When I downloaded photos from my camera today, I found more than 250 waiting to be gone through. I hope you don’t mind me sharing a few tonight.

On Friday, two days before Irene, I looked out at the setting sun and saw this sky. It was viciously orange and red, and made me think of that rhyme “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; Red sky at dawn, sailors be warned.” I think that should have meant that Saturday would be a mild day … but it wasn’t. More like threatening. A warning. Read the rest of this entry…

Sorry, no recipes today. We live in the area affected by Hurricane Irene and just had our power restored. I’ll be back tomorrow with food and photos.

Early Sunday morning at about 4:30 a.m. our power went out with a jolt — or that’s what it felt like when I suddenly awoke to the silence of my house. It was dark, eerily so, and I could hear the first pitter-patters of driving rain strike our home. The familiar hum of my powered home was gone.

I got up, feeling my way to the kitchen to find the cardboard box where I stored all our flashlights and batteries for the storm. Then, flashlight in hand, I went to all the windows, checking the locks and closing the few that were still open. Though the power was out, I truly believed it would be a short-term thing. I was just worried about the wind.

I’d fallen asleep watching Sweet Home Alabama, one of my favorite movies, and hadn’t filled the bathtub with flushing water – a just-in-case measure should power go out. But, I didn’t think it would be an issue. Like my neighbors, I thought I had time.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. As the wind followed the rain, I was disturbed by every sound, fearing a tree might fall on our home or a window might shatter. Three hours later, I heard a loud crack outside, and sat up to see that a large tree had fallen in our front yard … and it missed the house completely. I thank God for that. Read the rest of this entry…

A good friend of mine and I joke that fate tried everything to get us to be friends. We grew up less than a mile from each other. We attended Catholic schools in the same area, albeit different ones. We took ballet classes (different studios) and had mutual friends (though we didn’t know it). Still, it wasn’t until I moved to another town and we went to the same Catholic high school that we met and became fast friends.

And then I moved again and we lost touch. Fast forward to senior year of high school, and we both ended up at the same bridge program at a local community college. I’ll never forget standing in line at orientation and looking at the back of her head, thinking “Wait! I know her!”

When the first day of school arrived, I was standing around with a girl from my high school when I saw my old friend arrive. I boldly went and said hello … praying she remembered me. Thankfully she did. Otherwise I would have been totally mortified. We’ve been really close ever since. And despite college, moves, marriages and time, we remain really close friends. (Do you have any friends like that?)

When I sat down to write about The Pastry Garden, I immediately thought of her and IM’d her about it. It’s in the area where we grew up and her parents still live … and I had to tell her to try their cupcakes. They’re worth it.

The Pastry Garden is a Hudson Valley institution that’s been creating cakes and confections since 1984. Longtime residents know about it, and seem to all have a great Pastry Garden story. Back when I lived in the area, my family and I would sometimes stop at The Pastry Garden’s Poughkeepsie, New York, location for butter cookies after church. They were such a special treat.

When I was in the area recently, I stopped in at their Hopewell Junction, New York, location to pick those memorable butter cookies as a gift for another friend who recently moved to the area. The cookies were every bit as good as I remembered: rich, dense and wonderfully buttery. Some come bathed in smooth, good quality chocolate. Others are filled with perfect ganache and amazing jellies. At a little less than $12 a pound, they are pricey but as a once in a while thing as a hostess gift or special occasion purchase, they are totally worth it.

While we were getting the cookies, I was enamored with their display case of cupcakes. They have big ones and little ones, with a variety of flavors. The cupcakes looked positively droolworthy. So on our way out of town, the kids and I stopped back for cupcakes for dessert. How could I not?

Read the rest of this entry…

We’re off to enjoy some late summer freedom today, but before I go I wanted to share this ridiculous easy salad. It’s perfect for late summer, and takes just minutes to toss together.

You start with peppery arugula. I use the stems in the salad since they add that extra pop of pepper. Then you add sweet, tender corn kernels — fresh ones, just cut from the perfect cooked cob. Crunchy sweet red peppers burst in every bite. And creamy, salty fresh mozzerella is the perfect contrast to it all.

Then it’s dressed in your favorite vinaigrette — I used an Italian vinaigrette for the one you see pictured, but a balsamic vinaigrette would be great too. And homemade? That’s best, but bottled works too in a pinch (I know, how dare I suggest such a thing? But sometimes you are just too busy to fuss with making your own. Or I am, at least).

Finally, let it rest for a few minutes. I like it best when the vinaigrette penetrates the salad and makes the leaves wilt just a little bit.

Now, go enjoy your day. And have a little salad too.

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There comes a point in every season where it almost feels like you just want to get on with it. It’s not that I dislike summer (or fall or winter or spring). Not at all. But when we start to hit transition, I get a little antsy.

As I sit here in my living room, feeling the chill of nighttime spill in the open windows, I know that’s where we are now. It’s literal. It’s figurative. It’s happening. And I am ready for that thing that comes next — the whole fall/school/back to seriousness thing.

