Time to set the table. Eat outside for sure! Even if it is raining. Be informal, use an old door, wooden table, or haul out your kitchen set. I collect white dishes. This makes it very easy to know what to look for at Good Will. I also just use clear glass items drink out of. I have jars, stem ware, and some old mugs. My silverware is also miss-matched. That's OK, I can serve about 40 folks, and it has a quaint shabby chic look.
My green contribution is to use linen napkins. White, of course, to match all the white table clothes I have. A stroll in the yard yielded some Queen Ann's Lace for the table & long blades of grass to tie around the cloth before they were placed on the plates. The setting looked both informal, relaxed and classic all at the same time. Maybe a better word is inviting....

Lastly, what to drink? How about peach iced~tea (instant), ice water with lemon, and homemade cold coffee. I 'm sure some poor soul in the viewing public does not care for cold coffee, but we love it. Make some real strong coffee, add some milk and sugar, chill, and serve..............

two~hand~slam

We must not, can not forget the protein. I decided when I went shopping which meat to grill. I let the Lord lead by the price per pound. My store had raw shrimp, already cleaned, and on a wooded skewer for $1.00. That's a deal for such a nice treat! This was not going to be a the main event, but with some healthy garlic and butter painted on them, and grilled for 5 minutes, they were a stunning side-show! But the grill was really happy when I showed it a nice center cut pork tender loin that was already marinated ! It was a 3 pound pork loin ON SALE for $2.99. Your read that right! While everyone else was frantically buying burger in bulk, I noticed this lonely roast hiding in the corner. It took 35 minutes to grill, 5 minutes to sit and rest, 2 minutes to slice, and an hour and a half of leisurely eating to wolf it down. Oh my...........

I had previously defrosted a loaf of Amish Friendship Bread. I had traded a table and 5 chairs for 5 loaves of the bread. I know, I KNOW, I got the way better end of that deal.......

I also wanted to make a homemade, from scratch, the hard to make, Southern Banana Pudding! I like to make this dessert because my daughter-in-law adores it, and my husband pants after it. Two great reasons to get out my mixing bowl. Now~I have typed out the original recipe for you, but I double it when I make it. By the way, it does make a difference what bowl you use. It needs to be a deep bowl. I visit yard sales searching for perfect bowl to give as gifts.

ORIGINAL BANANA PUDDING
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 NILLA Wafers, (do not substitute, it does make a difference)
5 ripe bananas, sliced (about 3 1/2 cups), divided

1. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt. Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring constantly for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

2. Spread small amount of custard on bottom of bowl cover with a layer of wafers and a layer of sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make a total of 3 layers of each, ending with custard.

3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Spoon on top of pudding, spreading evenly to cover entire surface and sealing well to edges.

4. Bake at 350°F in top half of oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Serve hot, warm, cool, or cold.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!
You must stir the pudding constantly. This takes quite a few minutes. It also takes quite a few minutes to mix the meringue. SO... I use the patented two~hand~slam to whip and swirl at the same time. This double whammy should not be tried by amateurs or non-multi-tasking gals.

I already shared my secret recipe for Pico de Gallo, but here it is again. Take 3 plum tomatoes, 3 nice sized onions and chop them nice and small. I think this works better by hand than using a food processor, plus you can hear your CD playing in the next room, your grand babies squealing in a bucket of water, and your dogs barking at the blue jays. Now add lime juice, enough to soak everything, I used 2 medium sized limes. Sprinkle every thing with just a bit of salt to taste. NOW you CAN add some jalapeno pepper. We do not enjoy food items which burn so bad you have to wipe your tongue on barn board to get it to stop achin', but I did cut the tip of a pepper off and cut it tinny tiny little. It was still too hot for some family members, Oh well........... now hopefully you planted some cilantro. You need to get a nice pinch of leaves and snip them over the top of your Pico. If you can't skip out your back door to your kitchen garden, hop to the produce section of your grocery store and grab a bag of cilantro. Dried won't work here friends.................
Let this sit in the fridge to keep your cut fruit and chopped vegetable company.

Next, open up some nice fresh cans of black beans, and pour them in a very decorative bowl. Sprinkle some garlic, fresh cilantro, & a tad of crushed red pepper and set the bowl in the microwave, ready to zap! Now make a big pot of hot fluffy rice. Long grain, short grain, instant, par boiled, brown, white, wild, boil-in-a-bag, pick your choice, they all will work. I like the long thin jasmine rice. YUM. Make a big pot, you can do oodles of things IF there are any left overs.

Now wash, chop, and arrange some fresh veggies. I like carrots, celery, broccoli, cucumbers, and green peppers. Serve this with bottled ranch dressing.....talk about EASY!

HOMECOMIN'

Summer is the perfect time to dust off your hostessing skills. Invite your friends and loved ones over for some easy, easy, entertaining. Start with the menu. I am not a good cook, but I serve good food. How can you mess up cut up fruits and vegetables? Impossible! Throw together strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a few kiwi for color and whoala, you have perfection in a bowl. I do not add sugar to my fruit mix, but i have a nice dip on the side. Just mix together a jar of marshmellow cream and a package of low fat cream cheese. Decorate with a sprig of fresh mint. BINGO! Everyone is happy, it look pretty, and is good for the heart and waist-line.

to be continued.......................