Since I had some cider to use up (courtesy of the apple cider doughnuts), I decided to put some of it to good use in soup. I had a squash sitting around for awhile, earmarked for a new pasta dish I wanted to try out, but when it got cold and windy, all I wanted was a warming soup.

I added some turmeric to the pot for nutritional reasons, and some extra ginger for a bit more of a punch. Turmeric happens to be a powerful natural anti-inflammatory, and I try to add a little extra here or there when the dish warrants it.

This soup is great with fresh bread, such as my favorite homemade baguettes. With fresh bread and a salad, it makes a great autumn lunch or quick dinner.

Curried Squash Soup
somewhat adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Print Recipe

1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 McIntosh apples (could substitute another baking apple)
8 ounces (237 mL) apple cider
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
olive oil
salt
pepper

Position baking sheets in upper and lower thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 425F/220C.

Peel squash, then cut off top and bottom. Carefully cut the squash in half where the neck meets the base. Resting the base on its bottom, cut it down the middle so you can scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces and divide between two large baking sheets into two piles. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat the squash, then arrange on pans so pieces aren’t touching each other.

Roast for 20 minutes, flip pieces over, then return pans to oven (switching them on the racks so the upper pan is now the lower pan) and roast for another 20 minutes.

In a large pot, heat butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to brown. Add curry powder, turmeric, and ginger, stirring to coat the onions.

While onions are cooking, peel, core, and cut apples into 8 pieces per apple (large pieces). Add to pot with onions and cook until soft.

Add roasted squash, 2 cups water, and apple cider to pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low for 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender (or blend in batches in full size blender covered with dish towel – not a tight cover or you risk an explosion) to blend. Add water and/or additional cider as desired for consistency and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve hot.

(A tip for butternut squash: look for the smallest base and longest neck for fewer seeds and more flesh.)

This dish is the perfect late summer meal. It’s light and fresh, taking advantage of an abundance of cherry tomatoes that many of us have. If you’ve ever had even just one cherry tomato plant, you know what I’m talking about.

If you also grow basil, even better!

In the summer, you can easily obtain great tomatoes or basil from a farmers’ market, farm stand, maybe even just the neighbors or a coworker. I’ve even seen pails of tomatoes in a work breakroom, along with a “Help Yourself” sign.

You know what I really like about this dish (besides the great taste)? The leftovers taste great straight from the fridge or microwaved lightly, resulting in an easy lunch the following day.

I’m already thinking about making it again.

Note – this is one of those dishes that requires a few hours for the tomatoes to macerate, so plan your time accordingly.

Summer Garden Pasta
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Print Recipe

2 pints (450 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
dash crushed red pepper flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces (225 grams) dried angel hair pasta
3/4 cups (170 grams) freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)

Cut 9 of the basil leaves in a chiffonade. (Reserve remaining leaves for garnish.)

Combine tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, sliced basil, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and macerate at room temperature for 3-4 hours.

Before serving, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and about a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Add pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente (2-3 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.

Add pasta to tomatoes, then add parmesan and remaining basil leaves. Toss with a large tongs, adding pasta water a tablespoon at a time, if needed to prevent noodles from sticking.

Top each serving with additional parmesan and whole basil leaves.

Serves 3-4.

One of my favorite parts of summer is sweet corn. It’s the only time during the year I’ll eat corn.

For a reason I can’t quite explain, I only like corn when it’s still on the cob. Frozen corn in a bag? In my world, that’s an ice pack. (Don’t even mention canned corn to me.)

As a child, heated corn was often served during the winter as a side dish. I didn’t want to eat it, but I also didn’t want to be stuck at the table for half the night, so I would swallow spoonfuls like medicine, with big chugs of milk. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but now I mentally apologize to my digestive system.

Of course, when my parents left the room long enough, I would bury some of the remaining corn in the garbage, always leaving a little on the plate, so as not to draw suspicion.

However, I would happily eat corn on the cob in the summer. Cut it off the cob, I wouldn’t touch it. I still can’t explain why, but once it’s been cut off, it simply reminded me too much of the corn I didn’t like. To this day, I maintain that corn off the cob simply doesn’t taste the same.

I adore tossing a cob or two directly on the grill (okay, I brush it with olive oil first), letting a few of the kernals char ever so slightly. But what happens when the weather ruins your grilling plans?

