A few months ago, I woke up and realized how much I missed writing this blog. My editing newsletter took its place for a while, but it was time to separate the two. This blog is for pure fun and allows me to release my inner spirit for the joy of it.
It’s summer love in the Knight Oasis this August. My garden has had a workout! I loaded the middle box with green beans, which are now all harvested and many frozen for future use. I’ve replaced them with yellow zucchini, parsley, carrot, and basil seeds. The herbs, especially the basil, sport larger and more aromatic leaves in the late summer and early fall. I’ll have a pesto party in October! My friend, John, gifted me a grapevine, now growing up a new trellis, and two butternut squash seedlings, which are taking over the ground space behind my beds.
Every year, I like to try to plant something I’ve never done before, and this year, it’s hard squash. My front bed is seeded with acorn, delicata, and red kuri squashes for a November harvest and winter of good eating. The back bed is lush with zucchini, Kellogg, Costoluto Genovese, and Sungold cherry tomatoes. Yesterday, I spied and ate the first two ripe figs of the summer!
The kitchen has been calling my name, but not for my usual canning of tomatoes and jamming of fruits. The bright flavors of Adele’s Caponata are the perfect use of my garden’s harvest. Make a batch and keep it on hand for easy entertaining. I’ve served it as an appetizer with crostini, on a toasted baguette for lunch, and stirred it into pearled couscous for an easy dinner. What are you making with your garden produce this summer?
We celebrated my mom’s 93rd birthday with a small gathering, and I made a super easy and delicious ginger-mint shrimp dish from New York Times Cooking. It’s perfect for a crowd, and there were no leftovers! For dessert, I whipped up a batch of mini pavlovas, her favorite, and instead of my usual lemon curd filling, I churned two ice creams: salted caramel and fresh peach. David Lebovitz’s book, The Perfect Scoop, delivered on point with his salted caramel sauce that I swirled into crème fraiche ice cream. Buonissimo!
Celebrating my mom with a birthday pavlova stuffed with homemade ice cream, with a drizzle of caramel sauce, and sauteed peaches.
Because tomatoes and zucchini dominate my garden, I created this easy caprese-ish recipe. It’s my answer to the perfect summer dinner.
Sun-Kissed Italian Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/2 cup niçoise olives, sliced in half
- 1 Tbs capers, rinsed
- 1/2 cup sliced red peppers or roasted red peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup mini mozzarella balls, quartered
- 2-4 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced basil
- 2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted
- salt, pepper, and pepperoncini to taste
- 6 oz. pasta I like the squiggly kind that is forkable with some texture, like Trader Joe’s Gigli or Cascatelli.
Instructions
- Mix all the veggie ingredients in a large bowl, except the basil. Add enough olive oil to coat, about ¼ cup. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste, and add pepperoncini for some heat. Be sure to season with enough salt and pepper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tsp. salt. Add pasta and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and immediately toss into the bowl of veggies. Taste again for seasoning. Gently stir in basil. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Enjoy while warm.
Notes
I’m so glad to be back! In next month’s blog, I will take you on a road trip to northern Arizona, including a jeep ride deep in the canyons of Canyon de Chelly. The experience of a lifetime!
That beautiful season, the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A late summer garden has a tranquility found no other time of the year.
William F. Longgood
Ciao for now,
