When we were getting ready for this year’s trip, I asked the boys what they were most excited about. Of course, they love every moment of these big adventures, but both of them mentioned crabbing, in particular, as something that they couldn’t wait to do again. Continue reading
Check it out – my absolute favorite summer cookbooks! These books have been in heavy rotations in my kitchen for the past few years, and they have the smears, oil marks, and sticky spots to prove it. You’ll probably recognize some from past posts.
Jerusalem & Plenty – these are two books by Yotam Ottolenghi (and Sami Tamimi for Jerusalem). I love these books for the intense flavors and fresh ingredients listed in the recipes. From a design perspective, the books are filled with beautiful photography of both the dishes and life in the Middle East. Plenty is a vegetarian cookbook, and I lean on it heavily when my fridge is overflowing with farm share veggies.
Previous posts with recipes & photos of dishes cooked from both books:
Typically, the first Wednesday of the month is when we write a welcome post, sharing what we’re excited for,reminiscing about previous years, and looking at what’s changing in the natural world. Basically a little bit of looking ahead, looking back, and looking out.
Yesterday I couldn’t come up with the words for a post. We’ve said it before, and we could say it a million times more. We love all seasons, but there’s no doubt that summer is our favorite. And the start of summer is filled with so much anticipation.
There aren’t enough summers. What will we do.
If all goes well, we’re heading out on our last big adventure of the summer. We thought this was a good time to share some postcards from this summer’s trip to Saxis and Chincoteague. If you’d like to learn more about this awesome area of the Eastern Shore that we love dearly, check out this round-up off our previous Saxis posts.
Happy {almost} weekend! I’m packing up for a friend’s birthday celebration. A bunch of gals are headed to a lake house in Pennsylvania for a few days. Besides Cash the dog, here’s what I’m taking:
Whenever I go on a road trip, I make sure to pack a cooler full of snacks. A couple years ago, I started using ice packs instead of plain old ice and holy sh!t my life is easier. No more soggy snacks or watered down condiments. I know you know what I’m talking about.
Lake hangs must involve a boat or a raft. This year I’ll be lounging on pineapple fruit float while I sip cocktails out of my drink bottle, supplemented by tons of water from the camelbak of course. A friends gifted me the RTIC drink bottle a few months ago and I’m in love. It stays icy all day even during the Carolina summer. The widemouth stainless steel is easy to clean too. I can switch from cold brew coffee to agua fresca without noticing any unwanted leftover flavors. This weekend, I’ll be sippin’ on Pimm’s Cups and my take on a Moscow Mule.
Drinking on a float in the middle of the lake requires some serious sun protection. I just bought these Sunski glasses and here’s the recipe for our mineral-based sunscreen. A hat wouldn’t hurt either.
Even writing about day drinking has me ready for a nap. I love these huge fluffy beach towels. They’re large enough to lay on and curl up with. If you’re down to hang, here’s my exact hammock at the best straps money can buy. Don’t forget a favorite book to pretend to read before dozing off.
Now I’m off to clean my car and buy some groceries. I plan on making a couple different batches of veggie burgers and letting that bowl of goodness inspire my shopping list. Our sister, Kristin, made that creation. Here’s the recipe for the kale and pine nut salad. Kristin is also the one who turned me onto this veggie burger book, which I’ve used for over five years! She’s always placing something delicious in front of me. Hope you find some chill in your weekend. xo
We just bought the tickets for our big annual trip to the East Coast. We’re so lucky to be able to take this big chunk of time and spend it visiting family both in PA and VA. In addition to that quality time, what I really love is being able to expose the boys to activities and ideas that they may not have at home in Colorado. Isn’t that what traveling’s all about?
Many of our days are spent at the beach, but that’s just a snippet of how the boys spend their time on the island.
Whenever Poppop’s in town, they spend many quality hours on the boat. There are one to two trips a day to check the crab pots in the bay. Sometimes they stay out longer doing a bit of fishing or line-crabbing, but our primary prey is the blue crab. Their scientific name is Callinectes sapidus, and it has the most perfect meaning : calli = beautiful, nectes = swimmer, and sapidus = savory!
Sarah wasn’t lying when she mentioned that July’s her favorite month. And mine too, for all of the same reasons!
In my mind, July is everything summer. It’s cannon balls in swimming pools, muggy nights filled with the sounds of cicadas and the glow of lightning bugs. It’s tomato and mayo sandwiches for lunch, followed by California burgers and corn on the cob (fresh from the garden!) for dinner.
Those are the memories seared into my brain, and I’m hoping to create some of the same for the boys. And on that front I think we’re off to a great start. Right now the boys are coated in sand, sunscreen, and lake water. If that’s not July, then I don’t know what is.
Happy Monday y’all! It’s July, unquestionably my favorite month of the year. Growing up, Katie and I would have joint birthday parties at the local pool. I still remember splashing around in the sun, getting out only when the smell of the grill wafted over, shivering with blue lips and being wrapped up in a big fuzzy towel then sitting down and opening a pile of presents. I truly feel all kinds of grateful when I think about the happy childhood I had, but seriously, how lucky are July babies? Pool parties every year! Here’s a few summer shots to tide you over at your work station this month.
You can upload one or all of these photos to use as your desktop background or even as phone and tablet wallpapers. Simply click on the download link below each photo and save the image. Enjoy!
I’m so excited for summer with the boys. They are 2 and 4 years old, and I can already tell that this is going to be a really active summer for us. From the moment they wake up until they pass out, we’re riding bikes, playing in the baby pool on the back porch, and going for hikes in the woods. All that time outside in the sun requires good gear, and a dip or two in the water to cool off. So, below we’re sharing our favorite sun and water gear, because the two go together like peanut butter and jelly (obviously).
Hello, Summer!
Are you feeling the heat? Based upon our Instagram feed, I sense that most of the country had a nice spring and then transitioned into hot weather sometime last month. Not us, we had an unseasonably large snowstorm in late May, which confuses our minds and the garden. Remember last month’s welcome when I was already talking about the crazy weather BEFORE that storm? But anyway, our hot days have arrived, and we’re loving it!
We’re transitioning to more dinners on the deck, more long evenings playing in the dirt, and (of course), more fresh seasonal eats.
The image above is from the Library of Congress’ online prints and photos collection. I love these old prints. The designs are awesome, and they tell a story about the times. I also love the idea that the government was trying to get us to work together, a particularly common theme for the posters made during WWII, and even outside of war times there were others about taking care of yourself (eating healthy, exercising, etc.) and some about celebrating American heritage. If you’re looking to waste time online the LOC is a great place to do it.
