Summer

Picnic salads are some of the best summer foods. What would any outdoor cookout be without them? I can't imagine fried chicken without potato salad or steak without three-bean salad. The classic recipes are always appreciated, but sometimes it's nice to try something new—with a twist. This time I decided to reinvent the classic three-bean salad with a recipe that uses all fresh beans, with three different kinds—and colors.

This salad has yellow wax beans, green string beans, and purple wax beans. But it's hard to tell from the picture which ones are purple, because they lose most of their color once cooked. A shallot, though, makes up for the loss of purple color. Using herbs in the vinaigrette adds refreshing earthy flavor. And topping the salad with ricotta salata cheese adds a slight salty tanginess. This Mediterranean-style salad is great for party picnics with family and friends. Plus it pairs with just about any comfort food.

My tomato plants are at peak production.  I have so many ripe fruit. We are eating tomatoes at every meal and enjoying fabulous sandwiches. Last night we enjoyed Bruschetta, and the diced-tomato-with-olive oil-herbs-garlic-and-salt topped toasts are a great way to consume several ounces of tomato per person.

Speaking of ounces, we grew a Yellow Brandywine that tipped the scale at just over 2 pounds! (Regard the photographic evidence!)

But not all tomatoes are the big beauties, ready to be sliced, admired and devoured on a platter with a little sea salt and sprinkling of chopped basil. No, we have prolific plants that produce small fruit—just larger than a golf ball. These tomatoes are, dare I say, almost annoying in their abundance. What do you do with them?

I make an incredibly easy tomato sauce that is great as a pizza or pasta sauce. I am too busy to fuss too much with the tomatoes. I neither peel nor seed the little buggers. I just cut out the little cores and throw them into a pot with garlic and olive oil and basil, simmer it until thickened, and then puree in a blender.

I’ve got this Meyer lemon tree in my yard that is dripping with fruit. With a sudden burst of culinary energy (for some reason I’m channeling Rachael Ray) I am doing a lemon project this week, finally committed to using my harvest for something other than dog toys.

First, of course, I made lemonade. While I have often advised my kids (much to their irritation) to make lemonade out of lemons, I have rarely taken that advice myself, at least not literally. I had no idea how much sugar is in the stuff. No wonder it’s so addictive. Best rush since the Easter egg hunt.

I decided to make a couple of lemonade variations that would cut the sugar and add interest. Voila: Chamomile Arnold Palmers and Cucumber Mint Lemonade. Love that basic Meyer Lemonade, but if the sugar has you bouncing like a pinball, try one of its slightly less sweet cousins.

I love zucchini. I always have. My mom used to saute it with butter, tomatoes and onions...it was my favorite side dish as a kid. I use it in everything now, from chocolate cake to pizza...it's a welcome veggie around here.

Now there's this pie. There is no fancy crust to make, you are just going to stir the ingredients together and bake. And it's going to turn out perfect. You'll see.

It's best served right out of the oven, while the crust is crunchy and the inside soft. Even my son LOVED this, I was so glad!

This would also be perfect for brunch in replace of quiche...it's also much easier to make, a guaranteed no fail!