A fragrant, perfectly ripe peach is one of late summer’s great gifts. For maximum enjoyment, devour directly over the sink, allowing its sweet, sticky juices to run through your fingers. A slightly more dignified (and equally delicious) approach would be to tuck eight or so into a warm, pillowy cobbler and top with vanilla ice cream.
The August issue of Sheridan Road hit mailboxes yesterday. It brings me so much joy to create cocktails and recipes for the magazine each month, and choosing what to make is a big part of the fun. The magazine’s fabulous editor (and I’m not just saying that – she really is a dynamo), Dustin O’Regan, will share with me the stories she plans to feature, providing me with a springboard for ideas. From there I develop recipes that marry what’s happening in the magazine with ingredients that highlight the current season. Read More
Oh my, has it been a doozy of a week. We had a major plumbing debacle in our home, leaving us without water (save for one bathroom) and necessitating countless hours of incredibly unpleasant work. Physically exhausting, yes, but emotionally exhausting too as I was faced with sorting through dozens and dozens of boxes containing my mother’s belongings. I just wasn’t ready. Read More
The first time I tested this recipe, I tried using only fresh blackberries and they were good yet frustratingly a bit too sour. Terrific with ice cream, of course, but not perfect on their own. Enter blackberry jam. The combination of fresh, tart berries with sweet jam nestled into the buttery dough allowed the bars to stand deliciously alone. Read More
The upside of feeling tied to the house during the kitchen renovation – time spent in the garden! Tending to it diligently along with cooperative weather have the vegetables off to a great start and the herbs in plentiful abundance. Read More
Independence Day, one of my absolute favorite holidays, is just around the bend! Celebrate with this juicy, decadent version of the all-American classic at your holiday barbecue. Topped with smoked cheddar, caramelized onions, and crispy thick-cut bacon, it brings simple grilled fare to a whole new level. Read More
It’s officially summer! Is there anything better than sipping an icy cocktail with friends on a warm summer night? One of my favorites is the refreshing, bittersweet Americano. Created in Italy during the 1860’s and originally known as the Milano-Turino, it was renamed the Americano after American expats in Italy who adopted it as their drink of choice during Prohibition. Read More
If you’re thinking the tacos above look as though they’ve been sprinkled with weeds just pried from a garden, you are correct. And no, I haven’t lost my mind! A few years ago, I read an intriguing article on foraging in the wild and was surprised to learn how many edible plants we overlook. My favorite, and pictured above, is the wildly abundant Yellow Wood Sorrel. Also known as Oxalis Stricta, it has heart shaped leaves that grow in sets of three with tiny yellow flowers, and tastes deliciously sour and lemony. If you’ve never noticed it before, you’ll see it everywhere now that you’ve read this. Read More
Happy Summer everyone! I hope the sun has been shining in your corner of the world. Construction on the kitchen is moving along, though I am absolutely dying to get in there and cook. Three and a half more weeks, if all goes as planned! Luckily, the weather has been incredible, so we’ve made good use of our grills. I thought I’d share my recipe for Grilled Whole Trout with Lemon, Fennel and Parsley, posted last summer on the aesthete and the dilettante. It is simple enough for a weeknight family meal, yet perfect in presentation for your next get together. Be sure to choose a fish with firm flesh, clear eyes, and a super clean smell – don’t be afraid to ask for a closer peek! I chose trout because it was fresh and local, but snapper would be a great substitute.
Memorial Day is the unofficial opening weekend for barbecues and casual summer get-togethers. While chilled rosé and iced buckets of beer are perfectly respectable (and delicious) offerings, consider serving a light and refreshing cocktail to kick off your next warm weather gathering. This fizzy Gin and Ginger Lime Sparkler also makes a wonderful mocktail – skip the gin and you have delicious minted ginger ale to serve guests of every age! Read More