If you’ve taken advantage of the bounty of sweet corn available in the summer but find rain ruining your plans to grill it, here’s a very tasty alternative that you might just discover tastes even better.

Oven-Roasted Sweet Corn

Print Recipe

Fresh cobs of sweet corn
Butter
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Pull husks back on cobs and remove silk. Replace husks, tying with kitchen twine if necessary to keep closed.

Roast for 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through. Remove twine, pull back husks, and slather with butter. Season with salt and pepper.

During a hot summer, what could be better for breakfast than a cool fruit smoothie?

Recently, I’ve been partially to the combination of peaches and strawberries. It started when the peaches I picked up from the grocery store were small and quite hard. Not good for eating, but my blender could turn them into something delicious.

At the time, I also had some cut strawberries in the fridge that I had sprinkled with sugar. Sweet and juicy, they were the perfect complement to rock hard peaches and plain yogurt. Since that morning, I’ve taken to simply washing and trimming a handful of strawberries, slicing up a peach, and throwing them in the blender with some Fage greek yogurt. A quick taste lets me know if a dash of sweetener is needed.

Strawberry Peach Smoothie
serves 1

Print Recipe

4-5 medium strawberries
1 small peach
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
2 ice cubes
sweetener of choice, if desired

Wash and remove stems from strawberries, toss in blender. Wash peach and cut slices; add to blender. Add yogurt and cover, blend.

Turn off blender and add ice cubes, blend again until liquified and frothy. Taste for sweetness, adding sweetener as needed.

It seems as if I’m growing zucchini myself. Each week, our produce box contains several zucchini, many of which are large and only good for baking.

Last weekend I gave away a batch of muffins, and my freezer is overflowing with loaves of baked zucchini bread.

Oh yeah, and I baked a cake.

Now, I can’t eat an entire cake by myself, but I was desperate. Anything to use up shredded zucchini…

And this was all from last week’s box – I now have a new box, filled with zucchini. Any ideas for ways to use it up? Not the small ones – those are easy. But the large zucchini? I’m running out of things to do, besides experimenting in an attempt to better my favorite recipes.

Zucchini Cake

Print Recipe

2 cups (450 grams) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (355 mL) canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups (450 grams) shredded zucchini
2 cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 325*F/165*C. Butter and flour a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) cake pan.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil with a handheld mixer or wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in eggs, then zucchini, blend well.

Add flour mixture to sugar, beat until combined.

Transfer batter to cake pan. Bake 45-60 minutes or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Cool on wire baking rack.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Print Recipe

16 ounces (455 grams) cream cheese, softened
½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¾ cups (305 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed with paddle attachment until combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add powdered sugar. Add vanilla and beat until mixed, then add a pinch of salt and mix.

If you live in the US, there’s a good chance you’ve been affected by this week’s heatwave. If you haven’t yet made homemade lemonade to cool off, well, what are you waiting for?!

Earlier in the week, when I saw that Michelle made Deb‘s Watermelon Lemonade, I immediately decided to emulate her.

Watermelon was the first entry on my grocery list. I added a couple of lemons for good measure, not sure if those that had been hanging out in my fridge for awhile would yield that much juice anymore.

They did, but it wouldn’t have been enough. Always best to play it safe.

When it comes to summer refreshment, nothing beats freshly squeezed lemonade; playing around with fruit combinations only makes a classic better.

Watermelon Lemonade
recipe from Smitten Kitchen via One Ordinary Day

Print Recipe

2 cups watermelon puree (from about 1/4 large melon or 1/2 small melon)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 5 heavy lemons)*
3/4 cup simple syrup
3 cups cold water
Ice, for serving

First, make the simple syrup. Heat 1 cup cold water with 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat to cool.

Next, make the puree. Place large chunks of watermelon in food processor (blender would work too) and pulse until liquidy. Strain through fine sieve into medium-large bowl to remove seeds.

Juice lemons and measure out 1 cup. Pour through sieve to remove seeds.

In large pitcher, combine lemon juice, watermelon puree, 3/4 cup simple syrup (or more or less to suit your taste), and cold water; stir to combine. Serve in glasses filled with ice.

Chill remaining lemonade, stirring before serving (puree will separate out).

*The heavier the lemon, the more juice it contains. Always try to juice room temperature lemons, they’ll give up more juice.

For me, pasta is more of a delivery vehicle for a favorite sauce, rather than an excitement unto itself. Sure, there are gourmet flavored pastas, which I do enjoy from time to time, but for the most part, I don’t find pasta all that interesting.

