Blueberry Pancakes

My daughter Abby, a college student, spent most of the summer working alone in Chicago, so when she came home to New York for a short visit before going back to school, I asked her an important question: “What should I eat while I’m here?”

Since she last came home, Bagel Spot I knew she’d want to know what all the fuss was about, because the neighborhood family group chat was going crazy, and I also knew she’d want to go eat some steamed rice rolls straight away. Joe’s Or make a pilgrimage Sal & Carmines She asked for her favorite, the New York Slice, and bought a New York Pizza sandwich, but her answer — and I swear, I didn’t pay her to say this — was, “I want to eat at home.”

In the end, what she missed most was home-cooked meals, especially the foods she associated with summer: tomato sandwiches and blueberry pancakes. Grilled salmon salad. Veggie BurgerOklahoma-style burger cooked with steamed onions.

Sliced ​​tomato salad with feta. Dill potato salad. Buttered corn. S’mores.

Needless to say, tackling the Last Gasp Summer Checklist was a challenge I could tackle, and I managed to get through quite a few of it before dropping my daughter off at school earlier this week.

What’s on your final summer checklist? What do you still want to cram in before Labor Day?

PS Dinner when we get home and 5 dishes using corn, tomatoes or both.