By Summer with two kids is summer squared. Tommy is two and a half and runs through the sprinkler screaming. Ellie is four months and watches from a blanket in the shade, her grey-blue eyes tracking Tommy's chaos with the calm intensity that has become her signature. She watches. She takes notes. She will be formidable.
The farmers market with two kids requires military logistics. Tommy in the stroller. Ellie in the carrier. Diaper bag with enough supplies for a three-day expedition. We buy strawberries and corn and Tommy eats a strawberry before we pay for it and I apologize to the farmer and the farmer waves me off because Tommy is two and cute and covered in strawberry juice and nobody charges a toddler for a stolen berry.
Made a grilled peach and burrata salad — the summer dish that requires almost no cooking and tastes like genius. Ripe peaches, halved and grilled until caramelized. Creamy burrata, torn. Fresh basil. Olive oil. Flaky salt. Five ingredients. Ten minutes. The kind of food you eat on the porch while the kids are in bed and the evening is long and the wine is cold and you feel, for approximately forty-five minutes, like an adult who has their life together.
At the brewery, the cherry sour is back for year three and it's our best-selling summer beer. The seasonal sour series has become a brand within a brand — people come to Lakefront specifically for the sours. The head brewer position has given me the platform to build something at the brewery. But the platform is a stop, not a destination. The destination is Helen's. Always Helen's.
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.
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 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.
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.
That stolen strawberry at the farmers market — the one Tommy had half-demolished before I even noticed — was honestly the best food moment of the week, and it reminded me why I haul two kids and a military-grade diaper bag to that market every Saturday. Strawberries in peak summer are worth the chaos. I came home with two quarts and the intention of doing something that honored both the sweet and the savory instincts the season pulls out of me — the same instincts behind that grilled peach and burrata situation on the porch. Here are twenty-five ways to let summer strawberries do exactly what they’re best at.
25 Sweet & Savory Strawberry Recipes
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0–20 min (varies by recipe) | Total Time: 10–30 min | Servings: 4–6 per recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 4 oz fresh burrata or ricotta (for savory applications)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts or almonds (optional)
- Mixed greens or arugula, for serving (savory option)
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (for sweet applications)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for macerating, sweet option)
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Hull and prep. Rinse strawberries under cold water and pat dry. Hull and slice into halves or quarters depending on size and intended use.
- Macerate for sweet applications. Toss sliced strawberries with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Let sit 10–15 minutes until juices release. Use over ice cream, pancakes, shortcake, or yogurt.
- Build the savory salad. Arrange mixed greens or arugula on a serving platter. Top with fresh sliced strawberries, torn burrata, and toasted walnuts.
- Dress the savory plate. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Finish with flaky salt, fresh cracked pepper, torn basil, and lemon zest.
- Sweeten and balance. For a sweet–savory bridge, drizzle a small amount of honey over the finished savory salad before serving. This draws out the berry’s brightness without tipping fully into dessert territory.
- Serve immediately. Fresh strawberry dishes are best plated and served right away. If prepping ahead, keep components separate and assemble just before eating.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 180 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 130mg