Summer Series Part 2: Flavors of Summer

Last week I tried to recapture the details of my solo trip to the beach and a snapshot of how my summer vacation began.  

While I definitely enjoyed the traveling I managed to do this summer (making up for last summer I suppose), what fun is traveling if you aren't celebrating the unique food to be found along the way.  Watermelon, ice cream, and grilled meat are just a few of the foods quintessential to the enjoyment of summer.  So, for part two of my summer series, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of the food experiences I had this summer:

Weekend Coffee Share | Breaking Bread and Poetry

 

With March at an end, I've also seen the end of my Slice of Life Story Challenge writing.  Writing a blog entry every day for 31 days was quite the feat, and I'm happy to report that I was successful in it.  I'd say it's the project that helped me find a purpose in blogging again and, after all, it's how I came to find this lovely community for sharing my week over coffee.  Although, if I'm being honest, at the moment it's a little late for coffee.

I thought in April I'd shift my focus back to novel writing, but the past few days I've found myself diving into poetry over at #verselove on Ethical ELA.  It's hard not to when April is National Poetry Month.  It's been a joy to dabble and experiment with low stakes writing.  I've always been a fan of poetry, but I have to make sure that it doesn't completely overshadow my noveling.  I've got a project to finish after all, luckily I have an excellent writing group continuing to cheer me on and I know they'll help keep me focused on my novel commitments. 

Of course, I do have other projects ongoing and now that it's April it's time to revisit my monthly personal challenge of a new bake for every month of the year.  Earlier this year I set the goal for myself to try a new recipe: January and March were both cookies and February was probably my favorite (a rather fancy coffee-based brownie).  Last year, when quarantine began, I joined the rest of the population in learning how to bake bread.  That was my first time baking bread of any kind and it was a pretty big hit.  I thought this month would be a good time to focus on enriched doughs, another thing I've never baked before.

Specifically I made hot cross buns using a recipe from "A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo and Book Lovers Everywhere."  It's apparently a pretty popular Easter bake and so it seemed appropriate to make it this weekend.  The buns turned out to be pretty tasty.  While I don't think I'll be presenting them to Paul Hollywood any time soon, but my mom certainly approved of them and that's what counts most.

It may be late for coffee, but it's certainly still chilly enough.  Tomorrow's weather promises to be just as gorgeous as it was today and maybe even a little warmer.  I look forward to getting out and doing some exploring while the weather holds and before the infamous southern summer makes the outdoors unbearable.  I hope you'll come again for a drink next weekend and maybe then this will be a better chance for coffee.

This is part of the Weekend Coffee Share Link-Up as hosted by Natalie the Explorer.  Check out her blog and the link up and join us for a beverage of your choice.