Rhode Island + end of summer
Eccomi! It's been a fairly quiet month on Pancakes & Biscotti, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I had planned to cook, bake, and write during my two week summer vacation spent in Rhode Island -- my parents house has a kitchen that is much nicer than mine, after all -- but in the end the need to staccare la spina (relax, unwind, etc) won out. In short, any time I figured I'd spend blogging ended up being (more wisely spent) in Washington, D.C with my brother and sister-in-law, or with my parents in the ocean-side towns of Narragansett and Newport, or at my grandparents', or reuniting with a few friends I hadn't seen in far too long. Bottom line: I don't have any super new recipes for you to close out the month, but for the very best reasons. While blogging remains one of my very favorite activities -- and my blog one of the things I'm most proud of -- I have learned lately that it never hurts to take a step back and recharge my batteries. I find that any break from blogging actually means that after a bit of time off, I'm filled to the brim with new ideas and eager to get back to writing, photographing, and cooking, which can only ever be a good thing (coming your way: super seasonal schiacciata all'uva; an eggplant, tomato, and peach salad I picked up from one of my sister-in-law's cookbooks; a pear/chocolate dessert to still be decided on, after sampling a pear/chocolate croissant at bakery in Rockville, Maryland).
So! I'll be back in September with some new recipes -- in the meantime, as I recover from the jetlag, get settled back in to life in Rome, and enjoy the last days of my favorite season, here are a few photos of my trip home to the smallest state, including: treats from the ever-so-delicious PVdonuts, a hub of genius that churns out over-the-top, creative donuts (in this case Strawberry PopTart, Ring Ding, Caramel Latte, and Coffee Milk); an enlightening look in to the "Only in Rhode Island" shop where you'll find classic Rhode Island specialties like Del's frozen lemonade mix, coffee syrup to make our signature state beverage, coffee milk, plus salt water taffy, and former mafioso-mayor Buddy Cianci's own brand tomato sauce; a few family photos; some classic New England dishes that you'd never, ever, in a million years find in Rome; lunch at my grandparents', composed of a series of dishesexpertly prepared by my 92 year old grandmother. Last but not least, there's the requisite photo of our our sweet, wobbly-legged senior beagle, Snoopy to close out the post. Have a good rest of August, everyone -- be back soon!
