While most weekends have been go go go, beach, post-beach drinks, dinners out, bars, we recently had a chance to slow down and actually enjoy our summer house. It was too hot for the beach, so we enjoyed lounging by our pool by day, taking breaks from the sun to go inside and make a quick lunch (pesto pasta with broccoli) or and afternoon snack (brownies). Saturday night, we decided to go all out and grill for ourselves. Now, I am a complete novice at grilling, I’ve watched my parents do it for years, but have never had a reason to learn (we don’t exactly have outdoor grilling space in the city). Luckily this was a gas grill, and I had some backup, and there were very clear directions, and somehow we managed to follow them. Our chicken, shrimp and veggie kabobs turned out perfectly. And went so well with our arugula and Parmesan salad, and to finish off, more of those brownies for dessert. So simple, but a meal that we don’t often get to cook for ourselves in the city. I ran out to pick up some wine, and when I came back, the table was set with beautiful hydrangeas fresh from the garden, and tea lights lined the entire pool. It was a perfect summer evening full of good food, friends, and lots of laughter, my favorite kind of night!

We kept the momentum going with breakfast on Sunday morning. Bacon (cooked in the pan, I was scolded for suggesting we use the microwave as a shortcut, it’s so true how much better it tastes when cooked on the stove!), scrambled eggs with parmesan, toasted bagels and fresh cut grapefruit! It was the perfect meal to send us off back to the city and kept me dreaming of getting back out there all work-week long.