The span of days between posts is creeping to greater and greater numbers, and I’ve been going back and forth between feeling guilty and defensive, between wanting to explain/justify/apologize for this obvious lapse and wanting to ignore it, pretend it’s not happening, hoping that in the grand scheme of the blog this summer will be [...]

The moment I’d resigned myself to having eggs for dinner, even though I’d had them for lunch, because I’m the worst dinner eater/cooker ever these days, I looked out my window into the backyard and spotted all these bright red ornaments.

I’m not one of those people who likes fresh berries best by the handful. I need them doctored: sugared and baked into pies, cobblers, and crumbles; blended with yogurt and honey and juice into a smoothie; churned into an ice cream; simmered into a sauce, compote, or jam. If I was my normal self these [...]

What a charming little ragout this is with its pretty okra flowers. This is reassuring. This means it’s still summer, at least for today. I keep expecting to arrive at the farmer’s market and see that poof! all the corn and tomatoes have been replaced with sweet potatoes and butternut squash, but apparently it doesn’t [...]

Ahh. It does feel good to be back. I just spent 17 days in Israel with no computer, no cell phone, and no kitchen, feeling completely cut off from my normal life in the best possible way. What I treasure most about vacations are the totally inane daily decisions that take on such importance. Should [...]

Blah blah blah the weird ice cream flavors have to stop. They will stop when I am DEAD. I am not the only one interested in off-the-wall ice cream flavors. Not the only one by far. And this one wasn’t even my idea. A friend of mine emailed me to let me know that Momofuku [...]

Back when I made that Spring Panzanella, I decided I was going to do one for every season. This is the summer one. Oh. You got that? So I was eating this and I was thoroughly enjoying it, but then I realized that I was leaving a lot of the bread at the bottom of my [...]

Before I give you the backstory on this one, I must gush and rave. This cake is f*ing amazing. It is sooo f*ing good. Good enough to necessitate expletives, Dale? Really? Hell f*ing yes! If I ever write a cookbook or open a restaurant, this cake will surely be featured. It is just so delicious. Nothing fancy, [...]

You know the peaches are good when there’s a whole beehive’s worth of bees buzzing around them. And you know you really want some of those peaches when you’re willing to just thrust your arms right into the danger zone. I’ve had more close encounters with bees this summer than I’d care to. Not that I’d [...]

Oh, hey there! How’s it goin? It feels like it’s been forever. I’ve been thinking about this bruschetta post for days but, um, I’ve been distracted. With changes. Changes in my life. Big deal end of era changes. Huge sigh of relief rebirth kinds of changes. Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic. It doesn’t feel [...]

Do you need a Fourth of July dessert recipe? Pies are quintessential, but maybe not the most convenient for serving as they can get a bit messy (mine do, at least). Here’s your solution: blueberry crumb pie in bar form, individually portioned. They can be cut into tiny two-bite rectangles or more substantial squares. A dollop of fresh [...]

A bit of a strange bird, this one, but a good bird, a good bird. I like it a lot. Last summer, I made this recipe with blackberries, I presume because I didn’t have a cherry pitter, and lord knows how you pit cherries without one! What did they do before cherry pitters? Well, traditional [...]

Summer is all about the cold or room temperature side dishes whipped up in the kitchen while (at the risk of being sexist here) your manly man is manning the grill. Here’s a classic three-bean salad for all your summer barbecue needs. It’s very sweet and tangy, with black-eyed peas added for a Southern twist, and because they’re [...]