Welcome to the weekend at the cottage! Here are a few things that have been happening around here lately, including some of what’s caught my eye out there on the internet. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for some reading and browsing,

Getting Away

Much as I enjoy life at the urban cottage, it’s wonderful to get away sometimes. Away from all the projects that crop up in a new home — some planned and others surprises of the not-so-pleasant kind — and the parade of tradespeople that help me get through them. Away from the shocking bills that follow. Away from the work of setting up a new business, which is exciting but energy consuming. Away from the cares of life like continuing to deal with my mother’s estate.

Going on holiday isn’t only about getting away, though. It’s also about moving toward. Toward friends that I’m rarely able to connect with in person. Toward new places and new experiences, and the revitalization that brings. Toward more time and space for reflection. Toward sitting in a weathered Adirondack chair on a dock overlooking a northern spring-fed lake and simply being there, present in the place and in the moment.

I took very few photos during my time north of Lake Huron, but these two say a lot about my holiday. What they don’t show are all the delicious meals prepared for me by my hosts, the long conversations on the deck, the raucous fun of a crokinole match after dinner, the sense of being cocooned in warm hospitality, and that moment when finally, blissfully, relaxation steals over me and my cares dissipate like ripples on the lake.

Around the Web

Here are a few things that caught my eye lately; I hope you find them interesting too.

If you’re looking for beautiful food and snappy writing, check out Brunette Baker, starting with this Chocolate Chip Layer Cake.

I’ve been thinking cold-brewed iced coffee is the way to go on those hot summer days. Friday Is Cake Night offers up this nifty pictorial tutorial (hey, that rhymes!).

For a beautiful blog about food, photography and the creative life, check out Eyes Bigger Than My Stomach by Melissa Hartfiel, one of the founders of Food Bloggers of Canada (yep, the very same group I’m a member of and talk so much about!).

The short list has been announced for the 2015 Taste Canada food writing awards. For the first time, there’s a category for food blogs. Unfortunately I didn’t have a post that met the entry requirements, but I’m hoping to enter next year. I know several of the people nominated across different categories, so it’s going to be exciting to see who wins.

Summer is always a time to do some extra reading, and why not include some cookbooks on your list? Canadian Living magazine has good things to say about the Canadian food and cookbook scene, and they just released a list of six Canadian cookbooks to try this summer. Two of these are already on my shelf, and I’ve picked up another several times but just haven’t bought it yet.

New Feature

Speaking of cookbooks, I’ve been thinking about adding a cookbook review feature to the blog. After all, the urban cottage is filled with cookbooks — in the kitchen, in my office, in the living room next to my reading chair. I read cookbooks like novels, as well as actually use them to cook, and I’d love to share my love for them with you. My plan is to include newly released and old favourites.

Is this something you’d be interested in seeing? Please leave me a comment to let me know!

Recap

Since I was on vacation last week, I only managed to publish one post (and yes, I wrote it on the deck overlooking that beautiful lake). It features a sausage and potato frittata, as well as my thoughts on the why we should focus more on hospitality than entertaining.