This summer has been pretty low-key. We’ve been traveling to our usual haunts, trying out new recipes and enjoying the slower pace of the season. Work-wise I’ve been spending a lot of time editing the manuscript, revising the layouts (which look awesome) and getting down to the nitty gritty. It has been a blast and I truly can’t wait until Spring 2012 to show you the final product. In the mean time, next month I have a newly redesigned website so share with you. It contains everything you see here, plus much, much more. You could say this summer I’ve been fine-tuning behind the scenes and everything will roll out this fall and winter.

Since I’ve written about our favorite Northeastern vacation spots before I thought I would share links to old posts and tidbits about what we’ve been up to as a little wrap-up for the season

Lagoon Pond, Martha's Vineyard

Martha’s Vineyard {travel series, here} was our destination for the 4th of July. We ate at our favorite seafood shack, grilled swordfish and had tons of boat picnics. We also ate at Saltwater for date night, it is now our newest favorite island restaurant. Highly recommend!

1. Whiskey Ice Cream with Caramelized Corn Flakes
2. 15 Easy, Healthy After School Snacks
3. Gwyneth’s Tortilla Soup
4. 10 Interest Food Sporting Events
5. Homemade Goldfish Crackers

My sweet neighbor just had a beautiful new baby and I am planning to cook a few meals for her as soon as her mother-in-law leaves. It’s not that I don’t want to feed her mother-in-law, it is just that I want to wait until all of her help has departed so I can swoop in when she really needs an extra hand. I’ve cooked for many of my friends after they’ve had babies and I find that around the four week mark, once the helping hands have gone home, that they need a warm meal and some extra TLC.

As I plan the menu for her family I thought I would share a few simple tips I’ve picked up over the years I’ve been feeding my friend’s with newborns. Do you have any tips for feeding parents with newborns? I would love to hear!

Considerations for Menu Planning:

• New Moms often have the same diet restrictions as when they are pregnant since they are usually nursing. Check with the new mom to see what foods she might be avoiding. This list might include raw seafood, blue cheeses and alcohol.
• When a mom is nursing nutrients and elements of the food are passed through the breast milk to the baby. Sometimes a baby will react poorly to a specific food or meal that a mom eats. For example, my friend’s daughter got very gassy after her mother ate particularly spicy food. Again, check with the new mom to see what food she is avoiding, or, alternatively, what she is adding in to her diet for extra protein and strength.
• Serving: Generally speaking, households with new babies can be quite chaotic and any food that is delivered can be served and reheated with easy. This is not the time to bring anything over that needs to sauced or handled delicately!

The Occasion: Cookout with friends on summer weekend.

Menu: Salmorejo, Lemon Rosemary Grilled Chicken, Marinated Green Beans, Rosemary Fig Goat Cheese with Crackers & Breads, Plum Torte

Attendees: Party of 4 adults, 3 kids!

Naptime Goals: Marinate chicken, marinate green beans, prepare chilled soup, prepare goat cheese terrine.

Whenever I am in Cooperstown I always make a point of picking up a tub of Painted Goat goat cheese at the Saturday farmer’s market. The locally made cheese is perfectly tangy and smooth and they make all kinds of interesting spreads with their product. This summer I became addicted to the Rosemary Fig Goat Cheese terrine and was beside myself when I ran out of the tub I brought back to Connecticut. I had a dinner to throw and knew it would be the perfect thing to serve as an appetizer before our chilled soup! Since I didn’t have time to do a quick round-trip upstate I decided to do the next best thing, recreate the spread myself.

1. The Jello Fishbowl
2. Surfing Gummy Bears
3. Gwyneth’s Berries with Caramelized Cream
4. Lightened up Fettucini Alfredo
5. Red Velvet Ice Cream

Check out this really fun post about Hershey’s S’mores over on my Product Reviews page. Back tomorrow with a new recipe! 🙂

Vacation on Lake Otsego = Balance

This vacation I’ve been resting up in preparation for the busy year to come. While “out of the office” I’ve been reading interesting blog posts, chipping away at my stack of novels, and spending time with my family. Today I am borrowing the idea of a work/life/kid balance post from the lovely Joanna Goddard of Cup of Jo. Last month her blog featured an amazing series of work/life balance articles with all sorts of interesting people. I thought it might be fun to pose the same questions to myself. This is not the first time I’ve written about my schedule, but this is a new perspective. Hope you enjoy and please share your own work/life balance stories below!

