24 Comments
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J Moore's avatar

I make my own herbes de Provence but if you don't have herbs in your garden to dry you can find it ready made in the spice section of many supermarkets. I use it all the time when I am cooking.

Marie Boyd's avatar

This is great! I love how so many of these include a place outside. Our summer food tradition is eating outside.

Maggie Hoffman's avatar

food tastes so much better outdoors!

Ariel's avatar

Wow truly so many good things in here. I want to eat them all (minus mayo obvi!)

Pamela Pérez | The Long Table's avatar

Love those tomato bread! perfect for the chilean ‘once’ (the meal that replaced dinner)

Leah K's avatar

Tomato sandwiches with mayo mixed with finely shredded white cheddar and fresh ground pepper. Toast the bread, smear the mayo cheese add tomato slices, salt. đŸ¤Œ

Rebecca Blackwell's avatar

One of our all time favorite things to make during peak tomato season is open face sandwiches with sourdough bread, mayo, and thick slices of sharp cheddar and tomatoes. I've never thought to mix the cheese into the mayo! I love my thick slice of sharp cheddar... but might add some extra shredded cheese to the mayo!

Maggie Hoffman's avatar

I gotta find myself a REALLY good tomato.

Riley Stevenson's avatar

I need this coffee rubbed whole fish recipe.

Jennie Brandon's avatar

My husband makes the best flatbreads with just half yoghurt, be half flour. They're particularly good with pate or a melty cheese like camembert. We cc still do them over the grill but at our old house he made a special flat bread grill out of an old propane canister. The combined smells of baking bread, honeysuckle and sun screen on the earth bodies of little kids is the smell of summer to me. We also always make pretzels and lemonade over the school summer break at some point, usually with half lemon and half Clementines which is wonderful.

Maggie Hoffman's avatar

I love this!!

Caitlin's avatar

I love this list, have you done similar compositions for the other seasons?

Maggie Hoffman's avatar

Not yet but I’m so excited to!!! The whole Good Advice series has been so fun so far.

Clare Langan's avatar

#6 is iconic

Erin Henderson's avatar

I love, love, love these personal stories! Even more than the recipes themselves (though I think pork souvlaki is in my grilling future.)

Catherine Smart's avatar

I cannot wait to grill wings!

Hillary Dixler Canavan's avatar

Wow this list is so full of sunshine I LOVE IT!!!

Georgia Freedman's avatar

This reminded me that we did a dinner of corn on the cob and strawberry shortcakes a couple years ago—I need to make that an annual thing!

Lucy Williams's avatar

A cheese and tomato sandwich is just so good.

Sarah Copeland's avatar

What a fun topic, I love this Maggie!

Maggie Hoffman's avatar

It makes me feel a little summer magic!

Katie Stearns's avatar

What a gorgeous compilation, Maggie. I loved reading everyone's little story; you can feel how special each tradition is to each of them. As a Midwesterner, I deeply understand fresh corn (preferably from my grandpa's crop!) and butter, and as an adopted Andalusian, I can confirm that it doesn't feel like summer until there's salmorejo at the table. I also feel smitten by the idea of rosé and tomato tarts, and those butterflied sardinse with chermoula. The only thing missing from this list is YOUR summer traditions!!

Maggie Hoffman's avatar

that's why I'm here asking for advice!!! But I do feel strongly about s'mores—I used to work a summer camp where the tradition was that you made them as a gift, to take care of each other. And yeah, summer is not summer without something FULL of blackberries. But nothing compares to the ones we used to pick at the edge of the neighborhood (now mostly gone and replaced with houses...)

Katie Stearns's avatar

I don’t know how I missed this comment!! Such beautiful ideas. I love the memory of picking blackberries đŸ’›âœ¨