This Tuesday morning in August begins at 6:30am. I’m up and out of bed before my husband and ease into my day with a hot shower. While I dry my hair and apply my make-up, Nick shaves and showers.

We rendezvous in the kitchen to make our morning smoothies — which have recently replaced unnecessarily large mugs of coffee. (Is anyone else trying to cut back on caffeine?) Our current favorite smoothie includes berries, bananas, Greek yogurt, soy milk, wheat germ, honey, and ice.

Nick typically has lunch meetings, and I typically pack mine. Today it’s roasted red pepper hummus and carrots, slices of the bread we baked last night, and a handful of blackberries.

By 7:30 we’re out the door and off in opposite directions. Nick drives at least an hour west to start his workday, and I jump on the highway heading north.

My commute is close to 50 minutes and takes me along beautiful Bald Eagle Ridge (beautiful during all seasons but winter) and into a valley (which some say is the “happiest”). Renee and Steve keep me company, and that smoothie tastes so good.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

One of the joys of finally having a home with a yard and a patio is that we can host summer picnics. Our typical picnic menu includes a variety of cocktails and grilled meats with simple side dishes (followed by dessert, of course).

I want to share with you two of my favorite summer slaws. They both take advantage of produce that is readily available this time of year and have been a hit each time we’ve served them.

Broccoli Slaw (from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients for Slaw

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Ingredients for Dressing

• 1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• salt and pepper

Directions

Trim and chop broccoli. Toss with almonds, cranberries, and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients in a smaller bowl, then pour over  broccoli and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Carrot Pineapple Slaw (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil and the next 3 ingredients (through pineapple juice), and stir with a whisk. Add oil mixture to carrot mixture; toss well. Add parsley, salt, and pepper; toss well. Cover and chill.

What’s your favorite simple summer side dish?

Strawberry season is a short one. Or perhaps it’s no shorter than blueberry season or blackberry season, but because the strawberry is my favorite fruit, its season just can’t be long enough.

There is a distinct difference between strawberries picked from patches and those harvested and shipped from commercial fields.

Local berries are more vibrant, fragrant, and juicy. They’re smaller than their convenience store counterparts, but they pack a much fuller, sweeter flavor.

If you’re fortunate enough to live in part of the country that is still harvesting local berries (sadly, their season has ended in Pennsylvania), I have a recipe for you to try.

Strawberry shortcake traditionally consists of macerated berries atop an old fashioned biscuit with a dollop of whipped cream or a splash of milk, depending on your preference.

This recipe takes the same sweet, classic concept and turns it into a tasty two-layer cake.

As the juicy berries soak into the cake, it becomes sweet and moist. And the simple four-ingredient frosting is decadent, but not overwhelming.

What is your favorite summer dessert?

Ingredients for Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients for Frosting
1/2 lb cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb local strawberries

Directions
(Important Note: Use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep. Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.)

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.

Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove cake from pan immediately, and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Stem and slice strawberries. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoon sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

For icing: Combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and a dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Slice cooled cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), including all juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes to make icing easier.

Remove cakes from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top layer. Then spread the rest of it around the sides.

Garnish with more strawberries and serve slightly cool. (For best results, store in the fridge!)

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The Pioneer Woman

It’s a blessing that my professional life is so closely connected to my personal interests. But it’s also exhausting.

By day I manage the online presence of a public broadcasting station. I promote local TV and radio programs and community events. I develop and edit content and write scripts. I produce faculty interviews and educational forums. I compress videos and author DVDs. I initiate online chats and implement Flash slideshows.

And how do I spend the remainder of my waking hours?

I write about newlywed life. I share food stories and post recipes. And I contribute to three other blogs on those topics.

I track my runs on Nike+, and I keep in touch with my family on Skype. I share videos on both YouTube and Vimeo. I have accounts with StumbleUpon and Digg and Newsvine, and I’m connected on LinkedIn.

On delicious, I bookmark my favorite finds and tag them as crafting, data visualization, ecofriendly, fitness, font, gocco, HTML, jQuery, photography, public media, recipes, travel, typography, usability.

I subscribe to over 200 blogs in categories like cooking, baking, design, technology, photography, and social commentary. My Google Reader has not been clear for months.

There is undeniable overlap. I create media. I consume media. I am always immersed in media.

I have a personal Facebook page, and I administer five group pages. I have a personal Twitter account, and I tweet to one professional account.

I’ve been uploading photos to Flickr since 2004, and I recently set up a stream for my station.

