With the lazy days of summer upon us, cravings for picnic-sized sandwiches and beach-inspired snacks invite adventurous thinking to reinvent the typical same-old recipes, transforming them to something new and fresh.

Move over Boring, Ordinary 
less-than-stellar nibbles, 
Hello everything else!

Ok, my garden is literally throwing food at me! So I've been working hard to make every kind of interesting treat, salad, stir fry, or sandwich imaginable to take advantage of this practically free food...

"I would like Indian food pleeeassse!" 5 year old Gracen Matai Meyers pleads with his mom, his blonde head bouncing up and down as he plays on the floor with his cars. Unlike typical children, who'd prefer chicken nuggets and tater tots, Gracen actually just requested Indian food. I'm shocked by his request. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know what Indian food was when I was 5!

It’s the latest, the hippest. It's all the rage. Trust me, if you're not already hearing the chatter, you will soon enough. And if you don’t have something edible growing yet.....
Catch up, and catch on. This is one exciting movement!

People often assume I've been cooking all my life. Indeed I have if you count PBJ's and Kraft Mac n Cheese. 
I was raised thinking spinach was slimy off-green came a can, just add salt and vinegar to the mush, to have muscles like Popeye. The cheese of choice was a giant railroad track-shaped orange squishy substance called Velveeta. Chinese food also came in a can, which you heat and pour over crunchy fried twigs. With a douse of soy sauce, this was the one and only Chicken Chow Mein. For serious protein, simply fill a glass with very hot faucet water, dunk in a hot dog, and within moments it's ready for its bun! 
Then of course there was celery. ...

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it.” -Julia Child

When I first met my husband I was surprised to discover this "spicy man" had an unusual favorite dish: Nicoise Salad. It was then that I began my search for a delectable recipe to satisfy his craving. 
And who better to learn how to make a terrific Nicoise salad than Julia? To this day, it still stands as the Best Nicoise he has ever had.

Julia Child was the Queen of French cooking. When I research her recipes, I find that her techniques are solid and there is an uncommon quality to them that showcases her love and understanding of food and creativity in the kitchen; she was beyond her time and her TV show changed the world of cooking. Her overall "klutziness" in the kitchen (or perhaps she was just tipsy?) is uncommon to see, yet utterly adorable and proves to be just as entertaining as tasting her creations! 

Craving Nicoise? Click here for the recipe.

Recently, I saw this sign someone made out of old wood, and it took me deep in thought, to a moment - a story, a good deal of years back....
Seated outside a restaurant one evening enjoying dinner, I kept noticing a worn looking woman pushing grocery carts full of folded boxes. She would pass by again and again, aware of her surroundings, yet focused on her task in her own hurried world. Later, as I headed to my car, I rounded the corner to find a large group of grocery carts, neatly lined up, each stacked high with folded boxes. Out of my mouth stumbled, "Wow that's a lot of boxes." Then I noticed the woman. Her eyes peered out at me through her gray fuzzy hair. We looked at each other, her hooded coat framing her deeply lined face. Then she was back to work, not interested in me, or what I thought of her possessions...

Because millions of children live each day without shoes. They're exposed to injuries and infections and are rarely allowed in school without footwear.

TOMS Shoes was created when Blake Mycoskie noticed none of the children in a village he was visiting had shoes! Blake returned home and founded a shoe company that proudly matches every pair of shoes sold with a new pair to be given to a child without shoes. One for One.

We have so many shoes in our closets, most of us need bigger closets to house them! Realizing that most people don’t comprehend living without shoes, TOMS created "One Day Without Shoes" on April 10th; encouraging people to go just one day without shoes; bringing awareness to the problem.
So, tomorrow, while at work, school, lunch or play.....kick off your kickers.....spread the word! 
Create a buzz! All so kids won't have to go without.
Join people across the world and register your photo at 
One Day Without Shoes: www.onedaywithoutshoes.com