1. What’s Your Work Schedule? 

I work pretty much every day of the week. I try to take at least one day a week off, but that rarely happens. Weekday mornings are dedicated to my daughter. I am usually focused on getting out of the house to her morning activity and to the gym so I can work out. In the early afternoons she naps, goes to school, or has quiet time in her room with books, and I consider that the start to my workday. I use that time to cook (obviously), test recipes and catch up on email. I usually save photography for later in the day since she loves to help me stage photos on the back porch.

In the late afternoon we go out for bike rides, to the parks or play with friends. It is a fun time of day for us. Everyone is in a great mood and the big gulps of fresh air are so revitalizing after working inside. Dinner is usually already set so I can get it on the table quickly when my husband gets home.

After she is asleep is my most productive time of day. I write articles, send emails and draft new recipes. I always feel bad that my husband has to watch his favorite TV shows by himself, but night time is so peaceful without any ringing phones or the deluge of incoming emails. Before bed I always factor in at least a half hour of reading time. Reading novels is my great escape and is the best way for me to wind down. I try to read at least a chapter of something interesting, usually some kind of mystery or adventure novel, every single day.

I try to keep my work on the weekends minimal since my husband travels a lot during the week. We like to plan special family excursions together and rest up for the coming week, but a lot of times I factor in some good cooking and photography. I will also sneak in some writing and email time when he takes our daughter out for their traditional Saturday morning breakfast.

Last Monday began as a normal day for me. I took some food photos at breakfast, walked to the coffee shop with my daughter and made a quick run to the toy store. When it came to jump into my twitter feed around noon I got excited to exchange canning tips with friends. I couldn’t wait to share a new great canning tip and recipe I had just discovered. However, instead of talking about canning summer produce, everyone was talking about our friend, Jennifer Perillo. The night before she had unexpectedly lost her husband, Mikey, to a sudden heart attack. I was stunned. The food blog community was tweeting and retweeting the news, sending Jennie love and support and warm wishes to her and her gorgeous young daughters.

As the news reverberated over the course of the week our hearts bled for Jennie and we sent her all of the virtual strength we could. I am sure we all would have loved to have hugged her in person, but harnessing the power of friendship through our various social networks was the next best thing. I’ve met Jennifer several times and always loved her warmth and kindness. Her incredible talent is evident on her amazing food blog, In Jennie’s Kitchen, she has the ability to inspire nearly anyone to get in the kitchen and cook. I never met her husband and I haven’t met her daughters, but I know they are a close family full of love, happiness and grace. To lose Mikey is devastating, to say the least, and the best thing I can do for her right now is send her strength and be her friend.

Last Friday, a mere five days after saying goodbye to her husband, Jennie posted this on her website, asking people to make this Creamy Peanut Butter Pie, Mikey’s favorite, in honor of him. We were then to share it with our loved ones and take time to hug them and remind them how much we love them because, as Jennie so harshly learned, there is no guarantee of tomorrow. People have been posting gorgeous pies all over their food blogs and posting it on twitter with the hashtag #pieformikey or #apieformikey. I encourage you all to take a look.

My schedule didn’t allow me to post this on Friday so I am posting it today, Sunday, exactly one week after Mikey’s passing. I am doing this to honor Jennie, Mikey, their girls, and the strength of friendship within the food blogging community.  I encourage all of you to make this pie – during naptime, with your children, whenever… – and share it with your loved ones, too.

1. Simple Pesto Roasted Tomatoes
2. Peanut Butter M&M Bars
3. Gwyneth’s Homemade Sriracha
4. Arnold Palmer Slushies
5. Golden Jello Sandcastles
6. Pizza Muffins

Come check out my great giveaway for Lawry’s seasonings and a great recipe for Zucchini Fries!