Ladies Lunch & Wellfleet Library Book Talk

"Deep conversations with the right people are priceless." ~Unknown

I decided to host a Ladies Lunch at my house on Saturday afternoon. I invited a group of women over that I thought would be fun to get to know better.

 Earlier in the week my daughter Sophia hand wrote name plates in the stylish calligraphy she's been practicing from Art class. I added questions to spark conversation if needed. When given the chance women typically chat up a storm although since I'd never invited these particular women over together before I wanted the lunch to be extra fun and inviting.

 I served a yummy French Wine with hints of grapefruit with fresh raspberries as a celebratory toast as friends arrived.

We started with an avocado and lemon salad with cranberry goat cheese then a Tomato and Spinach Quiche and a Black Bean and Corn Salsa. We ate Biscotti and Carrot, Pecan Cake for Dessert.

The questions were things like: What was your first job? What are you most looking forward to right now? and what is your hidden talent? The one that sparked the most deep and meaningful conversations was--Given what you know today what would you tell your 18 year old self?

The woman who received the question was the oldest of the group and it inspired her to share fascinating stories about her wild adventurous life as a young girl. We all felt inspired to share a pearl of wisdom we would whisper to our younger selves if given the chance.

Oh and about the Book talk I was invited to chat about my cookbook and life on Cape Cod at the Wellfleet Public Library at 55 W. Main Street Wellfleet, MA on Tuesday June 12th at 7 p.m. If you are in the area please stop by. I welcome the opportunity to chat about food and the story of how my book came to be. (hint: a small baking business out of my home when my daughter was a baby and this blog!)

I will always have a special place in my heart for making and sharing good food yet lately I've felt called to spend more time creating art, taking photographs and writing poetry.

I have two of my mixed media art works in the upcoming Sandwich Arts Alliance show at Town Hall at the end of the month. And I currently have a piece in the show at Falmouth Art Center.

Take a quick peek at  my new blog to see what I've been up to.here:

Tending the Marsh Blog. I can also be reached through www.lindamariasteele.com

Wishing you good times with good friends and great conversations.

Thank you for stopping by!

Decadent Dessert

Thanks for stopping by and checking out what I've been up to!

Here is the link to my recent piece in Cape Cod Times-- Cape Cod Times Food Section.

  We had a quiet yet such a  special Christmas at my house this year with all three of my kids enjoying the day here.

 We sat around the fire, exchanged gifts, played Scattergories and ate a lot of good food including my Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake. It was scrumptious! I decided to freeze the one I baked for the feature photo so I only had to thaw it the night before.

 I'm looking forward to writing more for the Times so keep your eyes out for fun things to come.

I've been turning more attention to other creative interests and feel excited and hopeful for what awaits creatively for me in 2018.

I want to invite you to take a peek at my new Tending the Marsh Blog  a space that allows me to explore and share my creative interests.

And stop over to Linda's web site- a current work in progress to see additional work.

Wishing you a blessed New Year with creative inspiration and exciting new adventures.

Ten Year Anniversary of my Blog!

Wow! Can't believe this Sunday will mark ten years of maintaining this blog.

I started it during the time I was offering a baking service from home taking small orders for cake or cookies. I named my business West Falmouth Baking Company because we lived in West Falmouth, I liked the sound of the name and I loved baking. Still do!

Then I went back to teaching and no longer took orders but as someone who always prepared meals for her family I decided to continue to post when I felt I had something to share.

 I've kept it non commercial over the years but some beautiful things have emerged from maintaining it. Most recently I was selected as SCN's featured blogger of the month. A few years ago it led to a fun podcast when I was interviewed by Girlfriendology. Many food related articles I've published started with an idea that I first wrote about here. I was invited to write a series of food columns for Cape Cod.com as they started to feature local food stories.

