dahlias and apricots
Even more beautiful than big, bright dahlias (that apparently the Aztecs ate—but the flowers are not the food subject for this post),
my sister Kassandra came to visit this past weekend,
and we made roasted portobello sandwiches with homemade aioli, cut cherry tomatoes, and rocket on local bread rolls while we spilled secrets, as sisters do.
(To make this sandwich, place a portobello for each person on an oiled baking pan with a nice pat of butter and minced garlic (1/2 clove per person) on top, and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the butter has cooked through (about 20 min) and then assemble sandwiches—try to find arugula or watercress, as the spicy bite will cut the richness.)
Visits to the beach, drinks downtown, making biscuits and strawberry jam in the kitchen, watching old movies, shopping for vintage, talking for hours and hours—I am so proud of Kassandra’s strength and sense of humor as she creates a life as a dancer and choreographer (more on her personal site).
On Monday we cooked together, as we like to do, for my friend Margaret, making the stuffed squash from my last post along with crispy croutons for the salad and potatoes for the quinoa.
It was the first time I’ve entertained in the cabin this summer, and I enjoyed watching who was more adept with their phone as we ignored texts and calls to sit and talk together—and it was a tie, I think, between Margaret and Kassandra.
For dessert, we roasted some small, halved Blenheim apricots (again, at 400 for about 20 minutes) that appear for a few fleeting weeks in the summer,
and topped them with whole yogurt (I’m fond of Pavel’s Russian Yogurt from San Leandro) and local raw wildflower honey.
And later that night, Kassandra was off to go and set choreography on dance companies around the country, but I smiled to know I will see her again in about a month as I drive back to Brooklyn…

















































































































