Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

I still love blueberries.  It's my 3th (pronounced threeth) summer here in Michigan, and I still get excited about the fact that I can pack up my kids, drive just a little way in the car, and pick my own buckets and buckets of blueberries.  We've been twice since the blueberries got ripe enough to pick, and the kids still indulge me when I want to take artistic blueberry photos like this... On our last visit to the blueberry farm, my youngest insisted that everyone call her "Little Sal" while she dropped blueberries, kaplink, kaplank, kaplonk, into her little blue bucket.  "Little Sal" incidentally ate at least half of the blueberries she picked, but no one faulted her for that.  (Does your favorite pre-schooler know Robert McCloskey ?  If not, you really need to go to the library.) We've tried several recipes with our prized, locally picked blueberries: muffins, waffles, pancakes, smoothies, crumble, blueberry chicken, and I even see a blueb...

Since it is my job to look after our home and mother my children, every day is "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" at my house.  My daughter Sophia has always been particularly interested in the work that I do in the kitchen.  She is also very interested in this blog, which saves my sanity and makes me a better mother.  Today she decided she wanted to help me with both... My oldest daughter Emma and her Dad were having a special Daddy and daughter day out*, so that left me and the other two girls to get on with the everyday business of grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.  After the majority of the chores were done, we decided to finish off yesterday's blueberries by making our favorite fruit crisp recipe.  Sophia thought it would be fun to document the entire affair with my camera.  So here it is for your viewing and baking pleasure.  I have a feeling, I've shared this recipe before,  but here it is again fully illustrated. Apple, Berry, Peac...

Summertime in Michigan almost makes up for the suffocating, frigid, seemingly interminable winter.  Almost.  But as I have said before, I genuinely love Michigan in the summertime, and here are some more reasons why... As you can see I took my girls and some blueberry-loving, enthusiastic friends out to Freeland this morning to pick blueberries.  We came home with three buckets full, blue stained fingers, and big plans.  I see blueberry pancakes, cobblers, buckles and smoothies in our futures as well as more blissful Michigan summer days. "In summer, the song sings itself."  ~William Carlos Williams

Oh Y'all, I think this place was made just for me.  PYO blueberries and obscure used books all in the same spot??  Oh Yeah!  I'll take a giant bucket o' blueberries and that old Graham Kerr cookbook for twenty, please! Lili was an extremely active participant on today's berry picking outing in Freeland.  She grabbed bunches of blueberries (as big as her little fists could accomodate) and shoved them, stems and leaves included, into her hungry mouth.  We were in our element. Emma too And sweet Sophia And just when we thought our adventure was over... Emma stepped in that huge pile of pine sap.  It looked like the bottom of her foot was covered in hot marshmallows.  She was mortified.  I laughed almost until I cried.  Then I took a photo.  Then I helped her clean it up.  I'm a good mom like that. Summer love to you all... Meredith