My book contract came in part because the Publisher liked my blog. I've printed out the blog and have a hard cover version of it that I keep on my Baker's Hutch.
What I love more than anything is that it offers me a diary of sorts of time spent in my kitchen preparing food for my family. The blog will be added on the Food Lover page of my website soon.
Thank you for stopping by! I haven't decided what the future holds for this blog as my creative interests have changed and developed over time.

The photograph above is of my cranberry biscotti with white chocolate.

Comfort Foods & Recipe for Linda's Lemon Cake

Look for my upcoming peice in the Falmouth Enterprise, Fall Home Supplement. I wrote an article offering ideas for using slightly healthier alternatives in our favorite comfort foods.

We can have the comfort we crave and eat healthy too! I shared a delicious recipe there for a healthier version to a baked Macaroni and Cheese. I made it yesterday, pictured above, to have throughout the week to add to my daughters school lunch. The recipe calls for cottage cheese as a healthier option and tastes delicious.

In case you'd like to bake yourself a bit of comfort this week here is my recipe for Linda's Supreme Lemon Cake included in my cookbook "Meet me in My Cape Cod Kitchen: Recipes for Seaside Living" (Published by Schiffer, 2015) that I mentioned in last weeks post. If you decide to make it be sure to share with a friend or two.

It's an easy recipe and so moist.

Linda's Supreme Lemon Cake

For the Cake:

2 sticks butter, unsalted and softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup grated lemon zest

For the Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a 48 ounce Bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, and butter at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2 to 3 minutes). Mix in lemon juice and buttermilk until well blended (about a minute).
2) In separate bowl mix together flour, powder, soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
3) Continue mixing on low adding the eggs one at a time and then mix in the vanilla until well blended then mix in the lemon zest.
4) Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5) Let cake cool 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool completely.
6) To make the glaze, in small bowl, stir all ingredients. Generously spread on cake as desired.

Linda's Lemon Cake & Small Acts of Kindness

"No act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." ~Aesop

     I get compliments often, either from people who have used my recipe themselves or eaten a slice of a Lemon Cake I  personally baked about how yummy it is. It feels so good to make people a little bit happier from something so simple as a thick slice of just baked lemon cake.  It's a Bundt cake with lots of fresh squeezed lemon juice in the recipe.
    Recently, one of my daughters traveled to see a friend in Malibu, California. They met in Boston at College last year and he invited her out for a visit. I knew she'd be staying in his family home so I decided to bake a few treats for them and drop in the mail so it would be there in California when she arrived as a thank you to the family for hosting her.
     My daughter was spending a week in Colorado before the California trip so it made sense that I send it directly to them in hopes it would arrive prior to her arrival.
       It seemed like such a small and easy act of kindness that would be appreciated. My daughter tells me they sat around the dinner table and enjoyed the fresh baked treats together. Later I received a super sweet hand-written note from the whole family thanking me.
Today, more than ever it feels as if we must keep offering our simple acts of kindness no matter how small they may seem because as the quote above suggests they are never wasted. 

New Story & Food Class available, Join Me!

Good Morning, I'm so excited to share my new online writing class with you called Story & Food!

 It's available through Story Circle Network, a wonderfully vibrant organization dedicated to supporting women to tell their stories.

At the end of the class you'll have your own collection of favorite recipes  and related personal stories as a keepsake for your own kitchen or available in time for holiday gifts.

Details can be found on the link below with a short video and a place for you to share with friends.

Story & Food with Linda Steele


Look forward to having you join me

Happy Story & Food to you!

Deep Gratitude for the Gift of the LIbrary

"If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need." ~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Last night I gave a talk about my book at the Brewster Ladies Library. I am so grateful for the chance to have spent a bit of time there. There was a lovely audience and the staff was super helpful. I brought fresh baked Lemon Cake and Celebration Cookies and didn't leave with a crumb. I talked about how my book came to be and shared personal stories around food.

We talked about some of my tricks of baking good rolled sugar cookies either frosted or not. And I described one of my favorite salads and how my Summer Vegetable Tart is a great light dinner option now.

