A summer of food

We typically start brainstorming our Summer to Remember goals in early May, and so one can only imagine our facial expressions as we looked at our blank list, wondering what the heck we could add this year. We were parked at an RV resort in Myrtle Beach, a place that wasn't on our 2026 itinerary for travel, let alone anything else. But there we were, taking a major leap as we toured rental homes and figured out the logistics of suddenly living in a brand new state, over 1000 miles from the state we thought we'd be moving to. We signed our lease to start on May 7, which marked the first concrete step in knowing where we'd be for at least part of our summer season, but so much else hung in the air. We needed to go to New England to tie up loose ends and bring some stuff down to our new cottage. We still had plans in our RV. Clearly, we wouldn't be adding any extra challenging goals to our list this year, because life was challenging enough. What we could do, though, was lean into our transition. We had the rare opportunity to combine New England nostalgia with new experiences in Myrtle Beach. And in the spirit of keeping the challenge level low, we knew the best way to connect with these places: food.

But when we filled out our goals and noticed just how many were food-related, we had a nagging thought. Is it too much? Unfortunately, there are stigmas around food. Even though it's only a handful of goals over the course of 3 months, when we compile all these goals into one post, it seems like a lot. But then we thought better about it. Food is comfort, fun, and community integration. Food has strong ties to memories. Food experiences aren't just about eating; they're about being present and engaging multiple senses. This is what we wanted for our summer. And honestly? We're so glad we kept all these goals, some of which we completed many times over, and one of which – try something new – didn't need to be food-related, but became food-related anyway! Ain't no shame in this game. Some summers we hike 4000-footers in NH or hike and ebike 100 miles. This summer, we ate!

Try local restaurant in our new home region

We couldn't help but laugh at the irony of having this goal 2 years in a row, about entirely different locations. Last year, we enjoyed our first summer as land-owners up in NH and spent a lot of time parked on our property in our RV. To orient ourselves in our new neighborhood, we made a goal to try a restaurant we hadn't yet. This year, we added the same goal, only this time, our "new home region" was Myrtle Beach. During the time we spent here, we tried a few new restaurants, but we're giving the official check mark to Jersey Bagels and Subs, for a simple reason: It's the first new place we tried that we haven't talked about in a previous blog post. Technically, the first new places we tried this summer were Saray Bakery and Scotch Bonnet for my birthday – both valid choices – but neither of which has captured our hearts like Jersey Bagels.

It might seem too simple to talk about a hole-in-the-wall, counter-serve bagel joint that we don't even eat in at, always opting for takeout instead. What about the beachfront seafood joints or the kitschy over-the-top tourist attractions?! Those are definitely on our list of must-try restaurants, but in the spirit of our summer goal, the whole point of trying a local restaurant is to find places that feel homey. Something we quickly noticed about Myrtle Beach is that it's a melting pot for transplants from all over the country. A result of this is that we've found authentic NY-style pizza, Italian food, and bagels only a short drive from our cottage. This delights us in ways we can't even explain, except to say that despite our Myrtle Beach food goals being for "orientation" and not "nostalgia," the nostalgia hit very hard. For those who don't know, Anthony grew up in NY and his family was in the food service industry for generations. I spent a lot of time in NYC during my young adult life and have also developed a taste for the region's many cuisines.

So when we decided to order breakfast at Jersey Bagels one morning, we hoped we could add it to our list of places that are new to us but still feel nostalgic. Anthony knew it as soon as he stepped in the door. I knew it at first bite. Since then, "Bagel Sundays" have become almost as prolific of a tradition as "Muffin Mondays."

That's what it's all about. We're trying new places and some are turning into little traditions. We already know someday we'll be older, sitting in our mountain home in NH going, "Remember that bagel place we use to go to down in Myrtle Beach? Man, I miss those bagels!"

Try something new

Strangely, our "try something new" goal morphed into part 2 of "Try a local restaurant in our new home region" – but for NH again. Sure, we're not living there yet, but we still have our ties, thanks to our land. While we were in the area on our New England trip, we still hadn't checked off our "Try something new" goal. Usually, we don't have a plan for this goal, but something always naturally comes up. We assumed it would be in Myrtle Beach, since a lot of what we're experiencing there is new. Granted, simply "renting a cottage in Myrtle Beach" is new...but technically we did this before the start date of our Summer to Remember.

