an unlikely star of this hearty main course salad. Cold meats can be a welcome addition to many salads—especially in the summer, when you crave a fresh salad and a substantial meal at once. It also solves how to use up any leftover meat from a previous evening’s barbecue bonanza. This recipe…


Saving Summer: 3 Ways to Preserve Tomatoes

It’s tomato season here in Minnesota, as well as across much of the nation. We plant about 20 tomato plants of different varieties in our front and back gardens each year, and we eagerly anticipate the first harvest each summer. It feels like it takes ages for the first tomato to ripen, and we impatiently…


Slow-Roasted Tomatoes With Herbs in Oil

Slow-roasting tomatoes brings out a unique depth of flavor. Use meatier tomato varieties, such as Roma, Brandywine, Black Krim, or even cherry tomatoes. After roasting, these tomatoes must be stored in the refrigerator; packing them in oil will keep them from drying out too much. Roasting tomatoes low and slow draws out their natural sweetness…


Water Bath Canned Tomato Juice

Serve this juice over ice for a refreshing beverage, or use it as the base for Bloody Marys, soups, simmer sauces, or even chili. For safe canning, you must acidify each canned jar with the proper amount of either bottled lemon juice or citric acid. If you’re not familiar with water bath canning, you can…


A Quick Pickle Fix: Turn Your Summer Garden Bounty Into Crunchy, Tangy, Almost-Instant Pickles

I do like my pickles, but I’m a lazy preserver. My solution is a speedy fix that omits the bother of canning: I make quick pickles. Quick-pickling is for impatient types like me, with (nearly) instantly gratifying results. No time is better for pickling than summer, which yields more vegetables than you can shake a…