I shared where my Nana's No Fail Sugar Cookie recipe came from too. One of the shapes I often bake are my Lobster Shaped cookies, pictured above. I feel so grateful for the gift of a good library and I want to offer a sincere thank you to Brewster Ladies Library for inviting me.

Shifting into Summer

"One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by." ~Jeanette Wells, The Glass Castle

Last weekend I hosted my first summer get together of 2017. I invited a few friends I had not seen in awhile over to enjoy appetizers and conversation on my deck.
As a woman born and raised in New England I can appreciate something about each of the seasons although it has always been and will be summer that has my heart. I love to host get together's in the summer. There's something light and fun about them that I don't feel as much throughout the year.
I love that the days are longer, the sky is often clear and the temperatures warm.
And spending a simple day at the beach is one of my all time favorite activities. People seem to be more friendly this time of year and life seems a little more simple.
Yet this summer in particular there has been an unexpected change in our plans as my youngest daughter fractured her elbow on the First day of Summer. Talk about bad timing!
I am doing what I can to help her stay comfortable and positive. In the meantime we may find ourselves reading more often the books that we've always wanted to read or sitting under a tree with a good friend enjoying a cold glass of lemonade or a popsicle. Maybe even trying a new creative interest.
Summer always seems to be about shifting gears to a slower pace and this summer especially I want to surrender to what the day has in store for us at a pace that feels comfortable.
And who knows, we may be pleasantly surprised at where our slower pace takes us in our creative pursuits.
Wishing you a joy-filled summer at a pace that feels right for you.
And I am wondering what do you do to Shift into Summer so you can enjoy more fully all it has to offer?

Aprons

Happy Friday & Happy Baking!

I've been working on a project for a few months now that I finally made progress on today and I'm excited to share it with you. I created a line of aprons that I can use as a gift package to go along with my book. I have starfish and whale shaped sugar cookie cutters too. I love the way they turned out.

You can now buy my book along with one of my apron designs and cookie cutters as a Gift or for yourself.

Potato, Fontina and Rosemary Tart with a Quick Story

Last Sunday I felt like being creative in my kitchen. I wanted to come up with tasty new combinations. We were expecting a snow storm so I decided to get a fire going early in the day.
I went shopping before the storm hit.

I already  knew I wanted a big pot of chicken soup to have on hand for the week. I love making new versions of tarts and quiche especially to go with hot fresh Soup so I came up with a Potato, Fontina and Rosemary tart.

It was yummy and so easy to throw together with just a few ingredients. I want to share it with you here. But first a quick story.

Last week, I was invited to be a speaker at a We Can Mentor Meeting.  As a Certified Women's Group Facilitator I want to support and inspire the women involved there to embrace a regular self care practice that could bring a sense of peace and renewal to their hectic lives.

I wanted to give them tools so they would know how and where to begin. The talk went well. The women were engaged and we shared thoughtful discussions around the topic of self-care. One of the women who attended looked familiar yet I couldn't quite place where I knew her from. As my talk came to a close she approached me and said " I remember you from the Ladies Night Out in Hyannis last year you were selling your book." She was there with a friend and they were looking for a gift for another friends birthday who used to live on the Cape but now resides in Arizona. There friend was turning 80. She bought my book that night and planned to give it to her friend the following week as they were planning to meet in Arizona for a birthday celebration.

The woman at my talk told me she just happened to chat with her friend a day earlier and she mentioned how much she absolutely loves my book! She said she enjoyed the stories and all the personal items I included. It was good to hear her kind words.

 When you create something --a poem, a work of art or a book and it goes out into the world it takes on a life of its own and you don't really know entirely what happens to it. When I put that book together it was a true labor of love and I was so glad to hear how much she enjoyed it.
The Potato, Fontina and Rosemary Tart is not in my collection as it's something new so I will share it here in case you feel inspired to give it a try,

Potato, Fontina and Rosemary Tart

1 Puff Pastry
4 medium sized potatoes, sliced thin (if you have a mandolin use that as you want the potatoes to be so thin they are transparent)
1 Cup fontina cheese, cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp. Rosemary

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet roll out the puff pastry flat.
2) Place the potatoes in a circular motion to cover the pastry and top with the cubes of cheese. Sprinkle the rosemary on top.
3) Bake for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and the pastry is puffed and brown.

