Friday Five:Hot Down, Summer In The City ...

...or town, or suburb, or hamlet, or burg, or unincorporated zone, or rural area of your choice---pretty much anywhere but the southern hemisphere, it's summer. (Australians and others, consider this an invitation to take a break from winter for a while.)

1. Favorite summer food(s) and beverage(s)

Summer foods --anything on the grill; summer beverages --mint iced tea, margaritas, sangria

Now that y'all mention it, I think tonight for dinner I'll make what I call a summer grilled sandwich.

First, build a charcoal fire if you must or else turn on the gas grill.

Then, select some vegetables suitable for grilling --your choice of mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, artichoke hearts, onions, eggplant, asparagus or whatever-- cut up in grill sized pieces and marinate in olive oil and garlic.

When the grill is ready, grill what you've selected.

Next, take a loaf of italian bread, unsliced. I've also used rosemary-olive oil bread and bagettes. Cut along the length of the loaf with a bread knife, so that you now have a sandwich top and bottom. Hollow out some of the bread on each half, saving to be used for bread crumbs for a different recipe, or to be dipped in good olive oil and balsamic vinegar while hungry people are waiting.

Brush olive oil on each half of the bread, then spread either pesto or olive tapenade [store bought works great] on each half. Next, if you're not vegan, apply a single layer of provalone cheese to the bottom half. Then next, if you're not vegetarian, apply a layer of prosciutto [italian ham] on top of the cheese, or whatever italian style sandwich meat you might prefer.

When the grilled veggies are done, layer them on top of the cheese/prosciutto on the bottom half of the bread. DH prefers that I process the grilled vegetables in the food processor a bit, to the point of being a very coarse dice, but that's optional. Add at this point fresh, thin-sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle a good portion of parmesan or romano on the veggies. You could sprinkle some dried oregano, basil, rosemary too if you wanted. Put the top half of the sandwich bread on, wrap in foil and return to the grill for about ten minutes until heated through and the cheese melts.

Serve with a good wine and lots of napkins!

2. Song that "says" summer to you. (Need not be about summer explicitly.)

Christine Lavin's "All I Have To Do Is Dream/A Summer Song" Medley --some of you can listen here

3. A childhood summer memory

Cicadas singing in the heat of the day, which is a very "hot" sound for me ... and gathering up their empty shells to place strategically in my sister's car so she would scream when she finally saw them.

4. An adult summer memory

DH luring me into Lake Michigan in early June, clamping her teeth shut so they would not chatter and licking her lips so that they would not turn blue: "Come in --the water's GRRRREEEAAT ..."

5. Describe a wonderful summer day you'd like to have in the near future. (weather, location, activities)

Beautiful sunny day, temp about 88, beach on a nearby Great Lake. DH, me, swimming, relaxing, walking, eating a picnic lunch of wine, cheese and fruit. For once, RDQ remembers to apply sunscreen .... which she usually forgets, which means blisters, peeling, aloe vera and vinegar baths

Optional: Does your place of worship do anything differently in the summer? (Fewer services, casual dress, etc.) Not really