August 2026
Food:
August was a strong food month, filled with all the quintessential New England summer eats. From fresh seafood to seasonal favorites, we definitely made the most of it! You can read all about everything we ate during our trip to Southern Maine here.
I made the ultimate summer produce-filled chopped salad with juicy tomatoes, fresh peaches, grilled corn, and BBQ chicken. It was super easy to throw together and the perfect combination of healthy, filling, and fresh. Definitely one of those meals that tastes like summer in a bowl!
I took my dad to Peach Farm in Boston’s Chinatown for lunch one day, and we had the most delicious Chinese seafood feast. We ordered black bean clams, ginger-scallion lobster, noodles, and pea shoots—and honestly, everything was fantastic! Definitely a meal I’ll be thinking about for a while.
One night while my dad was visiting, we made dinner at home featuring grilled shrimp and skirt steak, Jimmy Nardello peppers straight off the grill, and a simple heirloom tomato salad. Nothing too complicated, just really good summer ingredients doing their thing!
We spent an afternoon in Rockport, MA, and I had to take my dad to Roy Moore for a lobster roll and some clam chowder. I love this spot—it’s super casual and no-frills, but the seafood is always incredible. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite stops whenever we’re in Rockport!
The second I knew my dad was coming to visit, I knew I had to take him to Willie’s in Beacon Hill. Willie’s is small but mighty, serving up seriously good cocktails, Asian-inspired snacks, and some incredible pizza. We ordered a little bit of everything, and it ended up being such a fun night!
We grabbed a super casual lunch and matcha at Maruichi Select in Brookline. This was my first time there, and I loved the concept! Maruichi has a huge Japanese grocery store, and across the street they have a food hall where you can grab everything from full meals to matcha. We split a cold udon and a beef bowl, and both were amazing. If you’re in the area, this is such a fun spot to check out!
Summer is really the only time of year when I actually crave some form of salad for dinner. This was a very loose take on a shrimp Louie, with shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, plenty of fresh veggies, and a creamy, herby dressing. It was super easy to throw together, filling, fresh, and delicious!
I have been obsessed with making fruit-centered salsas this summer! I’ve had both mango and peach salsa on heavy rotation, pairing them with pretty much any kind of grilled meat or fish. They’re such an easy way to make the most of summer produce, and they come out fresh and delicious every time!
I hadn’t made eggplant parmesan in a while, but when I spotted some beautiful eggplants at a local farm stand, I knew exactly what I had to make! It was the perfect excuse to bring back an old favorite and make the most of peak summer produce.
During my weekend in New Hampshire, we stopped at the sweetest little farm stand and picked up some locally grown peaches. We turned them into a delicious peach cobbler, topped with vanilla ice cream and homemade maple vanilla whipped cream. Truly the perfect late-summer dessert!
Other:
We kicked off August with a family trip to Southern Maine with my husband’s family. If you’ve been following along, you probably already know that Maine is quickly becoming one of my favorite states—and for so many reasons. From the beautiful scenery and charming coastal towns to the incredible food and everything in between, there’s just so much to love. This trip gave us the perfect opportunity to explore a few new-to-us towns in Southern Maine and experience even more of what this beautiful state has to offer.
After Maine, my dad came to visit us for a few days! We spent one of our days exploring Marblehead, wandering through the charming Old Town and making our way over to Marblehead Neck. From there, we headed up to Rockport to walk around, explore, and enjoy another beautiful coastal New England town.
I know I’m many, many years late to the party, but I finally started watching Mad Men and it is fantastic! I totally get the hype now and can’t believe it took me this long to start watching.
I wrapped up my August weekends with a trip to Stone Pond, New Hampshire, with a friend. We stayed at her parents’ beautiful 100+ year-old home and had the most wonderful weekend exploring the area, slowing down, and relaxing by the lake. It was the perfect way to soak up the last few weeks of summer and round out a month full of New England adventures.
I’ve been listening to the audiobook Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Australian author Benjamin Stevenson, and I’ve been loving it! It’s dark, funny, and the audiobook equivalent of a total page-turner. If you’re a fan of lighter mysteries or mystery podcasts, I definitely recommend giving this one a listen!
Life was a little crazy in August between trips, visitors, and work, so I was especially grateful for any slow weekends or quiet evenings at home. I got back into my needlepoint projects and tried to spend a little more time off my phone after staring at a computer screen for hours on end. It was such a nice way to slow down and unwind!
Lenny:
