When does Summer end? Is it Labor Day? Is it when the school year begins? Is it the Autumn Equinox or the first frost? Is it when Starbucks starts serving their Pumpkin Spice Latte (today!)? Regardless, those Summer days are fading fast, along with their ephemeral sense of ease and exploration.
Don’t let that feeling go before you’re ready! Make the most of Labor Day Weekend. Schedule a weekend picnic. Pick up your favorite hobby from childhood. Soak up the sunshine. Sit on the beach or by the pool as long as the weather is willing. And when it’s not, pick up some of that gorgeous late summer produce that we have in New York well into October, and a frozen treat to nibble while you recall the sunny days. Capture the relaxed feeling to carry you through the days ahead.
Below you’ll find an Easy, Breezy, Lemon-Peasy Salad recipe (made with a bag of frozen peas) that’s perfectly casual for a day at the beach or sweating through a heat wave, along with variations that make for satisfying desk lunches and quick dinners. Scroll down to the Table Setting section for links to a few favorite cookbooks for perfectly easy and inspired salads, sandwiches, and simple to prepare meals for hot and lazy summer days now, and harried days to come.
If you’re feeling the post-vacation dip (or haven’t been able to take the vacation you’ve been dreaming of), you’ll find a collection of my favorite cookbooks that evoke the sense of place and vibe of some of the most beautiful coastal, city, and international vacation destinations.
If you’re in NYC, there are so many ways to capture the feeling of travel within the Five Boroughs. As a city of immigrants, we have a proud history of cultural heritage expressed through our neighborhoods, cultural institutions, and eateries. It’s as easy as hopping on the subway to visit the Queens Night Market, The Met Cloisters, Jackson Avenue, Brighton Beach… or really any of the hundreds of neighborhoods and destinations throughout the 5 boroughs to experience another heritage, flavor, or perspective. That sense of cultural heritage, and snapshots of the changing flavors of Summertime in the City are captured in the cookbook recommendations with recipes from notable NYC eateries and authors from the last few decades, including some of my personal favorites like sandwiches from the chefs of Saltie and No. 7, and frozen treats from La Newyorkina and Van Leeuwen. Take this as an invitation to explore the less-frequented areas of your community. You may find the same sense of wonder and ease by opening your eyes with curiosity close to home that you would on vacation.
And if you need to stay productive in NYC, whether you’re exploring the city, escaping the weather, or need a reliable remote-work alternative, save the map of some of my favorite Alternative Public Work Locations that go beyond the basic coffice in the Table Setting section below.
Enjoy the rest of your Summer!
(If you missed the first part of this story, here’s a link to Part 1.)
What captures the feeling of your ideal Summer?
Is it a temperature? A pace?
A flavor? A place?
Over the last few years, this has become my white tee and cutoffs of summer recipes. It’s the breezy little uniform I turn to when it’s almost unbearably hot, or I’m planning for a picnic or beach day. It’s a bright, fresh salad with classic flavors, laid-back preparation, and multi-faceted potential. Just as you might change out your cutoffs for chic trousers to take your tee to the office, switch out the potato chips for some grains and greens to make a great desk lunch. Or mash leftover peas into a spread for toast. With classic flavors and a simple preparation like this, the options are endless — customize to make it your own, or try some of my favorite variations below.
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