A few years back, I discovered spaghetti squash and realized it was an excellent substitute for spaghetti when served with a tomato-meat sauce. I liked the texture, I liked the flavor, and I found it tasted better than noodles. What I didn’t like was the hassle of cooking it, cutting it, and scraping out the strands.

So when I discovered an inexpensive little kitchen gadget that would allow me to turn many vegetables into spirals, I had to get it. I used it for the first time mere days after it arrived, to turn zucchini into curly “pasta”. I tossed the zucchini with some store-bought sauce and served it alongside an easy chicken parmesan.

For a little extra flavor, I dredged the chicken cutlets in shredded parmesan seasoned with Italian seasoning and ground pepper before cooking them.

If you have an abundance of zucchini you don’t know what to do with, turning it into “noodles” is an easy, interesting way to use up some of it. Since I just picked up my produce box yesterday and found it filled with zucchini, you can bet I will be making more meals like this one.

If you’re interested in a spiral vegetable slicer, I’m very happy with this one; it’s easy to use and easy to clean, and it stores the various blades in the gadget itself.

Zucchini Pasta

1 medium zucchini per person, washed
1/2 cup prepared tomato-based pasta sauce or marinara per person

Heat pasta sauce in medium saucepan over medium heat.

While that’s warming, cut the stem end off your zucchini. Depending on the size of the zucchini, you may need to cut then in half, as well. Make sure the suction cups have secured the gadget onto your counter, and place a bowl to the left of the gadget to catch the zucchini strands. Push a flat end onto the circular piece by the blade, then push the spikes into the other end. Your right hand will rotate the zucchini, while your left hand will push the lower handle towards the blade.

Continue with each additional piece of zucchini until you’ve spiralized all the zucchini. Toss the “noodles” in with the warmed sauce, let sit in pan for 1 minute to warm through slightly. Remove from heat and serve.

One of the reasons I joined a CSA is to try new things. And though I’d passed chard in the grocery store many times, and appreciated the colorful stalks, I never really knew what to do with it, so I passed it up. Well, there was a bunch of brightly colored chard in this week’s produce box, along with a recipe for chard tacos.

Anytime I’m confronted with new produce, out of curiosity I head over to the World’s Healthiest Foods website to see how it measures up. After reading about chard, I think it’s become a regular player in my diet. Am I shocked it’s so good for us? Well, no. Leafy green vegetables of any kind have a pretty darn good reputation, but I had no idea this one was so instrumental in helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Further, it’s second only to spinach among the healthiest vegetables! For a complete nutritional analysis, please visit this link.

All week I’ve struggled with eating meat (this happens to me now and again), so a vegetarian option for tacos sounded pretty nice to me. But I confess, I did have my doubts as to what these tacos would actually taste like. And you know what? I was more than pleasantly suprised.

If you’re looking for a nice, summery meal that your bank account will thank you for, give these a try.

Notes: I used whole wheat tortillas, but if you use corn tortillas, the recipe is gluten-free.

Also, the original recipe called for queso fresco, which I’ve had trouble finding. An Internet search listed mild Feta as a substitute. I’m not a fan of the salty, briny flavor of feta, though I thought I’d give the mild version a try. Yup, still not a fan. I’ll take my Mexican cheese blend, or plain ole cheddar, anyday.

Chard Tacos
adapted from Tree of Life CSA

Print Recipe

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch chard, woody ends removed, leaves roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
pinch or two of salt
dash of ground cumin
dash of chili powder
dash of ground cayenne (more if you like it spicy)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
whole wheat or corn tortillas
shredded Mexican cheese blend (or shredded cheddar)
salsa
sour cream (optional)

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne; cook until garlic is fragrant. Add chard and water, cover and reduce heat to low, cook for 5 minutes, or until chard is tender.

Remove cover and increase heat to medium; cook until water cooks off. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium. Toast tortillas until lightly browned, flipping frequently. (Alternatively, toast on a gas burner or warm wrapped in foil for 10 minutes in a 350*F oven.)

Top each tortilla with a spoonful or two of chard, a sprinkle of cheese, a generous spoonful of salsa, and a spoonful of sour cream, if you wish.

After considering a dozen various dessert recipes for my parents’ Memorial Day weekend cookout, it was my three year old niece who inadvertently made the decision for me.

