What I've Been Cooking Lately

 I hope you are staying cool wherever you are. It's 90 degrees where I live today. We are still in the middle of a heat wave, with highs expected to top off around 96 degrees on Wednesday until we cool off a bit on Thursday. Although it does cool off some in the evenings, so we can sit out on the front porch or back deck, as I'm doing now. I love sitting outside and hearing all the sounds of summer. Currently, I hear birds, crickets, and cicadas. Oh, and I see a few fireflies flying around. I love that it's 9pm, and it's still somewhat daylight! The AC can't seem to keep up with all the high heat, though, and the house is relatively warm, especially if I turn the oven on.

As you can see, I have a few times. I made our favorite meatballs, which are rather easy, and I don't have to turn the oven on for this one. I tried a new pasta dish from my new cookbook. It's a corn pesto pasta, and it was just ok; the corn made the dish too sweet, and I'm not a fan of anything sweet with my pasta; I probably won't make this dish again., but it wasn't bad. I don't have Valerie Bertinilli's new cookbook yet, but I plan to pick it up soon. I came across one of her recipes from the book here. It's the four-cheese baked ziti, and it was delicious. Everyone loved it, and we had leftovers for dinner the next day - even better. I also whipped up a very easy cheesecake from Smitten Kitchen, which was quite good. I know it's not the best picture, and it's supposed to get very dark on top, but it was nice, light, and silky and was delicious topped with a drizzle of homemade hot fudge, our favorite; seriously, I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, and I do! Other things pictured here - I still like to have a cup of hot tea most days, even during a heat wave! I picked up some peach iced tea bags, which are perfect for these hot summer days. Peach tea just says summer to me. It was not homemade by me, but a delicious loaf of cinnamon raisin bread from the farmer's market. So, how are you staying cool these days? Are you doing any cooking/baking/grilling? If so, what are you making? I'd love to know. 

Charlotte and I have a girl's day planned for tomorrow—pedicures, lunch, and some shopping. It'll be really fun, and we are looking forward to it. I hope you have a great week!

And we're back

 

Hi! We are back from our vacation to hot and sunny Florida and one night in Savannah. Florida was hot, like really hot, like 100 degrees every day we were there. The trip was fun but also a bit exhausting. The high heat and long car rides had a lot to do with it. We also did not like the Airbnb we rented in Florida. I will never stay in another Airbnb ever again - hotels only from here forward. Also, how about a world where listings and reviews are honest?! A hotel feels more like a vacation, and a condo feels more like home to me. This is the second Airbnb we've stayed in over the past few years, and I haven't been happy either time. And we've decided to fly if the drive is over six hours long.

I don't do well on long car rides; we are not big fans, so flying makes more sense. We brought Rosie with us this time, so driving seemed the better option. She'd likely do fine on a plane, or we will just leave her home with a pet sitter next time. She was really restless at our Airbnb. She was up most nights whining. She didn't like the place any more than we did! We spent our last day in Florida at the hotel we stayed at the previous time we were there, and we realized we should've stayed there again this time. The beach was beautiful, though - the water was so pretty and clear, and we enjoyed our pool time at the hotel and ate some great seafood in Florida. We decided to split our return drive and stayed in Savannah one night. The drive is around twelve hours with minimal stops if we drive straight through - way too long. We stayed here, and it was lovely.

I cannot say enough about this beautiful hotel. It's less than three years old, and it's pet-friendly. Everyone loved it, including Rosie. And there was the cutest bakery next door, where we picked up coffee and croissants for breakfast the following day. We walked around downtown Savannah and the waterfront and enjoyed a delicious dinner - scallops for me - they were perfect! So that was our trip, and I was happy to return home. I love traveling, but I also love returning to my home, all my things, and my daily routine.

So, what are you up to this summer? Are you going on vacation or just hanging out at home? We are toying with the idea of going somewhere for a few days in August before school starts back, but we are still thinking about that. I hope you are having a wonderful summer so far. I just looked at the calendar and realized tomorrow is the first day of summer. Happy first day of summer! I'll be back soon to share what I've been cooking since we returned home. I'm always so excited to get back into the kitchen after a trip away.  Although we are currently under a heat dome this week, I'll likely be cooking a bit less. Maybe we'll do take-out or go out for dinner when it's too hot to turn on the oven. 

Flowers and Food

 

Happy June 1st! It's hard to believe May (my favorite month) has come and gone. That was quick! May was a great month filled with lots of goodness. I am thankful!

So I've been remembering to pull out my camera more often and snap photos of my cooking. I made a delicious lemon linguini with zucchini & basil for dinner last night. It all came together well under an hour and everyone loved it. It tasted like summer to me. I served it with a toasted baguette that I topped with olive oil. I would definitely make it again. I also picked up a gorgeous bunch of rainbow swiss chard from the farmers market on Wednesday that I sauteed in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. It was perfect alongside grilled salmon. Everything is so fresh at the farmers market and meals are just easier this time of year. What have you been cooking/baking lately?

Well, I need to get busy packing as we are leaving for vacation soon. Happy summer!