summer

Friday 10: Food, Fall, and Farewell to Summer

I can't believe it's almost Labor Day. I'm not sure why summer passes so quickly, but I never feel like I've squeezed all of the goodness out of it before it's gone.

This year I made a list of goals for making the  most of summer. Looking back, I actually did a little bit of everything. 

  • I read more. I especially loved Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.
  • I explored Ontario and took a great trip to Ottawa. 
  • I got creative and started taking Skillshare classes on calligraphy. I even made something pretty.  
From my first strokes to my first mini project making wrapping paper. I have a ton to learn but I'm loving learning, practicing, and playing. I'm still extremely proud of that one capital G next to the giant ink blob! 

From my first strokes to my first mini project making wrapping paper. I have a ton to learn but I'm loving learning, practicing, and playing. I'm still extremely proud of that one capital G next to the giant ink blob! 

Maybe I did make the most out of my summer afterall! I think I'll do another list for fall. 

So in honor of Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, I have a list of (mostly) foodie links have been inspiring me this week. 

#1 I'm looking for something delicious to make from Food52s 27 Genius Recipes for Labor Day. Oh how I want to eat that Atlantic Beach Pie! (via Food52)

#2 New Mexico is gearing up for chile roasting season. There's nothing quite like the smell of roasting chile hanging in the air to herald the change of seasons. Not to mention the endless supply of delicious, flavorful green chile (my favorite!). I had a conversation with a hot sauce producer this week. When I told her I was from New Mexico,  her response was "Oh, I get it! You like hot but you also like flavor." Bingo! Nothing compares to or beats New Mexican green chile in my book. For the uninitiated, here's Eater's "Definitive Guide to Santa Fe Green Chile."  (via Eater)

#3 Apparently the snowball is a Baltimore, Maryland specialty. I grew up with a snowball shack just down the street and crave them all summer long. Maybe this explains why my love of snowballs/snow cones/shaved ice seems so out of place here. (via Serious Eats)

#4 After drooling over the things I can't have from places I don't live anymore, I was happy to see that one Toronto restaurant on my "must try" list, Edulis, has a $100 black truffle-covered chicken that's been called the "most succulent bird in North America." I'll have to take their word for it, but the $50 tasting menu sounds right up my alley for a special night out. How can I pass up an opportunity to have "one of the warmest fine dining experiences in North America?"  (via Eater)

#5 & 6 Upon reading the (unsurprising) news that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte has insane amounts of sugar and no actual pumpkin, I decided to make these baked pumpkin spiced doughnuts as my first fall-flavored treat instead of the annual PSL. (Food Babe link via Self | doughnuts via Against All Grain  )

#7 & 8 Dreaming about eating my way through France thanks to my favorite food writer, David Liebovitz's Tour de France post part 1 and part 2. (via David Liebovitz)

#9 Five regional French dishes to try while attempting to eat my way through France. (via New York Times Travel)

#10 A beautiful homebase called La Maison Matelot (Homeaway link) for a French getaway in the fishing village of Port-en-Bessin, Normandy (near Caen). I've had this place in mind for over a year and remembered it while honeymoon brainstorming. The timing didn't work for our trip last year and we won't make it next year, either. But my emails with the owner were always great and I think someone should go and report back. For science! 

Bonus! Every year the Canadian National Exhibition, a giant fair in Toronto, signals a last hurrah before school starts. It started in 1879 and I stumbled upon these great archival photos while checking out tickets. 

That's it for this week! My plans for this weekend are to relax completely. I'm going dress shopping and then S and I are going to have some kind of adventure. I may even take the plunge and unplug--no phone, no computer--on Monday, which means there won't be a new post, but I'll be back. 

What about you? Any plans or Labor Day traditions? What about favorite foods for this summer/fall shoulder season?  

Enjoy your (hopefully long) weekend!

Making the most of summer

Last year we had a summer of grand adventures. We went on multiple big trips and to a couple of beautiful weddings. There was hardly a weekend that we weren't on the go. It was incredible, but we were definitely exhausted by the time fall rolled around. 

Hiking in Vermont, July 2013

Hiking in Vermont, July 2013

This summer is a bit different. We have a couple of smaller trips planned, but other than that our schedule is pretty open. I figured this was a perfect time to set some relaxed goals and start a summer bucket list.

There's nothing too crazy or ambitious on my list, just 4 things to make the most of the summer. 

Read more

Summer is my favorite time of the year to read. There's something about the way a hot, humid day encourages long, lazy stretches with a good book. I've also gotten into a bad habit of being glued to my phone or computer at night, so I'm using this time of year as an excuse to unplug everyday.

