A Fresh Beginning: Bygone Living

Most of you remember this blog as I Heart New England, and have probably wondered over the years: Where did she go? I often asked myself that same question! As usual, life had gotten in the way; I got a full-time job, moved out east to a cottage with my boyfriend Jake, had to balance work life with home life. As many of you can relate, my new "grown up" life had left very little time (and energy) to actively maintain a blog. But man, not a day went by that I didn't miss it. I've done and have seen a lot during the course of my absence, and upon every special moment, a little voice would chirp inside my head, "This would be perfect for the blog!" But what blog? I really didn't have one anymore...

That is, until I came up with the idea of Bygone Living. I asked myself as I sat on my patio one golden June evening, what can I change or reinvent about my blog to make it more vigorous and suited to my lifestyle? Of course, New England has always been the love of my life, but I don't quite live there, and there are hundreds of other interesting things that I do that don't pertain to New England at all. What is a constant, ever-gleaming beacon in my life? Something that defines me? I started brainstorming: history, traditional living, domesticity... And that was my "Eureka!" moment: simply make a blog celebrating those three things, thus Bygone Living was born.

This will be an outlet where I can share with all of you my historical discoveries, in and outside of Long Island, where I am from. It will also be a place for me to share traditional and old recipes, like my favorite one for blueberry cobbler you'll see below. I'll share stories about my life, tales of the past, and just about anything else that harkens back to a simpler time.

Please feel free to explore the new blog design-- all my I Heart New England posts are still active, so you're welcome to backtrack too (we're all about "backtracking" here!)-- and I hope you'll stick around (preferably with a cup of tea) to enjoy Bygone Living.

Blueberry Cobbler

(courtesy of MyRecipes.com)

2 pints blueberries

1/3 plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 cups heavy cream

Heat oven to 375° F. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish or a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, 

toss the blueberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and the remaining flour and sugar.

Add the butter and blend with your fingers or 2 knives until coarse crumbs form. 

Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream and mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Drop mounds of dough over the blueberry mixture. 

Bake until the berries are bubbling and the top is golden, 35-40 minutes. 

Serve with the remaining cream for drizzling, if desired.