When I made my red velvet birthday cake, I sent leftovers throughout the family, so everyone could have some. I’ve never seen K turn down cake before, and considering her love of blueberries, I can’t say I was shocked to hear that she liked this cake.

Well, about a week later, she asked for cake. Confused, my sister-in-law and mom looked at each other, then explained there wasn’t any cake. And K insisted, “I want some of Sara’s cake!” (I wasn’t there, I’m paraphrasing what my mom told me, as well as what my dad told me. But we all get the gist of it, right?)

So, a pint-size toddler made the decision for me – I will be making red velvet cupcakes, from one of the recipes I’ve already posted here. Because I’m not doing something new, I thought I would share some of my favorite patriotic holiday/cookout recipes of all types prior to the weekend.

Coriander Carrot Slaw

Grilled Baby Potatoes

Chicken & Fruit Salad

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad – this dish tastes better when it’s made a day ahead of time

Pre-baked Pizza Crusts – top with your favorite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings, then grill until cheese melts

Grilled Chicken

Bacon Jam – the perfect condiment to add to burgers, sandwiches, and even hot dogs

Steak Sandwiches – simply grill the vegetables and steak, slice, and serve in sandwich form

Soft Pretzels – great for parties

Red Velvet Cake – can easily make into cupcakes – keep the blueberries and raspberries for a festive touch

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream – a food-coloring free option

Tres Leches Cake – get some fruit with your cake

Salted Peanut Butter Cupcakes – chocolate + peanut butter = all-American favorite

Key Lime Cupcakes – they may not be red, white, and blue, but they use limes that only grow in the Florida Keys, making them truly all-American

Party Cookies – an all-time favorite recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with nuts) – the addition of finely chopped pecans makes these cookies taste extra buttery

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (NY Times recipe) – start the dough a day or two ahead of time!

Cherry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Millionaire’s Shortbread – my runner up for the cookout

Fudgy Brownies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Bars – everyone of all ages will love these

Lemon Bars – end the meal with a sweet-tart finish

Frozen Key Lime Pie – for cookouts close to home

Crumble Apple Pie – easily turn this into a double crust pie, for a less messy alternative (simply double the ingredients for the crust)

Apple Tartlets

Fruit Tartlets

I love a good tomato soup.

I’ve had excellent tomato soup in restaurants, and okay organic soup from a can…but to me, canned soup always tastes like…the can.

I’ve been meaning to make a roasted tomato soup for…too long. I’ve made it before, but I don’t exaggerate when I say it’s been years. Years! Pretty sad, huh?

So how did I finally get inspired to make tomato soup again?

A cookbook. There’s nothing crazy or unusual about this recipe, but it’s classic Ina: simple and delicious. I simply needed to page through The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook to be reminded that I should just make a big pot of soup. And, anyone who has roasted tomatoes before knows how sweet even out of season tomatoes can get, when a bit of heat is applied.

If you decide to make this soup, it’s either a weekend endeavor, or a two-part job (roast the tomatoes one day, make the soup another). It will take a couple of hours total, but you don’t have to do a whole lot in the kitchen during that time, freeing you up to catch up on your shows, give yourself a pedicure, or read that book that’s been calling your name.

Roasted Tomato Soup
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Print Recipe

3 pounds Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 large yellow onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
4 cups chicken stock*
1-2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
Parmesan Croutons (see below)

Heat oven to 400*F.

Cut Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. In a very large bowl, toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and salt. Spread on large baking sheet and season with pepper. Roast for 45 minutes; remove from oven and allow to sit at room temperature.

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, saute the onions and garlic with remaining oil and the butter until the onions start to brown. Add canned tomatoes (with their juices), basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the roasted tomatoes with any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Taste; if overly-acidic, add 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Simmer 10 more minutes. Taste again, adjusting salt, pepper, and sugar as needed.

Pass through a food mill fitted with coarsest blade. Serve hot or cold.

Garnish with basil or croutons. (If you’re a cheese lover, you may as well garnish with additional parm, as well. It’s good. Very good.)

*Soup is vegetarian if made with vegetable stock or water. Soup is gluten free if made with gluten free stock and croutons (if using).

Parmesan Croutons

1 baguette, sliced 1/4 inch thick
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450*F. Arrange bread on a rimmed baking sheet (tip: line with foil for easier cleanup) and brush both sides with olive oil. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until golden.

Turn the broiler on. Sprinkle cheese on each crouton and broil until melted.