Summer Food Traditions - Del's Lemonade

I could go on and on about why I love summer in Rhode Island and most of those reasons would be things to do or places to go (like Waterfire festivals or the beach for a midweek picnic). But at the top of list would also be summer food. Rhode Island has some great summer food traditions like chowder and clamcakes, stuffed quahogs, fries with vinegar, and coffee cabinets. One of my personal favorites is eating salt and vinegar potato chips at the beach (and yes, I usually have to have a Coke to go with them!). Another perrenial favorite is Del's Lemonade. 

Del's is a frozen lemonade that is only sold from April through September. It is similar to Rita's Water Ice if you're familiar with that, but of course, in my opinion Del's is much better! It is a simple treat but one I can't pass up. 

Del's has been around since 1948 - when they started out it was "frozen" because it was made from snow. Today the drink, made from water, lemon juice, whole lemons (there's always a chance that you'll end up with a large piece of rind or even half a lemon in your cup!), and sugar, is just frozen to a slush consistency. If you're a local there are some rules to drinking it - no straws, no spoons - and we're always happy to point this out to others who may not be familiar with the routine! 

I have looked forward to the first lemonade day each year for pretty much my entire life. When I had moved away from the state it was always one of my first stops when I got into town in the summertime. Now that we're back in Rhode Island I've introduced my kids to the Del's tradition. With so many things changing in our world and many things being so fleeting I love that I can share a part of my childhood taste memories with them!

If you're now craving a cool glass of lemonade and you don't have a Del's nearby here is a post from the Huffington Post with 11 Twists on Classic Lemonade  including a frozen mint lemonade that sounds delicious!

What summertime treats do you look forward to?

strawberry picking: why to go and some tips for the adventure

I have many summer memories of sitting on the straw between rows of strawberries, filling a basket with the red, juicy fruit. I am pretty sure I ate as many berries as I put in the basket but eating warm sweet berries was the best part of going to the strawberry patch.   

Now I am the one taking my kids to the strawberry patch and asking if they could pick just a couple more for the basket. It seems like summer's officially arrived when the strawberries are ready for picking.

While I haven't been able to go strawberry picking every year, I am always happy when I can go. There is just something about being outside, picking the food you will be eating, and enjoying time with your family or with friends that makes this summer experience worth repeating.

If you have never tried it, here are some things I have learned about strawberry picking. 

Why take time out of your schedule to go to the strawberry patch?  

To make memories.

Support a local farmer. 

Enjoy amazing fruit - seriously, if you have not tasted a strawberry freshly plucked from the plant and warmed by the sun, you are missing out. 

It's one of the most affordable ways to enjoy lots of strawberries.

To enjoy a beautiful day. 

There is a sense of accomplishment when you leave with baskets full of berries. 

Kids love it (seriously - rows of strawberry bushes with their favorite fruit - at their level! Paradise.) 

Some strawberry picking tips 

Bring an open mind. Leave the set agenda at home. Picking can be stressful if you are trying to get a certain amount of berries, but you have three kids running around, and the sun is getting hotter, and you are really the only one picking berries... Relax about it, remember the experience is a huge part of why you go to the strawberry patch, and bring another adult along if needed (or go with another family or friends) to have extra hands for picking.

Wear clothes that can get stained. As an adult, I'm not likely to sit in the patch but as a kid, I never left the patch without new strawberry stain marks on the back of my shorts. 

Bring a bottle of water - it can get hot out there in the patch! 

Remember the strawberry season is short so don't delay. Find a local farm and head out!  

Wondering what to do with all those strawberries you bring home? 

Eat them!  Whether it is on their own, or added to a spinach salad, on top of a bowl of ice cream or your morning granola, or dipped in chocolate - strawberries are best when they are fresh. So enjoy them!

Freeze them. After rinsing them and removing the green top, lay the whole strawberries on a baking sheet (so they aren't touching each other) and freeze them. Store frozen berries in ziploc bags to enjoy in smoothies or over ice cream or cake throughout the year.

Bake with them. Make a pie or crumble - and if you have rhubarb, add that too!

Preserve them. Our family likes this freezer strawberry jam and this year, I may try 'm going to try making honey strawberry jam or maybe strawberry-rhubarb butter. Yum! 

Do you go strawberry picking? Any tips you want to share?

Arugula 5 Ways

It took me quite awhile to become a fan of arugula. For a long time I felt that it was too bitter or just too strong and I tended towards milder flavors.

But a couple of years ago I switched out my regular romaine for some arugula on a sandwich and it was a revelation. The arugula adds a peppery flavor that changed the whole taste of the sandwich (for the better!) and I was hooked.