I manage no less than six public media websites, and there are always new projects on the horizon. On the side, I maintain four websites for freelance clients.

I feel pressure to be plugged in all hours of the day. It’s an ever-evolving environment, and — GASP — what if I miss something?

What if I don’t check-in on Foursquare or connect via Ning? What if I don’t understand the difference between TweetDeck and HootSuite? What if I don’t use Tumblr or Posterous? What if I don’t share my music preferences on Last.fm or post my restaurant reviews on Yelp? What if I don’t track trends on Slashdot or Mashable?

What then? Nothing. That’s what.

{photo credit: author’s personal collection}

Life will go on. Just as it did when my husband and I both completely unplugged for an entire week last August. No iPhones. No MacBooks. No watches. No worries.

How do you manage your plugged in time?

I’ve never been a morning person. In high school, I rolled out of bed, jumped in the shower, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and grabbed a Pop-Tart on my way out the door and into homeroom. In college, I scheduled my classes after 10am — with the exception of an 8am Psych class during freshmen year, which I only made it to with help from my hallmates.

And for the past five years I’ve worked in an office within three miles of my apartment. I had it down to a science. Alarm rings at 7:40. Hit snooze until 7:49. Hit snooze again until 7:58. Finally get out of bed at 8:00. Shower, dress, dry hair, apply makeup, eat cereal, take coffee to go. I was at my desk by 9:00.

But those glory days have come to an end. I now live roughly 50 miles from my office and spend just under two hours on the road every weekday — at least it’s a pretty, peaceful drive.

As a result of my new daily commute, I’m more appreciative of my time at home. I’m encouraged to wake up earlier so I can get home earlier.

Nick and I sit down to bowls of cereal by 7:10, and  I’m on the road with a travel mug of coffee by 7:20. Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne keep me company in the morning, and the good folks of All Things Considered are with me in the evening.

Because I’m out of bed early, I need to be in bed early. We try to wind down our days by 10pm, which is much easier now that our favorite shows like LOST and Parenthood have ended. (In fact, we’re considering cutting our cable — fodder for another post.)

So what do you do to get going in the morning? Do you have a long commute? If so, how do you pass the time?

{photo credit author’s personal collection}

Hello, lovely ladies! You may recognize me as the bride who became a wife in a garden by the river on a rainy August day. And for those of you who aren’t familiar with my fondness for the Gocco, Ray LaMontagne, and red umbrellas, allow me to introduce myself.

I’m Emily, and I met Nick – the love of my life – in a science lab in 2007. He was a graduate student in a white lab coat, and I was a journalist with a camera bag slung over my shoulder. Two years later we said, “we do.”

We spent our first week as Mr. and Mrs. on our own little piece of paradise – complete with beach beds, tamarindo margaritas, and candlelit gourmet dinners.

And then it was back to reality. I returned to Pennsylvania, and Nick returned to New Jersey. That’s right. We spent our first two months of wedded bliss in separate states.

In October, Nick left his job and moved into my – our – humble second floor apartment in central Pennsylvania. We stacked his science books and history novels next to my food memoirs and chick lit. We piled bins of camping gear in the bedroom beside ski equipment, bikes, and golf bags. We cooked together in the kitchen with retro cabinetry and half-size appliances while our lovely wedding gifts – a KitchenAid stand mixer, a Le Creuset Dutch oven, Noritake dishes, and stemware – sat in my parents’ basement. But it didn’t matter, because we were together.

Then, on a Monday in December, Nick prepared to interview for a job we were confident he would get — a job in the place we wanted to remain.

On Tuesday he got the job! Right after the company changed its location.

On Wednesday we discussed every possible scenario over chocolate martinis. We talked about commuting to our respective jobs from a central location. We wondered if we should move further west and whether I could find a job I enjoy half as much as the one I have now. We even dreamed about buying a Victorian mansion and running our own Bed and Breakfast.

It took us a few more days to formulate a plan, and a month later we moved 50 miles west to a quaint town halfway between our places of employment.

So here we are. Happily married and happily building our first home together. Our commutes are not ideal, and we decided to postpone purchasing a house until we settle in a more permanent location. But we have a kitchen with ample counter space and a patio with a grill and herb pots and each other, plus all of our belongings are finally under one roof. Life is good.

I’m looking forward to rejoining the beautiful and talented EAD family and sharing tales from my own newlywed adventures. So nice to meet you!

{photo credits: wedding photographer Robert Winton, author’s personal collection}