Though it's still February, spring is happening in my back yard. The first robin landed on my deck railing a few days ago, the crocuses, periwinkle, and pink violets are blossoming, and my cat no longer does a U-turn when I open the door for her.

I also received a bit of sunshine too, from Yasmine, who reviewed my book, Summer Replacement:
"...a really great and funny read...[It was] well thought out and left me laughing for days."

With sunshine and nicer weather, can picnics be all that far behind (maybe inside for those in colder climates!)? In my FOOD FOR THOUGHT cookbook (on my web site, http://ann.herrick.home.att.net), you'll find food-related excerpts and book-related recipes. Here's what you'll find for SUMMER REPLACEMENT.

Food-Related EXCERPT:

"We're eating outside?" I pictured the wind ruining in an instant what it had taken me twenty minutes to achieve with my hair.
"Well, we can seat eight at the picnic table. Besides we might want to go swimming. Jason is already in his bathing suit."
"I'm comfortable in this." I headed off what I knew would be my mother's suggestion to change my clothes. Instead I again changed the subject. "I'll make some potato salad." I always used my grandmother recipe, and it never failed to win compliments. It wouldn't hurt to impress Dan in as many ways as I could.
Once the potato salad was ready and Dad had lit the coals in the grill, I began to pace. "When are the Stedmans coming over?" I asked my mother. I tried to sound casual, as if it really didn't matter and that, in fact, I found the whole idea of a cookout mildly annoying. That way my mother wouldn't wonder why I was so eager.

RECIPE...It won't take much practice to learn to make my mother's recipe of:
The World's greatest Potato Salad
2 large potatoes
3 tablespoons salad oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
2 sliced hard-boiled eggs
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup sliced celery

Peel and boil potatoes. Dice (should yield about 2 cups). Add 3 tablespoons salad oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Toss lightly to mix, refrigerate. To serve, add 2 sliced hard-boiled eggs, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard, ¼ cup sliced celery, ½ cup mayonnaise.