apricots and sugar plums

they are here they are here! peak summer goodness. these local apricots and sugar plums from new york and connecticut are unbelievably amazing. produce is ripening a bit early this year compared to last. which suits me fine. these sweet, tart, firm apricots didn't arrive until nearly august last year. and the sugar plums, so tiny and delicious. my family's diet is probably 50 percent fresh fruit right now. crazy good this year. we are really living it up.

i made some nice summer borscht this week as well as gazpacho. yum. refreshing, cooling soups, recipes coming your way soon. in the meantime, keep cool and enjoy all this mid-summer perfection. xo, g

bowl of summer goodness

breakfast is so easy in the summer. ripe, sweet, organic peaches, pluots, cherries, blueberries, pistachios, greek yogurt. no matter how hot it is outside, beautiful satisfying food is all around. it is still possible to eat well, even though you might just want to collapse about it instead.

during the last few weeks i've been thinking a lot about gazpacho and other cooling foods. food that don't heat up the kitchen any hotter than it already is. and so i've been looking around the blogosphere for inspiration and the brilliant luisa, over at one of my favorite food blogs the wednesday chef, did a great post this week, heat wave, about not cooking when it is oppressively hot outside and you can't even think about it. she writes from berlin and invited her readers to share their experiences with this seasonal phenomenon, and there are about a million great ideas for summer recipes in the comments. so don't give up. (i say this to myself as much as to anyone). keep cooking! you can do it!

also, rain today (finally) and possibly the end to water restrictions on our parched landscape. hooray for that. summer living, not all that easy as it turns out.

dear maine, i love you

great short getaway. we are back now and we loved every minute of our trip to maine (well except for the biting flies minutes of course). otherwise completely wonderful: great food, friendly people, nice beaches, lovely scenery. low key, no fuss. some kind of simple wonderful.

have a great weekend all, xo, g

dispatch from the land of lobster rolls

we have escaped the epic searing heat wave in nyc and headed due north to the merely spectacularly hot southern coast of maine. (it was still 100 degrees in portland, maine yesterday, just in case you think we got off easy). the heat is somehow more bearable, because you know you can have a lobster roll for lunch. 

maine is a place where the lobster rolls are quite succulent and seriously generous. maine also produces perhaps the world's greatest lemonade, as it is pretty much always made to order, pressed right in front of you, three lemon halves and 3 heaping spoons of sugar in each icy glass. i can assure you the perfect lemon:sugar ratio has been achieved once and for all. and in maine, the whoopie pie is taken to a higher level: a tender yet substantial chocolate cake hybrid filled with a delicate cream. not at all too sweet, more like sophisticated and sublime.

marvelous maine. xo, g

easy living

well, here we are: a nice long holiday weekend. i am hoping for plenty of time to sit back, relax, and luxuriate in some easy summer living. i will go to the beach, watch the fireworks and eat a lobster roll or  two. but for now, i want to sit back, put my feet up, and enjoy an icy summer drink. clink clink. enjoy. xo, g

p.s. these are my new moroccan slippers from maryam in marrakesh, she had a flash sale the other week and i've barely taken them off since they arrived. so exotic, so exquisite, so sultry (so comfy). thanks maryam, i really love them.