In case you missed it the 5 billion times I have mentioned it, it’s also the last week of summer vacation for the kids … we’re moving from our summer anything-goes schedule to our rigid school year schedule. Of course that means that my nights of leisurely dinner making are O-V-E-R too.

So it made sense that today was the day that I finally started prepping some food for the school year. Well, besides the frozen Swiss Chard and Kielbasa Pasta that I tucked in the freezer at the beginning of summer.

Today’s task? Freezing corn. We all love corn and eat it all year, but nothing compares to the amazing sweetness of fresh corn in the summertime. That’s why freezing it is awesome. When the dead of winter hits all I need to do is pull out a bag of fresh corn and it will be, if only for a minute, summer again.

How awesome is that? Read the rest of this entry…

When I was in elementary and middle school, I was friends with these three sisters who lived across the street from us. Christina, who was closest to my age, was one of my best friends. We were inseparable, playing all sorts of games of pretend and imagination.

Sometimes when I would head over to see if they wanted to play, they’d be eating their lunch and sometimes that lunch was hunks of boiled cabbage, salted to perfection. I was jealous when I saw them eating it. They weren’t allowed to share, and I never asked them to, but those shimmering wedges of cabbage always made my mouth water. Strangely, they never seemed so excited about them as I was …

I know. It’s odd. Who salivates over cabbage? Well, apparently me. And for the record, to this day I love cabbage. Including boiled cabbage. Though, thinking back, it’s hard to believe their mom called that lunch. But who am I to judge? I still think a dozen ears of corn can make a delicious mid-summer dinner for two.

In spite of my cabbage love, every summer my CSA packs head after head of the stuff until I am about ready to cry uncle. When it comes to cabbage, there can totally be too much of a good thing. So, I am always looking for ways to use up all the cabbage that comes my way.

This new recipe is a great way to use it. It works well with either red or green cabbage (the red tends to be a little sweeter), so use whichever you have on hand. If the head of red cabbage is small though, use two.

The flavor is sweet with a slight salty tang. It reminds me of a cross between pickled red cabbage and sauerkraut. I think it’d be awesome on hot dogs, actually. But being a crazy cabbage lover, I just eat it out of a bowl with a fork, enjoying every last bite.

Do you love cabbage like I do?
Read the rest of this entry…

The days are quickly ticking by until school begins again. And while I am excited for the start of school — all the new supplies, the fresh start, the new teachers — I am sad that this summer is almost over for us. I am mourning a little.

But, there are highlights … the kids can’t wait to start school. And Will is psyched to have soccer again (this season will include his first games!). Paige is starting a dance class in September as well, which she is proudly telling anyone who will listen about. So it’s good too.

And with school approaching, I am also starting to think about food for the school year. Mornings are a mad, crazy rush since Will’s bus comes very early — earlier than we actually wake up in the summertime. So, breakfasts need to be quick, efficient and filling.

Now, I know you are wondering what this has to do with pancakes … Pancakes aren’t exactly fast (or at least fast enough for a school day) when made from scratch. But they can be totally school-day friendly when you freeze homemade pancakes for reheating later. That’s exactly what I did with the leftovers from this pancake batch.

Hint: To reheat leftover frozen homemade pancakes, preheat oven to 325. Place the frozen pancakes on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Done.

In the meantime, we are enjoying ourselves and tucking into maple syrup drizzled stacks of pancakes like these Banana Toffee Pancakes — a perfect treat breakfast (no, these aren’t for everyday). The sweet bits of toffee and chocolate melt into the soft, fluffy banana pancakes. It’s heavenly. Like dessert masking as breakfast …

What do you serve your kids for breakfast?
Read the rest of this entry…

It struck me this weekend: we are a mere two weeks away from the end of summer vacation. It leaves me tempted to cry Where has the summer gone? But I already know. It’s gone to lazy days at the beach, long bike rides along the shore, swimming and day trips. It’s been a good summer. And even though I didn’t get around to making that summer bucket list like Cate, we’ve done a lot.

Of course, we do still have two weeks to do so much more.

One cool experience we had though didn’t require us to leave home or do much … other than eat. This past weekend, we had a mini cheese tasting with our extended family. Yes, a cheese tasting — complete with wine for the adults and dried fruit for all.

It was so much fun.

Though I always serve cheese plates at parties, I have never actually had a cheese tasting before. A few weeks ago, the fine folks at The Motherhood contacted to see if I was interested in host a cheese tasting with Sargento cheese and then blogging about it. I love cheese and new experiences, so of course I said yes.

We had to try Sargento Cheddar Cheese Slices alongside typical American Cheese slices, comparing their flavor, texture and more. It was a hard job, but someone had to do it (I jest … it wasn’t hard, it was fun!).

I set up our cheese tasting with slices of Sargento Cheddar Cheese, generic American cheese, crackers and dried fruit. We all sampled both slices of cheese and talked about them.

