Picnic by the River for June 27

We had a lovely evening for our picnic by the river yesterday. Thunder was rumbling in the distance, but the lightning and rain held off as we enjoyed our tranquil picnic spot.

This week I made turkey subs with lettuce and cranberry sauce. I had intended to use bulkie rolls, but I found wheat sub rolls on Walmart's reduced bakery rack so used those instead. The sandwiches are simple: Just spread mayonnaise on the cut rolls, then layer on deli turkey with some lettuce and slices of jellied cranberry sauce. Of course it would be even tastier with your own sliced roast turkey or chicken.


For a salad, I made an old favorite from an early Quick Cooking magazine. Here it is:

EASY VEGGIE SALAD

1 16-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can cut green beans, drained
1 small cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup sliced radishes
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar (can use brown sugar)
2 Tblsp. olive or canola oil
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper

In a large bowl, combine all of the vegetables. Combine the remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake jar to mix dressing ingredients well. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Yield: 6-8 servings

I left out the radishes because I didn't have any, but the salad is good either way. I also found I was running low on sugar and didn't want to take time to run down to the pantry for more. So I just substituted brown sugar in the dressing and it worked just fine. Another time I may cut the oil down to 1 T. or leave it out completely for a fat-free salad.

How thankful we are that Mr. T had the idea last summer to picnic by the river on the way to church on Wednesday evenings! It is a bright spot in the week for us. I have fun planning what to take along for a meal, and he enjoys anticipating what we'll have. As we eat, we can sit and enjoy the peaceful view of the river and, for just a few minutes, feel as if we are 'on vacation'.

As we headed toward church after our picnic last evening, we watched jagged lightning bolts in the sky ahead of us, and before too long the rain came down in torrents. We were thankful God held off the storm until we had finished our picnic and were safely on our way!