What naturally came up this time was our constant passing by of a restaurant down the street from our campground that we swore wasn't there last year. We were right. Bobcat Country Grill had opened just a couple months prior, after taking over the location of a tavern that closed. Every time we drove by, the bright yellow and red exterior caught our eye. I looked it up on Google and found a 4.1 star review – not bad, but many of the reviews were bizarre. Some complained that the restaurant is counter-serve, despite the staff being very clear about this in the description. Others complained that the food wasn't fresh and was "clearly prepackaged," to which the staff assured that it was not. I don't know why, but I had a strong feeling of empathy towards this restaurant and started rooting for it to succeed, despite never having been. I developed a plan to go check it out and give it a 5-star review.

Call it intuition, or perhaps a subconscious understanding of their whimsy, but as soon as we set foot in the restaurant, I knew this was my kind of place. I immediately felt at ease. The interior still had the tavern aesthetic, but converted into a family-friendly "summer camp cafeteria" vibe. The main dining area had large booths adjacent to a deck with outdoor seating. Past the bar was a billiards lounge. And the bar? No longer an alcohol bar (which reviewers also complained about) but a dirty soda bar.

I could write an entire blog post about NH's new obsession with dirty soda, but it's basically soda with cream added to it, and it's popping up all over the place. That automatically means that Bobcat made a very smart, trendy decision about what to do with the bar. For the reviewers who wish it still served alcohol, I not-so-respectfully disagree. This bar is one-of-a-kind, can be enjoyed by all ages (which is exactly what this restaurant seems to be going for), and says "Hey, you're in NH."

From a business standpoint, this bar also means no liquor license, aka lower cost. Same with the counter-serve instead of having full waitstaff. As a devoted advocate for the continued existence of Bobcat Country Grill, I appreciate these choices. And as a patron, it meant Anthony and I were free to explore the whole restaurant, decide where we wanted to sit, and even play some pool before our buzzer alerted us that our food was ready.

We ordered fried chicken, seafood, and appetizers, but this food wasn't just the typical grub. I could tell immediately that my chicken was hand-breaded, and everything tasted fresh and was cooked perfectly. The whole experience was so fun and relaxing, that even if the food was mediocre, it wouldn't have even mattered that much. But the fact that it was actually good was a bonus.

Their counter-serve structure was a well-oiled machine. We ordered when we walked in, got our buzzer, and when the food was ready, it appeared at a counter on the opposite side of the dining room, near the kitchen. When we were finished, trash cans were easily accessible, as were to-go boxes! Something so simple, but yet so few restaurants do this. We didn't need to disturb the staff to ask for boxes, and they didn't need to figure out how many to bring us. We just grabbed what we needed, packed our leftovers, and that was it!

...Except that wasn't it. If I was going to give a fully-justified 5-star review, I also wanted to try the ice cream stand, Baby Moo's. They serve Gifford's ice cream, which if you're not making your own, is a good choice. It's local to Maine and is a respected brand in the region. Anthony and I each got an ice cream, but while we were there, we couldn't leave without grabbing a dirty soda to go. We got the "strawberry slay" which includes Sprite, strawberry syrup, and sweet cream. This was our first dirty soda, and we will say, it did slay! A little bit of strawberries and cream, with a dash of bubbly citrus from the Sprite. It's not our typical choice of beverage, but we can understand the hype.

And so, our "Try something new" became an entire quest, to try (and recommend) a new restaurant, and to try the trending beverage of NH.

Eat a maple creamie and Hornstra

Hornstra ice cream has grazed our Summer to Remember list every year we're able to make it back to MA. It's still to this day our favorite ice cream in the country. Others have come close, but we say it every year, that Hornstra cows are happy cows, and happy cows make happy dairy. This year, we were joined by my brother for an ice cream outing during our few days at nearby Wompatuck State Park, before we packed up and moved down to our MA home-base. We had our ice cream, bought some items at the farm store, and visited with the cows, where Bella Donna chose Anthony to be her new boyfriend.

