Because recipes of this type will transport well, it is good to include in your summer entertaining whether it includes beach, picnic, vacation, hiking, camping, SUP, fishing, tubing, or July 4th plans. Since many of us try to jam all the things we love into every day while the summer sun is high in the sky.

Take along New Fresh Potato Salad Recipe

The fun days of summer include all of the things that we love. While your making plans for the day, include something new for you and  yours to do. It will add to the bonding of your group and keep everyone interested.

Step outside of your comfort zone and plan to learn a new activity.  Because it is good for us on so many levels to learn and attempt something different. Maybe even if we are not good at the new activity, it’s better that we attempt to learn and demonstrate a “can do attitude”. While repetition is comforting or easy it may also turn into boring. Monotony is not fun and  it’s unhealthy to our overall growth. Teenagers and young adults detest boring. Engage your inner child and just do it.

List of Activities to keep Family Engaged at Beach

Here are a couple of suggestions for your family:

1. Kayak or Paddle board rentals or lessons
2. Contest for Beach shells prettiest, largest, ugliest and unusual
3. Go Deep Sea Fishing– Charter a boat or join one of the party boats.
4. Rent Jet Skis or go Parasailing
5. Plan an evening of cards, board games or charades. Balderdash’s word game is my personal favorite. I promise you will laugh like never before.
6. Plan a beach scavenger hunt and split up into teams.  This site has a multitude of options for you depending on the age of your family or create your own list.  This type of activity is good for all age groups.

   

7. Divide your group in half and have a cooking competition. Plus this will split up the work duties in the kitchen.
8. Plan wine walk on the beach and watch the sun set on the water
9. At dinner, have everyone tell a favorite childhood memory or favorite story about their parents. Best story wins.

On any family vacation I would add in a good supply of your favorite libations. At some point, libations will be needed and wine is always good for what ails you. Yet, if you are more inclined to a cocktail, try one of my favorites.

Favorite Cocktails and Sorbet

Summer Rebellion Watermelon Martini

Good Intentions and Vodka Infused Kumquats

Country eggs raised in a Condo (sorbet drenched in vodka)

Most of all, time spent with family should be wrapped in love, surrounded with good food, drenched in fun and memories to last a lifetime. Unless your from that “one perfect family” members may challenge us like no other. Develop a couple of new choices to keep your crew busy and entertained. Especially important, bring along a dose of patience, kindness and remember to pack the libations. In conclusion, don’t forget the New Fresh Potato Salad Recipe for your time at the beach.

Alexa Shout Out to DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince for “Summertime”.
Take me to the beach, please.

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Waste Not Want Not Series:
potatoes, corn, carrots, garlic and  mushrooms

“Waste not want not” is a hats off tribute to my Irish Grandmother Theda Faye who was the Queen of Thrifty. In our childhood home, my Dad was not a fan of eating leftovers which certainly went against the grain of Theda’s Faye’s entire philosophy.

I recall hearing my Mother state that my Dad “refused to eat leftovers”. This would always horrify my Grandmother and would elicit comments  about how she would handle my Dad. Granny had her work cut out for her.

I am pretty sure that my Mom never took Granny’s suggestions.  Granny was a strong woman and not shy about sharing her opinion. Although, I am speculating entirely based on the premise that my parents are still married after all of these years.

As an adult, I realized that “leftovers” were only food ingredients that required repackaging in the kitchen and presented in a different recipe. This is easy to do whether you use the ingredients the next day or throw in a storage bag, and freeze for later. Always label your freezer ingredients for easy identification and date. I have learned this the hard way playing the freezer game of “what is that?”

The crawfish and shrimp boil over the weekend yielded an excess of shrimp, corn, potatoes, carrots, garlic and mushrooms. I peeled the leftover shrimp and threw in my freezer. This would be used later for Shrimp Dip. This shrimp recipe is my favorite childhood food memory and is hauntingly delicious. Warning: It is addictive.

The remaining ingredients from the shrimp boil would make a great addition to my shrimp chowder. I also wanted a one pot dish for dinner so that I could move to the “couch for a spell”. One pot was all the energy that I could muster. The fun-filled weekend had “worn me out”. Using the leftovers was great and a soup was what I needed, then my couch.

Of course, the recipe made from fresh ingredients in lieu of shrimp boil leftovers will be great too. If using fresh vegetables, add the  seafood stock to separate pot and boil until tender. Then prepare white roux and combine ingredients. Adjust the seasonings, since the boil process adds seasoning to vegetables.

Shout Out to Alexa for U2 for a bit of Bono.

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