Everything in the summer should be light and uncomplicated; languid days lounging by the water, casual tables set for al fresco dining, and balmy evenings spent enraptured by a game of backgammon. While this slowed down season has brought with it postponed plans and uncertainty, I find that cooking familiar flavors captures the spirit of summers past we’re all longing for lately.

Dear readers, I hope you are all staying well and sane during this unprecedented time. With such heavy news coming from the COVID-19 front lines, the dictate to shelter responsibly in place seems a small ask to comply with for our communities and country. My heart goes out to all small business owners weathering this wild storm and I want to be championing them as much as possible. One such purveyor being The Avenue by Lyndsey Zorich, a very chic destination for pieces you aren’t going to see anywhere else. Curated finds for your closet and tablescapes can be shopped on their website and, soon, at their brand new brick and mortar location in Houston.

When one receives a beautifully addressed invitation by mail, an anticipatory excitement is sparked. Immediately, the guest begins to conjure up visions of chic revelers floating about in a candlelit glow, cocktails in hand. Consummate hostess and elegant tastemaker Stephanie Booth Shafran harnesses that very feeling in her debut volume, You’re Invited.

I am often asked if I make dinner every evening—the short answer is absolutely not. Who has time for that? While I do cook very often, we are not sitting down to a homemade meal seven nights a week at Chez Muffy. I have a repertoire of recipes that suit our palates and enjoy trying new dishes quite a bit too. I whip up about four to five dinners a week when my husband is in town and if it’s just us gals, Louisa and I love an easy salad and pasta spread or cocktail party food such as cheese, olives, and a fresh baguette. She’s her mother’s daughter!