Sargento had sent along a card with info about what to look for, which I actually didn’t read until after the tasting. Ironically, we still touched on all four points of cheese tasting:

Look – It’s easy to tell the natural Sargento Cheese from the processed American cheese just by the appearance. While the American cheese was shiny and unnaturally smooth looking, the cheddar was matte.

Touch – There was a more substantial feel to the Sargento Cheddar Cheese. It was firmer too. Meanwhile, the American cheese feel plastic-y and flopped around.

Smell – Ok. We didn’t actually sniff our cheese, but I can tell you that even from far away you could smell the cheddar. Not so much with the American cheese.

Taste – When it comes to flavor, there is no contest. The natural Sargento Cheese was filled with nuanced flavor with we loved. But the processed American cheese? It was bland to the point of being almost flavorless.

And the verdict? The natural Sargento Cheddar Cheese slices were the clear favorite. Everyone was wishing we had more to enjoy.

Having a cheese tasting party on an overcast evening was a great way to end a beach day. I would love to do another cheese tasting sometime, pairing a variety of cheeses with a fine wine or two. I think it’d make a really fun girlfriend date.

What about you? Have you ever had or attended a cheese tasting?

Disclosure: Sargento and The Motherhood provided the food for sampling. They are also going to be compensating me for my time. All opinions expressed are my own.

The gravel crunches under the tires as I pull up to the farm where I belong to a CSA program (a CSA is basically a share in a farm’s harvest; I receive a box of veggies and fruit every week in the summer). It’s this grabble-grabble sound that almost sounds like it’s talking to you, welcoming you as you enter.

When I get close the fields come into view. Rows of cabbage, kale and other veggies run perpendicular to the driveway, sometimes dotted with flowers for bouquets. I park under a sign that declares “Customer Parking,” although the parking lot is exclusive to the farm.

On days like today, I see my cousin’s little boys following their father around the fields, wanting to be like him and help. It’s so sweet to watch, my favorite little farm boys. They have this amazing life spend playing outside at the farm. It almost makes me wish I was 3 again.

The boys follow me to the CSA pick-up area, asking about Will and Paige and telling me about their mom being under the weather. I love them.

When I glance into the basket, I see the tomatoes first — a pint of sweet, fresh tomatoes ready to be enjoyed. They’re perfect for dinner. But what should I do with them? That’s the real question.

I take my share home, dice the tomatoes and toss them with fresh diced peaches, chopped basil, a little balsamic vinegar and salt. It’s so simple, but so good. A flash of summertime, filled with the season’s best sweet and savory flavors. The kids eat every bit I give them. And me? I go back for seconds, a rare indulgence. The salad walks the line between sweet and savory perfectly.

Have you had fresh vine-grown tomatoes this season? How were they?

Read the rest of this entry…

Lobster rolls are a big thing in New England. Cold lobster rolls — ones that have sweet pieces of lobster enrobed in a little mayo dressing and piled into a toasted New England hot dog bun — are what are most often served. They’re often called Maine lobster rolls and many, many people adore them. Those are the ones that you find all over.

But here in Connecticut, we have a special version of lobster rolls — hot lobster rolls. Sweet chunks of lobster is warmed, tossed with melted butter and stuffed into a toasted New England hot dog bun. And it’s amazing.

Last week, Shawn, the kids and I headed to Mystic for the day and our first stop was Costello’s Clam Shack. Of course, I ordered a Connecticut-style lobster roll.

The hot lobster roll at Costello’s is a little different though. Instead of the hot dog bun, it’s served on a toasted hamburger bun and piled so high that I worried that I wouldn’t be able to eat it. Fortunately, I managed.

The roll was very buttery, and when I pushed down on the roll the lobster smoothed into a patty-ish shape that was way more mouth-friendly. It was sweet and fresh, like just cracked lobster. And the lobster was plentiful, which is important. It came with coleslaw, pickles and a bag of chips.

Though it’s not your typical Connecticut-style lobster roll, the big chunks of lobster and buttery bun were really great — and totally hit the spot. I would definitely have it again (and again and again).

Shawn had the Fish and Chips, which is battered cod served with Costello’s super crispy fries and coleslaw. He liked the fish a lot. And the fries? Wow. They are really good.

The kids decided against fish, instead going for a hamburger and a grilled chicken sandwich. Both were fine, but really if you go to a place like Costello’s, you should stick to the specialty.

We ate on the second story balcony, which overlooks the harbor in Noank. It was a beautiful view.

Overall, I liked Costello’s. Shawn and I both enjoyed our meals. And the kids seemed to as well. But the prices are on the high end for a clam shack. Also, there isn’t a kids’ menu, so you have to order off the adult menu for little ones. It’s not a problem, but cost-wise it adds more to what you spend. Just something to think about …

Costello’s Clam Shack
145 Pearl Street
Noank, CT