039. Hydrangea Girl Summer

Musings from my time in the suburbs

Hello and happy Sunday! Hope you had a great 4th of July weekend. I’ve been out at my parents’ house for a week now and it’s been a nice change of pace to slow down a bit. The hydrangeas are peaking in New England and I have been in awe driving around the neighborhood. Here’s a little flower photo dump for you:

I’m hitting my nine year anniversary of living in New York City (almost an official New Yorker) and sometimes it’s hard to realize just how much energy the city requires until you step away from it. The energy can be invigorating though, there’s nothing like it. It can fuel the most cinematic and memorable nights. Other times, it can take a toll. They always say that in NYC, your body is your vehicle. Instead of hopping in a car and driving to grab a coffee, you have to put up a conscious (or unconscious) alertness when you step out the door. Being home at my parent’s has made me appreciate the pace of nature.

As cheesy as it sounds, I’ve been reflecting a lot while tending to the cut flower garden I planted in the backyard. My flowers have doubled in size in the past month, with new blooms and colors peppering the beds every day. These flowers aren’t rushing though, they take their time soaking up the sun and resting in the evenings, blooming when they’re ready to bloom. As much as I want a full and abundant flower garden right this instant, I can’t rush the process. It’s nice to take these notes from nature and apply them to my own life.

---

That Party Platter

It’s been a while since I’ve made a large cheese plate for a party! Recently, my gatherings have been quite small and I never like to waste food just for the Instagram photo. However, when my mom tasked me to make a platter for 40 people, I was so ready to get back into it. Creating a big platter like this is very therapeutic to me. It feels like a painting, using colors from the fruit and textures from the cheese as my palette. I also added edible flowers and mint from the garden!

One thing to note, this was one of two appetizers served at the party before the big dinner. You always want to consider what other food is on the menu to assume serving size. I also bought two more boxes of crackers to refill!

SUPPLIES

Cheese: St. André, Cow’s Milk Brie, Gruyère, Unexpected Cheddar, Rosemary Asiago Cow’s Milk Cheese

Meat: Italian Dry Salami

Produce: Strawberries, Rainier Cherries, Blueberries, Fresh Apricots

Crunch: Fig and Olive Crackers, Multigrain Crackers, Spiced Mixed Nuts

Dip: Apricot Jam

Garnish: Nasturtiums, Pansies and Mint (from the garden)

PAIRINGS

• St. André + Blueberries + Fig and Olive Crackers

• Brie + Strawberries + Apricot Jam

• Gruyère + Salami + Apricot Jam

• Unexpected Cheddar + Fresh Apricots + Apricot Jam

• Rosemary Asiago + Salami + Multigrain Cracker + Spiced Nuts

---

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL

I always use my Cheese By Numbers method to build every plate. Here are some of my favorite food styling tips with photo references. Tap the images for a closer look!