The challenge of summer, at least for us amateur pastry chefs, is that it is hard to beat a perfectly ripe piece of fruit. Why bother with anything else? I mean, have you eaten a peach?

This recipe is brilliant because it is so slight. Throw some raspberries into a gratin dish. Spread some sour cream on top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and broil for a couple of minutes until the sugar is melted. The resulting dish is one of the best things you’ll eat all summer. And it took you all of five minutes to make.

I’ve been distracted.

By things like the view above. Cape Cod. Provincetown. Massachusetts. Bryan and I recently spent some beautiful days in Massachusetts. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love that state.

We had one of the most wonderful dinners in recent memory at Oleana in Cambridge. Such a special place full of both good food and good people. It was totally perfect. I wish it were down the street. We ate the freshest of fresh oysters at the Provincetown farmers market and fried dough from the Portugese Bakery. I was happy to discover A & J King Bakery in Salem and will look forward to the next time I can eat one of their walnut sticky buns. We shared plates of Italian cookies from Mike’s in celebration of my best friend’s engagement.

You see, there were a lot of distractions. But I am back, and just in time for farmers market bliss. Stone fruit, berries and more vegetables than I know what to with. So forgive these last few quiet summer weeks, and know that I am doing what I hope you are doing- enjoying this crazy hot summer. I’ll be back in business this week with some updates on what has been cooking in my kitchen. xo

When Bryan and I decided to move to Oak Park, we were moving further away from our friends. It was the one part of the decision to leave our old neighborhood that we were agonizing over. For anyone not familiar with Chicago’s geography, Oak Park is the first town directly west of the city center. It is still connected by the same public transportation and the Sears Tower (I reject its new name) is a major part of the view from our apartment. Think of it as a Manhattanite moving to Brooklyn. Or Hoboken? The point being, we could easily have moved somewhere else within the city limits and been much further away from our old neighborhood and friends. But still, we worried. Ultimately we decided to go for it, and honestly have never found the extra 20 minutes of a commute to be a problem, and we love our new community.

Barbeque season is here. We don’t have an outdoor space for grilling, so we find ourselves traveling to friends’ backyards or porches to cook outside during the summer. I’m always on the lookout for a good salad that will transport easily and taste delicious alongside some grilled meats. This salad does the trick and is nice to look at, too.