Dog days of Summer continues....giveaway!!

the

dog days of summer

continue

with another fabric giveaway!!!

(keep reading...)

I thot I would share with you, a simple recipe for a summer salad

I invited some friends over for dinner...I planned...and I thought by now it would be cooler

hah

 so here's another summer salad recipe for you

trader joe's basmati rice or whatever very light fluffy rice you might have locally

and a huge bunch of cilantro

rough cut everything

costco has baby romaine in a box so I used both the baby and the regular romaine

my rough cut technique is pretty simple - hold on and cut lengthwise four or six times turning after each cut

some of you will want to gently tear every leaf, I understand

add lettuce to shallow bowl or serving platter

add jicama

add black olives

add costco edamame salad

(or make your own with edamame, cranberries, roasted corn, red bell peppers, carrots, 

red onions and more cilantro with a rice wine vinegar)

roast a whole chicken, or cut up costco whole chicken

add sliced black olives and avocado

done.

cool.

for the winter version of this you can make it mexican style with rice and black beans

and pico de gallo instead of the edamame

there's always room for cilantro and jicama

and the frozen roasted corn in a bag is a good addition to this one

so there you have it

cooking beyond the reef style!

for the Hawaiian style, rice, shredded pork, chopped pineapple, mango, jicama would do, too!

for dessert, I put out two plates of big cookies

and four different ice cream flavors

with scoopers so that everyone could make their very own custom

ice cream sandwich

(thank you to Little Natalie for this great dessert idea)

many of you live without

costco, trader joes, "everything made for you kind of stuff" stores

but I assure you

some rice, a chicken, and a stop at your local farmers market or your own garden

will let you toss up an evening of good conversation with good friends

any time there is a little rice and lettuce around!

we have some book winners to announce

Leadmewood - Everyday Handmade

Cecilia - Sew the Perfect Gift

Diane - Urban Country Quilts

please email me your snail mail addy and I will get your books in the mail to you!

and for those of you that wanted a copy of the title(s) but didn't get chosen, 

Martingale & Company is having a sale!

(link from our facebook page - beyond the reef)

now for the fabric giveaway

please take the time to leave a comment on the

Road to California

blog

I am actually "faculty" this year, and they asked for an interview

I hope you'll comment on that post, letting them know why you follow

beyond the reef

maybe you'll even want to sign up and come to the lecture....

I will select a name from THAT POST

and that person (on sunday, if they release the comments in time)

will win this wonderful dearSTELLA fabric bundle

please, tell a friend, share our blog and the facebook page with a quilt buddy

thanks.

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

The Dog Days of Summer

It's a Martingale and Company book giveaway!

It's also the dog days of summer

I had to look that one up, just to be sure it was okay

The Farmers Almanac tags the dates to be July 3 to August 11

Ancient Rome, July 24 thru August 24

The Gregorian Calendar adds, leap years delete, but overall let's just call it "good"

It's the time of year when Sirius, the Dog Star, appears

and when we have our "warmest summer temperatures"

when dogs hit the pool, or the beach, and then begrudge us the bath that follows

(yes, yes, just like the kids playing in the sand, getting dunked in the bay for a quick clean up)

I think I will put it on next year's calendar 

and make it a tradition

people are enjoying the last few days of summer, taking vacations and flocking to the beach
with that kind of
"oh, my gosh, it's August and we haven't even been to the beach yet"
look in their eye

(insert lake, hike, camping, bike riding, hula hooping, having any fun at all, word, here)

the arugula from the garden is growing again after the birds have had their share of salad
and having friends over for dinner means sun tea, frosty beers, light wines and a cold crisp salad

many of us, as quilters or sewists, are thinking

"oh my gosh, the holidays will be here in no time and I haven't even started those gifts"

and so, thanks to Martingale and Company/That Patchwork Place, we are going to do a triple giveaway

for the dog days of summer

because before you know it, you'll be sending those kids packing (to school that is)

and you'll have time for

everyday HANDMADE

(currently on sale, in case you don't get chosen here)

SEW the Perfect Gift

(also on sale, by the way!!)

or even

URBANcountry  Quilts

pincushions

eco friendly re-usable snack bags

stunning quilts

(dare I say dorm quilts?)

jackalopes

and my pick from the bunch.....a knitting needle caddy

so let's greet these last dog days of summer

with a triple play giveaway

invite your friends to come follow the blog

leave a comment on which book you'd hope to have sent to you

and please, share a recipe or a 'last picnic of summer' story with us

the random number generator will select

THREE

comments

(on Friday)

and we'll send you your books

but only if you are a follower, or you have invited a friend that becomes a follower

because

our giveaways are our way of saying thank you to our loyal readers

and I DO thank YOU!

natalie.

be.do.create

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com