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Happy Sunday, friends! Today’s recap of Our Week in Meals is a fun one because we’ve been on vacation! In fact, while you’re reading this we’re heading home after a week of exciting beach adventures. Shall we get right to it?

For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our meals each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan. Now let’s back up to last weekend…

Aunt Barbara arrived at our house at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday morning so that she could drive with me and the kids to my parents’ beach house at Martha’s Vineyard. From Central Virginia, the drive to the Vineyard is about 12-13 hours, so we originally planned to stop at a hotel in Connecticut and break the trip up into two days.

First stop: Auntie Anne’s Pretzels at the Maryland House.

It was just mid-day when we got to Connecticut, the boys had been really great travelers, and Spencer was napping…so we drove right past our hotel and made it to Woods Hole to catch the ferry a day early.

It was such a long day in the car, but the kids were troopers and I was blessed to have Aunt Barbara behind the wheel almost the entire trip. We got on a 6:30 p.m. ferry and instantly grabbed a quick dinner in the boat’s cafe.

Smoked turkey and cheese sandwich + fruit cup.

We spent the rest of the ride to the island on the outside deck in the wind and fog…which the boys thought was very exciting.

Monday was our first full day on the island, and the weather was definitely still cool and foggy. We spent a lot of time playing yard sports (Casey could hit baseballs for hours), and made a stop at a great local playground as well.

The beach was windy and cold, but that didn’t stop the boys from playing in the sand and jumping around in the surf. Brrrrrr….we were the only ones out there!

We had grilled shrimp for dinner (using this marinade), which were served on top of Greek salad (with pita bread on the side)!

And for dessert — a birthday cake for Aunt Barbara, complete with the famous Smith Family recipe for Rich Chocolate Frosting.

Tuesday was another cool, gray day, so we skipped the beach in the morning and instead opted for a quick shopping trip at one of my favorite island spots — Chilmark Pottery.

You’ve seen plenty of this pottery in recipe photos on the blog in the past, and I added a few new pieces to my collection this week! The artist (Geoffrey Borr) who creates all of the artwork is so unbelievably talented, and I’d buy the whole shop if I could.????

We then took the boys bowling in Oak Bluffs, which turned out to be the perfect indoor activity. It was clean, quiet, small, and so much fun!

Plus, half of the alley is devoted to a bistro, which means that you can order food from the restaurant and then eat while you bowl. My kids were in heaven!

Turkey Cobb Salad for lunch.

Ice cream snacks with Aunt Barbara after a trip to the playground!

And these delicious taco salads for dinner! Taco meat, cheese, tomatoes, fresh corn, homemade guacamole, and a salsa ranch dressing. Chips and salsa on the side!

The sun came out on Wednesday morning, so we spent some time at the beach before lunch.

And we were all excited when it was time to pick up Keith at the airport later that day!

We headed into town for ice cream at Mad Martha’s and boat-watching at the harbor.

This was the closest that we could get to a family selfie. Gibbs and Casey refused to stand still!

The Edgartown Lighthouse was Spencer’s highlight, but he was NOT happy when he realized that the door was locked.????

For dinner that night my dad grilled a bunch of homemade pizzas! The best.

Pepperoni Pizza + Shrimp and Pesto Pizza + Salad

We had another beautiful morning at the beach on Thursday.

Skipping rocks.

Excavating.

And spent the afternoon back at the playground.

My soccer buddy.

Keith and I left the kids with my parents and Aunt Barbara that evening so that we could go on a date! We returned to one of our favorite restaurants on the island, Lookout Tavern, for a seafood feast.

The open-air restaurant sits on the harbor, so we watched the boats, enjoyed the cool breeze, and started our meal with rum punches!

We shared the Shrimp Spring Rolls,

and the Steamers for appetizers,

and then shared a GIANT Grilled Salmon Caesar Salad,

and a couple of sushi rolls for dinner.

On Friday morning we went for a hike at Peaked Hill for views from the highest point on the island.

From there we went into the little fishing village of Menemsha to explore the docks, the fishing boats, and the beach.

While we were there we had a picnic lunch at a little seafood shack by the water.

Fried fish sandwich for me!

We also picked up some fish for dinner the next night.

Later that afternoon Keith and the boys went clamming in the bay at low tide (while I sat on the shore and watched).????

They caught a few dozen clams, which meant that we had grilled clams for appetizers a short while later.

