Hi everyone,

It’s Thursday morning and the house is almost completely quiet except for the noise of some cars driving by and the hum of our fridge.  My husband is off to work, our older daughter is volunteering for the day and our younger daughter, alas, we dropped at college yesterday for her freshman year.  Not even the dog is here to keep me company as I am picking her up later this morning at my cousin’s house.

Needless to say, the week leading up to this moment of silence was not so quiet!  There have been several trips to large box stores, multiple loads of laundry to bring life to new sheets and towels, lots of toasts and a few “last” meals.  Nestled among these typical activities have been some really good conversations that admittedly included overt attempts to make sure our daughter remembers everything that we’ve tried to teach her for the past 18 years!

It became crystal clear after I published last week’s post that this week was not going to be dedicated to the blog.  This week, I needed to be living completely in the moment so that I could say yes when she asked me to take her to the mall 48 hours before departure because she needed clothes.  The following six hours were some of the funnest of my summer.

Have I been weepy?  A couple of times for sure. Once took me completely by surprise.  It was just the two of us out to lunch and we were seated next to a young couple with a baby.  You can probably figure out the rest.  The second time was of course when we said goodbye. Thankfully, it was after a long day of orientation activities, before a 6 hour car ride home and under a shower of rain so it was swift, like ripping off a bandaid.

So, here it is Thursday morning and I do feel badly that I couldn’t prioritize the blog this week.  But do you know what?  I am going to cut myself a little break today.

However, I have received a bunch of new subscribers to the blog this summer for which I am most grateful!  I thought I would include some links and pictures to some of the seasonal recipes on the blog. Who knows – maybe there’s a fun story in there or some inspiration for your next meal.  If you are new to the blog (or even if you are not), I want to remind you about the Recipe Index on my website.  It is under the Recipes tab and shows pictures of every recipe that is currently on the site.  If you move your cursor over any picture, it will give you the title of the dish and lead you to the post and recipe.

Let’s begin with Seared Scallops with Bacon and Corn.  An entree inspired by a restaurant meal…

Peach & Blueberry Crumble with Quinoa-Oat Topping (Gluten Free).  Perfect dessert for right now!

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups with Herbs and Cheese.  A recipe to use up all the zucchini in your garden!

Mango & Coconut Rice Salad.  An anytime side dish…

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan.  Yum…

Fried Zucchini Spaghetti.  Your next Meatless Monday dish?

and Cherry’s Tomato Tart.  Now is the time!

Happy Cooking!