July has its moment

  When my kids were young we read Tasha Tudor's book A Time to Keep until the pages were totally worn. There was something so soothing about the old fashioned illustrations and the month by month activities that brought a year full circle. We always wanted to get to our favorite month July for the fireworks, picnics, and long days. This July, we're staying close to home and so we have a renewed interest in what's going on in our own backyard. On the 4th, we walked into our hometown and saw amazing fireworks-it was so great not to be stuck in beach traffic! The next day we walked around Philadelphia and had a civilized breakfast-no crowds-outside at one of our favorite spots. Getting away for holidays is nice but who says it has to be far? Sometimes the best things are right in your own backyard.

Walking around the city I'm always intrigued by the lovely planters and window boxes that seem to be at their best during July. Not to mention the help their getting from the tropical weather that we've been experiencing on the east coast.

The Metropolitan Cafe www.metropolitanbakery.com Rittenhouse Square

 

The Metropolitan's coffee is so good. We had a millet muffin, bagel, and pecan pastry and had no trouble cleaning our plates.

This vertical garden graces the wall at Metropolitan Cafe.

Walking around Rittenhouse Square Park we noticed flags here and there from the 4th celebrations, but this one stood out.

July is a wonderful combination of patriotism and nature.

More beautiful flower boxes...I'm definitely taking notes.

Local farmers gather in the Square www.farmtocity.org/FarmersMarkets.asp to sell everything from fresh cut flowers, beeswax candles, homemade ice pops (the lime and mint and pineapple and basil were declicious!) and fresh produce. Oh and I can't forget to mention the most delicious confectioners from John and Kira's Chocolate.

All stripes on deck

Now that summer is here I have more time to catch up on the NY Times fashion section and see what's what for the upcoming trends. For the past few seasons - or actually years, stripes have been everywhere. At one point it was hard for me to find an article of clothing without some sort of a stripe in the pattern. As I looked at some of the resort shows it was apparent that sailor looks are going to be really big and like the stripe-everywhere in the upcoming collections. I had a quick flashback to Downton Abbey when the Edwardian clothes began to soften and sailor collars and wider collars in general became popular. There is something so chic about a well done sailor collar that incorporates a youthful vibe without the cutesy uniform idea. It's always interesting to me to see how these trends emerge and how they will speak to the mainstream of fashion. I suppose if sailor is in then we will probably see lots of great pea coats too.

A little cake with those strawberries?

My daughter found this Strawberry Summer Cake recipe on a blog she likes called Smitten Kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/. This above picture was taken after we made it a second time
(first time for my birthday) to bring to a friend's dinner party.  This recipe is really easy and if you want to taste primarily fruit not cake- this is perfect. We used organic strawberries from Whole Foods- it's better to pay the extra money for organic strawberries- better for you and the environment. 

This is before the powdered sugar was added. The slightly sweet whipped cream was a nice touch and added a bit of elegance to the presentation.