Hello from the lake

A peek into family tradition, our summer vacation meal plan, + a protein packed appetizer dip recipe

There is so much to say about our annual family vacation at our lakeside cabin. It is a tradition that began many generations ago with my great grandpa. We have photos documenting decades of summer memories being made, generation after generation, at the lake.

Our week at the cabin begins with car loads of excited cousins and adults, rising early to pack up and hit the road. There are armloads of grocery bags and coolers that require Jenga skills to pack and load into the trailer. We traditionally stop at a little town about an hour away from the cabin for a quick lunch and stroll through our favorite old fashioned candy store and mercantile. It’s a place where time stands still. We each finds some sort of memento or treat, and head back to our cars and up the mountain for the week. The first one to open the squeaky cabin door reveals a place that’s held most of us for all of our lives. Deep exhale. A familiar feeling of home and safety. Side note - this year there has been an unusually large hatching of moths…so we were all a little less relaxed and a little more on guard as we opened the door, wondering how many moths would be greeting us from the windowsills. It takes an assembly line to move everything from the cars and trailer into the cabin. Like ants storing up crumbs for winter, we pass bags, bins, and coolers, filling the pantry and fridge until overflowing. The next morning you’ll find steam coming off the lake, a teakettle of boiling water on the stove, and stacks of coffee mugs, some that have been in the cabinet for half a century. A trickling of familiar faces coming down the stairs to pour a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa and sit around the fire. The quiet morning conversation grows louder with each person waking to join the coffee club. The sound and aroma of sizzling bacon begins to fill the cabin, the generator rumbling in the background as pancakes are cooked on the old electric griddle. With so many people, and only one bathroom, there is an ongoing queue for who is next in line for the toilet. There are end to end towels drying on the upper balcony banister, transferred over shoulders and into tote bags after breakfast is cleaned up and we make our way outdoors for the day. A rocky beach full of folding chairs and water toys scattered about. Kayaks, paddle boards, and inner tubes floating around our little dock. This is lake life at it’s finest. Nothing more to do than just enjoy the sunshine, water, time spent together, and let’s not forget the snacks. Almost every evening we gather for night swims and marshmallow roasts as we watch the sun dip behind the mountains, turning the sky a deep otherworldly orange. Repeat this year after year after year, and like any tradition, it becomes more special than you could ever imagine. A place I look forward to going back to every summer, has become a place my kids look forward to going back to every summer. It’s the place that brings us all together.

Being a family of foodies, we try and fail every single year to keep it simple. We have dreams of fireside curry and slow smoked brisket, which sometimes happen, but most often, we reach for sandwich buffets and charcuterie spreads. There are currently between 14-18 of us depending on who all can come, so it is no small feat feeding that many people every single day.

As my mom, sister, and I were on a group FaceTime call a couple weeks ago, we made a plan and grocery list for our week together. A day or two before we head to the lake, a group of us descend upon the local grocery stores of southern Oregon, filling the aisles and our carts to the gills. Our meal plan will absolutely change, because that is just how we are. If something is on the plan and we aren’t in the mood, we will switch it. One thing we always do is a collaborative charcuterie or appetizer night. I am excited to see what everyone comes up with this year. I’ll follow up with you here after vacation, but for now, am currently out of office, sitting lakeside with a bag of snacks, absorbing as much sun and family time as possible.

Below I’m sharing our loose meal plan for the week, and a very simple smoked oyster dip recipe that I’ll be serving for group appetizer night.

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A (very relaxed) Vacation Meal Plan

Breakfasts

• Yogurt parfaits + muffins

• Bacon, Pancakes, and eggs

• Sausage biscuits

• Breakfast Burritos

• Bagel bar with salmon

Lunches:

• BLT Sandwich Bar

• Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad

• Tamales

• Charcuterie

Dinners

• Hot dogs, fries, watermelon salad

• Asian smash tacos

• Beef Crunch Wraps

• Group Appetizer night

  • steak and chimichurri

  • peach burrata caprese salad

  • mexican street corn dip

  • smoked oyster dip

• Smash burgers

• Chicken Pot Pies

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Smoked Oyster Dip

Serves 4-6

• 2 cans of smoked oysters, drained, rinsed and chopped

• 8 oz sour cream (I really like the green valley lactose free one)

• 1/2 packet of primal palate french onion mix or 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion flakes, 1/2 tsp parsley

• Fresh chopped chives or green onion

• Salt and pepper

• Dash or two of Worcestershire

Combine all ingredients in a bowl - or mix right in the sour cream container if you don’t want to dirty a dish. Sprinkle fresh chives or green onions on top. Serve with sourdough crackers (recipe below), chips, or sliced fresh veggies: celery, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots.