One of my favorite summertime traditions is blueberry picking at the berry farm down the road. I’m instantly transported to the pages of Blueberries for Sal with each kerplunk, kerplunk! as the berries hit the bottom of our tin buckets. We picked loads of blueberries on a hot day last week and came home to hide in the shade and bake up some tasty treats with our bounty! I was craving a blueberry muffin and decided to experiment with a cake-style breakfast treat. The base of the cake is an adaption of our family’s favorite chocolate chip cake from my cookbook, New England Invite. The chocolate chips got swapped for fresh blueberries, and with a few other tweaks we had a delicious blueberry breakfast cake. Get the recipe below!
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I am feeling so grateful that we’ve been able to have some small summer gatherings lately. There’s nothing I love more than a night full of friends, family, and a good excuse to make a festive grazing board! My friends at Christmas Tree Shops and That! asked me to share some of my best tips for crafting a wow-worthy summer charcuterie board and I had lots of fun putting this one together with all of the special pieces I found in their stores!
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Is there anything better than clean sheets and a freshly made bed? My friends at Serena and Lily asked me to share some of my favorite bedding pieces from their collection, they’ve been my favorite bedding resource for years! When we first finished our master bedroom I gave our bedding a big overhaul (see the original post here!) and I am continually impressed with the quality and design of their sheets, duvets and other bedding accessories. 
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My garden is currently bursting with fresh herbs and veggies and I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate them into everything I cook! I had a craving for homemade potato gnocchi, and they seemed like a perfect vehicle for using up those bold savory herbs. The process of making them might sound intimidating but it’s actually quite easy! You cook and rice the potatoes, and then gently fold them together into a dough with some egg yolks and flour. I added the fresh herbs in at this stage to give them a really fresh, seasonal flavor. Then you roll and cut them into bite sized bits of pillowy potato goodness. After they cooked, I tossed them with a mixture of fresh veggies – zucchini and peas from my garden — and crumbled Italian sausage with lots of parmesan! Get the instructions below: 
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I love using Pastene products because, well, they’re delicious, and I’m always finding ways to repurpose their recyclable and reusable glass jars, like in this recent DIY project! We eat dinner out in our garden most nights in the summer, and with some small gatherings coming back on our social calendar, it’s nice to have a grab-and-go set of entertaining items that I can tote outside for easy access. I made this DIY outdoor entertaining tray with recycled glass Pastene jars in various sizes, decorate them with festive blue and white patterned tissue paper and napkins, and then filled the jars up with essentials like utensils, toothpicks, and other festive serveware. Get the step by step details below:
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This is going to be my official easy weeknight dinner of the summer, and I can’t wait for my tomato plants to start bursting with little red fruits so I can make it with garden-fresh ingredients! I made a big batch of crispy chicken cutlets and topped with a sautéed medley of fresh tomatoes, white beans, garlic and herbs. Don’t forget to serve it with some crusty bread on the side to soak up the garlicky tomato juices, the best part! Get the full recipe below: 
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I’m giving my garden table a little facelift with the help of Serena and Lily and their gorgeous outdoor entertaining pieces! Their rattan wrapped serveware, patterned linens and paper goods, and bold wooden bowls and boards are some of my go-to pieces for outdoor summer entertaining. I’m rounding up some of my timeless, versatile favorites below: 
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It’s a BIG DAY — I’m spilling the beans on a fun secret project I’ve been working on! Today I’m launching a collection of pillows, fabric and art that I designed in collaboration with Bunglo, as one of the first guest designers on their new artisan platform. The pieces were all developed out of my hand-painted, watercolor sketches and reflect my colorful, coastal style. I’m really proud of the designs, and of the company Bunglo that produces them — their products are made in the USA, and the brand is committed to using their platform to promote up and coming artisans and designers. I hope you’ll take a minute to scroll through some of my favorite pieces from the collection, and visit Bunglo to shop these special pieces! 
I’m pleased as punch to be included in the current issue of EatingWell magazine, where I shared some tips and pointers alongside the tastiest recipe series their editorial team created that celebrates the summer table. The recipes are all perfectly suited for intimate warm-weather gatherings as we start to come out of our year of entertaining hibernation. I’m recreating some of the recipes over on my Instagram page this week and have a few sneak peeks of my favorites below!
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So many of my favorite summer ingredients rely on pollination by honeybees. In fact, I designed my whole veggie garden this summer with attracting more bees in mind! My friends at The National Honey Board and Allrecipes Magazine challenged me to create a seasonal dish that highlights these pollinator-friendly ingredients and I tossed together this fresh salad of tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, oranges, chives, and of course a honey-base vinaigrette. I think the bees would approve! Learn more at honey.com, check out the current issue of Allrecipes Magazine with my feature, and get the simple recipe below!
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