fourth of july recap

Every time Summer rolls around, a rather fierce internal battle gets triggered and I start to question why in God's name I am living in New York City when I escape to Connecticut nearly every weekend. Truth of the matter is, I love being there. I mean, for one thing, it's home. But it's relaxed--nothing is rushed, it's a million times easier to get from point A to point B, I'm predominantly on the water with friends, and I will admit I tend to eat a heck of a lot better there too (perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I can actually cook in a spacious kitchen).

So again: Why am I living here? And not there?

As soon as the weather cools down again, I'll be reminded, I'm sure. But until then, I'll default to looking at these pictures, longingly and ad nauseum, until the next weekend I get to return home, boat bag in hand, and a head full of recipes to try, and snap some more.

Plum-Red Wine Sorbet: halved plums, red wine, sugar, water, orange peel, mint, peppercorns, basil.

Strained and pureed sorbet base ready for the ice cream maker.

Rosé on a boat.

I chatted with this lady for a few minutes to get the scoop: she and her husband caught the oysters in North Fork the night before and she was rinsing and shucking them to get them ready for the grill. Grilled oysters were to be topped with a simple mignonette sauce. I was practically doggy paddling my way over to her in hopes of getting a taste. No dice. But mad props to ya, Spots and Shots.

Bruschetta, olive tapenade, truffle tremor, and a sheep's milk cheese were brought and prepared by a friend and chef at Chocopologie in South Norwalk. Tip: befriend a chef as often as you possibly can.

White Peach Sangria: sliced peaches, orange, and lime, a sprinkle of sugar, a glug of triple sec, and fill the rest of the pitcher up with white wine. Allow to groove for at least a couple of hours. Serve over ice.

Great way to do mussels on the grill for a crowd: In a large disposable aluminum tray, add plenty of butter, some olive oil, copious amounts of grated garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes, and some kosher salt. Place tray on grill over high heat and allow butter to melt. Splash in some dry white wine, dump in your mussels, cover tray with aluminum foil, close the grill, and allow mussels to steam for a few minutes (until all the shells have opened. any unopened shells, discard). Top with tons of chopped fresh parsley, toss, and immediately bring to the table. Dig in.

Doing what (it would appear to be) I know best: grilled pizzas. In an ode to the holiday, I did one pizza with red onion, shredded mozzarella, and sliced, grilled kielbasa. It was then topped with a sprinkling of baby arugula, balsamic-marinated roasted red pepper strips, and served with a sweet-spicy mustard for optional dipping. Let's just say I may or may not have eaten my weight in kielbasa this weekend.

Scoop of Plum-Red Wine Sorbet, scoop of store bought vanilla ice cream, a few fresh blueberries: Happy Fourth of July.

This tends to inevitably be the aftermath: Bose cranked up to maximum capacity, blaring none other than the late Michael Jackson, ice cold Corona Light in hand. Happy place.

Hope you all had the happiest, most festive, safe, and more importantly, delicious, Fourth of July.