Almost like in ceviche, where the citrus juice cures the fish, the lemon and lime in this dressing soften the delicate ribbons of summer squash as the salad rests. Look for zucchini and yellow squash between 6 and 8 inches in length; avoid the really big ones, as they tend to be pithy. If you…
Easy Entertaining: A Farmers Market-to-Table Meal
On Saturday mornings, as many weeks as I can, I make a trip to my local farmers market. Short of growing your own, there’s nothing as satisfying as being able to get fruits and vegetables grown locally and picked right at their peak—fresh, ripe, and oh so flavorful. When they’re harvested ripe, their flavors have…
Roasted Pepper Salad
Sensational flavors combine with bright summery colors to make this dish perfect for entertaining al fresco. Play with the colors and flavors of the peppers you use, mixing sweet with hot and anything in between, but choose ones more or less the same size, so they roast evenly. I call this a salad because I’m…
The Season of (Getting Rid of) Zucchini
If you’ve been here long enough, you know the routine. Winter gives way to spring, finally, which is followed gently by summer, which glides gently into the season of getting rid of zucchini. During those tense few weeks, neighbors and even strangers are afraid to make eye contact, lest a zucchini gets tossed, like some…
The Best Way to Cook Scallops for a Summer Meal
I am a seafood lover, but this has not always been the case. As children growing up in New England, my younger brothers and I were served swordfish on a regular basis. This may sound luxurious, but in those days, swordfish was a local staple harvested from the nearby Atlantic waters, and my mother was…
Peach and Almond Cake
Any combination of stone fruits works well for this simple, summery cake. I love it made with plums, nectarines, and apricots, or a combination of all. I love no-fuss desserts, and this one will delight everyone served plain or with a large dollop of whipped cream. It’s best served at room temperature, and frankly, even…
Hilarious Photo Shows 3 Bees Drinking, ‘Telling Jokes,’ ‘Falling out of Chair Laughing’
Collecting pollen all day in the Arizona summer sun is hard work. Fortunately, bees have found an interesting way of staying cool—as photographer Joe Neely found out. Recently, Neely poised himself before a bubbling water display with his Nikon and macro lens, hoping to snap birds and bees. It was the perfect watering hole for a…
Cold Summer Soups From Spain
Soup and hot summer weather never seemed like a good combo to me—until I met gazpacho, of course. Throw in the sudden onslaught of tomatoes from a typical summer garden and it almost becomes an imperative. Gazpacho actually appears in texts dating back to Greece and Rome. Claims for the origin of the word itself…
Ajo Blanco
Sometimes called white gazpacho, ajo blanco is defined by almonds and garlic. One must first peel the papery skin off the almonds, something a good blanching followed by a chilled bath makes possible. Serves 6 8 ounces stale bread, without crusts 8 ounces blanched Spanish (Marcona) almonds 2 to 4 garlic cloves 1 cup extra…
A Cake for Summer Celebrations
In the early light of a summer morning, my 2-year-old daughter toddles down the stairs with her bunny and favorite book in hand. She climbs sleepily into my lap with her matted hair and koala print pajamas, and while the birds and squirrels come to life outside our window, we read “Blueberries for Sal.” “Kerplunk,…
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