In June

June, my favorite month, is upon us already. If you know me well, you know I live for summer and its long days filled with sunlight and warmth. 

I captured the scene above yesterday afternoon from my office, hundreds of feet above the sweltering streets of the CBD. The towering cumulonimbus, the brightness of the still afternoon, and the sound of thunder in the distance are some of my favorite things about the season.

This month marks a literal transition to the days of summer, but it's the subtler changes that June brings that I truly love.

Soon, June will bring perfectly ripened nectarines, tomatoes, cherries, and other bountiful summertime produce. My mouth waters just thinking about the dishes I'll create in the kitchen thanks to the abundance of the season.

My outdoor runs will move to the early mornings or late evenings, and I'll take advantage of the shade that each single oak leaf provides along my routes.

I'm also hoping for a trip or two to the beach to cool off as it begins to get really, really hot in New Orleans. A change of scenery is always welcome this time of year as the city seems to slow down to a slower-than-molasses pace. 

And each evening, I hope, Pearl and I will sit in the chair by the window and listen to the thunder and rain outside as an evening summertime storm makes its way through Mid-City. Afterward, we'll take a walk around the block in the thick, humid air under the overcast skies that storms tend to bring.

Lemony goodness

Last month, our book club read Yellow Jack, which we presumed was about yellow fever in mid-19th century New Orleans. How wrong were we, gals? Rather, the book was a steamy tale of lust, murder, opium, daguerrotypes, race, and society in old New Orleans. Sure, there may have been a speckling of yellow fever here and there, but it was less than expected.

My friend Anne suggested we all do an art project to bring to our book club meeting, because why not, and I decided to stick with the type of art project I know best: culinary arts.

(Doesn't that sound serious? Culinary arts? More like I know how to operate my oven and can follow directions.)

When I think of yellow food, I think of lemon, of course. I wanted to make something we could all enjoy for dessert that would be refreshing, light, and OMG delicious at the same time. These cookies, adapted from one of the easiest and most delicious sugar cookie recipes I know, were a hit. The best part? This is a light recipe but doesn't taste like one.

To top the cookies, I decided to whip up a quick lemon cream cheese icing, which was the perfect accompaniment to the cloves in the cookies. You can eat these without frosting if you're doing penance or if you have incredible restraint when it comes to sweets.

Light Lemon Clove Sugar Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Revised Edition 2006
Makes 2 dozen cookies

For the cookies:

• ¾ c all-purpose flour
• ½ c cake flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• Fine zest of ½ medium to large lemon (I used a microplane for this), around 2 tsp
• ⅛ tsp cloves

1. Adjust oven rack to middle and preheat to 375 degrees.
2. Combine AP flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk or sift to mix thoroughly. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, and cloves until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and slowly mix until combined.
5. Drop batter, 1 tbsp at a time, onto cookie sheet lined with parchment. Place balls about 2½ inches apart. Cookies will spread a bit in the oven.
6. Bake 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until edges are light golden brown. Do not overbake. Let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then place on rack to cool.

For the frosting (totally winged this, so these are my estimates):

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 4 tbsp neufchatel (1/3 less fat cream cheese), softened
• Pinch salt
• Powdered sugar (maybe around 1 to 2 cups?)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp lemon extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

1. Combine butter, cream cheese, a pinch of salt, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract in a bowl and mix to combine. 
2. Add milk and/or powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. (I wanted a thicker, spreadable frosting that would set well.)
3. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly.
4. Frost the cookies and test a few to make sure they're good. 
5. Try not to eat the remainder of the batch.

Hello again

Since I took a break from writing in this space a couple months ago, I’ve thought a lot about what I want this journal to be. I’ve also thought a couple times about taking it offline for good. Why write, I thought, when millions of others are doing the same (and doing it better)? What makes my blog worthwhile for me and my readers? What do I get out of it?

Turns out, the answer to that last question is simple: a lot. In the months that have passed since I last wrote, I realized how much I need this creative outlet. This medium is also invaluable for sharing pieces of my life with friends and family who are far away.

So, friends, my little space lives on in a newish form that will be less draining for me, I hope, than posting only my writing. I’m going to post what I want, whenever I want. I’m also going to borrow a piece of my own advice and write only when I truly have something to say. I don’t care about being in a niche, and I don’t care about what ultimately comes of this blog. All I care is that I enjoy myself in the process of creating and sharing.

Earlier today, I came across a post that summed up everything I’ve felt over the past few months, as well as how I feel about my blog moving forward. These parts of Caiti’s Personal Blogging Oath resonated with me:

I declare to blog only when I feel inspired, and never because I feel I have to.
I will not apologize for my absence between posts.
I promise to write from the heart, even more so than I have in the past.  
I will feel no guilt in unsubscribing or clicking away from blogs that make me feel less than or that seem to be selling to me constantly.
I will remember I am a person and not a brand, with varied thoughts and interests that may not fit inside a specific niche.
I will blog about life—and never live life just to blog about it.  

As noted above, I won’t apologize for my absence between posts, but I will thank you for coming back despite a long hiatus. I hope you enjoy what’s to come as much as I’ll enjoy sharing it with you.