Cold Avocado and Cucumber Soup

Happy Saturday!

What are you up to this weekend?

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We're thinking about braving the crowds at the State Fair and getting together with friends for dinner. I wish for you the happiest of weekends ahead!

The web has been incredibly good as of late, a few of my favorites to share

When I'm Gone   (My goodness, this one touched many heart-strings)

For those I love who live far away – A Hot Guide to Peppers(!)

Where does alcohol come from, anyway?

Alice Waters picks her ten favorite books

Four nutritionists weigh in on the best foods to eat after your workout

Brewing homemade root beer

I've been making a list of things I'm going to do the next time I visit New York City.  So far?  This exercise class, eat a few bites of this, visit the 911 Memorial, and a picnic in Central Park

I followed my mom around Costco, and this is what I learned

It's been the week of soup at our house.  Maybe it's a good time to think about how to start a soup club?

My next suggestion at book club will be this one from an Iowa girl, Beth Howard – Making Piece: A Memoir of Loss, Love, and Pie.  She started making pies while living in the historic Gothic House and is now traveling the world, teaching people the wonders of pie.  You can follow her blog at – The World Needs More Pie

Old Time Radio Shows    (ps:  The archive is huge, and they're free for download!)

On Productivity – Obama's Presidential Productivity Secrets.  How to take advantage of your brain's hidden productivity powers, and How do Experts Figure out what to focus on?

12 Food Podcasts that fuel our commutes

I'm too old for this    (My favorite article from the week!)

This Legendary Cover and the story behind the empty chair

Lastly, I've written a bit in this space about the effects addiction has played in the lives of those I love.  I offer no political opinion, only that of a Mom who's spent more than her fair share of time sitting on cold folding chairs at AA and NA meetings, in rehab centers, and homeless shelters.  The stories of family heartbreak left me fundamentally changed.

Not long ago President Obama gave a speech to the NAACP, calling for criminal justice reform 

I see those young men on street corners, and eventually, in prisons.  And I think to myself, they could be me.  That the main difference between me and them is that I had a more forgiving environment, so that when I slipped up, when I made a mistake, I had a second chance, and they've got no margin for error

Related:  The Washington Post's incredible 3-part series about the war on drugs and its effects.

Part 1:  The Painful Price of Aging in Prison

Part II: Against His Better Judgement     (Highlighting Iowa's Federal Judge Mark W. Bennet)

Part II: From A First Arrest to a Life Sentence

The produce from my parent's garden kept on giving this week, and my sweet husband sure has eaten a lot of soup.

This is one of my favorite cold soups to eat when it's hot outside.  The addition of avocado and coconut milk makes it a little more satisfying than other recipes I've run across.  I also loved that it's easy to make, essentially put everything into your food processor, and a few minutes later it's done.

The dill brings an unusual and different flavor twist, though easy substitutes are chives or parsley

Enjoy!

xoxo

~ Adapted from The Natural Menu Cookbook by Jane Summerfield