While I usually still find arugula too strong to be used completely on its own, here are 5 of my favorite ways to enjoy it!

1. Salad

Ok, so this is pretty obvious but again I don't usually like arugula on its own. So I mix it up and include some arugula in my salads along with other greens like romaine and spinach. My particular favorite is a salad with spinach, arugula, chopped pear, blue cheese, dried cranberries, and pistachios dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

2. Arugula Pizza

A restaurant near us makes a version of this pizza and every time we're there we order it as an appetizer for the table. Last year I came up with my own rendition at home and now it shows up fairly regularly on our dinner table as well. Place a couple of handfuls of arugula in a small bowl and toss gently with a little olive oil, red wine vinegar (just a sprinkling), salt and pepper. Set that aside and then using the pizza crust of your choice, brush the top with a little olive oil and top with a combination of parmesan, romano, and mozzarella cheese, some roasted red peppers, and prosciutto. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes (until the crust is cooked through and crispy on the bottom) and then remove from the oven and top with the arugula. Serve immediately.

3. Green Juice or Smoothies

I recently wrote about some juice recipes that I love. Often these recipes call for spinach or kale but I've found that subbing in arugula for some of the greens can be a great change and add a little spice to the juice.

4. Pesto

If you're craving a pesto sauce but are short on or out of basil, arugula is a great substitute. It has a different flavor from traditional basil but still keeps the peppery profile. My favorite pesto recipe is from Cooking Light and it works well with arugula as well as basil.

5. On Sandwiches

Of course, I couldn't leave this one out. I don't eat that many sandwiches but when I do I want one that has lots of flavor and ingredients that work together. As I said above, arugula can be a great addition because it adds a different flavor profile and on top of the freshness that any lettuce can add it also adds a touch of spice. One of my favorite combos is arugula, ham, and brie on a baguette with a little honey mustard. It's also great on a classic roast beef sandwich.

What is your favorite leafy green?

The stories behind what we eat (and drink)

Connecting to your food source is a hot topic these days. Local food advocates, foodies, and environmentalists all promote getting to know where your ingredients come from and how they are produced and they all have lots of reasons for why. I agree that having a connection with your food is important but I have an additional reason of my own - because it makes for great stories. Stories that you can share with your family and friends. Stories that turn an ordinary dinner into an memorable meal. Stories that help others understand and get to know you, what's important to you, what you care about, and what makes you happy. 

I had this realization when I was first dating my husband, Andrew. I am interested in wine and had taken many tasting classes and trips around the country to explore different vineyards and taste different wines. One of those trips (taken before I met Andrew) was with a group of friends to Napa and Sonoma, California. I came home from that trip with quite a few bottles of wine and shortly after Andrew and I met, I cooked dinner for him one night and opened one of the bottles of wine. And the stories poured out of me. I told him all about my friends, and what we had done, the winemakers we had met, and the vineyards themselves. I felt completely connected with that bottle of wine and I conveyed huge amounts of information about myself through that conversation. 

Later, after we were married, Andrew and I started a dinner club with one of the couples from that trip. We had dinner with them and another couple once a month and often dinner included a bottle of wine (or two or three) from one of the vineyards that we had visited together. Again, we had a great time reliving the trips we had taken and where we had been. We all felt like we were part of that wine because we had been to where the grapes were grown, where it was bottled, and where it was sold. 

The same experience and connection is true with food. Food doesn't always last as long as a bottle of wine so sometimes these immediate connections are short-lived but there are still the stories... like my daughter telling her Dad at dinner that she picked out the yellow tomatoes at the farmer's market or that she hand picked the strawberry on his lunch plate and carried all the way home from the farm just for him... like presenting family with a Christmas gift of rose hip jelly made from rose hips we had picked during our summer beach vacation... like the yearly trips to pick blueberries that are then frozen but bring up memories of that day every time we open a bag to add them to cereal or pancakes.

For those of us for whom food is much more than just fuel, it can be a powerful insight into our lives. Taking the time to go to the source of our food gives us a fun outing for a day and can increase our enjoyment of a meal but it can also leave us with memories and stories that last a lifetime. 

In case you're wondering here are a few of my current favorite vineyards: 

• Ledson Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma, California
• Three Fox Vineyards in Delaplane, Virginia
• Chrysalis Vineyard in Delaplane, Virginia (where I worked as a volunteer)
• Sakonnet Vineyards - Little Compton, RI
• Sharpe Hill Vineyard, Pomfret, CT

What food memories or stories do you have?