Plus margaritas!

Dinner was grilled hamburgers, fries, and salad.

Saturday was our last day on the island, so we definitely made the most of it!

Spencer, Casey, and I walked (and rode scooters) over to the airfield to check out the airplanes before the rest of the house was awake.

I also made a quick run to my favorite farm stand — Morning Glory Farm.

This is the same market that has inspired recipes like my Morning Glory Muffins and The Best Berry Cobbler (<– an ancient blog recipe!).

We enjoyed the bakery’s Zucchini Bread for breakfast during the week, and on this particular visit I picked up a bag of goodies that included these 3 giant “Midnight Cookies,”

as well as a pint of fresh local strawberries (among other things). These were SO good!

When it started to rain mid-morning, the kids were excited to go to the bowling alley with Keith and my mom while I took advantage of a shopping trip with my dad and Aunt Barbara. We stopped at The Black Dog Bakery for a hazelnut coffee,

and filled a bag with books from the coziest little used book store called The Book Den in Oak Bluffs.

When the sun appeared that afternoon, Barbara and I took the boys to the beach for one last visit.

Keith grilled the halibut and salmon from the fish market for dinner that night, which we served with salad and mushroom rice. Perfect way to end the vacation!

And I’ll leave it there, as we head to catch a 6:00 a.m. ferry off the island! It was a wonderful, fun, and busy week that we will certainly never forget. I feel fortunate to have had the time with my family, and the opportunity to return (yet again) to the island that holds all of my childhood summer memories. We’re going home exhausted, but also full of love and deep appreciation.

Thanks for reading along with us, have a great week ahead, and be sure to check back tomorrow for an easy 10-minute dinner recipe!

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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  1. Hi–

    Aunt Barbara looks like she’d be a LOT of fun! She has such a devilish grin to her. MY kinda woman. LOL

  2. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us. How special to be able to take your kiddos to your stomping grounds. Wonderful memories were made and lots of treasures that you found to bring home to Virginia. Enjoyed your photos Blair.

    1. I agree! Thank you, Cindy! I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share my favorites with my boys! 🙂

  3. Looks like a fun family trip!! Memories your kids will treasure forever. Xoxo 🙂

      1. nice the way you spend time with the kids and family, hta tis what it is all about and then you turn around and they are all grown up having kids of their own, good show and it looked like you enjoyed the vacation, love photos of your kids and family

        Sonia

        1. Thanks, Sonia! I agree — time is already flying by so quickly! I’m so glad that you enjoy the photos of the kids!

  4. You didn’t mention it, so I’ll mention it in case you’re unfamiliar with it. On Fridays from May to September Grace Episcopal Church on Woodlawn Ave. in Vineyard Haven offers a Lobster Roll Supper that has been running for 30+ years and is enormously popular. A massive serving of lobster salad either over a roll (not *in* a roll there is so much – the roll is opened flat and the lobster salad is mounded on top) or over a green salad or plain in a to-go container. A drink and bag of chips all for $17. A skimpy roll with half as much lobster costs more than that at most restaurants, especially in high season. The church has tables indoors and picnic tables on the lawn, but I prefer to walk down the hill a bit and eat on the beach at Owen Park and watch the harbor boat traffic pass by.

    I live on Cape Cod and take the ferry over to VH at least half a dozen Fridays during the season just for that lobster roll supper. Nice boat ride, great supper for a very reasonable price. It’s so popular, even if you don’t know where it is, you literally just have to follow the crowds up Main St. to Woodlawn and you’ll find it. Definitely worth keeping in mind for your next visit.

    The Bite! One of my favorite spots. I’m even learning to like- or at least eat – whole belly clams because that’s the only way they make them and they are famous for them. They are so good, I’ll deal with the squishy bellies.

    1. Hi, Mary Lou! I love that you’re a Cape Cod local and that you know the inside scoop on the Vineyard fun! I’ve definitely had the lobster rolls from the church, but it has been YEARS! Thanks for that lovely reminder and wonderful travel tip!

  5. Shrimp and pesto pizza?!?!? Oh. My. Yum! That sounds sooo good!!

    It looks like you guys had an awesome trip!

    1. I know, right?! My mom nailed it with that pizza combo!!! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by, Kendall!

  6. This looks a really fun trip. I was imagining the grilled shrimp with Greek salad you had for dinner. Thank you for the marinade recipe. We really loved it.