Short and Sweet

We got invited to a barbecue by a lake in New Jersey. This sounded like a wonderful plan. We arrived at barbecue in New Jersey. We had a fabulous time! Good food, perfect weather, the river was peaceful and romantic... We got eaten alive! The end.
August seems to be mosquito and chigger month. Apparently famished from June and July, the poor darlings seek sustenance on whatever or whomever is closest by; too weak to seek out someone their own size. Well, I have had it! My husband has over three dozen bites in one small area on one leg! I was lucky and got a combination of mosquito and chigger bites so at least I get to pick at scabs and blisters; thus, avoiding boredom. What is a home chef to do? Yes. You got that right. What is a home chef to do? Head into their kitchens sports fans and do SOMETHING about it!
​What do I do? Usually, suck it up since bug bites are a summer ritual but there may be one or two other people out there whose favorite past time is not itching and picking. So, I turned to the internet and the first hits I got when I searched for "Foods that will help with mosquito bites" was from Reader's Digest. Some of suggestions seem a bit, well, smelly. Smelliness is one of the reasons I hate bug spray, especially when you couple it with the first thing I said about rituals and bug bites. As I scanned further down the story, I lit on vanilla. Well, I thought; vanilla. THIS I can do! I get to smell like cake? I'm in! 
www.rd.com/health/wellness/8-foods-to-defend-against-bug-bites/
1Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1Cup water
Mix and rub on the exposed skin to prevent mosquito, tick and black flies.