Fire 'n Ice Watermelon Salsa, made with bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion, garlic, lime and cilantro, and watermelon, shown here with my Frozen Watermelon Margaritas.

Fire 'n Ice Watermelon Salsa

I have already been eating cucumbers, cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelon and tomatoes, like I'm never gonna see them again, and summer only just arrived.

Far as I'm concerned they need to move the official beginning of summer up, and just cut spring short, because in the Deep South spring is, oh, I don't know... about two weeks at most I'm guessing. Summer heat and humidity run right on in like it's been waiting. Much of the rest of the country has been pretty hot too from what I'm seeing, so clearly it's not just the south. At least some of y'all do get a reprieve once in awhile. We don't, at least not until it's pretty much winter. Apparently my body just needs hydration or something, because those cooling foods absolutely have been a regular part of my diet here lately.

Fresh shrimp in a tomato basil cream sauce, made from fresh tomatoes and garden herbs, and tossed with bowtie pasta.

Shrimp and Bowties in Fresh Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Whew, things have been crazy here for a few months - a cookbook launch (something I never thought I'd do) {affil link}, 3 trips to Philadelphia for QVC (and I've still not seen any of the historical sights or had an authentic cheesesteak), and let me tell you... I don't know if it's because I'm pretty much a homebody and happy to be, or that I'm older, or both, but travel sure puts a strain on me these days, both for days before and days after. Then there was a very important family graduation, two potluck dinners with my Uncle Jim before he heads back up to Maryland (thanks for hosting Nikki!), a special honors recognition ceremony for my eldest grandson and a dance recital for my granddaughter.

Now that they are out of school and with summer activities lined up, they're here at the house with us more of the day, and we're also trying to help out where we can with getting them to and fro. The Cajun and I both love having the grandkids - we have a good time and we've both grown very close to them over the last year and I tell ya... they sure have their Paw Paw wrapped around their little pinkie promise fingers.

Full Moon Bar-B-Que Ultimate BBQ Box Review

Rub - Top - Mop - Dip Check out the Ultimate BBQ Box from Alabama's Full Moon Bar-B-Que - one of the top ten restaurants in the U.S.! Southern Seasoning (rub), Chow-Chow (top), their award winning Bar-B-Que Sauce (mop) and the fabulous and famous, north Alabama white sauce (dip). Heaven in a box!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have taken notice in a few posts here and there, some products from Full Moon Bar-B-Que making an appearance. You may have also noticed, one or the other has made its way into a few of my recipe posts here on the blog in the past few weeks too.

Well, that's because the good folks there at Full Moon were kind enough to send me a sampling from what they call their Ultimate BBQ box, containing their award winning line up of sauces and seasoning, including Southern Seasoning, Chow-Chow, Bar-B-Que Sauce and their Alabama White Sauce.

Southern Living: A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen Cookbook Review

Just because I've now published my own cookbook doesn't mean I will stop bringing you new finds around the cookbook world, and here's one that is absolutely perfect for Father's Day!

Chicken, marinated in beer, oil, vinegar and seasonings, then grilled and brushed with French dressing. Shown here with roasted green beans and sour cream, cucumber and onion salad. Fabulous.

Beer-B-Q Marinated Grilled Chicken   

I can't believe we've been in our new/old house over a year now. Wow, time is a flyin' y'all! This house is an older home... 20 years older even than the one that we left. It's had a few makeovers over the years though, and besides being close to the grandkids, there were so many features to the house that I loved, that even though we had looked at a lot of newer houses, I knew this was the one, as soon as I saw it.