A Summer Project

Special Fork is on summer hiatus from August 5 through Labor Day. Each Monday, while we’re on vacation, I’ll present another facet of Special Fork and highlight some features you might have missed.

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Like going on vacation, the start of summer seems to stretch on languorously, with the bright promise of many leisurely days ahead. But about the midpoint of a vacation – and of summer – the days begin to quicken, flying by so briskly that the second half seems shorter than the first.

Summer is a good time to begin a new food project. But if you haven’t started one yet this summer, with the season nearing its end, I’ve gathered some easy project ideas that there’s still time to accomplish. Such as:

• Make a batch of strawberry jam, fig jam or Meyer lemon curd
• Brandy some cherries
• Try your hand at pralines
• Learn to make nut milk
• Prepare your own granola
• Make some “Nutella”
• Pickle some okra
• Produce your own tropical fruit ices or Mexican paletas
• Whip up some caramel sauce or dulce de leche

Check out our Pinterest page, Easy Cooking Projects, a collection of these fun ideas and more, culled through our previous blog posts. There’s still time to pull off a summer cooking project!

Photo above is by Katie Barreira to accompany her post, Sparkling Brandied Cherry Cocktail.

Special Fork is a recipe website for your smartphone and PC that solves the daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now! Our bloggers blog Monday through Friday to give you cooking inspiration. Check out our recipe database for quick ideas that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.