Kickoff to Summer: An Inspirational Link Roundup

As of yesterday, it's officially summer - YAY! My garden is even getting into the act and finally growing up a storm now that we've had some consistently warmer temperatures and not so much rain.

To kick off the start of my favourite season, I thought I'd highlight some of my favourite posts from last summer. I hope you'll bookmark this page so you can refer back to it during these next few warm and (hopefully) sunny months!

To start things off, I'll point you to my musings on my favourite Simple Summer Pleasures.

If you want some motivation to get out there on the yard sale circuit, take a peek inside my gift cupboard.

Need a little inspiration out in the garden? Check out our $75 Deck Makeover (this year I'll be chronicling the overhaul of a major part of our backyard; the first installment will be coming soon!). If you're still struggling with veggie gardening in an urban environment, Incredible Edibles may be just the resource you're looking for. And if, like me, you have way more mint in your garden than you know what to do with, Making the Most of...Mint should give you plenty of new ways to use this proliferative herb!

Summer Eating:

If you missed my earlier roundup of warm weather salads, you'll want to head over and check out this list of some of our favourite summer side dishes.

Some other tried-and-true savoury summer dishes at our house are Stuffed Jalapenos, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, and Thai-Style Peanutty Pasta.

Of course, it wouldn't be summer without a few sweet, fruity treats! Raspberry Cream Cheese Squares and Lemon Blueberry Polenta Cake travel well for potlucks and picnics. Peach Clafouti is an easy-to-throw-together dessert that lends itself to variations with a variety of summer fruit. And if you have that age-old gardener's dilemma of way too much zucchini, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are a tasty way to use up some of the surplus!

I know I'm looking forward to a couple of months of warm weather, outdoor activity and lots of delicious meals featuring fresh, seasonal produce. I hope you'll stick around and join me in celebrating all the pleasures summer has to offer.