The luxury of taking things for granted
+ 8 easy summer recipes and 3 fruity desserts
Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.
My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.
—> Get this and every issue and recipe directly on rebeccablackwell.com.
Are you a fellow food writer? Come see what’s happening over in Mastermind for Food Writers and in the Food Writers Business Lab!
As you read this we are (presumably) slowly sailing up the coast of Michigan. The plan is to sail about 50 nautical miles today, another 40 tomorrow, then cross Lake Michigan on Monday to spend a few days in Door County, Wisconsin.
Door County is one of our favorite places and in 2024 we spent over a month there. Our daughters came to visit us and we took them to do all our favorite things.
This time around we will only be there for three days. Steve’s parents are meeting us there and we are going to pack in as much as we can because how fun is it to show off your favorite places to people you love???
The essay below was originally published in 2024, right after our daughters had come to visit us in Door County and we were also preparing to leave. It still expresses something that places like Door County bring up in me… the luxury of taking things for granted.
Door County, Wisconsin is the kind of place that makes you want to be on vacation.
Of course, most of the people here ARE actually on vacation. The peninsula receives over 2.5 million visitors a year - most of whom are here because this is where they’ve chosen to spend their vacation.
But also, hundreds of workers from all over the world are here to fill the peninsula’s 3500+ seasonal jobs. How do they experience Door County? As tourists? As workers? As workers who wish they were tourists?
I also wonder, if you’re one of the 30,000 Door County residents, what is it like to live in a place where, for several months of the year, most of the people you see are on vacation? Is that one of the reasons you live here or is it something you put up with?
Because, the truth is, most of what there is to see and do in Door County would not exist without the tourists. The residential population does not need the hundreds of shops and restaurants scattered up and down the peninsula. They can only eat so much ice cream, drink so much wine, buy so much art, and spend so much money at farmer’s markets. They are unlikely to charter a sunset boat ride every night or hop on the sightseeing trollies. I’m sure they go to the theater, but probably not enough to support an entire summer season of world-class performances in state-of-the-art auditoriums.
There’s something in me that wants to go overboard in a place like this - eat at every restaurant, walk on every beach, visit every shop, take all the kayak tours, do all the things and then do all my favorite things again. I buy too many jams and jellies and condiments and candies and soaps and lotions and candles. I have to have little talks with myself about the true fact that I live in 400 square feet and am trying to be the kind of person who doesn’t spend all her time taking care of her stuff.
But also, there was that gorgeous set of glassware at that specialty kitchen supply shop and I think if we really put our minds to it we can find some wall space (we have no extra wall space) for that incredibly interesting and vivid photograph of the water that we saw in that art gallery.
I often feel that if we don’t do everything, we’ve somehow wasted our time here. (I know it’s neurotic. You do not need to send me emails. I already know.)
In our 4 1/2 years of RV life, we’ve sometimes found ourselves in the position of educating locals about some of the fun things to do in their town. People always look at us like they are somehow doing it wrong because they live there and haven’t done half the things we did last weekend.
But, I think maybe that’s a feature, not a bug. When we lived in Colorado we missed out on doing all the things and it didn’t bother me in the least. Still doesn’t. You are trading the wonder and excitement of a place for that comfortable feeling of home where you take everything for granted because you can.
What a luxury to take the beauty in our life for granted. To spend a Friday night in because you can always go to that restaurant another time. To be so comfortable in a place that you forget that it’s fleeting, even for you.
There are people everywhere eager to remind us to not take things for granted. But also, the next time you find yourself thinking something along the lines of, I can’t believe we’ve lived here for so long and never been there/ done that, you might also think, how nice.
Small luxuries
Some of my favorite things.
Steve will tell you that I am obsessed with throw pillows. This may be true. I know they are sometimes just in the way, but also they are little works of art that add color and pattern to a space and they can often (yes Steve, OFTEN) be useful.
Last year when we renovated the inside of our RV, we had a new cushion made for the bench seating at our dining table and instead of one large back rest cushion, I opted for 6 throw pillows.
This year, we decided to replace all the cushions inside our sailboat cabin and I did the same thing - custom seat cushions and throw pillows for the back rest.
We started with some pillows that I found at Target, but they were kind of boring and the space just needed something more. It was actually Steve who said, you know what would look good in here? Those pillows with the sun in the RV.
Why yes, yes they would.
I LOVE these pillows so much. They are a Justina Blakeney design and if you are familiar with her work, you know it’s filled with color and pattern. I love it all, but don’t feel I’m quite cool enough to pull most of it off. Except for these pillows, which are among my favorite things.
