Summer Nights

It was my official last weekend spent in the Hamptons and it seemed only right to end on a high note with long beach days, fresh food, local wine and of course prokadima contests. We spent Friday night cooking in. It's always a gastronomic affair with our group. The grocery shopping on the way in only started the process... Waldbaum's for the essentials, The Seafood Shop for the fish, and a final stop at our local wine store for bottles of their best. Once the wine was corked, culinary cheer filled the room. I had the honor of sharing the chef's hat this summer with my friend's boyfriend, Ben. He pulled out his own set of knives and I knew it was on. Simplicity, healthsome, tastefulness. We had the same mindset. It was gonna be gooooood. Fish tacos with Ben's spicy cole slaw and avacado. His tuna ceviche; my summer salad. Fresh, tasty goodness. We used talapia for the fish. Simply pan seared with olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. I used a fork to pull into perfect pieces. I am still trying to convince Ben to share his slaw and ceviche recipes with us. Hopefully this will be soon to come! There is nothing better than old fashioned S'mores for dessert. We weren't camping out on the beach like our previous weekend at a friend's Lobster Bake, so we had to settle with the good ole' gas stove. (I have to say it was a step up from our only other option...the microwave.) This was the treat of the weekend...every late night snack, as well as the final morning's breakfast. An absolute hit.

The summer in the Hamptons will be one not to forget. Jitney rides, beach days, cooking out, eating in, Surf Lodge, watching sunsets, Pierre's, Physique 57, Yama-Q, Della Femina, 3 dogs too many, bike rides, Turtle Crossing, summer playlists, Talkhouse....now looking forward to being back in the city for the start of fall in September: "The hottest party month in the city" -Chris Sweet.