It’s my first day back from vacation and though I’m bleary eyed and jet lagged, I mustered up a bit of energy for my morning jog. The rhythm of my footsteps naturally lulled me into thoughts of the food I created and enjoyed with my family while away.
For the brief thirty minutes of my run, I am cliff side eating baby clams with garlic and herbs at sunset; I am drinking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice that my children lovingly created; I am chopping garlic, olives and herbs with my father for a hearty pasta dish; I am slicing potatoes, onions and carrots with Celia for a hearty “Sopa Portuguese”; I am picking heirloom tomatoes, sweet strawberries and leafy greens from the farmer’s crates in the town square; I am sharing a rich coconut filled pastry with my mother at our morning breakfast ritual; and I am enjoying a dinner of fresh grilled pork and sausages that my husband and son painstakingly grilled over a finicky wood burning grill.
I may be home now, but these moments remembered make me eager to shop at my local farm stands, clip my garden vegetables and cook here in New Jersey with my family and friends.