Mostly Michigan

Lake Michigan was as ever, thank goodness. Two views from The Homestead. First, with the Crystal River in the foreground, and then the dune, and then the Lake.

Then, looking north...

Many, many chipmunks about....

Michigan strawberries are the best. Of course.

Back downstate... and a very happy Theo, who had been staying at "camp," which is, as everyone knows, a little stressful....

A week or so later..... a fancy brunch at The Townsend Hotel.... 

Later still... barbecue chicken...

Followed by a cherry pie... homemade crust (rolled out just by accident into the lower peninsula!) with cherries from Cherry Republic. 

Back home in West Virginia.... tomatoes coming along nicely....

 

Herbs too....

Our first harvest. Theo LOVES tomatoes....

The roses are also doing well. This is The Shepherdess.

And on a beautiful July evening... dinner and a sunset....

Sunday round-up

It seems people like to say "round-up" on Sundays, so here's a Sunday round-up.

First, some nature. Goldenrod...

... and Beautyberry. Great name.

Today's bread: oat bran. A lovely dough. Some just are.

While that was rising, I made a quick lunch of old favorites: asparagus, peas, feta, basil.

Later, the bread emerged... a beautiful loaf.

And for dinner, baked rigatoni and zucchini. 

And that's the round-up!

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Cheesecake; Michigan; Poets; Honeysuckle

Lots to like, this go-round.

First, a cheesecake with a chocolate crust. Note: no crack.

And still, no crack:

Here's something pleasing: frosted Michigan glasses. They can be found here.

Aren't they nice? As for the stuff in the background... that was in preparation of the annual spring gathering of MFA poets. This year, an array of salads....

... and they were lovely company, too, those poets. We had a good semester, I think. 

It's already hot and humid in West Virginia, and the honeysuckle---my favorite---is out in full force.

Even the ditches have lovely flowers...

Finally, a familiar little dinner on the day of commencement... spring is full of such beginnings.... spaetzle, roasted brussels sprouts, pecans, feta, spinach, dates... good as leftovers, too... the summer term starts tomorrow... Keats, onward---

Lots of things

Much walking, the usual cooking and baking. These are the highlights.

A lovely hemlock.

A Tiger Cake!, exclamation point required. For my students.

First, on a paper plate, in class...

And then, the last piece, at home after dinner...

It swirled nicely, didn't it? And all by itself, just like the recipe promised.

Today I made a delicious asparagus soup. There are lots of recipes. I used this one, from Epicurious. No cream, though, yes, a dollop on top. And I sautéed the asparagus before adding it. 

The spinach salad has a red wine vinaigrette that I made using this recipe from Food 52. Actual red wine makes the difference here.

And that's The Bread, which I've not made for a few weeks.

Finally, some flowers. First, impatiens on the deck.

And, finally, coneflower (echinacea). I have one on each side of my front porch. They're slightly different, one more orange in the center, one more red...

Oh, almost forgot: here's a little lavender and some Lake Michigan rocks, including a Petoskey stone. The pic is a little dark, but if you know what you're looking for, you'll spot it...

A challenging stove

I like to cook even on vacation. Especially Up North in Michigan.

The cottage was sweetly rustic; the stove... was not.

The oven was about 125 degrees hotter than what the dial indicated. Yep. Took a day or two to sort that out and make adjustments. And the burners—the ones that worked, that is—weren't much better.

Thus, this baked whitefish was a triumph. Fresh from Lake Michigan, of course. Carlson's, of course. Just glad the oven didn't ruin it.

And a simple salad...

Other highlights include these lovely wildflowers: bladder campion (disappointing name), also known as maiden's-tears (better...). I just happened upon them. Isn't that often the way with beauty?

And Lake Michigan was its stunning self, per usual.

That's Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background.

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Back home, predictable cooking resumed. 

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Oh, and speaking of beauty: here's Glen Lake, a real beauty, everyone agrees.