The weather in July is postcard-worthy on the farm. Everything is lush and full and vibrantly green. The sky is a bright primary blue; fat white clouds drift across it, looking close enough to touch. I take a bike ride in the morning. I cycle past wide fields striped with perfectly geometric lines of tall corn, white painted farmhouses, horse pastures bordered by weathered gray fences that sag in the center.
Read moreQUICK STRAWBERRY JAM
In July, I spent some time at home on the farm. All my sisters came home so there was a lot of sun, bike riding, card games outside in the grass, and enough laughter to make my stomach hurt.
Of course, there was excellent food: huge salads loaded with last fall's pickled beets and cucumbers, zucchini spaghetti, homemade soft white sandwich bread, and plenty of chocolate biscotti. Best of all, I was gifted a jar of strawberry jam. My little sister lives in Portland, Maine (lucky her!) and she picks strawberries in the summer and makes her own jam.
Read moreCLASSIC ICEBOX CAKE
I am a card-carrying member of the Soft Food Lovers club. Actually, there's no card but I'm considering making one because I know I am not alone. I could easily and happily live on a steady stream of creamy hummus and chocolate pudding, with a break now and again for some ice cream and buttery mashed potatoes.
Read morePEACH BLUEBERRY GALETTE
There is something infinitely comforting about small towns. The streets appear to be lifted from a children’s book, the orderly sort that teaches you neighborhood words: policeman, schoolhouse, doctor, farmer.
This week, we drove up into the Catskills for an evening by the lake, ending up in Woodstock for dinner. To get to the water, we drive past a tiny white steepled church, next to a wide brook that rushes over smooth gray boulders. A weathered red barn houses a theater where indie bands will play all summer. We drive out of town late at night with the windows down, the air smelling sweetly of cut grass.
Read moreFUDGE BROWNIES
Finding forgotten dessert in the freezer is akin to finding twenty dollars tucked in your jacket pocket. I've wisely taught myself to pack leftover brownies, scones, and raw cookie dough away in the freezer. Hide them under your sensible frozen foods -- bags of peas, cornmeal, almonds, and ice cubes -- and thank yourself later.
Brownies lend themselves to freezing above all desserts, in my opinion. Choose a recipe that is between cakey and fudgy. The more fudgy, the less it will freeze solid, so it yields to your teeth as you bite.
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