This past Tuesday, June 21st, was the first official day of summer, but with the scorching temperatures that we are presently experiencing, no one in South Louisiana, and in much of our nation these days, must be told that summer has arrived.

While enjoying the relaxed pace that the summer has provided, I am reminded of two newspaper articles found a few summers ago. The articles seemed oddly linked to each other, while on opposite sides of the page. One article dealt with new words which had been added to Webster’s Dictionary. The Associated Press article, written by Russell Contreras, described 100 new words which “reflect changing trends in American society”.

The article went on to state that many of these new words originated because of changes in technology. Though I can’t admit to having had knowledge of all the words listed, one word which I had become increasingly familiar with that summer was “staycation.”

The term, which originated between the years 2007-2010 because of the economic downturn, meant to stay home and vacation by enjoying leisure activities around the house, or those found in local parks and near-by attractions. The CoVid-19 pandemic of 2020 saw a resurgence in staycations because of health and safety concerns, but fortunately with the lifting of sanctions on traveling and the lessening impact of the virus, summer travel is making a comeback. The other article resulted from a study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina.

In this study, participants submitted daily emotion reports detailing their emotional status during the course of a day. The research showed that happy people, while not denying unpleasant parts of life, had the ability to value those small, happy moments in everyday life. Also noted was the fact that by focusing daily on the small, positive moments in daily life, we build resources to cope with stress, and rebound from adversity.

With this mindset, a “staycation” can be seen as an opportunity for building lifelong pleasant memories of summers spent at home. Since in years past, our society was not always as mobile as it is today, I decided to ask others what created happy summer memories from their childhoods.

In discussions with friends of my generation, the Baby Boomers, we remembered frozen treats using Kool-Aid made in Dixie cups, or ice cube trays. The sound of the Popsicle man sent one friend scurrying to her dad’s coin drawer to retrieve enough money to buy ice cream. Another friend recounted how a daily outing to the neighborhood grocery store with a quarter for a Fudgsicle became an adventure when a frozen lizard, deposited by daring young boys, was found in the freezer box. Children gathered around ice cream churns, waiting patiently, and sometimes not so patiently, for their opportunity to turn the handle of the ice cream churn in anticipation of the homemade fig ice cream being made by their parents.

The snowball, invented in 1919 by Samuel Bert, first arrived on the scene at the Texas State Fair. Since then, generations down through the years have enjoyed this cold, tasty summer treat, and many can conjure up memories of times and places where it was consumed. Gone now, but not forgotten, were the shaved ice snowball stands around town, and the cardboard Chinese take-out boxes that held the cool, sweet delicacy. The snowball stand on Main Street in St. Martinville provided for many Sunday outings to purchase that very special treat.

Watermelon also seemed to figure prominently in summertime memories. Before community water systems, when a backyard water well furnished the water used by the family, the melons were kept in the well to cool. They were usually grown in family gardens and were in abundant supply in the summer. Melons sold by truck farmers around town could be sampled for their sweetness from cut-out plugs before buying them.

I remember viewing an episode of the Martha Stewart show in which a Harvard physician was speaking on methods of combating stress and increasing one’s sense of wellbeing. Two examples he used dealt with engaging in creative activities, and socializing. Cooking can be a very creative experience, and entertaining friends with one’s culinary talents provides an occasion for enjoyable socialization.

Though summer has now been officially declared, we realize there will be many more days, if not weeks, of unrelenting heat to come. The following is a microwave recipe which will not heat up the kitchen but can be used as a main dish for family, or as an appetizer when entertaining friends. At these gatherings, whether you have traveled or have taken a “staycation,” be sure to remember and share those simple, happy moments of summers past and present!

Chicken Fantastique

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Frying chicken, cut up, or chicken wings for appetizers

salt and pepper to taste (use salt sparingly as onion soup mix contains much salt)

Sauce:

1, 8 oz. bottle French or Russian salad dressing

1, 10 oz. jar apricot jam or preserves

1, 1 oz. package dried onion soup mix

Directions:

Salt and pepper chicken parts. Place in a large, 3 qt. Casserole. Puncture skin of chicken in a few places.

Mix ingredients for topping in a bowl and pour over the chicken.

Microwave for 18-20 minutes on high power, or in a conventional oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 4-6