Category Archives: Recipes

When Laicie asked me to whip up something to post during her European travels, I knew immediately I needed to make a riff on a tasty baked treat. When I think Laicie, I think baking. In fact, the first time we met each other, we were doing what we both love to do best: eating local food outside. And during our most recent gathering at Field and Foundry, she brought lemon hand pies while her husband Mark taught us how to make sourdough bread. She’s basically the best person to know. Everyone needs a Laicie.

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Hey gang! It’s Chelsea from Lovely Indeed, and I’m so happy to be popping by while Laicie is having her great adventure.

My brother-in-law has this most beautiful fig tree in his backyard, and the last time I visited there were some late summer figs just begging to be made into something. They were there on the low branches, staring me in the face, daring me to fix up something delicious. My pregnant self is just craving all of that soft cheese that you’re not supposed to eat, but I found this magical pasteurized goat cheese and it seemed like just the thing to pair with those figs. These little crostini are so perfect for a simple end-of-summer celebration; I can just imagine munching away on them, catching up in the backyard with friends, and reminiscing about all of the beautiful things this summer brought.

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Considering the little rosemary rampage we’ve been on lately, you’d think we just discovered the stuff. And in some ways, I guess we did.

Poor rosemary usually gets a bad wrap in my house. Not because it’s not incredible (it so is) but because it’s an herb that no matter how hard I try, I can’t help but associate with Thanksgiving turkey. Rosemary and sage (thyme usually escapes by the skin of its teeth) conjure up images of cozy nights by the fire with full bellies and warm hearts, with Santa just around the bend… all of which, of course, I look forward to all year. But not nearly as much as I look forward to summer.

Needless to say, in the middle of August, when the thought of the oncoming winter makes me want to pull a Thelma & Louise and hurl myself off a cliff, I just can’t bring myself to look that pretty little sprig in the face. Until now.

A few weeks ago, with a big pile of blueberries and an even bigger pile of blackberries in hand, somehow Mark and I found ourselves throwing those gorgeous green leaves into a sweet summer pie, and the result was one of our favorites we’ve come up with so far.

It was all downhill from there, of course: rosemary bread, black & blue rosemary pie, and now this delicious rosemary peppercorn simple syrup. But I promise if you try this stuff the next time you go to mix up a drink, you won’t mind at all.

Even more importantly, it won’t make you think of anything but the gorgeous summer sun.

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Food can be a lot of things. A memory, a philosophy, a sweater when you’re out in the cold. A meal can be eloquent when there are no words, which is good because for the past week, I’ve found I have few.

We came back early last Sunday, crawling into bed in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted but still buzzing from the amazing weekend we’d had.

About three hours later, Mark went off to work like he always does, and about three hours after that, he called to ask me to come pick him up.

The company had been having a worse year than expected. We knew this, but we’d also been reassured, time and again, that we shouldn’t worry. Any changes that were made wouldn’t affect us. Until they did.

Mark was the last in and, true to the phrase, the first out. We didn’t see it coming at all.

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Some flavors just shouldn’t go together. Chocolate and olives, strawberries and tomatoes, oysters and kiwi — but they do. I mean not that this dish is exactly salmon and licorice (I don’t know about that one…) but it is pretty weird.

So weird that after tasting a similar dish in Raleigh last summer, Mark and I couldn’t stop thinking about the combination.

Sure, watermelon makes sense… it’s summer, they’re everywhere and they’re insane. Give me an excuse to eat a watermelon and I’ll snack all day. Plus avocado? Sure — two vaguely tropical warm weather fruits. Bring ’em on.

But bacon on warm weather fruit? Peaches, maybe… avocado, ya… but watermelon?

I mean I know it goes on everything… but that even sounds weird to me. And goat cheese and basil are great together… but what do they have to do with all of that other stuff in the mix?

So when this dish came to the table on a particularly gorgeous, warm summer night, I wanted nothing more than to find out.

One bite and we both knew we had to go home and try to recreate the crazy goodness that was this delicious weirdo of a salad.

Of course, this particular meal was combined with such good people and such good fun that it’s hard to come anywhere close to the whole of that amazing experience… but these flavors sure do remind me why I can’t wait to go back.

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Recipes are one of the best family heirlooms we have, and this particular recipe is one of mine.

When I asked my mother to send me the ingredients for her strawberry shortcake, which I’ve always loved and wanted to adapt into something beautiful for the 4th of July, she took a picture of a cookbook that was given to her at her wedding over 40 years ago. The pages were torn and stained, the words faded… the book barely holding together after so many years.

The picture wasn’t meant to point to the crumbling book, it was just the easiest way to send the recipe, but as soon as I saw it, I couldn’t help but think of all the well-loved recipes held within.

A good cookbook can stay with a family through the generations, and that has certainly been the case with this one. When I moved out of the house into my own, my mom sent me with my own copy to cook from for years to come… and I’ll admit that I still pull it out almost every Saturday for breakfast.

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I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

When I was young we used to freeze all sorts of things – bananas, grapes, cookies, anything cold to keep the summer heat away.

Looking back I realize how pathetic that was – I long for Oregon’s gorgeous summers on these hot sticky east coast days – but really, that’s just the fun of the season. No matter where you are, summer just wouldn’t be summer without a few frozen goods. And these particular frozen goods include the benefits of almond milk, so I’m just going to go ahead and call this a totally healthy treat. A totally healthy treat that takes me right back to those frozen banana days (just without all that rock-hard action you sometimes get with frozen bananas).

And an extra bonus? If you make your own hazelnut spread these popsicles are totally gluten free, vegan, and just barely over 100 calories apiece.

I partnered with #SilkAlmondBlends and #CollectiveBias on this post partly because even though I can’t stay away from the custard stand, I probably should. In the past couple of years, I’ve developed a sensitivity to dairy that’s tolerable, but not exactly a bundle of fun, so I’ve been trying more and more to find treats that use an alternative to milk.

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