Succotash may have a funny name, but this simple Southern classic is the perfect way to use those mid-to-late summer vegetables that abound this time of year. After looking up various versions following last weekend’s trip to the farmers’ market, I made my own recipe with grilled sweet corn, edamame (in place of the traditional lima beans), fresh okra, sweet onion, and heirloom tomatoes from our garden. I kept everything crisp, fresh, and super light—no cream, vinegar, or lemon juice even—just using ample amounts of salt and pepper and some feta crumbled on top. The only thing I would have added is some thinly sliced basil, had my basil not gone to seed. I love how quick and colorful this sauté is and that it’s so simple that exact proportions don’t really matter. Succotash is a great match for barbecued meat, so this would be a perfect thing to make for any Labor Day cookouts this weekend. This is summer at its finest…soak it up before it’s gone!
Summer Succotash
2 ears of sweet corn
1 10-ounce bag of frozen shelled edamame
½ sweet yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
Fresh okra, sliced into ½-inch rounds
4-5 heirloom tomatoes, diced (discard the seedy, juicy insides)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Feta, crumbled
A handful of fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced
Heat a grill to medium-high. Place the two ears of corn, husks intact, on the grill and cook until husks are slightly charred and kernels are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove corn from the grill, discard husks, and slice the kernels off the cobs into a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat a skillet on the stove, over medium-low heat. Add frozen edamame and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until just crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Transfer edamame to a strainer, drain, and rinse with cold water until cooled. Add to the bowl with corn.
Back in the skillet, add the onion and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sauté, until golden brown. Transfer to the bowl with corn and edamame, and wipe out the skillet using a paper towel. Next, add the okra and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Sauté a couple minutes, just until slightly softened but still with a bit of crunch. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add to the bowl with everything else.
Add the tomatoes to the bowl, then toss with extra salt and pepper to taste. Crumble feta on top of the succotash and add sliced basil, if using.
ASTICOU INN
15 Peabody Drive, Northeast Harbor, Maine 04662
The elegant Asticou Inn is a throwback in time… a time when families came to “summer” for the season, with trunks packed and maids in tow. We were lucky enough to book just a few days at this charming turn-of-the-century resort, overlooking the Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island, for our trip to Maine last month. Dating back to 1883, the hotel is filled inside with flowered wallpaper, ruffled curtains, and chintz-covered chairs; outside the grounds slope to flower gardens, a heated pool, a clay tennis court, and a spectacular view of the harbor. We enjoyed sitting on the deck in the evenings, drinks in hand, watching the fog roll in over the water. The location provided us with a quiet retreat from the bustling streets of Bar Harbor on the east side and was only a short drive to Acadia National Park. If you’re looking for a classic place to stay in Maine, this is it.
I whipped together this vibrant salad over the weekend for my family. It’s stone fruit season, and I’ve been craving fruit of all kinds. There’s nothing that tastes better to me right now than a juicy, sweet peach or plum, so putting them in a salad was a no brainer. The beauty of this salad is in its color and simplicity: Just some greens, toasted pecans and goat cheese mixed with the fruit. The dressing couldn’t be any simpler, either (once you taste blood orange olive oil, it will become a pantry staple) and works perfectly with the peaches and plums.
Summer Stone Fruit Salad
2 ripe yellow-flesh peaches
2 ripe plums
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Mixed salad greens
Blood orange olive oil (find it at your grocery store if they carry a variety of oils or try Sur La Table)
Champagne vinegar
Salt & pepper
Slice the peaches and plums. Toast the pecans in a small pan on the stove; chop. In a large bowl, add the salad greens. Top with the sliced peaches and plums, toasted pecans, and crumbled goat cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together some of the blood orange olive oil and champagne vinegar to taste (I like to use more vinegar than oil). Season with salt and pepper. Serve the salad into small bowls, and drizzle with dressing.
I hate it when this scenario happens: I find the perfect _______, get it and fall in love, then decide to tell you about it only to find it has since sold out! Such is the sad case with this A.P.C. bucket bag, a bag I had been eyeing for a good year when I finally caved a month ago and purchased it. It was a treat to myself with some special savings I’d been putting aside. I purchased the bag with the mindset that come October when baby arrives, I’ll be grateful for having invested in a few luxuriously simple wardrobe staples that I’ll reach for constantly when my day-to-day world (and frankly, my spending) revolves more around my little one than on what I’m going to wear each day.
The good news is that the bucket bag—with its timeless silhouette and chic-yet-minimalist vibe—continues to be a popular style this fall. There are a bevy of other options popping up in great neutral colors, adding to their seasonless quality. And I’d imagine A.P.C. will continue to release more runs of this same bag in different colors—you can currently find a gorgeous teal version of it here.
The icing on the cake, which I’ve realized in just one month of use? There’s something about a bag like this that instantly elevates even your most basic jeans and tank when you’re running out the door to meet a friend for brunch. That directly appeals to my put-together-but-laid-back style, and for that reason alone, I’m in love.