I usually go for mysteries and just about anything historical, but this year I decided to go outside of my comfort zone. Here's my list so far (recommendations are welcome!) :

  • #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso - It's the story about how Sophia, Nasty Gal's CEO built her business--she started off as something of a misfit selling vintage clothing on e-bay--and what she learned along the way. I've heard so many raves about it that I don't know if I can wait for my hold to arrive at the library. The last time I checked I was near the bottom of a list of over 100 people vying for 10 copies. 

  • A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - A summer-read set at a Rhode Island beach house in the 1930s. The Kirkus review called it "an elegant if somewhat old-fashioned delayed-gratification seaside romance." 

  • Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - Another beach read love story that follows characters over 50 years from the Ligurian coast of Italy to Scotland and Hollywood. They had me at Ligurian coast. 
  • Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - A funny tale of Armageddon. . .which sounds strange enough to work. I've had this book on my shelf for a couple of years now. I figured it's time to actually give something in the fantasy world a go. 
  • Inferno by Dan Brown - This is my current read. A couple of months ago, I realized that a lot of people were coming to this site while searching for images of the cave and statue of Braccio di Bartolo in the Boboli Gardens. I was curious why such an old post would suddenly be getting a lot of traffic, so I searched a bit and discovered Dan Brown had written a book about Florence. My curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. 

Make things and get creative

This seems like a really vague goal, but I have a few top secret DIY projects on the horizon for our wedding. I was given some great advice to only chose a few things and make sure they are truly a labor of love. So far I've really enjoyed being creative, learning new skills, and making something that feels meaningful for us. 

Plan a honeymoon

I can't wait to start doing this. I have so many ideas of where we could possibly go. It's going to be fun diving into everything and we have so much to look forward to next year. 

Will it be Italy in 2015? Maybe all of the coins I've thrown in the Trevi are working their magic. 

Will it be Italy in 2015? Maybe all of the coins I've thrown in the Trevi are working their magic. 

Explore Ontario

Since we don't have any big vacations planned, I'm really excited for the chance to explore our own area more. We love doing day trips and have talked about wandering around our own city and discovering new restaurants. 

Here's a few of my ideas so far:

  • Tube the Elora Gorge
  • Wander Toronto neighborhoods - one of our favorite summer pastimes
  • Visit Toronto Island - I can't believe I've never been!)
  • Relax in High Park
  • Hike part of the Bruce Trail - There's a section in Collingwood that I've always been curious about.
  • Spend a weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake
  • Antique in our favorite spots - I'm going to do a whole post about this later in the month
  • Another visit (or two) at least to Muskoka
  • Visit Ottawa in August - This was my Christmas gift from the wonderful women of my fiance's family

A rural Ontario summer sunset

So there you have it. My recipe for a relaxed but full summer. The theme seems to be unplugging more and enjoying all of the great sites that are right outside of our front door. 

Do you make summer bucket list or goals? How do you make the most out of your summer when you don't have any big vacation plans? 

A lazy cottage weekend

On Saturday morning, S and I packed up the car and took a drive to cottage country to spend the weekend with his family. 

Cottages are really popular in Ontario. Starting in May, usually around Victoria Day, the main highway heading north out of the city fills with streams of cars packed to the gills with people and stuff each Friday. 

I didn't really understand the appeal for the longest time. Partly because I've lived in rural Ontario for most of my time here and partly because I'd never been to a real cottage.

The first time I went to Muskoka, though, I got it. Beautiful scenery. Cozy little cottages. Friends and family, fishing, swimming, reading, playing games, and simply doing nothing. La dolce far niente Canadian style.

We got to Bala early in the afternoon and, after some hellos and a quick hot dog, we basically beelined it to the dock. It was a gorgeous, quiet, warm day and both of us immediately decompressed. 

We spent the rest of the day spending time with everyone, laughing and catching up, reading, fishing off of the dock, and eating lots. 

When the sun started to set, we walked to the point and were treated to a gorgeous sunset. It felt like we had the whole river to ourselves. It was a perfect way to end the day.

The next morning, we all sat on the deck and drank coffee while watching fish jump in the river. A huge crane swooped by and landed on a nearby bank. He waited patiently and then dove into the water for some breakfast. We decided to follow suit and had a small feast before I ran back down to the dock to do some more reading. 

It was another beautiful, almost cloudless, warm day. I laid down to do some reading but nearly fell asleep as the wake from the boats gently rocked the dock.

I think we all wanted to stay longer, but S and I had to get on the road before traffic got too bad. The whole weekend was just what we needed: family, fun, warmth, water, nature, total relaxation. 

Hello, summer! We're so happy you're here.