During my mom’s senior year of high school, her family hosted a Norwegian exchange student, and they’ve stayed in touch with her ever since. Fast-forward many years later to when I was in middle school: we were lucky enough to visit this Norwegian friend and her family on their small island in Norway (there’s a… Continue reading Special vacation edition: Cinnamon buns, or snails
Category: summer
Special vacation edition: Brown sugar blueberry pie
We’ve just returned from a relaxing week with family on Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. My mom’s side of the family has been spending summers up here since the 1940s, when my great-grandfather (appropriately named “Granddaddy”) built a boathouse on the island he’d just purchased. The island has since grown to include a main cabin… Continue reading Special vacation edition: Brown sugar blueberry pie
Away
For the next week, I'll be enjoying some time with family in Ontario, Canada. There will be lots of swimming, canoeing, picnicking, reading, and, of course, cooking. I'll be back soon with more recipes and stories. Hope you're all enjoying August so far!
Kitchen garden (IV)
It's been pointed out to me since last week's post that my memory is playing tricks. We didn't sing "Summertime" in high school, we sang it in middle school...with my friends, not my sister.Maybe it's because I'm too busy thinking about my tomatoes. And that little guy above. He's taken up residence between two tomato… Continue reading Kitchen garden (IV)
Lemonade
High summer in Rhode Island. The days are long and sticky and oppressive (but not as humid as Ohio, where summer can feel like you're swimming through tar). Although the mornings are cool and breezy, they burn off quickly once the blazing sun gets going. If you're out for a walk, you probably spend it… Continue reading Lemonade
Mint julep
Now that summer (with all its heat and humidity) is in full swing, my sister Lissa has been contemplating what would make the weather more bearable. There's swimming, long afternoons in Starbucks, evenings at the air-conditioned movie theater.* There's also the tried-and-true tradition of iced mixed drinks. Every few days, she sighs wistfully, "Wouldn't it… Continue reading Mint julep
Fourth of July Kuchen tarts
Right now I'm in Cleveland, enjoying a week with family and quiet mornings of blazing heat. While I love Providence, it's wonderful to escape from a city (even a small one) for a time. I get to remember what it's like to walk down the street hearing only the cooing of birds and the rustle… Continue reading Fourth of July Kuchen tarts
Kitchen garden (III)
Dropped in to share this exciting development in the kitchen garden: three pea pods have appeared, with more on the way! I am half-tempted to name them, but the rational part of me reins in that enthusiasm.I'd been amazed by the tightly furled white flowers of the pea plant. Now, these flowers have given way… Continue reading Kitchen garden (III)
Kitchen garden (II)
An update on the garden:The tomatoes are flourishing, after being re-potted to deeper pots and staked with bamboo and sisal. (I think it looks rather pretty, don't you?) However, I originally planted three per pot, and since none of them died off, that meant they would eventually compete for light and water. So the other day I… Continue reading Kitchen garden (II)
Chowder, a sea dish
Despite the cold, rainy weather (in June, no less), I have summer on my mind.The beach, in particular. Having grown up in Ohio, where the only large body of water was Lake Erie (of questionable cleanliness), I was excited to move to a place called the "Ocean State." Little Rhody is such a tiny state… Continue reading Chowder, a sea dish
Abby Murphy 