We Had Been Dancing to His Music All Week.

Summertime was always a great time as a child.  Some summers were spent at grandma's house in California and some were spent in Idaho with my nephew staying with us for the summer.  Summers at Grandma's house were always really hot.  We spent a lot of time indoors watching movies or playing on the computer.  To get relief from the heat, my grandparents would take me to see my cousins in the Bay Area.

I always had a good time with my cousins. One summer, we swam in the neighbors pool while they were on vacation.  Another summer, we went to Santa Cruz to the beach boardwalk.  Some of the most vivid memories I have of spending time with my cousins is making up dances to music in the backyard.  The 80's were a great time.  We were so excited when we got to see Bryan Duncan in concert.  We had been dancing to his music all week.  He was so cool.

Spending time at Grandma's gave me opportunities to experience new things. We went to Marine World.  I visited the ocean for the first time with Grandma.  I got my introduction to computers while I was there.  Of course, it was a Commodore 64, but it was a computer none the less.  My grandma was great at introducing me to new things.  She on the other hand didn't really care for new things.  She liked things the way they were.  She liked the food she liked and didn't need to try anything new.  Me on the other hand likes to try new things.  I like finding new recipes to test out.  When I would find a good one, I wanted to share it with my grandma.  She liked to tell me that they were bad ideas.  One of those recipes was my Chicken & Fruit Salad.  She said it sounded awful.  But she ate it and loved it.

Chicken & Fruit Salad
1/2 Red apple, cubed
1/2 Green apple, cubed
5 small chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
1/2 bunch of red or green grapes, halved
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley, optional
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup celery
Salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix mayo & vinegar.  Mix remaining ingredients.  Pour dressing over salad and stir.