apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

At least once every summer, my wife tries to duplicate a chilled cucumber bisque we used to get at Café Balaban in St. Louis. She never quite matches our admittedly fading memory of this lovely soup, but each new effort is wonderfully delicious in its own right. Cucumbers, chicken stock, cream and lemon juice are all involved. From there, she experiments with various herbs and seasonings. And while my wife gets frustrated at not matching the taste we sort of remember, I am always delighted with the results. This summer, she hasn't gotten around to it. Time for a gentle reminder.

I have yet to do anything with fresh basil, which is one of my favorite flavors in the world. Every Saturday I go to the greenmarket hoping to buy some, but by the time I've loaded up on necessary veggies, I'm out of cash. It's a shame that fresh herbs are a luxury, but I'm hoping to budget for one solid bunch this weekend. Next summer I'm planting my own. Windowsill herb garden indeed.

Now that I scored a nice food processor, I'm FINALLY going to make baba ghanoush! I've never made it before, and I have been lusting after those purple globes at the farmer's market for the past few weeks. I'm thinkin' I'll bring that along with some fresh rosemary pita to a Labor Day BBQ. Mmm...egg plant-y

My roommates and I are throwing a end of summer/happy graduation shindig for lots of people, mostly foodies (about 35 have rsvp-ed)!!! I am using the party as an excuse to make all the wonderful foods I missed out on this summer due to studying for my finals (summer classes are a bummer!!): a good potato salad, corn on the cob, friend zuchinni, steamers, various grilled foods and...blueberry pie. Seriously...all summer I've been intensely craving homemade blueberry pie and finally I will have an excuse (and the time!!) to make one. Yay!

All summer I have been going to the local farmer's market and eyeballing the strange greens in the stall run by a Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese (?) man and his son. They're strange only because I've never been exposed to them before, and I think to myself all the time that I need to remedy that. One day I am going to buy several assorted bunches, brave the revelation of my ignorance by asking the man what they are, then come home and google recipes for them. Maybe this Friday!

I always end up buying too much fruit because it's so gorgeous, telling myself that as it heads over the hill it will be sliced up for a glorious crumble with oatmeal and walnuts. Instead, the surplus ends up rotten and in the trash. Bad me. I must admit that I'm being completely unrealistic in my plans--I see myself whisking home from the office on Family Dinner Night (the night my husband does daycare pickup) and whipping up a healthy meal PLUS the aforesaid glorious crumble. The meal gets on the table, the dessert does not even get attempted. (Though ripe fruit does get sliced and makes it to the table as is, which is probably way better for all of us.)

Lobster! This maybe the first summer of my adult life I've gone this long with out lobster. I just IMed hubby to tell him we'll be making a trip to the fish market this weekend.

For me, the lure of so many vivid greens, roots, herbs, and fruits is usually their very essential "them"-ness, as in: "this beet is the most beet-like beet that ever was a beet" (see also: why guild the lily). My summer cooking plans nearly always become summer un-cooking plans. I buy ingredients at my bi-weekly near-work farmers' market and by the time I get home, any recipes I thought I wanted to make become less attractive and the vegetable itself becomes more so. I just want the ear of sweet corn roasted or steamed, with fresh butter. I only want the beet raw, julienned and served with toasted almonds on my red leaf salad. Kale must be lightly pan steamed and only with garlic. I can't possibly think of breaking the thing down into small parts, blending it with other things, maybe applying heat and spice, and getting a completely different thing. And may the good lo' strike me down if I ever try to do anything with a sun-warmed Kansas tomato except slice it, salt it, and eat it on down.

This summer all I missed was asparagus, speaking of the gilt lily. If I had some, I would steam it and serve it with lemon-pepper compound butter.

With the heat and humidity we are having here in the South, I am trying to fix cool meals such as salads alot, but salads are not my husband's favorite thing to eat. I do try to utilize my crock-pot quite a bit as well to keep from heating up the house more. I can put something in the night before or the morning of and by supper time, it's ready to eat. Less clean up. Less heating the house up.

After visiting the UK, I wanted to make my first ever English summer pudding with fresh berries. Sort of let that one slide. Next year!

