Playing, Loving & Surviving the Games of Motherhood
Happy Friday! Has this week flown by for anyone else? Summer is practically halfway over and I feel like it just got started! We had a great time in Georgia last week, but are happy to be back home. I know most people exit the city in the summer, but I actually love NYC this time of year. It almost feels like you have the whole city to yourself (not to mention, coveted reservations are way easier to come by!). So let’s jump right into things:
Rylan has grown by leaps and bounds since his last update at 14 months. He is now walking all over the place, and wants to climb on everything. This is a kid on the move. He’s also a walking disaster. Seriously, he gets so excited that he tries to run and ends up smack on the floor (or into a wall!). Thankfully, he’s tough and has recovered quickly from some pretty nasty spills, but it would be nice to make it through a day without a new bruise or bump. Oh, the life of a little brother who wants to keep up with the big kids.
Happy Tuesday! We are finally home and just now getting back into the swing of things after being gone all last week. It’s so hard coming out of vacation mode! I’ve been doing minimal cooking, and am pretty sure our suitcases might not get unpacked for a few more days. With this heat, I’m not super excited about turning on the oven either, which is why I’m sharing this delicious, no-bake appetizer option. When I was making this dish the other day, I remembered I had a jar of apricot jam in the pantry (leftover from these apricot almond crumb bars). I’m on a huge apricot kick right now, so it was the obvious choice. The sweetness of the jam was the perfect compliment to the tang of the cream cheese in this spread. This did not last long. In fact, everyone filled up on so much of this that they could hardly eat dinner. This has become one of my staple appetizer options since it’s super easy to put together, and is a real crowd pleaser. You could change it up with whatever jam sounds good to you, or even do a spicy chutney if that’s more your speed. Also, if you don’t have a cheesecloth, you could use a few sheets of paper towel instead. It won’t be as pretty (as you can tell from the unevenness in the picture), but works in a pinch.
In need of an awesome side dish to serve for the 4th? This is the perfect pasta salad for any barbecue or party. I’ve been making it for years and am continually asked for the recipe. It’s barely even a recipe, since all you have to do is cook some pasta and stir in a few other ingredients. It’s more refined than your classic pasta salad, and is equally good served chilled or slightly warmed (so it’s great even if it’s been sitting on a table outside for an hour). The dried cherries offer a refreshing burst of flavor that is complemented nicely by the spicy arugula and salty cheese. You can find a bowl of this in our refrigerator practically all summer long.
We are down in the south celebrating the 4th with family and taking a little time to relax. I love NYC, but it’s nice not to get looked at sideways every time I let a “y’all” slip (usually after too many Makers Mark and ginger ales). It’s also entirely possible that I might have to buy a whole new wardrobe when we get back because all we seem to do down here is eat. Not to mention I’ve probably drunk my weight in sweet tea. Does everyone indulge like this when they go back to home?? Dangerous stuff.
