A tomato, some apricots, whatnot

The season's first tomato (not counting cherry tomatoes). An Early Girl. Yes, I won the Samyn tomato growing contest. Given the weather, how could I not?

Quite a bit of basil visible in the background, too...

More of what I think of as "regular food," which is my favorite kind. Chicken with the aforementioned basil; salad with the real-wine-red-wine-vinaigrette mentioned a post or two ago; a slice of The Bread grilled.

And something rather special: "little apricot cakes": lovely is definitely the word.

Finally, summer pleasures include some reading and some sewing (napkins with mitered corners). The attention and care required for the latter are part of the appeal.

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.

*

Back home, predictable cooking resumed. 

*

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

Nearly June

Already. Interesting.

In any case, here's some no-knead bread. Rosemary-lemon. At first, I was not so impressed, but this bread got better with a little time.

And here are some lilies of the valley, a favorite.

May

Some recent items of interest...

A smaller portion of mac & cheese.

Pinto bean and red wine soup. Splendid Table recipe, kind of.

Rosemary and raisin bread.

Next, a few things I made for my MFA students for our final gathering at my house. 

Mixed greens with sautéed asparagus and almonds.

Red quinoa with edamame, feta, and sunflower seeds.

And chocolate cupcakes (King Arthur mix) with vanilla icing (homemade) and sprinkles... and a candle on one, for a birthday.

A couple of other recent things. 

First, an excellent roasted sweet potato and spinach & arugula salad with a red pepper vinaigrette. Mark Bittman recipe, kind of.

And, of course, the bread. I don't always post it, but I do keep making it. Two smaller loaves this time.

And, most of all, here's a tree I admire.

Many pleasing dishes

Even effortlessness requires effort. That I'm fine with. Fussiness, however, I don't care for. Same goes for food. Thus:

White bean and tuna salad with spinach, etc.

Gnocchetti with asparagus, etc. No, I didn't make the gnocchetti, but it's nice to think so.

Simple spinach salad with sautéed haricot verts and red peppers.

More of the favorite bread. This time without sesame seeds.

And finally the famous NY Times chocolate chip cookies. The two distinctive features, as you may know: bread flour + cake flour and the overnight resting of the dough. A little salt on top helps too.

And then for a just-right combination of effort and effortlessness, some magnolia blossoms, just out.

I couldn't decide

—so I baked two quick loaves on Sunday: an oatmeal breakfast bread with currants and a chocolate tea bread. The latter is better but both are worthy.

And for simplicity and visual appeal and deliciousness, an easy kale, spinach, and chick pea salad.

As for the seasonal report: the forsythia is just out. A good sign, always.