As for the maple creamie, this had never grazed our Summer to Remember list, because we only first tried them last fall. We had passed by Maple Creamery in New Hampton, NH dozens of times but never stopped. That was a big mistake, because maple creamies (also spelled creemee) are now our top recommendation for people who want to try a regional delicacy. They're basically maple soft serve, but the sugar from the maple syrup makes the ice cream extra creamy. We get ours with fudge-lined waffle cones and topped with maple walnuts. The maple creemee originated in VT and then gradually crossed the CT river into NH. Several ice cream places have them, though sometimes seasonally. We've only tried Maple Creamery as it's the most convenient location when we're in NH, but we have big plans to try more.

Drink delicious coffee

Last summer, at the ripe old age of 37, I started drinking coffee. It's a whole story, where my mom asked me if I knew of any creamers with clean ingredients, and I recommended one to her having never tried it. Then when we were at our MA home-base, she was raving about the creamer, but I still hadn't tried it. I decided that, instead of taking a sip straight, that I should drink it the way it's intended. So I added a splash to some cold brew...and thus became the morning tradition of me going inside the house for a cuppa, during all our stays at our home-base.

That summer, we needed it. I was up to my elbows in ringworm eradication, Tanner had just been diagnosed with dementia, my mom's dog died, and my parents were tackling huge home renovations. Our coffee mornings became times to slow down and enjoy conversation before our busy days began.

For a while, I kept my coffee habits isolated to my parents' house, with the occasional exception of grabbing one at a cafe on the cool fall days up in NH. Then, when we rented our winter cottage, I was determined to make my own beverage station to celebrate my increased counter space. When things there started getting really stressful, I anchored to my morning coffee ritual.

When we moved back into the RV, I had become an official coffee addict, but not to the flavor or the caffeine. I became addicted to the ritual – a way to engage my senses and ground myself before whatever stressors awaited. I bought a portable frother for the RV and some coffee grounds, and then switched my French press for a pour-over pitcher. I also bought a small cold brew filter-tumbler combo that became a staple for the small space of our RV fridge.

Then, when we toured rentals in Myrtle Beach, I kept one eye out for where I could put my coffee bar. I even bought a buffet table for that sole purpose.

The evolution of my coffee habits naturally led to the obvious conclusion: We must put something coffee-related on our Summer to Remember list! "Drink delicious coffee" was technically reserved for our favorite coffee shop, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, that we first tried in St. Augustine and also have one in Myrtle Beach. I'm definitely not a "take it black" kind of coffee drinker. I need them fancy, and Bad Ass delivers. They have "Koffee Koolers" that are blended with ice, perfect for hot summer days.

But I couldn't just stop there. I wanted to also include a "delicious coffee" that I made at home. I do have the coffee bar, after all.

My usual concoctions involve some type of cold brew with a creamer and whipped or cold foam topping. I've continued using various flavors of Elmhurst creamers, the brand I recommended to my mom last year. I also throw in a splash of pre-made protein drinks to get some morning protein. Whenever my coffee came out particularly delectable or photogenic, I'd snap a picture for this very blog post. Over the summer, the coffees remained most of the same, except for the one time I saw a reel of someone making an Oreo latte and decided that a caffeinated pre-dinner dessert at 5:30pm wasn't at all problematic.

This coffee evolution perfectly sums up our idea for these summer goals, that we need to consider all the memories that we associate with food – all the moments of comfort and connection, the way it roots us in our present moment, and how it invites tradition.

Bake fresh bread

And if there's one long-running tradition we've been trying to keep up with, it's baking bread. We had our moments in the RV, where we learned to use our small microwave-convection oven to satisfy our carb cravings. But something we really looked forward to when we rented the NH cottage was putting our Zojirushi bread maker to good use. And for those couple of weeks, we did. Fresh croissants, anyone?

The Zojirushi was one of the kitchen appliances stored in our NH storage unit from November through July. Is it embarrassing to admit that it was also one of our biggest motivators for taking our New England trip as soon as possible?

Once we were back to the SC cottage, we organized all the appliances that were part of our big haul south, and we deemed the bread maker worthy of countertop space. We've made a few breads since then, starting with the quintessential white bread and later branching into fun recipes like pizza crust and banana nut bread.

We've found ways to incorporate our love for food and cooking throughout all our chapters of life, whether we're in our RV or enjoying our larger kitchen. Food is our love language, and accomplishing these summer goals made us realize that the reason for that goes a lot deeper than just its tastiness. These goals helped us stay anchored during a season of a lot of stress and a lot of change.