Baker's Tip: If you don't have a mandolin and aren't sure you can slice the potatoes thin enough to cook through shortly you can place them in a bowl with a bit of water and place in microwave to pre-cook for about a minute.

Christmas Eve Menu & Wish List

I'm hosting a Christmas Eve Open House.  I love planning what I am going to make for a party. To one friend who asked what I was serving, I said, "the menu looks a lot like my life overall. Plenty of old traditional favorites and a few new food forays."

I  decided to make a large pot of  Chicken Noodle and Thyme Soup to have warm on the stove and a  crock-pot of meatballs and hot sausage. I'm serving a Green leaf Salad with fresh red berries. a baked brie with fig jam and chopped pecans wrapped in pastry dough. For something new, I'm making Lobster Cakes and roasted red pepper mini quiche.

For dessert, we're baking "Nana's no Fail Sugar Cookies", a blueberry pie and Double Chocolate Brownies. To add to what we traditionally serve, I also baked Italian Wedding Cookies and a Gingerbread Cake with a spiced glaze.

Among my guests, I invited a wonderful new friend I met at the writing group I attend and her husband. I  even invited my ex-husband's new girlfriend and her son. A friend told me, "wow, that takes a lot of courage." To be honest, I can't disagree with her on that. I'll always care about my family and my ex-husband is very much a part of that.

Besides, life is short (preciously so at times) and far too often we lose people we love or care about deeply because we don't have the courage it takes to hold a space for what we really want for ourselves or for them or even what they want for themselves.  At the end of the day, I want the people I care about to be happy above all else.

What do I want for Christmas?  I honestly can't say there is a single material thing I need or want. Last night my daughters and I had a dance party in our kitchen and after we laughed over a game of  "Catch Phrase" --I've decided all I want for Christmas is much more of that-laughter and dancing with my daughters.

Whatever you are hoping for this Christmas, my wish is that you receive it. Dream big and remember the best gifts are the unexpected ones!

Simple Recipes for Surviving First Apartment

It's been a great summer here and although there's so much to love about the Fall, I feel a little sad to see the summer go. I'm so grateful all of my kids have been happy, healthy and home and I have thoroughly enjoyed having them here.
 Over the past week with the reality setting in that two of my three beloveds are going back to college, and I know denial won't stall this fact, I've been thinking of things I might do to help send them off and get them settled.
 My daughter Bella is starting her Junior year at Lesley University and has decided to rent an apartment in Boston with a few of her friends. It's such an exciting opportunity for her and yet it will be a big change because they won't have the luxury of going to the cafeteria for a quick meal before or after class!  As mom, I don't want her to starve or only eat ice cream and tortilla chips.
 So when she asked me recently if I might write out a few easy food recipes to help her get started I thought that was a great idea. She's a great help around the house, but she's simply not used to preparing her own meals.
 Then it got me thinking that would make a great cook book collection for young adults starting out-something like

"Simple Recipes so you won't Starve in Your First Apartment" .

For now, I will start with a small collection of hand written recipes I can send along with her. And maybe a bag of groceries or two.
The first three I thought of are Big Salads, Basmati Rice with Fruit and Cashews and Avocado Quesadilla's. Each are healthy, fresh, with minimal ingredients and easy to prepare.
Big Salads at our house are simply a combination of fresh chopped leafy greens, fruit, nuts and vegetables with a light home made dressing of balsamic vinegar, honey and garlic and maybe a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
The Avocado Quesadilla's are thin slices of avocado, sharp cheddar cheese grilled with two buttered tortilla's and browned on a skillet until the cheese melts. The Basmati Rice dish is something so simple that I've made for years especially in the fall when everyone seems to head in different directions and you need something ready made to grab and go.

