What are we eating this summer

aka how to make summer feel less tedious

Howdy! I’m Rachel and I write a short weekly email about the small delights I find in my hometown of Austin, TX. Come shoot the breeze with us!

How is your week going?! Summer allergies hit me—waaah—so I am moving a little slower. As such, I’ve got a short lil post for you today!

I’m wondering…what are we eating this summer?

I very much love summer and also….summer in Texas is so tedious! One of my coping strategies is swimming as much as possible and another is eating summer-specific foods. It makes the long, hot days feel a little more celebratory and a little less like drudgery.

Can you see where I gracefully plopped the thumb of my oven mitt onto the delicious topping of this cobbler as I was putting it in the oven

I’ve been making this peach cobbler by the one and only Mindy and BOY is it good! The topping has a little oatmeal in it and the ratio of fruit to topping is sublime. Recipe here.

Give me a nectarine any day of the week

I also make this salad, which could not be more summery. A few years ago my friend Alex served this salad alongside a few giant pizzas in her dreamy Manhattan Beach backyard while we chatted and our kids ran around. It was peak summer bliss!

When I asked her for the recipe after she swore she just “threw it together” but I think that just means she’s a salad genius.

I’ve made it one hundred times since, always in the summer. In the instance pictured above, my friend Jess and I assembled the salad after taking our kids for a swim. We also picked up a giant pizza from Yaghi’s and everyone was SO happy.

Here’s my loose recipe, adapted from Alex’s instructions:

-Spring mix, dressed with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt.

-White flesh nectarines

-Avocado slices

-Fresh mint leaves

-Pistachios

-Fried shallots (we made our own but store bought is fine :-))

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What summer-specific things have you been eating? Do you have any other great summer coping strategies?

I’m going to try this no-cook recipe tomorrow and I’ve been keeping these in the freezer.

Hope you have many great dips in cold water or other equivalent summer fun!

xo

Rachel