Today, after mass, we headed down to have a leisurely afternoon with my side of the fam.  It was blazingly hot, but luckily, not as humid as it usually is.  My parental units live about an hour from us, and I was looking forward to spending some Q.T.  Plus, they have an amazing outdoor patio with water fountains, colorful flowers, and some shade (provided by umbrellas).  Sitting out back and sipping on some adult cocktails sounded like just the thing for day like today.

We swung by my family’s favorite road side produce stand on the way down.  There’s nothing I love more than fruits & veggies in season.  I had specifically asked for roadside stand corn and tomatoes, because the stuff from the supermarket just doesn’t compare.

Check out the colors and yumminess of fresh corn, berries, peaches, squash and peppers.

Paradiso!!

Huge surprise when we arrived ~ booty from South Africa!  I can’t wait to make some Green Curry Chicken.  Mmmm!  And biltong, South African jerky, is mouth-watering.  I’d be jealous of myself if that made any sense!

Jorge Dos came with us as well.  He enjoyed quite the day ~ and even had a Jorge Dos-sized corn on the cob.  Hilarious!

Some pics just need to be full -sized to appreciate the full extent of Jorge Dos’ adventures (I realize that I had a little too much fun this afternoon thinking of places a bobble-headed turtle might wander if given the time … and ability!).

checking out the froggy competition

"Do you come here often?"

a new way to travel

After I had sufficiently exhausted all resources for Jorge Dos’ adventures, we were ready to sit down for dinner.  My Mama Bear and her lovely twin sister prepared a very fresh and delish meal to take full advantage of summer produce.

We had steaks on the grill (cooked to perfection by my dad), marinated in my Mama’s special marinade.  (I’ll share the recipe soon ~ I totally love it and feel like my steak is naked without it!)  We had a Tre Colore Salad a la my lovely aunt, and we had corn on the cob (and no, as of the last time I checked, I haven’t become a corn on the cob … yet).

prepped for the grill

Tre Colore a la Aunty Lenny

ready for some peeps to sit down & mange!

It was a total summer feast (enjoyed indoors, because after a few hours out in the heat with my dad creating his own mister with the hose, we decided to dine in the comfort of the cool kitchen).

Tre Colore A la Aunty Lenny

2 garden fresh tomatoes (which were cut up before I realized I didn’t have a pic!)

2 ripe avocados

1 ball fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese

Olive Oil

Freshly ground Salt & Pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh basil leaves

~ Slice tomatoes, and line a large dish (decoratively if you are inspired)

~ Halve avocado, remove pit, and cut into slices longways ~ arrange on top of tomatoes

~ Slice mozzarella cheese into thin pieces, top avocado with cheese

~ Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar evenly over entire dish

~ Add freshly ground salt & pepper to taste (use sparingly, because the flavor of the toms is so amazing)

~ Top everything with fresh basil leaves

~ Serve!

Hope everyone had as relaxing and enjoyable a Sunday as we did!  ‘Til tomorrow!