Basmati Rice with Blueberries and Cashews

1) Cook the rice as directed. Basically it's one cup rice per one and a half cup of water and a dash of salt. Let the water boil then reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes. Basmati rice has a nice nutty flavor that is great for adding and blending in different fruits and nuts of choice.
2) Mix into the rice a cup of fresh blueberries and a cup of chopped cashews stir until blended.
3) Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, the blueberry juice from the fresh blueberries will melt into the rice a little and the combination is so simple and good.

We have also made this rice dish with fresh peaches, we often add the peach juice to give it a sweeter taste or we add pecans instead of the cashews. When winter arrives and there is less fresh fruit available we opt for mixing in frozen spinach with the cashews and rice instead then adding salt and pepper to taste and a Tbsp. or so of butter for a bit of creaminess.

And I hope she knows she can always come to visit and I will make her something to eat.

The Joy of Having Daughter's with Summer Birthdays

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability". Sam Keen

In the past month, we have celebrated my daughter's turning 12 and 20. I feel so blessed to have not one but two daughter's with summer birthdays. In June, Sophia and I took some friends to the Vineyard to celebrate. I baked a Butter Pecan Cake with a Buttercream frosting. We ate it on the Ferry and shared it with those around us.

Last weekend, Bella and I treated ourselves to a weekend of fun. We hiked, went kayaking and took a super fun Dance Yoga class together. We enjoyed a Blueberry Cake with a Lemon Buttercream frosting.

At the end of the weekend we went down to Chappy Beach to watch the sunset. We brought Pizza and thick slices of cool watermelon. We swam until the sun dipped out of sight. My son joined us too.

Summer is all about allowing ourselves the joy of being lazy. I hope you are enjoying your summer and finding ways to be a little lazy.

Invitation to Check out my new Column

Greetings!

Some fun things have been going on around here lately. It's been a lot of work too. Yet a labor of love for sure.

For starters, I am featured in the current issue of Cape Cod Magazine. It's a super nice article and they included a bunch of my photographs and recipes too. If you get a chance, check it out. They did a great job.

I have not been posting at my blog lately because I am writing a new column over in the Lifestyle/Food section at CapeCod.com. Below is a sample of the first entry. It's a weekly column--released on Wednesdays.

We decided to call it My Cape Cod Kitchen based on my self published book originally released in 2009 and the more recent hard cover expanded version published by Schiffer that I called "Meet me in My Cape Cod Kitchen".

The title came about from 2006-2009 spending so much time at home with my daughter Sophia and making food for my family in my own Kitchen. It's intended as an invitation to you to explore the fun to be found in your own Kitchen--whether or not you are on Cape Cod.

http://www.capecod.com/lifestyle/whats-cooking-in-my-cape-cod-kitchen/

Blessed, Photo on Book Cover & Mom's Best Banana Bread

"You will be blessed the moment you realize you already are" ~Bryant McGill

 The book events turned out fun. I went to Chatham, Sandwich, Mashpee, Osterville, West Falmouth and Worcester. I met a lot of beautiful people, shared samples of some of my favorite recipes and signed books.
In Worcester, I offered a poem and pie workshop and we wrote about favorite food memories while a pie was baking nearby in the oven.
In West Falmouth, I shared the story of how my book came about. It was well attended and I loved that a few people told me how much they share my deep love for baking. I spoke a little about the photographs on the cover-- the recipe for cranberry biscotti and white chocolate and the image of one of my favorite beach walks on the Cape.
I want to mention something about this particular photo that is also on the cover of my book that I didn't get a chance to share at my talk. I took this photo in the summer of 2014. I had a ton of fresh tomatoes just picked from the garden. I was making a baked cod pasta dish and added the fresh tomatoes last minute. We decided to eat dinner on our back patio because it was a perfect summer evening. The bugs were few, the breeze was gentle and my kids were hungry.

