When I opened a bag of marshmallows to work on these s’mores, no one was around and my kitchen was silent. Somehow within minutes I had a crowd of kids waiting for a taste!
The summer brings the same phenomenon, but the difference is that everyone has their own theory on summering, and you know what it is within the first ten seconds of meeting them. They either love it or hate it; don’t cook at all or fill up their freezers; don’t go anywhere or are driving around all day long. It’s fascinating to me how the same situation can be either so relaxing or so stressful to two people in seemingly similar life circumstances.
But I’m guilty of falling into one of the two extremes too. Recently I heard a speaker share that we always have to consider how we’re positioning ourselves in a relationship. Whether we realize it or not, we’re setting ourselves up for certain behaviors based on our habits, patterns, and beliefs, and those behaviors aren’t going to change much unless we actively reposition ourselves.
All summer long, I drift between being obsessed with sitting outside, shuttling food from grill to plate, and feeling totally overwhelmed that there are just not enough hours in the day. But I’m starting to realize that I set myself up in this position, and I can also unset myself up if I want my relationship with summer to change.
In this issue, we decided to embrace the long, relaxing Shabbos together. The contributors in this issue gathered virtually to discuss what they’d all like to eat and be served in honor of Shabbos Nachamu, and that gave us each the marching orders to create the accompanying recipes. Whether your approach is to cook and host or not at all, there’s sure to be something here that will appeal to you.
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