Summertime dirt is not on its way into your home, summertime dirt has already arrived. While the dusty feet, sticky fingers, and grassy bottoms leave their mark, adding chores to your already too long list, the dirt they trail in is a souvenir of their summer fun. And boy, are they having a lot of summer fun.

When my sister and I lived at home, we had Saturday morning cleaning chores before any weekend plans. The only time we had a Saturday off was when we went camping with the family; we camped a lot. And so our to-do list, carved into our brains after many years of instruction, was lax during the summer. Of course there was plenty to do after returning home late Sunday afternoon.

So you would think I would have a stricter cleaning schedule in my own home. Not so. I don’t have two daughters to hand over my cleaning list to. I have one daughter and she has her own place to take care of. It’s official, she has already changed her mailing address, and her wedding is in October; my child labor has retired; they are adults now.

So when cleaning duties are on your own, you give yourself permission to take the morning off. You give yourself permission to take the day off; in fact you can allow yourself to scratch off your list a chore you may never want to do again. In my house it looks like I crossed off dusting a long time ago. I do, however, put many miles on my vacuum cleaner and my dishwasher remains quite active. I keep up with my laundry; the collecting, the sorting, the washing, the drying, but not the putting away.

I keep flat surfaces clear; I shake my rugs, sweep my porch, and keep clutter out, not just out of sight. But I have a hard time keeping up with cleaning the window our Bassett Hound likes to look out of. And I struggle with scrubbing the shower and tub, though it does get done. I hardly ever make our bed, no one else goes in there; and well I can “make my bed” before crawling out of it; pull the covers up, flatten and even, slide out the side, fluff and straighten pillows, done. Easy as it is, I still don’t always do it.

I welcome the breeze of cool summer mornings and late summer evenings, and with this open window policy I have made peace with the farmers that stir up the dust; I just ignore it, obviously.

What fresh pickin’s have you gotten from your garden? Send recipes for fresh picked produce to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691.



Stir Fried Chicken & Zucchini

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 tablespoon oil

1 clove garlic, cut up

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup celery, cut up

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, sliced and drained

1 1/2 cups zucchini cut in thin strips

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Mushrooms, optional

Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat oil in heavy fry pan. Add chicken and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken turns white, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add soy sauce and stir. Add celery, mushrooms and squash. Cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water. Add slowly to chicken mixture, stirring constantly. Cook until ingredients are coated with a thin glaze, about one minute. Makes six 3/4 cup servings. Serve with hot seasoned rice and a salad of lettuce and tomatoes.



Zucchini & Tomato Stir Fry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, sliced

4 medium zucchini, sliced

2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pour oil into wok or large skillet. Stir-fry over high heat (350 degrees) for 6 to 8 minutes. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.



Grilled Green Bean & Red Onion Salad

Green beans can be grilled by an attentive cook willing to watch them carefully. They need only light cooking, before being tossed with a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil.

Salad:

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Light the grill. Toss the green beans with the oil. When the coals turn gray, use tongs to set the beans in a single layer on the grill. Cook them for about 4 minutes, turning them often. The beans should char in spots, but do not let them burn all over. They are cooked when they look slightly wilted. Remove the beans from the grill and return them to the mixing bowl. Cover the salad tightly and refrigerate for several hours or dress it and serve right away.

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

1 head chicory, torn into pieces

1/2 red onion, very finely chopped

1/2 red onion, quartered (for garnish)

In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing emulsifies. Arrange the chicory in a wide, shallow serving bowl. Using tongs, add the green beans. Pour the dressing over the beans and sprinkle them with chopped onion. Garnish with the onion quarters and serve at once.



Green Beans with Potatoes & Onions

3 or 4 slices bacon, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 potatoes, chopped

2 pounds green beans, cut up

1-2 cups water

1 cup milk

Fry bacon in saucepan. Add onions, potatoes, green beans and water. Cook until beans are tender. Stir in milk.



Fresh Tomato & Cucumber Salad

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

10 fresh basil leaves

5 fresh oregano leaves

3 small fresh cucumbers (pickling or thin slicing)

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, vine ripened

Mince garlic or press through a garlic press. Let garlic stand in balsamic and wine vinegars for 10 minutes (this takes the “edge” off). Discard any garlic which has green sprouts in the center, as the flavor is too sharp and bitter for this salad; use for another purpose. Wash basil and oregano leaves. Roll up leaves and slice into little strips. Chop and add to your best olive oil and allow to stand in oil while garlic marinates. Meanwhile, prepare salad ingredients. Wash cucumbers and tomatoes. Peel cucumbers, leaving a scant amount of peel. Slice cucumbers into 1/4 inch coins. With a sharp knife, remove stem and blossom end from tomatoes. Slice tomatoes into wedges. Place tomatoes and cucumbers in salad bowl and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. Combine olive oil with vinegars, whisking together well. Use to dress tomatoes and cucumbers; serve at room temperature



Marinated Broccoli & Tomato Salad

1 bunch fresh broccoli (1 pound)

Boiling salted water

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup drained, pitted olives

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil or salad oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 green onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Trim flowerets from broccoli, you should have about 1 quart. Reserve stems for another use. Drop broccoli flowerets into boiling salted water for 1 minute or just until they turn bright green; drain.



Spinach, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Salad

1 pound asparagus, 1-inch trimmed off bottoms

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large minced shallot

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

12 ounces baby spinach

3 ounces crumbled goat cheese

4 slices bacon

Cut asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces. In bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, olive oil, shallot and thyme. Place spinach in a large serving bowl. Crumble goat cheese on top of spinach. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Cool and crumble into salad. Wipe skillet and heat over medium heat. Add asparagus and 1/3 cup water, cover, cook for 4 minutes. Add to salad bowl. Drizzle salad with dressing, toss to coat.



Roast Asparagus Amandine

1 1/2 pounds asparagus

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim tough ends off asparagus. On a jellyroll pan, toss asparagus with oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer. Roast 10 minutes. Add almonds during the last 5 minutes.



Braised Yellow Squash, Corn, & Tomatoes

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium size yellow onion, sliced

2 medium size yellow squash, about 1 pound, sliced 1 inch thick (zucchini can be substituted)

3 medium size ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound, peeled, cored and chopped or 1 (1 pound) can low-sodium tomatoes, chopped with 1/4 cup of juice

1/2 cup fresh or frozen whole kernel corn

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or parsley

Coat a 10-inch non-stick skillet with the spraying oil, add the butter, and melt over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook uncovered, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the yellow squash, tomatoes, corn, oregano, and pepper and simmer, covered for 10 minutes or until the squash is just tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil.