Omlette

with herbed ricotta, and tabouli salad. I used to have a vague idea about fresh herbs that you had to use the right ones at the right times and that it was kind of complicated. That may well be true, but having a few Aerogardens-worth to deal with has liberated me from caring; now I grab big handfuls of whatever (mint and rosemary excepted), chop them up and throw them in. This method has not yet failed me.

NYT Beans and Rice

In a nice confluence of consumer energies I was this morning wondering what to do with the pound of tepary beans I had been soaking over night, beans I bought from ranchogordo.com because the NYT magazine told me to, when I opened this morning's NYT magazine to a recipe for Nuyorican beans and rice. For those who didn't see it, the recipe involves onions, peppers, spices, and orange juice. It was that last ingredient that got me, since I'm a sucker for citrus and had never thought of it in connection to beans. I made it, and it is sublime. We had it over brown rice, with pan-fried mahi.

Blueberry Johnnie Cakes

This is my new favorite breakfast. I wish the photo showed the warm, appetizing yellow they actually were. I was inspired by a recent meal I had at a wonderful restaurant called Hot & Hot Fish Club. Everything was delectable, but dessert was the best: johnnie cakes with honey and homemade yogurt. I ordered it without knowing what johnnie cakes were; they appeared to be skillet-fried cornbread, and were outrageously good. So this morning I gave it a whirl myself, using the following recipe (freely adapted from Frank Stitt):

2C white cornmeal
1/2C quinoa flour
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
1t salt
1T sugar
1 1/2C milk
1T greek yogurt (full fat)
2 eggs
5T melted unsalted butter
2C fresh blueberries

I mixed it all up and cooked as for pancakes, then made a total pig of myself. Spouse had syrup, I had nada, delicious both ways.

Crab Cakes

with brown rice, corn on the cob, and "coleslaw." My version of that last is dicing up cabbage and dressing it with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. If the cabbage is sweet, it's great.

Buffalo Meatballs

with oat groats and pesto, and broccoli rappini.

Rye and Ribs

I love leftover ribs: I chop up the meat and serve it with whatever grain I have on hand; it's always delicious. We had it with corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, and lemon cucumbers.

Orange Roughy

with corn on the cob and tomatoes. Yum! I've discovered flash-frozen fish at the grocery store; it's going to change a lot for me in terms of dinner planning.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

One of my favorite things about summer. I chop up tomatoes, sautee them in olive oil until they've reduced a good bit, add garlic, salt, and basil, and serve. Simple, and so good. we had it on whole wheat noodles, with a salad.

Omlette

with herbed ricotta cheese. Also green beans and blueberry cornbread.

Pork Steak

with roasted brussels sprouts and blueberry cornbread. I ate myself silly on that last; incredibly good. I used the recipe for cornbread in Chez Panisse vegetables and threw in lots of fresh blueberries.

Sandalwood Socks

I posted these halfway through, but here's the finished pair. The photoshoot was no fun; wool + summer = itch.

Foxglove Tank

Knitting in the summer is so wonderful; it's amazing how fast projects go when one doesn't have to make sleeves! This is made of bamboo, a slinky and light fiber just right for upcoming dog days.

Herbed Buffalo Meatballs

with corn on the cob and buttered wax beans.

Hash

Two nights running now we've had hash of bacon and vegetables over rye berries; mighty satisfying.

Chicken Thighs

With quinoa and roasted broccoli.

Herbed Buffalo Burgers

I trimmed the Aerogardens and diced everything up (dill, thyme, oregano, basil, chives) and added it to the ground buffalo. I made patties, fried them, and served them on sourdough toast with cheddar cheese and sauteed turnip greens. On the side we had the turnips (tiny, delicious) and a salad of romaine lettuce.