Dining in: At the beach

Summer is in full swing now, and if your family is like ours, you may be heading to the beach condo or mountain cabin for a badly needed week of R&R. If you’re traveling with a crew or meeting up with friends or relatives, you may have noticed that restaurant dining with a large group—especially if it includes small children—can be a lot less enjoyable than preparing a laid-back meal in the comfort of your vacation digs.

In fact, we dine in most nights during our family beach week in Florida. One thing we’ve learned over the years, though, is just because a high-end rental unit has sparkling granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, that doesn’t mean it has sharp knives in the drawer or cheese graters that can do justice to a block of Parmesan-Reggiano. Click here to read our recipes.