Three summer recipes, three beach reads, and everything worth knowing this week
It is Friday and I am not going to pretend I have not been counting the days. We got home last week and I hit the ground running, as they say, though I am not sure anyone who says that has ever actually enjoyed the running part. There was a ladies open house, which was lovely, and then the reality of unpacking, mail, laundry, all of it waiting for my return. This week has been work, more landscape plans, and getting the house ready for a busy graduation weekend. We have guests coming and I have been cleaning and planning and making lists and I am tired just thinking about it.
But my mom is coming. And that changes everything.
There is something about having your mother in the house that makes all the preparation worth it. The extra pillows on the bed, the flowers on the nightstand, the good towels. I want everything to be just right. I always do. It is one of the things I love to do, making a home that feels like a welcome, especially for the people I love most. So yes, I am tired. But it is a good tired.
Pour yourself a cup of something, coffee, tea, chocolate or a cocktail and let me share what I have been loving this week.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely love.
Friday Food
Three summer recipes this week, all of them fresh and seasonal and the kind of thing you want to make when the farmers market is piled high and the kitchen is too warm for anything complicated.
Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad from Foodie Crush, raw zucchini ribbons and freshly shucked corn tossed in a garlicky lemon basil vinaigrette. This is the kind of recipe that happens when you come home from the market with too much of everything and no real plan, and somehow it turns into the best thing you have eaten all week. Light, bright, and on the table in minutes.
Burst Tomato Pappardelle with Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Pan-Fried Chicken from Pinch of Yum, egg pappardelle tossed in a rustic cream sauce made from cherry tomatoes that burst in the pan with all those beautiful chicken drippings, then summer zucchini and sweet corn stirred through and the whole thing finished with parmesan and fresh basil. If you make one recipe from this list, make this one.
Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Caprese Sandwich from Cooking with Cocktail Rings, ciabatta bread layered with fresh pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, thick heirloom tomatoes, and a drizzle of sweet balsamic glaze.Â
Lemon raspberry crumble bars sweet, simple cookie bars made with raspberries and a buttery crumb topping.
Read, Watch, Listen
Ten things from the internet this week worth your time.
10 Choices in Life You’ll Regret in 10 Years (and Maybe Even Sooner)
Dallas’ Iconic Whale Mural Gets Painted Over for the World Cup and Sparks a Lawsuit
It’s one of the world’s most isolated islands. Here come the bulldozers
How many steps do you need to walk to feel less depressed?
The Food Expiration Date Myth People Need To Stop Believing
A New Statue Suddenly Appeared on Easter Island. That Doesn’t Make Sense.
Like soft serve ice cream? Three chefs weigh in on the best.Â
‘Kittenfishing’ is the new ‘catfishing.’ What is this toxic dating trend?
Books
Three books this week, all of them perfect for a long weekend, a pool chair, or that blissful hour before bed when the house is finally quiet.
The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer, a story of new beginnings and friendship set on Nantucket. Thayer writes the kind of women’s fiction that feels like spending a week at the beach with people you genuinely like, women figuring out what comes next after the big changes, finding their footing and each other in the process. If you love a summer setting and a story about reinventing your life when you thought the script was already written, this one is for you.
The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams, a seaside estate, the summer of 1954, and a friendship between two very different women that becomes something far more complicated when an FBI agent arrives with questions about espionage. Williams wraps a spy novel inside a story about female friendship and loyalty and the choices women made in an era when their choices were already so limited.
Feast by Catherine Kurtz, set in nineteenth-century France, a young woman named Minha born with an extraordinary gift, an overwhelming sense of taste, escapes poverty in London and finds her way to a grand chateau where she becomes the official poison taster for a French duc. A mystery swirls around the household, danger closes in, and Minha must decide whether to run again or stand her ground. Â If you loved The Miniaturist or The Familiars, put this one at the top of your list.
Looking for more books? Everything I have recommended can be found on My Bookshop. Most are also available from Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and on Libby from your local library.
Outfit of the Week
I love a summer skirt almost as much as a dress. This week I paired this blue and white flower skirt with a simple white t-shirt and sandals. That’s the whole outfit! I did add a bracelet, sun glasses and perfume to dress it up.
Click the images below for outfit details
Have a wonderful weekend friends.
I hope your Friday feels the way a Friday should, a little lighter than the rest of the week. Whatever is ahead for you this weekend, whether it is company or a little quiet, I hope you find a few minutes to sit down with nothing on your list for at least half an hour.
What are you reading this weekend? Or cooking? Tell me in the comments, I love hearing what you are making and what is on your nightstand.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Weekend Meanderings with Kim and Juliet.
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Elizabeth, have a wonderful weekend with your mother!