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Roasted Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad
Over the weekend I found some ripe cherry tomatoes, and my first thought was to pop them in the oven to intensify all that flavor. Even in the heart of summer, I don’t shy away from the oven. Some people prefer the slow tending of meat over a grill, but I prefer keeping a watchful eye over a sheet full of slowly collapsing tomatoes. As I popped each one off the vine, I thought of how my father would stop by just to search my overgrown plants for the tomatoes that were ready to be picked, and which I might have missed. Most of the time I didn’t even know…
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Wake Up to Beach Style: A Coastal-Inspired Bedroom
After a restorative vacation, many of us wonder how to hold onto a relaxed feeling as we settle back into our daily routine. If you’ve vacationed near the coastline yet live farther inland, the contrast can be more than a little jarring. Salty ocean air and wave after wave of every blue imaginable promote calm in a way that many other settings just can’t match. Infusing the bedroom with coastal style goes a long way toward recapturing that vacation feeling, and it doesn’t have to involve a single nautical pattern. Instead of relying on themed accents, focus on updates that play to the senses to bring serenity and beachy vibes…
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Rum Raspberry Dessert Sauce
We are in the midst of a heat wave, and the Fourth of July is almost here, which means many of us will be scooping ice cream, gelato, and other frozen desserts at picnics and barbecues long into the weekend. Velvety chocolate sorbet and rich vanilla bean ice cream and are at their seasonal best when paired with slightly tart berries, so this week I’m serving up a rum raspberry dessert sauce that you can use to top just about any flavor. (I’m looking at you, coconut and blood orange!) The only danger is eating it by the spoonful before your icy treat even nestles into the bottom of the…
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Strawberry Muffins
Cherished as a herald of summer, ripe local strawberries have long been a sign of the changing season. Their stains often match the deep pink color of evening sky outside the window while I bake. If you head outside on the right June evening, that sky will also feature the year’s Strawberry Moon, so-named by the Algonquin tribes who used the month’s full moon as a sign to gather plump wild strawberries. Enjoy the spectacle with one of these treats in hand, and eat one again the next morning. Every strawberry season needs a standout recipe that justifies another haul of fresh berries. Ingredients 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries 1…
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Seeded Brown Sugar Tart
Similar in flavor to pecan pie, this brown sugar tart is lighter on sweetness and completely free of nuts and corn syrup. A coating of mixed seeds gives the top a crunch and delicate, nutty flavor while creating a mosaic effect that is the only table centerpiece you need. As you sprinkle the sesame, poppy, and unshelled pumpkin seeds onto the unbaked filling, they create a pattern like leaves and light passing through them. The poppy seeds make what seem to me like shadows. For those with nut allergies who can safely consume seeds, this recipe is a great nut-free alternative to traditional pies featuring ingredients such as pecans and…