I headed to Austin late last week to spend the weekend with my family and attend my first baby shower. Friday night I shared this quick snap on Instagram of what my mom made for dinner, and I heard you guys loud and clear–you wanted the recipe! I can vouch that this simple pasta was every bit as delicious as it looks…I learned to cook from the best. My mom’s pesto featured Hatch green chiles from New Mexico, which are regional and not widely available outside the south/southwest–in fact, I snagged some at the grocery store to bring home with me. But you can replace the Hatch chiles with a mix of poblano and serrano peppers for the same flavorful, spicy effect. Cook up some fettuccine noodles, toss with the pesto, top with shrimp and fresh cilantro, and you’re all set for one deliciously easy meal.
Spicy Pesto Fettuccine with Shrimp & Cilantro
Serves 4
Pesto:
8 green New Mexico hatch chiles OR 4 poblano peppers plus 1-2 serrano peppers, roasted, peeled, stems and seeds removed, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra leaves for serving
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Pasta:
1/2 pound of fettuccine
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Olive oil
Fresh cilantro leaves
Make the pesto: Add all the ingredients to a blender and puree to a smooth sauce. Thin with water if necessary. Best if made ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cook the shrimp: Toss the shrimp with a bit of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Grill or sauté the shrimp until just cooked.
Cook the pasta: Bring the water to a boil, then add a dash of salt and the fettucine. Cook uncovered until tender but still firm. Drain and toss with a few drops of olive oil.
Toss the pasta with 1/2 cup or so of the pesto. Top with the shrimp and extra cilantro leaves.
If you read yesterday’s post and are now reading today’s, you’ll see what I mean by trial-and-error dressing during pregnancy and how certain fits can really make a belly look larger or smaller! We snapped these photos last night after a couple co-workers and my husband complimented me on my top yesterday. I’ve loved being pregnant and embraced my growing bump, but positive reinforcement is especially nice to hear when you’re 33 weeks pregnant. The top is old, but the combination–white lace and skinny blue jeans–is a classic. And it’s proof that you can make use of your pre-pregnancy clothes and can’t go wrong with keeping things simple.
I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to make it to (almost) 33 weeks without buying any maternity clothes, other than one pair of denim and a few long, stretchy tank tops. Limiting maternity-specific clothing purchases was a personal goal of mine, simply so I didn’t wind up with a lot of unwearable items post baby. That said, it’s certainly been entertaining to shuffle through my tops and dresses each week to figure out what works and what doesn’t–it keeps changing! This particular dress is fitted up top but then flows out, perfect for my finally growing belly, though I’ve found fits like this do make me look larger than I really am. Some days, you just go with it. I paired the classic blue and white with my metallic flats–I’m wearing heels less and less these days. This is the kind of comfortable-yet-pulled-together combo you want to wear when you’ve got to be at the office all day, pregnant or not.
It’s hard to believe how quickly pregnancy has flown by…just seven weeks to go! I started on our little girl’s nursery in June, giving you guys a first peek at the starting point of my inspiration—a vintage Moroccan Boucherouite rug. Since then, the room has really started to evolve, as I’ve been hard at work choosing and ordering furniture, slowly pulling together accessories, and creating a perfect haven for baby.
Last week was pretty exciting when the crib arrived—it made our third bedroom officially feel like a nursery—so I thought it would be fun to give you a peek at the progress and share my decorating plan. Read a little more below about my process and click through the images above to see how it’s coming together…can’t wait to share the finished product and full resources with you once all the finishing touches are done!
The look:
Modern bohemian.
The challenge: Keeping a consistent aesthetic so our daughter’s room is cohesive with the rest of our home. Also creating a soft, feminine space that’s fun but not overly girly and childish.
Starting point:
A vintage Moroccan rug, that perfectly fit my personal style—modern with a slightly bohemian vibe. I loved the neutral base and bold, colorful design and selected it to be the signature element in the room.
Decorating approach:
I made a list of some specific things I wanted from the get-go—a Moroccan rug, a modern white crib, a vintage dresser in warm walnut. For everything else, I’ve just waited to find pieces that speak to me to incorporate.
Color palette:
A neutral color palette has been my primary requirement so the room will have a calm, peaceful feel—we’re painting the walls an off-white and most of the furniture is pure white. The furniture is modern, and a bit mid-century feeling. This base has allowed me to mix in prints, textures, and colors in small doses as well as vintage elements—like the dresser and lamp.
Pink was off limits until I fell in love with the idea of adding just one bold pop of it, in the form of a blanket, to the crib. I toyed with the idea of this striped J.Crew option, but cashmere seemed entirely impractical. Then I found the blanket of my dreams at K. Colette while we were recently in Portland, Maine—an uber soft, mini kantha quilt that imparts a global vibe and is washable (a huge plus!). The color is coming across more coral in the photos, but it’s definitely pink.
Personal touches:
My husband’s sock monkey, our favorite books from childhood, a suzani pillow we purchased in Istanbul, and a playful LOVE pillow I picked up on a trip to New York City a few years back but have never found a good place for.
Save vs. splurge:
The rug, glider, and crib were important pieces to me as they’ll be the most used. They have been splurges. So far I’ve saved by re-purposing a trio of leaning bookshelves we’ve had for years, finding the dresser on Craigslist and pouf at Restoration Hardware’s outlet, and picking up a little mirror from Anthropologie’s sale room.
What’s next:
We’re painting the room, waiting for the glider to arrive, picking out some fun art, replacing the blinds, gathering storage baskets, and adding little details to accessorize the bookshelves. Oh, and a mattress and sheets. Almost there!
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