July

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” ~Romans 12:10

Happy beginning of a new month! July. And, with it comes the heat of the summer, and hopefully being good to ourselves with a little added leisure time.

And what could be more leisurely than sitting outside at home with family, friends, or neighbors.

A favorite past time for me has often been driving through neighborhoods where I’ve lived.

Here on the coast many of the neighborhoods appear to spread into the trees

behind foilage and fences on the long,  quiet streets near and above the Pacific Ocean.

Everywhere there is the feeling that this cottage and that one have a story or two to tell.

A house with a past…

is certainly more alluring than one with no past at all.

And so the cottages here pique my curiosity.

One of the joys of growing up in the 60’s was growing up in a neighborhood where families, and neighbors often got together for summer barbeques.

I have fond memories of long summer days, and lengthening evenings. Listening to the chirps of crickets, and not so pleasant hum of mosquitoes.

I can still smell the citrus of oranges, lemons, and remember climbing huge avocado trees in the orchard beyond our property.

There were times of being bone-weary and sinking into the arms of a chair. Ah, the sheer ecstasy of it.

One of the pleasures of those child summer memories was the contact with neighbors.

The family across the street was espeially enlivening as they called back and forth, teasing and friendly.

As the 4th of July approaches I’m reminded that our neighborhood was uniquely American.

  Our neighbors: a patchwork of colors stripes, stars, that worked together to create beauty, harmony, and hope for a better life.

Freedom’s light breathing warm.

Wishing you Beauty, Harmony, and Hope for July!

Here’s a easy no bake strawberry icebox cake recipe that you might enjoy for your gathering.

No Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

Prep time: 4 hours 15 mins. Total time 4 hours 15 mins.

Serves 12-16

Ingredients:

19 oz. graham crackers

2 pounds fresh strawberries

3 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 banana, sliced thin

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1. Cream powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt with the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat until the cream mixture holds stiff peaks.
2. Spread a thin layer of heavy cream mix in a 9 x 13 pan just to coat the bottom.
3. Layer 5 graham crackers across the center of the pan, then 2 more, breaking them as needed to fit around the top and bottom edges.
4. Spread a thick layer of heavy cream mix over grahams and top with a hearty layer of sliced strawberries.
5. Place graham crackers on top of strawberries, then heavy cream mix, then layer of thinly sliced bananas.
6. Repeat the graham-strawberries-cream layers 1 more time (3 times total) and you should reach the top of the pan.
7. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until the graham crackers have softened completely.