photo op: summerLOVIN

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Summertime and the livin’ is easy.  It sure is when you’re on vacation for two months straight, and all you’re doing is reading (though you have stalled with Crime and Punishment), sweating, and eating.

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And when the sun comes out, so does the grill. At home, we like to take advantage of summer months, our deck, and our love of smoky, charred, grilled food.

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RER 7.17.16

Sausages, brats, burgers, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions….They all taste better on the grill.

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Follow foodie ventures on instagram and see #howisummer.

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7.26.16

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MangiaMore: BLUEBERRY summer dessert

RER 6.29.15

Crumble, cobbler, brown betty, crisp, grunt, slump, buckle… whatever it’s called… we made a blueberry summer dessert. This hybrid treat has elements of each of these semi-distinctive (but maddeningly similar) summer favorites like the doughy biscuit parts of a cobbler and the crunchy sweet topping of a crisp.

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In many ways our blueberry concoction is most like a brown betty. A brown betty has the saucy warm fruit in between layers of yummy crumbs. Whatever we made has sweetened cooked blueberries squeezed between a soft cobber-like airy dough on the bottom and a crisp candy like streusel topping. Our whatchyamacallit had the best of both worlds (and is the perfect base for large amounts of ice cream) using two separate recipes for the bottom and for the topping.

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AJR 6.28.15

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The tart tang and tiny pop of the blueberries complemented the layers surrounding the fruit filling. The streusel topping studding the sea of blueberries softened with sugar and time mirrored the bursting quality of the dark skin of the berries. It crunched with the texture of crystallized and browned sugar, similar in effect to the feeling of changing berries on the tongue. While the cloud-like cake resting at the bottom of the dessert recalled the inside meat of the fresh blueberries, it was lush, fluffy, smooth and light.

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These three disparate layers came together to make a textural playground, the rise and fall of feelings and varied profiles. And the combination happens to be perfect for Independence Day (which is just around the corner) or your next backyard barbecue. A blueberry whatchyamacallit screams summer!

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6.28.15

RER 6.28.15

photo OP: MEMORIAL day weekend

RER 5.25.15

This Memorial Day Weekend was much quieter and more reflective than it was going to be initially. People go wild for a three-day weekend, no matter its reason. But a warm-weather cold had me sick and feverish, enchanted by “Gilmore Girls” and Howe’s The Misfits, draining tall mugs of hot tea and Nalgene after Nalgene of tasteless water, and dreaming of brownies, desserts, and twelve dancing princesses.

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Memorial Day brought clearer sinuses and lighter lungs. There was grilling of Italian sausages and brats that tempted but are reserved for later in the week and smoking (kinda) of salty spicy ribs. There was blending of rum and frozen pina colada mix with a multitude of ice cubes and mixing of trusty Bisquick and butter for dessert. There was chatting and sunning on our deck as we sucked down our frozen beverages and listened to the grill sizzle as sausages cooked and dinner cooled. It was lovely, and quiet, and us. Our long weekend ended in our traditional summer favorite—strawberry shortcake, sweet and bright, and heavy on whipped cream. The perfect finish.

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5.25.15