The bright side

Every day this week, I've been thinking about what I was doing exactly one year ago.  Today, for instance, after spending the previous evening at a symphony performed in the best preserved Roman theater in Europe,  I sipped un café in the backyard terrace of the former papal palace, danced on the bridge of Avignon, and found respite from the inescapable Provençal sun in a refreshing cone of lavender ice cream.  Excuse me for a moment while I indulge in a happy sigh.  That's the kind of perfect day that's just not going to be repeated here at home.

But there are a few advantages to being stateside.  Like grilling.  And, specifically, like waddling back out to the grill after a satisfying meal to use the embers to make s'mores.  S'mores are, I think, the essence of American summer in one messy bite.  But just because I'm missing my European adventures, I'll mix it up and replace the squares of Hershey's with a healthy dose of nutella.  What can I say - when I'm feeling nostalgic, I can get a little crazy in my cooking.

Here's to looking on the bright - or perhaps I should say, sweet and sticky - side of spending the summer stateside.