a homemade summer

Last week, as I browsed the shelves at my local library in desperate need of a light summer read, Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life fell into my lap. And oh, what a blessing it was. You might be familiar with Molly's blog, that charming spot of the internet with the loveliest of photographs and the tastiest of lemon yogurt cakes. Her book (regrettably lacking in photographs, though making up for it with illustrations) ventures into all the struggles and triumphs of adolescence in the Great Plains, love in Paris, and the most adorable engagement I have had the pleasure to read about, and still always comes back to the kitchen. Happily for us readers, Molly shares the recipes connected to her stories, and what wonderful recipes they are.

This is my kind of cookbook. Food is always more than just food, and when people share recipes for berry pound cake or slow roasted tomatoes or potato salad, they always share more than just recipes. I have been doing a lot of cooking this summer. And not just because I like to eat food (which I do). Because I like sitting around a table with people I love and seeing them smile. Because fresh garlic and roasted onions and blueberry muffins make me feel so tangibly, so terribly, so beautifully human. Thanks Molly, for saying it all and for sharing.