Food and Life and Summertime

Isn't it interesting how food can evoke such vivid memories? The taste, the color, the smell, the texture; it all brings us back to particular places and specific times in our lives. For me, summertime ushers in especially intense memories as seasonal fruits and vegetables take me back to my childhood growing up in the green, green forests of the East Coast, surrounded by my Mom's gardens and enjoying homegrown fruits and vegetables every day.



It's something as simple as the smell of rosemary that reminds me of the red skinned potato salad we would get from the small grocer down the street from our house, or corn on the cob that remind me of my Mom and Dad, sitting on the steps shucking corn- the silky fibers and rough, snappy green husks going everywhere. It's the snap of the green beans into the colander, the smell of red, ripe tomatoes on the vine, or even Ball Park franks, Heinz ketchup and Gulden's spicy mustard that remind me of nightly barbeques in our backyard.

Summer is a lot of things, but to me it's always that first trip up to Carvel, gelatis from Rita's, or the ice cream truck at the park. It's the way orange and cream anything instantly transports me to the boardwalk, seagulls squawking and swooping in the distance, the ocean sounds mixing with laughing children, the smell of sunscreen and salt hanging in the air, all while enjoying a special treat- an orange and cream ice cream cone from Kohr's. The beach will always remind me of Gouda cheese and crackers, peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread, and how amazing crisp green grapes can taste under a big umbrella, on a brightly-colored towel. Summertime is slurpees from 7-11, sub sandwiches from Wawa, and berries. Always berries, every summer, and the first ripe raspberries of the season will always evoke memories of eating them by the handful out of my parents' refrigerator.





And so I think a lot about what we feed Henry and the experiences we give him through food. I look forward to having our own big garden he can help me plant and maintain. I am excited to shuck corn with him, pick our own berries from the bush in our backyard, and to enjoy experiences from the things we prepare and eat every single day, be it making homemade pizza in the kitchen, barbequing tofu kebabs out back, or taking a family trip up to Dairy Queen when the temperatures start to rise. Being a parent is great for a million reasons, but one of my favorites in the ability to make your child's environment as beautiful and magical as possible, in so many different ways. For me, summertime has always been a time full of adventure and enjoyment, filled with sweet treats and healthy, whole foods. And so I look forward to giving our boy as many of those ice cream-cone and fresh fruit-filled summers as I can, making memories from the simple, everyday things that somehow turn special in the shine of the summer sun.

Final East Coast Trip post: Video!

I'm not sure if this video will be interesting for anyone other than my family, but I thought I'd share it anyway! I made it about a month ago when we first got home, and my Mom and Dad loved it. I usually try to put together clips after family vacations like this for posterity's sake and I absolutely love looking back on them. Such a fun way to relive a vacation. And now I guess you get to relive a little bit of it too, if you have an extra eight minutes to spare! ;) Enjoy!

East Coast Trip Part Four: Corin and John's wedding!

The very last leg of our trip brought us to gorgeous Hillborough, N.J. to celebrate the nuptials of Corin and John!  Corin and I grew up together from infancy, and our parents have been best friends since college. She was my childhood best friend too, and we've always been in each other's lives from as far back as I can remember. Every photo of every birthday, there's Corin and their family smiling away. We even call each others' parents Aunt and Uncle, and have spent every major milestone in all of our lives together. Growing up in New Jersey we'd also spend every New Year's Eve together, and I have some of the greatest memories of our annual sleepovers while our parents were at the Fireman's New Year's Ball. I remember being so young in our New Year's crowns, getting so excited about staying up later than usual, hoarding the noise makers and candy from our younger sisters, and plotting some sort of silly mischief. After watching the ball drop of course we'd pretend to be asleep for the babysitter- and older woman and family friend named Betty, and we'd always sneak out of the bedrooms and watch The Twilight Zone marathon once she fell asleep.

The wedding took place at this house- Corin's parents' home, the same house she grew up in with her sister Caitlyn, and the same house that holds so many of our most special growing up memories. This was the place I was as my little sister was being born, it's the home where there were countless parties, sleepovers, and get-togethers. A place full of memory and tradition. So seeing Corin get married there was very special and pretty emotional. I felt like we had come full circle. I sat there, my husband next to me and our son on my lap, and thought about child-me, looking forward at this moment. I know she'd be proud.

The happiness she and John share is so apparent, and it was awesome to be at a wedding that was so full of love, in such a familiar, happy, and absolutely gorgeous place. Their backyard goes on for miles, and Mother Nature did not let us down with the blue, blue sky and big fluffy clouds. It was perfect.

Here are some photos:


Uncle John, Hank and Henry

best friends since college


Abe, Uncle John, and Lauren




Cor and her Dad walking in

first dance






Corin, John, and us




My Mom and Maureen have been best friends since kindergarten...and my Mom even introduced her to her hubby Kevin! These are four of my most favorite people in the whole entire world.





Maureen and my Mom

East Coast Trip, Part Three!

This part of our vacation took us from Vermont to New Jersey, and we enjoyed a relaxing week at the beach. We woke up each morning to the sound of the ocean right outside our door, spent time on the boardwalk, and took naps in the shade of our sun tent each afternoon.  Our bellies were full of Italian subs from the deli and way too much funnel cake at the week's end, but it was totally worth it.  Henry also experienced the beach for the first time and our notion that we are raising a true water baby was confirmed. He loved it. All in all it was a great time, and we were so sad to leave.

Here are the photos: