Martha Stewart Living July/August 2021

I REMEMBER READING about the “bliss point” in food manufacturing several years back. It’s the goal of striking that perfect balance—not too little, and not too much—of sugar, salt, and fat in a candy or other food item to make it downright delicious. It certainly explains why a Snickers bar (a classic bliss-point example) is, indeed, “so satisfying,” and why Lay’s usually wins the wager that they “betcha can’t eat just one” potato chip. But I think the term itself is better suited to those magical moments in summer when all the right elements come together: life’s natural sweetness, perhaps a little salt air, and the richness of being with loved ones in real life. This issue in your hands has so many ingredients to that end. You’ll get sublime desserts…

| MEET & GREET | Ryan Mesina Photo director Home base: Spencertown, New York. First photo memory: Posing while his mom shot endless portraits at the Macy’s flower show. Point-and-shoot trick: Take snaps on a slightly overcast day or with the sun behind the subject. “Soft backlight is forgiving, and you often get cool lens flare.” Happy place: Afloat on North Twin Lake, in Livingston, New York (“an inner tube is key”), or in his garden, where he recently planted boxwoods along his porch. He also grows flowers and arranges them for a friend’s restaurant in nearby Hudson, Le Perche. Favorite tool: An extra-long, narrow shovel meant for digging fence postholes. “I’m tall, so it gives me better leverage for making holes for new plants, and its narrowness keeps me from disturbing their…

| ON THE ROAD | OPENING ACTS The curtain rises again on live performances this summer—at spacious, alfresco venues. In New York City, free Shakespeare in the Park returns to the Delacorte Theater (shown) with Merry Wives, a modern, set-in-Harlem spin on The Merry Wives of Windsor (July 6 to August 29; publictheater.org). Here, more places proving that the show must go on. —Erica Sloan ABINGDON, VIRGINIA A platform at the Moonlite Drive-In is the genius setting for Barter Theatre’s July and August weekend shows, Doo-Wop at the Moonlite Drive-In and Barter Sings Broadway. Both will be simulcast on the big screen there, too. bartertheatre.com BLUE ASH, OHIO Applaud the Cincinnati Opera casts of Carmen, Tosca, and The Barber of Seville from a designated square on Summit Park’s Great Lawn during the company’s open-air season, July…

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE to be known as spineless? Mucilaginous? Slimy? Viscous? Those are common adjectives used to describe one of my favorite summer harvests: okra, also called okro or lady’s-fingers. This fruit, a staple in regions including West Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, South America, and the southern United States, is unusually healthful—a good source of fiber, minerals, and vitamins—and is easy to prepare in many different ways to render it delectable to almost everyone. Okra thrives in warm or hot temperatures and is simple to grow; the plants, part of the mallow family, are quite productive once they get established in the garden. The fruit itself is the edible green, reddish-purple, or yellowish seedpod. Best harvested when about three inches in length and youngish, okra is tender and…

| CELEBRATE | Ready to Launch No need to wait for twilight’s last gleaming. Kids will have a blast setting off these DIY confetti poppers whenever you hand them out. Making them is definitely not rocket science. You’ll just need a cardboard box and tubes you’d otherwise recycle—from gift wrap, toilet paper, or paper towels—plus some white paint, blue painters’ tape (for the patriotic stripes), barbecue skewers, red construction paper, and kitchen twine (for the faux fuses). The only thing you might not have on hand is the confetti; these oversize dots and stars are easy to find online and made of biodegradable paper. To let ’em rip, all little ones have to do is hold the rocket in one hand, push the handle up with the other, and … ka-boom! For…

Style on the Half Shell Exuberant displays are common in summer beach rentals (shells are an inexpensive medium, after all). But these elevated ideas, created by Living home editor Lorna Aragon, put them in a sophisticated light that you’ll love long past Labor Day. 1. WREATH The clamshells in this minimalist front-door greeting (or wall hanging) get their ombré effect from a simple soak in dye made from purple cabbage for varying lengths of time; the ones on top are untouched. 2. BAGS Striking white scallop and ark shells, hot-glued into place, give affordable rattan styles resort-boutique cred. 3. SALTCELLARS Save your oyster shells from happy hour or dinner, arrange a few on a plate, and pour in varieties like kosher, flaky sea, and pink Himalayan (which, fittingly, looks like sand from…