Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes

Technically, it’s not summer yet. But after a sweltering Memorial Day weekend spent by the lake and water that’s already warm enough to swim in, I’ve officially shifted into summer mode. Summers in Northern Michigan are fleeting. One month you’re wiggling your toes in the sand as you bask in bright sunlight and the next you find yourself regretting that you didn’t fill your summer with enough of that sort of thing. So I’ve been working on a plan that maximizes beach time and minimizes kitchen time, without sacrificing anything in yumminess.

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Preserves-Filled Turnovers

I like baking.  I like the soft, dusty whiteness of flour and the creamy solidity of chilled butter.  I love the way these two basic building blocks combine to create something as sophisticated as pastry.  Pastry is a thing of wonder — it’s somehow sturdy enough to be rolled and cut and filled and folded, yet light and flaky and crumblingly delicious once baked.

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Sour Cherry Preserves Tart

Ordinarily I would not insist that you drop whatever you’re doing and start baking now, but ordinarily I don’t run across tarts as easy to make and as amazingly delicious as this one.  I discovered the recipe two weeks ago via The Splendid Table and began measuring out ingredients almost immediately.  Since then, I’ve made three tarts and six mini tarts.  It’s that good.

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Super Bowl Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I don’t know very much about football. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a running back and a wide receiver, nor do I have any idea what makes special teams so special. On the rare occasions that I actually sit down to watch a game, I tend to root for whichever team has better outfits (which I’m told are more commonly referred to as “uniforms”). So I’m not exactly the girl you want advising you on who to start in your fantasy football games each weekend. What I do know, having lived most of my life in the southeast, is pulled pork.

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