If I were at another stage of life, and in another income tax bracket, I might be dining out every night of the week during my vacation.
Instead, my husband, kids and I are mostly eating in, at my parents' house on the Connecticut shore.
Not that I'm complaining.
My mom, a retired home economics teacher, is a great cook. And after a day at the beach, who wants to hustle tired kids off to a restaurant where they have to behave? Besides, the price is right.
Our vacation dining account will not be confused with anything you'd find in Conde Nast Traveler, but here goes.
Top Ten things I'm eating on vacation:
No. 1: Bakers on Broad olive roll
We often go to Connecticut by way of my in-laws in Pennsylvania. Ever since some baker from France decided to open a shop in Souderton, of all places, the bakery has been a regular stop on our trip. The kids get chocolate croissants or other pastries. I usually settle for a nibble of one of their treats, but this time, I got a roll that was loaded with spicy olives. I finished it before we got to the highway. We also got a loaf of olive bread for my parents. (We're moochers, but we try to make up for it in small ways.) We had to stash the loaf in the trunk so we wouldn't be tempted to tear into it along the way.
No. 2: Pizza from Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
I love thin-crust pizza, so this famous wood-fired oven pizzeria is a favorite stop on the way up to my parents' house. (One time our pie was cooked beyond pleasantly charred to downright burned, but usually it's great.) On this trip, southern Connecticut traffic was so freakishly good that we didn't stop. But I'm hoping to hit the place on the way home.
No. 3: Mom's ricotta cheese pie
No. 4: Mom's sausage and peppers
She made it with lower-fat turkey sausage this time, which is probably a good thing since I ate it for lunch four days straight.
No. 5: Flanders Fish Market & Restaurant lobster roll
I haven't picked up my annual lobster roll yet, but I'm not going home without it! This version is made with butter, which is more to my liking than the mayo type.
No. 6: Lobster bisque
I'm getting a side of that with my lobster roll -- maybe for lunch today since it's actually too hot to go to the beach right now.
No. 7: Math-hubby's blueberry pie
My husband likes to show off his pie-baking skills, and he always finds a welcome audience. I've never been a big blueberry pie fan -- I prefer apple above all else -- but just about anything tastes great in his all-butter crust.
No. 8: Roasted marshmallows
I know this is a sign of middle age, but I'm losing my taste for this super-sweet treat. One bite was enough for me. But I've enjoyed watching my kids inhale them.
No. 9: Lemon Chicken with Blueberry Onion Marmalade
I got this recipe from chef Jerry Edwards of Chef's Expressions Catering just before I went on vacation, for a story on blueberries that appears in today's Taste section. I made the dish for the extended family -- my parents, two of my sisters, their families and mine -- last night. They were skeptical when I told them they were having a blueberry sauce over chicken. Someone -- no names here -- even made a brief lobbying effort for jarred barbecue sauce. But I was undeterred. And in the end, they all liked it. We're already looking forward to using the leftovers for sandwiches on crusty baguettes.
No. 10: Frozen Margaritas
One of my sisters has kept us happy with her Margaritaville machine.
Photo by Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana