liamsaunt

eggs scrambled with tomatoes, bacon, onion, and provolone

egg sandwich

A couple of recents. Pasta alla Norma Use up everything in the fridge crispy chicken salad

I did not make the bread. I rarely bake bread, even though I enjoy doing so. I just usually don't have time. The bread on the tomato sandwich is a ciabatta roll from a local baking operation called Iggy's Breads of the World. The bowl was made by a ceramic artist on a Caribbean island I visit frequently. I have a collection of his serving dishes as well as tableware, and some lighting fixtures. I try to add to my collection every time I visit. The fries were made from zucchini and summer squash. I just cut them into planks, dipped in egg and seasoned panko, then baked on a rack at 425 until they were browned and tender. Next time I would use dry breadcrumbs instead of panko as I think that would stick better. The sauce is a homemade ranch.

cheeseburger for the husband Melissa Clark's tomato sandwich from last week's New York Times for me Squash fries for both of us

Raspberry lime rickey Tomato tart in a basil-garlic crust. There was also sweet corn, grilled striped bass, and grilled steak but I did not have time to get pictures of those things before the starving hordes descended

scubadoo97, that tuna looks perfectly cooked! I want some. Spicy summer vegetable soup. I have a cold right now and this hit the spot.

Lettuce wraps. I only had romaine but this is what I was in the mood for. It worked fine

fishcakes with remoulade, sweet corn, and garden tomatoes

Big salads for dinner last night. The dressing was a homemade basil bacon ranch.

Dinner last night. Grilled pizza for the kids Clams and mussels for the adults

Chicken parmesean and zoodles in a sauce made from a giant (1.3 lbs.) yellow tomato. That tomato was from the farmer's market, not my garden. I have some big guys out there but nothing on that scale!

Roasted portobello mushroom stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto and baked, served on a heap of arugula and spinach. More tomatoes from my garden.

I am back to cooking at home after an extended vacation in the Caribbean. I did do some cooking while on vacation but did not take pictures. It is hard/expensive to find good vegetables on the island (with the exception of salad greens), so I always feel vegetable-starved when I get home. Last night's dinner was a big chopped vegetable salad with chickpeas and feta cheese added. The tomatoes and herbs are from my garden.

shrimp boil

Caprese salad from yesterday's family dinner

chicken and green bean stir fry with lots of garlic and ginger, thai basil and chiles

Too hot to turn the oven on. "Grilled" tomato salad with fresh mozzarella, basil and mint. The tomatoes and herbs are from my garden. "Grilled" is in parentheses because it was hot and I did not want to go out and stand over the hot grill just to grill one green tomato so...I will admit that I "grilled" the green tomato in my belgian waffle iron.

Dcharch and BonVivant, I need your dinners! Seriously both look amazing. Some things from family dinner today. Kale caesar salad. Cliche, I know, but my niece and nephew always take seconds and my Dad loves it too, so... Pasta fresca. Just tomatoes ground up with garlic and basil in the food processor, then tossed with fresh mozzarella. This is my nephew's favorite pasta dish and a good thing since I have about 5,000 cherry tomatoes in my garden that are about to be ripe. Summer squash zoodles with pesto. For my pasta averse Mom and niece Not pictured, the grilled porterhouse steaks my sister made, and the pre-dinner porch swing cocktails (prosecco, mint, limoncello, St. Germaine)

pre dinner cocktail of basil infused vodka lemonade fish tacos

Here is what I bought at the farmer's market today: wine (I actually bought six bottles), cabbage, eggplant, black raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, six ears of corn, peppers, tomatoes, peaches, pretzel rolls, summer squash, gouda spread flavored with onion and chives, and mostly unseen in this photo green beans and guacamole.

striped bass and greek salad

Brown rice, oil-packed tuna, roasted pepper, olive, lemon, basil and scallion salad

I frequently grill clams and oysters in the summer. I have a special grilling grate (it's actually called a Great Grate), that has triangular openings that are perfect for nestling the shells in to and holding them. I don't have the patience to shuck before grilling, so I put them on the grill whole, and as soon as they start to open I carefully shuck them while wearing a heavy glove. Then I return them to the grill and pour over some garlic butter and cook just until the butter starts to bubble. I tried to find a picture of them on the grate so you could see the design, but the only ones I could find with the shellfish on the grate had me in them, so here is a photo of them on the platter for serving. I put rock salt on the platter to keep the shells from spilling their liquor.

Chopped salad