A feast of steamed crabs, bourbon drinks, horse farms, and more in this week’s edition of Thymeline.
***
This weekend we had an impromptu crab feast!
Our friend’s birthday dinner plans needed a last minute adjustment, so we regrouped and turned the afternoon into a fabulous get-together out on his back porch. I love any excuse to eat outside and I’m so glad for pleasant weather. We shared a pile of grilled corn, cheeseburgers, and all sorts of chips and dips, alongside a beautiful half-bushel of large, freshly steamed, seasoned crabs. I acted as bartender and made Bourbon Smashes using fresh strawberries and early season cherries.
As much as I love fresh seafood, it’s been a long time since I’ve broken down my own crabs. That pile was a lot to work through! What a wonderful, communally social way to spend time with each other though. I feel like summer has already started. Speaking of which, I’ll need to get this Cherry Bourbon Smash up on the blog for you in time for cherry season – it was so good!
***
Speaking of seasonal fruits, now that the farmer’s markets are opening up I’m on a mission to find my favorite in the area (There are at least five!). Still feeling new to Wilmington, it’s taking some time for me to get my bearings. Rather than the market in Carousel Park, on Friday my GPS took me to a beautiful set of stables where they keep over 200 heads of horses instead. Threw me a bit off schedule for the day, but well worth the random discovery. I took a few pictures with this statue before I found out I totally could have gone and seen some real horses. Next time.
***
Now, on to the links!
- A fun look into the recipe process of Molly Yeh with her post on Carrot Cake and Hawaij and Salted Caramel Tahini Frosting.
- Lavender Peach Wine Slushies with a syrupy blood orange reduction sound like a decadent summer treat.
- Loving the simple look of these Coffee Cake Cupcakes.
- These Indonesian Fried Noodles look so much better than take-out. Have I mentioned how much I love noodles here yet?
- What do you think about this new trend of traveling “pop-up” bars? Personally, I’d love the chance to experience some of these bartenders’ work first hand, so I hope these become more popular (As a side note, the featured Dead Rabbit is a fantastic little bar and restaurant in NYC, if you get the chance to visit).
- As someone who nearly exclusively listens to true crime podcasts and watches way too many documentaries, I found this article – When Your Child Is a Psychopath – fascinating.
- Some liquor you have to keep all to yourself.
- I really appreciate these icing piping tips from Sally’s Baking Addiction – pretty cupcakes are not my strong suit.
- I look forward to watching this documentary about James Beard
This week, I’ll be continuing the Caribbean Fete Feastory I started last week with a recipe for Rendezvous Rum Punch. Expect a few more recipes, tips, and tricks over the next two weeks. Cheers!
