Comfort Foods and Indulgences

If you are looking for an easy way to serve a crowd potatoes this summer, you should try this.  These sports bar-inspired creations are roasted instead of deep fried (like the loaded potato skins) and come out tasting great.

Choosing the smallest red potatoes you can find keeps them easy to eat.  A tray full on the table or the buffet line are a yummy addition to all the cookouts I know you are planning.

With butter, bacon and cheese they taste just as sinful as the deep fried version we are used to eating. 

I have to admit I have been craving potatoes lately.  After two weeks of rain, weed pressure in the vineyard is high.  I have been hoeing around the vines so that root establishment does not have any competition from our friends, "the weeds".  Anyway, it is extremely hard work and carbs have been calling.  These potatoes hit the spot.

I love the sunrises in Edgartown. Our bedroom faces East on the Harbor, and the sunrises are breathtaking - quite powerful. (Red in the Morning; Sailor’s Warning)

But, as a Californian, I am truly addicted to the Golden Light of Sunset, or as some say, Magic Light. The Sun at that short but delicious time of day rests on the horizon line, offering a perfect warm, golden light. Portraits and landscapes become truly magical, but I also love that light as it fades to darkness… It becomes poetic and a bit sad.

I got the End of Summer Blues.

People in Edgartown are always friendly and polite - ditto the dogs, So Bill and I (and our dog Charlie) awaken with the pleasant thought of our walk to town. Our neighbor, Lucy, across the street has two labs (The Black Dogs of Martha’s Vineyard) and we visit on occasion. Today was one of those days. The usual chatter about the lack of rain and the end of summer. I asked our neighbor where her home was off-season and she replied Los Angeles. Where? I demanded! Hancock Park she replied. I went to school in Hancock Park I responded happily. I used to live there... bla bla bla. It finally got down to who do you know and a name - Amy Ephron – came up. Yes I know Amy … I sometime write articles for her E-zine OneForTheTable. (Wait… are you ready for this) So do I she said. So, for the lovely Lucy Dahl, I dedicate my end of summer Vineyard Recipe.

I’m a firm believer in the adage that a tiny plot can feed a whole lot! Granddaddy’s tomatoes keep rolling in and BLT’s, pies, sauce, and simply sliced dishes of tomatoes are abounding on our tables.

Mimi, as is her custom, has toast and tea every morning for breakfast..... as her grandmother did. Sourdough buttered and toasted and glazed with a seasonal spread is de rigueur. Taking the tone from the toast in the iron skillet and the tomatoes on the windowsill (Mimi and Granddaddy always have tomatoes on their windowsills May through October), the cultures of Italy and Deep Down Dixie merge for a delicious starter, meal or snack that we’ve thoroughly enjoyed this summer. The addition of an over easy egg gives a huevos rancheros nod to the dish and a dose of protein too. ¡Olé!'!

As a fan of breakfast for supper, this dish is at home to kick off the day or cap the day or really anytime in between. Taking literally a few minutes to prepare, you’ll love the way the egg yolk nods along with the tomato and basil sing-a-long. The crusty sourdough toast soaks up all it can and give you an excuse to use your hands to scrape the last bit with the crust. Leave off the egg for a traditional bruschetta that is nothing shy of divine.

It's hard to say no to cheese. Since I never tasted Parrano cheese I was more than happy to accept a sample to try. Apparently it has been around since the 1970's but I can't recall ever seeing it at the market. It's a semi-firm cheese created by a Dutch cheese maker who went to Italy and was inspired to create a Gouda that would be reminiscent of Northern Italian style cheese. It's aged for at least 5 months and often described as tasting like a cross between Gouda and Parmesan. I'm not sure I agree with that assessment, but I can tell you it's buttery and has a caramel like flavor that complements tomatoes beautifully.

I've been inundated with cherry tomatoes recently and decided I would use them on a pizza with Parrano cheese. I also happened to have some grilled marinated artichokes and that combination is really something. I added chives for a little color and oniony flavor, but really, just a plain cherry tomato pizza would be delicious too. The good thing about using cherry tomatoes instead of tomato slices and Parrano cheese instead of mozzarella is that neither will make your pizza soggy. That said, biting into a cherry tomato half can be a deliciously juicy experience.