By Summer. Tommy's first summer. His first grass. His first sprinkler. His first trip to the farmers market, where he sat in the stroller and stared at the colors and the people and the produce with the wide-eyed wonder of someone experiencing abundance for the first time.
I bought him a peach at the market — his first peach. I cut it into tiny pieces and he ate them with his hands and the juice ran down his chin and he grinned and I grinned and Megan took a photo and the photo shows a seven-month-old baby with peach juice on his face and a father with peach juice on his shirt and both of them grinning like they've discovered something important. They have. Peaches. Peaches are important.
The house in summer is everything I hoped. The porch, the yard, the smoker, the kitchen window open with the breeze. We eat on the porch — dinner at the outdoor table, Tommy in the high chair, Megan with a glass of wine (she stopped nursing last month, which she has feelings about but also: wine). The evenings are long and warm and the neighborhood is alive and I stand at the grill with my son in the yard and my wife on the porch and I think, Babcia. I wish you could see this. I think you can.
Made a summer corn salad — grilled corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime. Tommy got some corn on his tray and mostly smashed it. He's learning that food is fun before it's fuel. That's the right order. Food should always be fun first. Babcia knew this. She made pierogi fun before she made them food. The joy came first. Always.
Megan and Jake married in June 2024. The small newlywed-rhythm is in its small second year. The small two-bedroom rental on the small east-side of Milwaukee continues to be the small first-home. The small thirty-year-mortgage-eventually-someday is the small five-year-goal. The small marriage is the small foundation the small life is being built on.
The small Polish-American heritage is the small kitchen-identity. The small pierogi-recipe-cards from Babcia Helen (Jake’s grandmother who passed in 2018, who had lived two blocks from the small Bay-View family-house) is the small monthly-Saturday-tradition. The small kielbasa-and-sauerkraut. The small bigos. The small recipes that came over from the small Krakow-region in the small 1910s.
The small Milwaukee-winter is the small six-month-condition. The small cold-weather-comfort-food rotation runs October through April. The small soups, the small stews, the small braises, the small heavy-baked-goods. The small Midwestern-comfort-vocabulary is the small kitchen-language.
Megan and Jake married in June 2024. The small newlywed-rhythm is in its small second year. The small two-bedroom rental on the small east-side of Milwaukee continues to be the small first-home. The small thirty-year-mortgage-eventually-someday is the small five-year-goal. The small marriage is the small foundation the small life is being built on.
The small Lakefront Brewery shift-work continues to be the small steady-paycheck. The small forty-hour-week brewery-floor job pays the small twenty-two-an-hour rate that the small Milwaukee-blue-collar-economy supports. The small benefits are the small union-decent. The small ten-year-tenure-target is the small career-anchor.
The small Polish-American heritage is the small kitchen-identity. The small pierogi-recipe-cards from Babcia Helen (Jake’s grandmother who passed in 2018, who had lived two blocks from the small Bay-View family-house) is the small monthly-Saturday-tradition. The small kielbasa-and-sauerkraut. The small bigos. The small recipes that came over from the small Krakow-region in the small 1910s.
Megan is from a small Irish-Catholic Milwaukee-suburban family. The small Sunday-dinners at her small parents’ house rotate with the small Sunday-dinners at Jake’s parents’ house. The small in-laws on both sides have been the small welcoming-presence. The small two-family-network is the small extended-support the small newlywed-life rests on.
The small Milwaukee-winter is the small six-month-condition. The small cold-weather-comfort-food rotation runs October through April. The small soups, the small stews, the small braises, the small heavy-baked-goods. The small Midwestern-comfort-vocabulary is the small kitchen-language.
The small future-kid-conversations have begun. Megan teaches small fourth-grade at a small public school in Wauwatosa. The small adoption-vs-biological conversation is in the small early-discussion stage. The small five-year-plan includes the small kid-or-kids in some form. The small kitchen is the small place where the small future is being practiced.
The corn salad came together fast — that’s the whole point of a summer side dish, it shouldn’t take you away from the porch for long. But the farmers market haul that week had put fresh fruit everywhere: peaches for Tommy, berries on the counter, a pineapple Megan bought on a whim. So I made this Coconut Fruit Salad alongside it, something cool and bright and unapologetically sweet, because Tommy was grinning with peach juice on his face and that kind of energy deserves a matching dessert. Babcia would’ve eaten two bowls and called it a proper summer.
Coconut Fruit Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 2 cups seedless green grapes, halved
- 2 ripe peaches, pitted and chopped
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 can (14 oz) coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Make the coconut dressing. Open the chilled can of coconut cream and scoop the thick solidified cream into a medium bowl, leaving the liquid behind. Whisk in the honey, vanilla extract, lime zest, and lime juice until smooth and creamy.
- Toast the coconut (optional but recommended). Spread shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Prep the fruit. Chop all fruit into similar bite-sized pieces. Pat dry gently with a paper towel if the fruit is especially juicy — this keeps the dressing from becoming watery.
- Combine. Add all the fruit to a large serving bowl. Pour the coconut dressing over the top and toss gently to coat. Fold in 3/4 of the toasted coconut.
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle remaining toasted coconut over the top. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving. Give it a gentle toss before bringing it to the table.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 25mg