The world has seemed like a very big and scary place as of late. So much violence begetting worry and fear and I’m doing my best to keep it at bay (the worry and fear, I mean). It is hard enough to process all of these feelings on my own, let alone explain the unexplainable to my kids. I’ve decided that in order to maintain some sanity and security for us all to stop focusing on the big, often scary, stuff, and keep our depth of field a little shallower. By that mean that we have been trying to find the beauty in the everyday mundane things that we might otherwise miss.

So, while we try to make sense of it all, we are keeping our prayers big and our focus small. Of course, some of the simplest dishes bring the greatest pleasures. Especially in the summertime. Eating blueberries picked fresh off the bush, peaches so sweet and perfectly ripe that the juice runs down your arm after your first bite and the queen of summer, watermelon. Watermelon gets several lives in our house. Fresh slices, cut into chunks and frozen, pureed into agua fresca (or a margarita) and then the rind goes to our chickens for a special treat for them too.

During this time of year when watermelon is sweet and plentiful, I try to include it as much as possible into our meal plan. This brings me to the beautiful marriage that is watermelon and burrata cheese. If you are uninitiated into the world of burrata, now is a great time to jump in. It’s a beautiful ball of fresh mozzarella that, when crafted, is submerged into a bowl of cream to catch the cream in the center which then creates this soft, oozy, gooey, creamy center that is the magic of burrata. As someone who avoids dairy, this is my dairy mistress. It’s that good.

So, as we look to the small to find beauty and reassurance that our world isn’t completely mad, it’s the simplicity of this dish that warms my heart and cools my fear (as well as my palate).