When I set the meal on the table I realized I had not yet taken the photograph of my seafood fettuccini. I grabbed my camera and shot the image above. I loved the mix of colors from the blue and white dish and the red of the tomatoes. The fish looked fresh and scrumptious. It wasn't until much later that I  realized the photo was slightly different than the recipe I shared. The version in my book is delicious too and when cooking it's always OK to be a little creative and add extra items to your taste and liking. The image above is basically the same as in the book except with a slight variation.

 My collection is intended as a reflection of some of the things we enjoy eating and making while living on Cape Cod year round and a starting off point for you in your kitchen.

People have asked me if I prefer cooking or baking and I find that is a hard question to answer. I love both for different reasons. Baking brings me pure meditative joy. I love that it's like a science and I must tend to it just so. Cooking for me is a chance to be creative and try new variations on familiar recipes.
As the new year approaches I feel blessed for so many reasons. I will continue my daily beach walks and be creative in my kitchen as often as possible. Please feel free to send me a note if you have questions about any of the recipes.

Blessings to YOU in 2016!

PS and about mom's best banana bread--  It came to my attention that somewhere along the way the ingredient of flour is missing from my banana bread recipe-- for my banana bread use 1 1/2 cups of flour.  And do try it soon. It is so easy and yummy.

In Case you Missed it!

http://www.capenews.net/arts_and_entertainment/falmouth-author-s-new-book-encourages-cooking-community/article_2d650e9e-c453-546d-b0b5-dc4019a930a0.html

A very happy thanksgiving from my home to yours. I've been thinking about the menu and gathering what I need for dinner at my house this week. The Holidays can get easily stressful so I am making a point to spend time each day keeping things simple with daily walks on the marsh and taking a few minutes to write down five things I am grateful for.

Today the five things I am grateful for include 1) the super sweet article written about the release of my book in Friday's Enterprise ( I copied the link above in case you didn't see it) 2) long walks on the marsh 3) morning coffee 4) the love in my life from each of my children and the peace I feel that they each will be home for the holiday and 5) the release of my book.


What are you making this Holiday? an Old family favorite or are you trying something new?
What are you most grateful for?

Feeling Grateful & Looking Forward to Some Fun Events

"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity".  ~ Mark Twain

 It's been a busy couple months at my house! I am so excited and looking forward to the very near release of my book. The wonderful people at Schiffer Publishing sent me a bottle of wine and an advanced copy of my book. I invited a good friend over to flip through the pages and enjoy the wine together. Thank you Schiffer--it was delicious! 

What fun it was to flip through. The book is a sweet and personal collection of all things from my kitchen and I am grateful for the opportunity to share it with you.  Below is a list of items I have scheduled for Upcoming Book Events for “Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen” by Linda Maria Steele

Book Signings

Saturday November 28, 2-4 pm Where the Sidewalk Ends, Chatham

Saturday December 5, 2-4 pm Mashpee Book Store, Mashpee Commons

Sunday December 6, 2-3 pm Titcomb’s Bookstore, Sandwich 

Saturday December 12, 1-3 pm Books by the Sea, Osterville

Talk & Signing

Sunday December 20, 4 pm West Falmouth Library, West Falmouth 

I chose the quote above because as happy and proud as I am to share my book with a wider audience it still  requires a bit of courage. I hope I see you at one of the events but if you can't attend please do order it either directly online from Schiffer Publishing or through Amazon. I hope you not only enjoy the book but that it inspires more creativity and fun in your own kitchen. And please do share with your friends!

 I have put together a couple of extra fun items that I will bring along to my signings including my original photo bookmarks, a writing prompt sheet for the Poems & Pies chapter and list of tips that my daughter wrote.

 In the meantime, Happy Cooking! XO

Cookie Update, Crazy Love & Book Signings

View from my Kitchen

Take a quick minute to click the link above to watch the short but sweet video my daughter's Bella & Sophia put together to promote my new cook book. Be sure to listen too because there's some "Crazy Love". We chose that song because it sums up my passion for cooking and baking. The book helps me share my passion with you.

