Celebrating with family—and food!

This is one of my favourite weekends of the summer because traditionally, as many of  the family as possible gathers for a lunch to celebrate Cousins’ Day (today!) and Aunts / Uncles Day (Sunday). Sometimes we cram as many as 50 relatives at my grandparents' farm!

And this year, it’s even more important than ever to celebrate family. It’s been super hot this summer (so hot, I’ve been doing my running practice EARLY in the morning or later in the evening) with very little rain—which means crops, like my Grandpa’s canola field—are struggling. Maybe you’ve noticed the fields aren’t as bright nor as full as previous years?

I know farmers have good years and bad years—like the one time we had so much rain Grandpa’s field actually flooded (not to mention our basement!) But I also know my grandparents are worried about their crop, as well as those of their fellow farmers. This weekend, they could use a little family support.

So, Mom and I have decided to take some of the pressure off Grandma this year by doing a lot of the cooking for the family BBQ ourselves. I’m in charge of the salad. I plan to use up some of those fresh strawberries from the market, along with spinach, kale and other yummy vegetables. Here’s my recipe for the dressing:

Strawberry Salad Dressing

1 cup (250 mL) strawberries (sliced, fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup (50 mL) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp (15 mL) vinegar
3 Tbsp (45 mL) canola oil
3 Tbsp (45 mL) honey
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
pepper to taste

Just mix together and drizzle over your salad. Sounds yummy, right?

Anyway, I gotta jet! I hope you have a chance to celebrate with family this weekend!

~ Chase Superman Duffy