Summer is here, finally!

Summer has finally arrived here in our beautiful valley.  The days have been filled with hanging out at home around our humble above ground pool and working on the house.  My son helped build a deck on one side of the pool and is ready to tackle some other projects around the home.  Our girl has been baking all kinds of goodies this month, she has found a true love for making cookies.  Although she is feeling deprived of the written word, so far she has only read 8 or 9 books.  I do believe she is the modern female version of Henry Bemis. 

Since the temperature began rising we have been eating later in the evening, it isn't uncommon for dinner to start at 8 or 8:30 and consist of cold or room temp dishes.  Every few days we start up the wood fire grill and cook several items to use through out the week.  Tonight I made a simple salad that everyone really liked using some grilled shrimp...

Mache with Shrimp and Avocado

2 Avocados

1 Lemon, you will need 1 to 2 Tablespoons of juice from it.

Olive Oil, about 2 Tablespoons

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 bag or bundle of Mache well rinsed and spun dry, about 5 ounces

1 pound grilled shrimp 

Homemade Croutons*

Scoop the flesh out of one Avocado and place in a blender along with the lemon juice (start with 1 Tablespoon - if you prefer a tangier dressing add more), olive oil and the Salt and Pepper.  Blend until creamy and smooth, you may add more olive oil if the dressing is to dry.  In a large salad bowl toss the Mache with the dressing.  Cut the second  avocado into cubes and place on top of the Mache, add the shrimp and homemade croutons.  Serve right away. 

*Croutons

Have everything prepped and ready to go.

Cube 5 slices of Artisan Bread.  In a large skillet  over high heat add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil,  3 Tablespoons of Butter and 1 Clove of Minced Garlic.  Reduce the heat to Medium and add the bread cubes, quickly tossing to coat with the oil/butter mixture.  Keep an eye on the croutons as they cook.  You want to leave them alone long enough to get a golden color on each side.  These croutons can be made in large batches and stored for several days in an airtight container.