We picked strawberries from Thompson farm in Wisconsin. In June and my friend Kathy and I had one of our all day jam sessions (not the musical kind). We used a little rhubarb from my garden for the last batch. I missed all the other picking we usually do like blueberries, but went to the farmer's market almost every week for produce.

In July I did a cooking demo at the Green City Market again this year during peach season. I made a Peaches and Cream Crumb Cake for it and my two little girls even helped a bit in their new Chef Ware chef coats.

In August I cooked on a Silver Sea cruise that sailed from Athens to Venice, stopping at various Greeks islands and parts of Croatia. I took my buddy since 7th grade, Judy along to help out. Some of the food highlights were in the Munich airport we tried a sort of bread pudding with custard over it but it was really like cubed up pancakes doused in vanilla custard sauce with a side of applesauce. Next were the memorable Broad Beans in Tomato Sauce at Tou Soura in the Plaka, the oldest part of modern Athens. We also had a Greek Salad, which contained cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, capers and feta but no lettuce like what I was accustomed to in the US. They served us ice-cold watermelon for dessert and it was the perfect ending for the meal. In the Central Market of Athens which is their covered and open-air food market I saw whole lambs hanging along with chickens and sides of beef. There were tables covered with ice displaying all kinds of fish and shellfish and then more tables with myriad dried fruits and exotic nuts. We bought some peanuts that had a honey coating and then were covered in sesame seeds plus some huge roasted and salt-coated pumpkin type seeds. We did a tasting at nearly every bakery we passed and one of the best things was a spongy yeasty dough soaked in syrup, but sorry I didn't catch the name. For breakfast there was killer thick Greek yogurt, which I imagine there is just called...yogurt!

I gave two cooking demonstrations on the ship and had to oversee the preparation of one of my signature desserts each night. For demos I did Pavlova and then Phyllo Fettuccine Nest with Sour Cream Ice Cream and Berries.

In Itea, one of the Greek islands, Judy, and a new friend from the cruise, Ina, and I walked into a bakery and I bought a small cheese pie, similar in size to a calzone. It had a flaky crust with a salty feta cheese filling and was hot. Then we went across the street to a taverna and were seated at a table that was under a vine-covered pergola. We ordered eggplant salad, which is made with mayo and mashed roasted eggplant, a Greek Salad, which like the one in Athens had no lettuce but all the other things, tzadziki (sp) which is a cucumber, yogurt and mayo spread that like the eggplant salad you spread on bread and both were yummy. There was sautéed shrimp which came whole and in a soft shell so you eat the whole thing. We broke the heads off and just ate the tails which were sweet and delicious. There was also moussaka, which is similar to eggplant Parmesan but it has a layer of a cheese custard that makes it unique. And lastly the eggplant special which was sliced eggplant baked with onion, tomatoes, and garlic on top.

We stopped at another bakery where we bought a piece of baklava and two other similar pastries which the woman had Judy repeat the name of 6 times but we still can't remember what it was. We also had been eyeing (since Athens) these ice cream cones they sell at bakeries. They are small sugar cones with vanilla ice cream, chocolate coating and crushed pistachios. It's like a Greek version of a Nutty Buddy and really good but the ice cream is not rich like American. It is more like an ice milk.

In Corfu we went to the Olive Oil Museum where we started with a shot of Ouzo. There were antique presses and barrels, etc. We went to a very famous restaurant for lunch, Tripa. We were served a plate of feta cheese, sliced bread, a Greek salad that had grape tomatoes as well as tomato wedges, olives, onions, and carrots over a bed of shredded cabbage with an oil and vinegar dressing. There was also eggplant salad and tzatziki, moussaka, braised beef in a brown gravy and fried potatoes. For dessert there was yogurt with bergamot (a citrus fruit) and honey. Corfu has many kumquat trees so there are many products made from them. On our way back to the main town we saw a lot of old olive trees, some of which had been planted in the 1400's. We went to a small café and had Frappes, which are espresso, sugar, water and milk over ice.

In Croatia we went to Dubrovnik and then went 20 km outside the city to the Knavle Valley to the Cilipi Village. We went to the Novakovic family farm and home. The house is 400 years old. During the war of 1991 it was bombed and when they returned only the walls were standing. It has been rebuilt and they grow and raise everything there including chickens, horses, figs, tomatoes, squash, herbs, etc. It's a beautiful place. We walked in and they gave us a glass of sweet wine, similar to sherry, which they make there. Then we toured the property and went in to lunch where they served us a glass of herb wine, similar to grappa. They first served us a plate of homemade cheeses and prosciutto style ham with bread, green olives and grape tomatoes. The first cheese was a young goat cheese that had the texture of fresh mozzarella and was mild and slightly sweet, especially for a goat cheese. The second was an aged cows milk cheese with fine pinholes and the flavor was kind of mushroomie and earthy. Next they served us sautéed chicken, smashed boiled potatoes with chives, red beans that were cold and tomato slices with yellow bell peppers. For dessert they brought out bowls of grapes and fresh ripe figs. While we were eating two men came out with an accordion and a guitar and sang traditional songs as well as American, Mexican and Italian songs. It was great fun for all of us singing along.

In Venice we went to Harry's Bar, a very famous restaurant where the Bellini was invented and carpaccio (very thin sliced meat) was first served for a client on a diet. We started with a bellini each and beef carpaccio served with the traditional anchovy mayonnaise dressing and a side of mixed greens for on top. Then we split a shrimp and artichoke risotto and veal ravioli with a veal reduction sauce.

Later in August we met up for the annual summer get together with my husband's side of the family. This year it was in Kennebunkport Maine, home of the Lobster Roll. We had a delicious meal at the Red Barn Inn, a Relais Chateau property, had Maine fried shrimp and raspberry pie at Mabels' and had steamed lobster and blueberry pie (Maine blueberries, which are tiny bush berries) at Nunan's where they make a good root beer. Oh, and lobster rolls at almost every stop, the best being from Alison's. We stayed at the Colony Inn where they serve tea every afternoon at 4:00...how civilized, though we weren't by that late in the day.