My husband and I used to joke about a legendary trust fund that would kick in when we turned thirty-five.  The context for this joke was usually some deprivation imposed by limited funds in response to which one of  us would say, “Did I ever mention the trust fund that kicks in when I turn thirty-five? When that happens we will be able to….” and then fill in whatever we had just realized that we could not afford, dinner reservations at a hot new restaurant, imported vanilla bean and so on.

What my husband did come through with though was a family cottage on a lake in Indiana. Even better, the cottage was a surprise I only learned about after our marriage, so he can rest more easily knowing that I did not marry him for his family’s real estate.

One of the welcome rhythms of lake living is the early evening cocktail hour on the front lake-facing patio after which we migrate to a second cocktail hour on the back grill-facing patio.  Dinner has often been delayed much to the dismay of the sleep-deprived parents of toddlers because nobody wants to peel off from the lakeside group to begin the necessary grill preparations.

There have been many memorable meals created and served at the lake; however, the quintessential meal that will forever be linked in my mind to this family cottage is a late July, early August meal of burgers, corn, cantaloupe, and cole slaw. The corn and the cantaloupe are sadly specific to time and place. If you cannot get to northern Indiana, specifically to Sweet Corn Charlie’s farm stand, during the latter half of the summer just know that you will have to settle for a still excellent, but nonetheless pale imitation of the greatest summer meal on earth. The burgers and cole slaw are reproducible in all their original glory.

The burger recipe was imported by friends who were visiting for a weekend and their contribution of Jamie Oliver’s Boffo Burger recipe provided a Wizard of Oz-like transformation from black and white to hamburger infused Technicolor glory. Besides the egg and bread crumbs you would expect, Jamie Oliver adds cumin and coriander to make this compelling recipe.

The cole slaw owes it all to my beloved original Barefoot Contessa and all six dressing ingredients have been committed to memory– celery salt, celery seed, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper (counted as one ingredient because almost never do you add one without the other). Memory is a tricky thing. I don’t remember the last time I referenced the actual recipe, and it apparently calls for sugar, an ingredient I have never added.