“I love you simply because you’re you” ~ Posted today on Linda Steele’s daily daughter’s calendar that sits on the ledge above the kitchen sink

What a beautiful saying: “I love you simply because you’re you.” We don’t need a motive, incentive, or purpose – we can just love our friends for being our friends.

And I have a girlfriend, Katie, who would change that to be “I love PIE simply because its PIE.” (She LOVES pie – had it instead of cake on her wedding day.) We’re combining friends and a wonderful Summer Berry Pie recipe below, thanks to the culinary contribution by our Girlfriend Guru LINDA STEELE:

The kids will be off from school for the summer soon. I always greet this moment with a tiny bit of dread and lots of excitement. Dread because I worry that my kids might lie around the house all day, stay up all night, and say, “I’m bored” before the first week‘s even out. The mother guilt might set in and I’ll feel like I’m a terrible parent. I’ll look at the calendar and wonder when will September arrive?

But it’s also a time filled with excitement. My teaching is done for a couple of months and my kids have each finished a new chapter in their own lives. And it’s finally warm enough and there’s time at least to do a few of the things we’ve been wanting to do—like catch up with old friends, invite family members down for a day at the beach, or simply stay home and sit out on our back deck together and enjoy a large glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and a slice of just baked Summer Berry Pie.  And a chance for me to simply say to them “I love you simply because you’re you.”

Spot for eating lunch with my daughter

A few summers ago I was hired by a woman for a one day private chef lesson for her son who wanted to learn to cook. They had a beautiful summer house overlooking the water in West Falmouth. The boy was 14—very close in age to my older daughter and I knew that would be something fun for her to be involved in. So I asked the woman who was interested in hiring me if my daughter could come for the day too. She agreed.

I’m so glad she did. I have such special memories from that day. We talked and laughed while we cooked and I know it was a lot easier for the teen that my daughter was there too. I was simply the ‘older teacher’ and they had a lot to chit chat about. He was from out of town and only summered here and she lived here year round.

We taught him how to make a perfect steak on the grill, Grilled Asparagus with Cashews, and my all-time favorite summer pasta dish—Pasta Fresca. Then we made a summer berry pie together—recipe shared below.

We made it with him and then we left. We gave him some tips about how and when to serve it all later to his family that night. I’d heard the next day that the dinner was delicious but the Summer Berry Pie was amazing!

I hope you find some excitement for you and your friends and family this summer, even amidst those few moments of dread. Trying some new recipes might even be something fun to share with your kids this summer while you’re looking for something different to do. Drop a line and let me know how they turned out.

Summer Berry Pie

Take a pie crust (if you get my recipe book, I offer a simple recipe for making a crust from scratch, but refrigerated, store bought  will do too).

1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

1 cup fresh blueberries, washed

1 cup fresh raspberries, washed

1 cup, fresh blackberries, washed

6 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Place fresh fruit, cornstarch, sugar, and water in a small sauce pan and boil, immediately reduce to low and let simmer for about ten minutes. Let cool slightly and fill the bottom of pie crust. Cover with top crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy out doors on your back porch.

LINDA STEELE knows how important maintaining supportive friendships are. She’s an avid baker, Professor, writer, and mom. Her first fun and personalized recipe collection called “Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen” can now be purchased in e-book form on her blog. She loves to inspire people to always share fun times with friends while eating good food. You are invited to like her on Facebook at Sweeter by the Beach and become a follower of her blog.

What are your favorite summer recipes girlfriend?

Thanks Linda! And check out her Summer Salad (recipe) & Beach House Friends, Girlfriend Chili Fest! and Lunch Club.

By the way, we LOVE guest blogs here at Girlfriendology. Have a great girlfriend story to tell? Want to celebrate your fabulous female friends? SHARE! (And, we also have Girlfriend Gurus – check that out to be featured on Girlfriendology!)

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