May 27 – It is summer, and it is on. I started things off right by enjoying my first Tinto of the year. This has been a signature summer drink for a few years now. I’ve you’ve never heard of Tinto de verano, it’s time to rectify the situation. Tinto is a Spanish drink, which is kind of like a poor man’s sangria. Just mix a little cheap red wine with sparkling lemonade and you’re set. Summer has been inaugurated.
May 28 – I both love and hate the way beets turn everything pink. I made this sweet and tangy beet, lime, and honey salad from Dorie’s Around my French Table, and added barley to make it a dinner salad. It was super pink, which isn’t that appetizing. But it was so good! I’ll definitely make the beets and dressing again, but I might skip the grain addition next time.
May 29On Tuesday, I made this Salmon in Green Pipian sauce from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday. The sauce didn’t turn out exactly as I expected, texture-wise, but it was an amazing flavor bomb. And the Copper River salmon was pretty special, as well.
May 30 – Sometimes I forget that dinner doesn’t have to be a big production. This week I needed something easy, and found my solution in a jar of pesto and a box of pasta. Some carrots and asparagus rounded out the situation, and dinner was served, no fuss necessary.
May 31 – On Thursday, I did a lot of preparatory cooking for our weekend camping trip. Sean and I were cooking dinner one night of the weekend, and our friends Eunice and Brandon cooked dinner on the other. I wanted to make things as easy on myself as possible, so Thursday night I cooked a big pot of chili and some cornbread, and packed it all up to re-heat on the camp stove. This was a terrific idea, because it made dinner fast and easy. The chili was one of my best ever, and this was simple and delicious.
June 1 – We camped in Mendocino County over the weekend, at MacKerricher State Park. It was beautiful, and we had so much fun. I haven’t camped since I was about 17, but it all came back to me as soon as we got there: setting up the tent, sitting around the campfire, walking to the bathrooms with a flashlight in the middle of the night, and cooking breakfast in the dewy morning in pajamas. Yes, summer has most definitely arrived.
June 2 – My friend Eunice took me to Glass Beach while we were up in Mendocino. It was a grey, foggy day but we had fun wandering around the rocks and laughing at the seagulls. Mendocino is stunning, and I’m already looking forward to going back.