They’re not kidding when they say it’s the way life should be.

Genius grilled lobster by my cousin (so tender, sweet, smokey, and briney). Ocean. Boats. Rocky coastline, salty air. Sweet family time. Campfires. Moonrise Kingdom. Botanical gardens. Pour-over coffee. Seaside sunrise. Books. Fresh, fresh veggies. Wine. Laughter. Strawberry-goat cheese ice cream (recipe to come). Naps and coziness. Ahhh Maine…thank you G&B for letting me stay with you!

To make the perfect soft-boiled egg

I learned this technique at The Market Restaurant, and it’s genius. I’ve heard of so many different ways to do this, but this is the most foolproof way I’ve tried yet. Boil a medium-sized pot of water. Upon boiling, gently place your eggs into the pot, setting a timer for 7 minutes. Get an ice bath ready in a large bowl with equal parts ice and water. Once the timer goes off, remove the eggs immediately from the pot and gently place into the ice bath. I like to give them just a minute before peeling, since they’re piping hot when they come out. But they don’t need to be fully cooled before you peel.

I think it helps to buy your farm-fresh eggs in advance for this, keeping them in the fridge for a few days before soft-boiling. When you get them super fresh and cook them that day, it can sometimes be harder to peel; the film covering the egg is more snug against the shell the fresher they are, causing that oh-so-frustrating damage to the whites while peeling. In other words, there tends to be a larger gap between the shell and the egg after a few days, which makes them worlds easier to peel.

Serve as a quick snack with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper; place on a freshly dressed salad; with seafood salad; on top of pasta, and so on. Or just put an egg on it.

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