As for the Cookies I had a sign to let people know the days I'd  have warm cookies for sale. I have to say I didn't get to it as much as I'd have liked. With my teens home and all their happenings in the house and getting Sophia back and forth to her camps there was only a single day or some weeks possibly two days a week throughout the summer I was able to put my sign out and offer cookies. Besides there were a lot of good beach days to be enjoyed with family and friends too!

 I have a jar filled with cookie money (to save for a rainy day like my Nana used to teach me) and a number of texts and phone calls from customers letting me know how delicious the cookies were. I baked dreamy island, celebration and whale shaped sugar cookies. All three recipes are in my cook book.

And I feel very grateful to the kind folks at Schiffer Publishing. My book looks beautiful and I feel we collaborated well. The marketing lady suggests the best way to get my book out there is to schedule book signings.  I will let you know when and where they will be in the upcoming months. I wrote a chapter called Poem & Pies and I am setting up a couple of spots to host a Poem & Pies Workshop. Where you can come see the book, bake a pie and have a chance to write a poem with super fun and easy writing prompts while waiting for the pie to bake. If you'd like I'd be happy to sign the book for you too.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the last days of summer!

Specialty Cookies For Sale!

"Summer has filled her veins with light and her heart is washed with noon".  ~C. Day Lewis

  Yesterday I took my daughter's down to Wood Neck Beach and we enjoyed the simplicity of the sun, water and sand. It was low tide and when it was time to head out I didn't want to go. Late afternoon, low tide in the summer at Wood Neck Beach is one of my all time favorite places to be. July 4th weekend offered so many good opportunities to be out on the water and enjoy the summer. Yay, summer is finally here!

Over the holiday weekend we went to three different parties and brought some of my favorite treats to share including my new fave: Red, White & Blue Sundaes with Vanilla Ice Cream, fresh blueberry sauce, slices of strawberry, whipped cream in waffle cone bowls. For the Blueberry sauce simply take a pint of fresh ripe and clean blueberries, a 1/3 cup of sugar, a 1/3 cup of water and a splash of fresh lemon juice place in a small sauce pan and boil then let simmer for about ten minutes. Stir occasionally. I also made a Lemon Cake and a batch of my Celebration Cookies.

The photo above is the cover of my book that will be available in November. I'm looking forward to sharing it. I think it came out beautiful and I hope readers, cooks and other fans of Cape Cod like it.

And listen to this--I'm home with my daughter's for the summer and decided to sell my cookies right from home. I have a sign that I'm putting out on the road to let people know I'm here and the days that I'll have my cookies available. I'm thinking only one or two days a week and I'll make Dreamy Island Cookies, Celebration Cookies & Starfish and Whale Shaped Sugar Cookies.

Slowing Down to the Pace of Summer

 from Bike Path near Great Sippewissett Marsh

Summer Salad

 

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." ~John Lubbock

 

With my Spring Semester grades in I'm feeling grateful for the gift of summer days with (two of my kids) at home. My son opted for a summer intern position and he's living in Boston. So far, he's loving it and I know he'll still get to visit.

Summer is a time where I want to make more fresh grown salad and fresh berry pies, take more late evening walks by the marsh and soak up the summer sun by the beach with friends. My daughter Bella is home for the summer after finishing her first year at College. She was on her way to her summer job the other day and I offered to make a Summer Salad before she left simply because I'm happy she's home.

As an update I created a new line of book marks with my text and photographs and if you're in town stop by Twigs on Main St. in Falmouth and take a look. With the warmer days ahead I decided to plan a Girls Night Out. We decided to meet at my house for Appetizers and a cold Beverage.

My book "Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen" will be available in November 2015 and I hope to set up fun events to get friends together to celebrate its release because it's something I worked hard on (the food and photos are super fun) and I'm proud of it.

And we had such a harsh winter on the Cape, that I'm looking forward to a bit of slowing down our pace of the hectic school year responsibilities and enjoying some lazy days at the beach.