Basil Pesto

1 cup fresh basil leaves 3 tblsp pine nuts or walnuts 3 tblsp grated Parmesan cheese 2-3 cloves garlic @1/2 cup to ¾ Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fresh ground pepper Squeeze of fresh lemon

To make, combine 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, 3 tablespoons of pine nuts or walnuts, 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. Puree in a food processor or blender adding enough olive oil (extra virgin is preferred) to make a smooth paste. Season with fresh ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, mix well. This recipe doubles easily. Pesto is versatile with lots of flavor, it's great on pasta, or a tasty alternative to red sauce on pizza, or try it on chicken, fish, veggies.

NOTE: If you have many basil plants, consider making batches and freezing. Pesto freezes well, will remain fresh frozen for 9 months. What a great way to add a taste of summer in the dead of winter!

Looking for an easy, "fancy" appetizer, look no further!

Easy Pesto Pinwheels

1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 1/3 cup pesto 4 slices proscuitto ham (or your choice)

Preheat oven to 350’. Separate dough into 2 long rectangles. Press seams together. Spread each rectangle with pesto to within ¼ of edges. Top with ham.

Starting at the short side, roll up each rectangle; pinch edges together to seal. Cut each roll crosswise into 8-10 slices for a total of 16-20 slices. Place slices, cut side down, on stone or pan. Bake 13 -17 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.

Tired of just plain salad, this salad lights up your taste buds!

Cucumber Tomato Mint Salad

2 Cucumbers (peeled and cored) 1 tsp sugar 3/4 tsp sea salt Cider Vinager @1/4 to ½ cup (I go by sight) 1 lb Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes ¼ - 1/3 cup fresh lemon balm (can use another mint) ¼ cup chopped red onion (optional) Freshly snipped chives Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt & Pepper (to taste) Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Peel and core 2 cucumbers, slice (1/4 inch size is perfect), put into a bowl that has 1 tsp of sugar and ¾ tsp of sea salt, dissolved in cider vinegar (@ ½ cup), mix well, leave on the counter for about an hour. Then add cherry or grape tomatoes cut into bite size pieces @ a cup, chopped red onion @ ¼ cup (optional), or freshly snipped chives, chopped fresh lemon balm, and a heavy drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Refreshing and delightful!

Garden Fresh Herb Spread

½ cup of Sour Cream 8 oz of softened cream cheese ¼ cup chives ¼ cup parsley (Fresh herbs, what’s available from the garden) 2 tsp. thyme ¼ tsp garlic powder

Cream together sour cream and cream cheese. Add all seasonings. Blend well. Chill. Serve w/fresh veggies or crackers.

NOTE: Great for a spread on the Herb Burgers recipe below!

Strawberry & Mint Champagne

This is a simple concoction that makes a bottle of champagne go a lot further. A delightful treat on a hot summer’s evening.

Serves 4-6

1 lb of Strawberries 6-8 fresh mint leaves 1 bottle of champagne or sparkling white wine Option: for non-alcoholic use sparking cider or sparkling mineral water

Puree the strawberries and mint leaves in a food processor or blender. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Fill a third of a glass with the mixture then top off with champagne (or cider or water). Decorate with a sprig of mint.

CAN YOU SAY YUMMM!!

Tired of the same ol' burger, these are really tasty and juicy too! No need for condiments with these, although, they taste exceptional with some pesto on top or the garden herb cheese spread.

Grilled Herb Burgers

1 ½ lbs ground beef (lean or turkey) ½ cup finely chopped red onion 1/3 cup bread crumbs ¼ cup mayo 3 tbsp parsley ½ tsp basil 2 tsp Dijon mustard ½ tsp pepper ¼ tsp salt

Mix all ingredients. Shape into ½ in thick patties. Grill about 5 minutes per side for medium.

Litha Projects

Bohemian Wreath

From The Summer Solstice by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis, Millbrook Press, 2001. Used with permission from the publisher.

The girls of Bohemia made flower wreaths to celebrate the solstice. Here is a wreath that you can make.
You will need:
A bundle of tall grass or reeds
String
Scissors
Bright-colored ribbons
Summer flowers
Small plant clippers

Pick summer weeds, herbs, and flowers, and clip thier stems to 4 or 5 inches (10 or 13 cm) in length. Hang the flowers together in a bunch, stems side up, in a dark, dry place for several weeks.
Also gather enough long stems of grass or reeds to make a bundle a few inches (about 8 cm) across. Allow the grass or reeds to dry for a week.
Soak the bundle of grass or reeds in the bathtub for about an hour. Drain.
Tie the reeds or grass together in a circle with the string. Twist a piece of ribbon around the wreath in a candy cane or barber pole pattern. Loop the end of the ribbon around itself and tie.
Weave the dried flowers and plants into the wreath by tucking them into the ribbon. Trim extra plant material if necessary. Hang the wreath on a door or wall.

More Projects

I have a couple of project ideas for your pagan child. They all relate to the sun and the solar cycle. This is the time to also celebrate male energy; you can tie-in Father's day kinds of things (i.e. have your children make things for their father, or for The Father, consort to the Goddess); and things typically associated with male (yang) energy (which can also manifest in a female body - believe me! I speak from experience). Contests of physical strength and prowess; running, climbing, swimming, throwing and catching balls, hitting balls with sticks (which basically sums up all sports known to man).

Things to do for Litha

On Midsummer's Eve (the night before):
- After sunset, look for fairies. (They will appear to the uninformed as fire flies)
- Have a bonfire while observing ALL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS!
- Tell stories 'round the fire
At dawn, watch the sun rise

Toddler/Preschool project: Suns

Your toddler can make suns from construction paper, or paint them or draw them with crayons (or if they need some help, you can draw the sun outlines and they can color them in).

Here are some suns to color: Sun1 Sun2 (Click the links to display and print each page, or right click and "Save Link As" to copy onto your computer).
(Artwork from ClickArt 200,000 by Broderbund)

School-Age child project: "Aztec Sun"

Background: This project is also known as "Eye of God" and was what I called them until today (I figured, let's give them a more pagan name) I loved making these things as a child, and continued well into high school. I believe these originated in Mexico, and that they represent the Sun, and also bring good luck. They are very easy to make, and are very beautiful. After we make ours, I'll post some pictures (but unfortunately, I don't have any right now).

What you need

2 sticks. These need to be straight. The length determines how big the final project will be. 2 unsharpened pencils work quite nicely. I have also used 2 popsicle sticks. If you use sticks dropped from trees, make sure they are straight.
Yarn in many colors. I can't give you lengths, but this is a very good way to use short lengths of yarn left over from other projects.

How to make an Aztec Sun

Tie an end of yarn on one of the sticks towards the middle.
Cross the 2 sticks. Make sure there is a 90 degree angle.
Adjust the yarn to be as close to the crossing point as possible.
Wrap the yarn around the crossed sticks in an "over/under" pattern:
Loop the yarn around each stick, alternating the way the loop goes. This way there is no front or back to the Aztec Sun when you are finished.
When you want to change colors of yarn, tie the new length of yarn to the end of the old one. Hide the knot near a loop around one of the sticks.
Continue until the Sun is the desired size.
You can also hang tassles on the ends for additional decorations.