Sometimes when the winter blahs get to me too much, I crave for a taste of summer. In the past that involved buttoning up in all my winter gear and pulling out the grill, producing burgers that brought back the sunny-day thoughts of June or July.

Another good way to cure the winter blues is to pull out the honey. I had a couple of beehives a few years ago in Cheboygan, as did my father-in-law. We produced eight gallons of golden sweetness between us. Others in the Cheboygan area — including my friend Scott Sandel — have much larger honey operations and produce jars of pure goodness.
 

Hard to believe it, but summer is drawing to an end. After a very steamy June and July, August came in gently and served as a nice and easy transition to fall. And the beginning of a new school year.
So now there’s a choice: brown bag it or go with hot lunch. A recent article warns parents that packed lunches are rarely cooled properly, even those with freezer inserts in them. That brings an increased risk of bacteria that can sicken children. Please, if you follow any of these ideas for lunch treats, be sure the food is cooled sufficiently to be healthy and safe.

I love to grill in the summer. Heck, I love to grill in the winter. Many a time when I was living in Cheboygan, drivers along Cleveland Avenue were likely to see me out in the driveway, dressed in a parka and warm gloves, flipping burgers on the grill. Sometimes you just craved the flavor of spring.

But nothing beats a meal on the grill in the summer. That's particularly true when you are grilling fresh-from-the-farm fruits or vegetables. The combination of fresh produce and the smoky flavor infused by grilling is delicious.
Not only does grilling fill the vegetable with a great flavor, it also caramelizes sugars in some items, which intensifies the sweetness in fruits and vegetables. It can't be duplicated anywhere else but on a grill.

Your family is hungry, but the mere thought of cooking makes you sweat, and eating out would blow the budget. How about a no-cook dinner?
Almost every family has its own take on curried chicken salad, and if a little inspiration is required, the Internet offers several recipes.
We've assembled a version designed to suit a variety of tastes. It loads all the seasonings into the dressing, so if some family members aren't fans of these spices, it'll be easy to omit those and satisfy your "uncurried" contingent.
That same thinking holds for the other ingredients. Feel free to make substitutions, such as omitting almonds and adding cashews or pecans, or going completely nut-free. Our recipe is very fruity, and if you decide to serve the salad as stuffing for tomatoes, as suggested, you might choose to ease up on the grapes.
Just remember to emphasize color and flavor. To meet that second requirement, this chilled salad may require more seasoning than you might expect.
When a dish is hot, its flavor comes through differently, so it's important to taste and season food at its serving temperature.

My father liked little ditties. He found them amusing, and as kids so did we. One of his favorites, which is appropriate for this time of year, goes like this:
Spring has sprung,
Fall has fell;
Winter’s here,
It’s colder than … a bear.
It isn’t necessarily colder than … a bear right now, but winter is setting in. And nothing gets a foodie through winter better than comfort food. Casseroles, mac and cheese and meatloaf can insulate you to get you through the cold months.

What says Christmas to you? Is it decorated trees? Perhaps it’s the carols that waft through stores nonstop. Or the arrival of bell-ringers, Santa Claus and Black Friday sales.

For foodies, traditional Christmas-season foods are the benchmark for the arrival of the holiday. There are some foods that are tied to Christmas, and we’ll look into making them in this edition of the Mackinac Journal.
 

It’s that time of year again, when holiday event follows holiday event and, as a rule, those holiday events involve food. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as we don’t overindulge.
 Most of the holiday meals involve either a turkey or a ham — or both, depending on the size of the dinner party. Add to that the side dishes — green bean casserole, candied sweet potato, squash, mashed potatoes, salads of all sorts, vegetables galore. By the time you’ve cleaned your plate, you’re pretty full.
There is, however, always room for dessert. And that is the course of the meal that I prefer to prepare. If I had to do it all over again, I would consider pastry chef as a career.