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Nectarine Buttermilk Popsicles

Nectarine Buttermilk Popsicles

Summer Things

“It was a part of his policy always to be busy and occupied. He had supper alone in the Abbot House. After a considered time he walked around the corner on Central Avenue and rang the bell of Adam Trask’s house.

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

They patiently waited for me. I was amazed. I’d think of them and quickly move on. Now and again, I’d check in. Setting a date and picking a spot to rendezvous was more of a commitment than I was ready to make. I get so distracted with summer things. I want outside. When the coastal fog melts into sunshine I want to be there, floating on the rays, devouring every single day. Hopeful, like an old friend left waiting, they grew older. Beautiful, in a way that youth can not understand. Sweet, when flavor leads the dance and sugar follows along. The fiery red nectarines waited. READ MORE . . .

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Plum Blackberry Galette

Plum Blackberry Galette

Further, five years of blogging

“You’re either on the bus, or off the bus.”

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe

Inspiration

There once was a bus named Further (or Furthur). Further’s trip across country is famously chronicled in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. I read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test the summer after I graduated from high school. It was required reading for English composition at the local JC. To say I was stunned at the selection of book choice was an understatement. In high school English we read the classics, not books about the roots of hippie culture written in the style of New Journalism. By the time we finished the book and its’ related assignments most of the class had dropped out. It was summer and the book was a long, meandering, crazy read. Sure the book is about LSD laced Kool-Aid (LSD was legal then) and all the crazy things that happened. For me, the book was all about the metaphor of Further. Going further, further than before, to keep going, exploring and learning, living with passion and vigor, being in the moment. READ MORE . . .

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Blueberry Poppy Seed Brunch Cake

Blueberry Poppy Seed Brunch Cake

A Cake for all the Berries

“Maybe she had stayed in Watsonville. There was Pajaro, and that was the railroad section, and then the Pajaro River and the bridge into Watsonville.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

This recipe was the Pillsbury Bake-Off winner in 1990. Twenty-six years later it’s still fantastic. The Blueberry Poppy Seed Brunch Cake is easy to make and a joy to share. This is a coffee cake than transcends brunch and moves right into dessert territory. An exuberant lemon poppy seed cake gone rogue by making room for a gigantic pile of blueberries. So many blueberries, some barely burst open, other melt into jam and then just before serving more fresh berries are piled on top! And yes the cake is good too. I thought the cake edges might have gotten over-baked, but the slightly crisp edges are reminiscent of a buttery lemon poppy seed scone. The cake is soft and tender, yet sturdy enough to cradle all the berries. READ MORE . . .

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Date Yogurt Shake

Date Yogurt Shake

Summer Shake Fantasy

“Before the inland sea the valley must have been a forest. And those things happened right under our feet. And it seemed to me sometimes at night that I could feel both the sea and the redwood forest before it.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

This is everything I want in a summer shake, just sweet enough, creamy and very cold and hydrating. It has the look and taste of decadence while filled with energizing protein from yogurt and walnuts. With four dates per serving it is not too sweet. I’ve been doing tons of gardening, succulents, herbs, vegetables and then we worked on our massive front yard. When I stop for my morning break the Date Yogurt Shake quenches my thirst and hunger. I am nourished and pampered too. READ MORE . . .