Where to buy them:
Solis Dusk Woven Throw Pillows by Justina Blakeney
Josafina Twilight Woven Throw Pillow by Justina Blakeney
8 easy summer recipes
Most of these are no-cook or low-cook, which is pretty much all I want to cook these days.
Watermelon and Feta Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette: If watermelon and feta peaked your interest but the mustard vinaigrette gave you pause, stay with me. This salad hits that perfect summer balance of sweet, salty, crisp, and creamy, and the honey-dijon dressing is just sharp enough to make watermelon more interesting without detracting from its sweet, sun-drenched, thirst-quenching flavor.
Sesame Chicken Salad with Tahini Dressing: A bold, crunchy chicken salad with tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime, ginger, and just enough heat to keep things interesting. It’s quick to make, easy to pack, and perfect for picnics, road trips, and summer lunches.
Hummus Platter + Easy Homemade Hummus Recipe: This hummus platter is one of my favorite ways to make it look like you tried a heck of a lot harder than you actually did. Start with a generous layer of creamy hummus, pile on crunchy vegetables, olives, feta, and a few finishing touches, and suddenly you’ve got a colorful, flavor-packed platter that’s perfect for lunch as it is for entertaining.
Vegan Pearl Couscous Salad: This healthy, vibrant pasta salad is made with pearl couscous (toasted Israeli-style pasta), whatever fresh herbs and vegetables you like, and dressed simply with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. The salad keeps well for days and can be packed into mason jars for the perfect packed lunch or camping meal.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps: These start with rotisserie chicken, or any kind of leftover chicken, to create a quick, intensely satisfying meal that will be on the table in about 15 minutes.
Blackstone Fried Rice with Pork or Chicken: Use fresh or leftover white rice and either chicken or pork for this easy, vegetable-packed Blackstone fried rice. Cooking fried rice on a Blackstone Griddle is fast and easy, and creates the perfect texture and flavor.
Tequila Lime Vegan Cauliflower Tacos with Cabbage Slaw: Cauliflower florets are marinated in tequila, lime, and hot sauce then roasted with chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Layer all that deliciousness into a soft corn tortilla and top it with chunks of avocado, crisp cilantro cabbage slaw, and a dollop of Vegan Sour Cream. Then call everyone to dinner - vegans, meat eaters, and everyone in between because these tacos are serious crowd pleasers.
Creamy Red Pepper Sauce: OK. So you do have to cook this sauce for quite a while to intensify the flavor to a gorgeous, creamy crescendo. But, I couldn’t resist including it on this list because when you get your hands on a bunch of perfectly ripe red bell peppers, THIS is what to do with them. Also, the sauce can be prepared in advance and reheated for a quick, simple, summer meal.
Let’s not forget dessert
Raspberry Cupcakes: These delicate little blushing pink raspberry cupcakes are light, fluffy, and bursting with the flavors of raspberry and vanilla.
Strawberry Cream Pie: This Strawberry Cream Pie is one of my all-time favorite summer fruit pies. Rich vanilla pastry cream and fresh strawberry pie filling are layered inside flaky pastry then baked until the crust is golden and the filling is bursting with strawberry flavor.
Peach Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping: This buttery coffee cake is studded with sweet, juicy peaches and covered in a nutty, toasted coconut crumb topping that you will, from this point forward, want to start putting on everything. Maybe that’s just me. But I doubt it.
Something great is coming for members of The Lost Supper Club!
Hello my friends!
I wanted to tell you that I’ve been working on something just for you, my paid subscribers, that I am SO EXCITED about! It involves 11 other top Substack food writers and is seriously going to be so much fun. More information is coming soon!!!
This newsletter would not exist if not for the members of The Lost Supper Club, who show their support with a paid subscription, thus ensuring that the vast majority of readers can keep reading this newsletter for free. As a thank you, I try to provide those paid subscribers with some cool stuff, including three free cookbooks!
A paid subscription is just $35 a year. Find out more about becoming a member of the Lost Supper Club.
❤️ Did you know that if you hit the heart or recycle symbol at the top or bottom of this post, it makes it easier for other people to find this newsletter?
Hello Rebecca! I just wanted to pop in and say that I am disabled and homebound. This I say to let you know how much I enjoy your newsletters and living vicariously through your travels. Love your recipes as well. Thank you for all the entertainment you share with us all. xoxo