Summertime Love with A.J. Scudiere

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Traditions – To me, summer always meant camp. From about age eight, it meant sleep-away camp, which was relatively different than today . . . We ‘roughed it’ in permanent canvas tents with raised wood floors. Though swimming and canoeing were great, I loved arts-n-crafts and anything that involved shooting. I got badges for slingshots, riflery and archery. And I learned famous upbeat (and un-PC) camp songs about pancakes, some kid’s head getting lopped off by a window, and death aboard the titanic.

Activities – My favorite summer activities now include having friends over to eat outside – a barbecue is where it’s at. I love that my kids go biking down the street to see if their friends in the neighborhood are home and that, sometimes, it means all ten neighborhood kids show up at my house. And I love my laptop – that’s a new tradition I hope to continue, writing outside on a nice day. I really enjoy watching all the local wildlife go by while I write some nail-biting scene set anywhere but here. I like to look up and see a wild peacock or a family of deer or coyotes watching me watch them.

Reading – Summer always meant the public library reading challenge. I was that kid in junior high on a first name basis with the school librarian (Shout out to Ms. Jackie Ball!) and thus the same one that made all the other kids groan when I signed up to start the summer reading program. My father always says I wasn’t competitive as a kid, but he must not have been paying attention during the summer. Not only was I going to smoke all the other kids for sheer numbers, but my list would include things like “Clan of the Cave Bear” and “Gone With the Wind”.

Recipes – Shucked corn, washed, then put onto a sheet of tinfoil still wet (that way everything clings and doesn’t settle at the bottom!) add fresh minced garlic, ground sea salt and fresh pepper (white and black mixed). Wrap each one in foil and set the ears on the grill before you start anything else. Take it off last. It’ll be perfect! Serve it with burgers made from fresh beef mixed with breadcrumbs, 1 egg, teriyaki sauce and a skosh of soy sauce and put the cooked patties on really great buns (great with blue cheese!) Best with cold hard cider (I like Newton’s Folly from Trader Joe’s) and a sunset.