This summer I planned to make some "East India Relish". It's a family recipe that is a tomato and red pepper relish. It's delicious in sandwiches, mixed with mayo for salad dressing, with cheese and crackers, or on hamburgers. However, with trips out of town and wedding planning, I just never had a good weekend to go to the market during the tomato glut and then do the canning. Next summer for sure!

I'm going to try making naeng myun for once. I could eat this cold Korean soup with buckwheat noodles every day of the summer when it's hot. I love the broth which is a clear brisket broth to which you add vinegar and mustard. It's the most refreshing thing if you do it right. I feel like all the places in New York that are somewhat known for it are going downhill so I'm going to try it myself, especially after seeing that the LA Times has run a recipe for it this week.

I can't believe summer is almost over and I have yet to make or consume any potato salad. Though I suspect I have consumed my weight in stone fruits.

I really wanted to make a lemon ice box pie but didn't get to it.

With nearly every beautiful Summer weekend packed to the brim with adventures, picnics, lounging at the pool and forraging at the farmer's market; my Puruvian Purple Pepper Plant (say that three times fast) has yet to harvest. I sing to it in the morning, admire its purple flowers in the evening, but it's charming little spicy fruits keep me waiting in anticipation. I promise when it harvests all kinds of exotic delights will come to life, but yet, PPPP keeps me waiting.... And Summer is almost over!

My favorite summer treat is fried green tomatoes with bacon on a thick slice of white bread toast. Everything is sitting in my kitchen just waiting to be used but my plans keep getting put off. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day. And maybe there will even be rain so I can sit out on the front porch and eat it listening to the last thunderstorms of summer.

I have been separated from my love this summer. I last saw him before May 21st and now I will see him a week after labor day weekend. It was probably evil of me to whisper my sweet summer recipes to him over the phone, (once I even texted him a picture of a Cobb salad that I made after a Saturday trip to the farmers market), but it was all part of the long distance romance. Fabulous berry breakfasts with rich yogurt and honey, aromatic gazpachos for lunch and fresh fish with steamed asparagus or sweet corn for dinner. Soon he will be with me, but summer will be over, along with all of the fabulous produce. As much as I have missed him, not being able to share in all that summer has provided for me, makes me realize that I don't want to spend another summer without him. And then I can finally make my key lime pie, cause there will be someone else to overdose on the calories with me.

Zuchini Cake.
I have a great recipe from my childhood and my kids absolutely love it. I blogged on it on my blog at http://praiseworthythings.blogspot.com/2006/08/praiseworthy-recipe-zucchini-squash.html if your interested in the recipe. Usually by this time I've been given some of those giant zuchini that everyone tries to figure out what to do with and I make this cake with it.

spring arrives for the southern hemisphere tomorrow, so we will be starting eating lighter foods. i am looking forward to preparing one dish meals with fresh ingredients.

meals like a salad of watercress, grilled haloumi cheese which has been drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, macadamia nuts, a few mint leaves. i'd probably have this with a glass of chilled prosseco or pimms and definitely outside and barefoot.

Gazpacho. I guess because in New England the tomoatoes don't really start coming in until late August/early September. So delicious.

Every summer my son (now age 7) and I wait for Kent mangos to come in to our local Asian grocery. We buy them by the case. The flesh is smooth and slippery, almost gelatinous, and sweet with just the right amout of acidity. Cold from the refrigerator they are the perfect answer to Texas summer heat.

After we've eaten all we can, I make chutney. I add fresh and bright flavors like ginger and garlic and fresh chiles and brown sugar. It's my last farewell to our favorite fruit for another year.

I've got some apples from our tree in the fridge and I keep meaning to use them to make an apple blackberry crisp with blackberries picked in the neighborhood. I need to hurry up before the blackberries are done for the year.

I'll be spending this hot, hot, humid weekend in the kitchen, canning my favorite squash.

We grew those giant cucuzzi this year--the huge, twisty, light green Italian vegetable marrows. I cook them with onions and plum tomatoes (ours) and can them so we can eat summer goodness in the dead of winter.

Hey and happy long weekend. It's a little after 5 p.m. Friday here in NYC so we're closing this Thursday Giveaway up. We'll be back soon to let you know who wins. Feel free to keep the conversation going, but the rest of the comments won't be eligible for the free copy of Summer Cooking.

I plan to fix grilled chicken breast with peanut sauce and mexican rice. :)