Fresh Rolls

Fresh rolls are my favorite. Ex-debate club kids would maybe try to argue that no, it’s really peanut sauce that’s my favorite. The two *do* seem to go hand in hand. But let them argue. I’d rather spend my time nomming these tasty rolls.

Truly love at first bite many many moons ago, fresh rolls didn’t make an appearance in my kitchen for far too long. They intimidated me. Look at them! Scary, right? Rice paper? It looks tricky! It looks delicate! I don’t usually do so well when tricky and delicate combine. So I avoided. I got take out. I made do. Until! Until one fateful day with a cold, cable TV and Ming Tsai.

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Summer Spaghetti

I love summer. It was 95º yesterday. After a July of 60º highs and long stretches of rainy days, it was nice to see cloudless skies. Nice to feel hot. Nice to wonder where the sunscreen is. Just nice.

It got me thinking about summer. Summer is all about the senses, isn’t it? Maybe more than other seasons? Everything seems heightened. The longer days and warmer temperatures bring people outside, give you something to talk about. You’re sweaty. And thirsty. And pink. Summer swallows you up.

I made this salad then. When I was swallowed up by summer. I suggest that if you’re going to make this salad, please do the same. Pick a hot day. Put your hair up. If you have to sit on your porch for a bit to get in the mood, or take a walk in your garden, do it. Just be in awe of summer.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Tis the season to have more summer squash in your possession then you have friends on Facebook. If you haven’t grown your own bushel, someone has given you one. It’s inescapable. And why would you want to escape it, anyway? Zucchini, patty pan, crookneck — there’s nothing not to be happy about. Did you know that they’re called summer squash not because we eat them in summer but because of their short shelf life in comparison to their winter squash cousins? You know what else? They’re a fruit. You know what else? That’s all I got.

Well, I do have this. A recipe for chocolate zucchini cake with a pecan-chocolate chip topping. It was posted by Beau over at Something Edible a couple weeks ago and I immediately recognized it. My mom makes that cake! Except it’s a totally different cake, come to find out. Same topping, different cake. Dates vs. zucchini. But it’s not date season. No it isn’t. It’s summer squash season, so zucchini it is. Read More »

Tofu Nuggets

This is, surely, the most golden brown entry I’ll ever post. Look at that fried-ness up there. Look at it. It’s everything you associate with the word “nugget” as it is applied to food. I first had these lil guys at Whole Foods where they sell them by the pound in the lunch-y buffet area. They call them Chicken Fried Tofu and they’re chicken-fried tasty. They are also $7.99 a pound. I KNOW. For fried tofu. Highway robbery.

I made note of the identifying tag on the hot bar that lists the ingredients. It was surprisingly short which made searching for the inspiration (…or knock-off) recipe kind of easy yet kind of hard. Easy in that it didn’t take long to identify a recipe as being not it. Like say it included buttermilk or corn flakes for instance. Not it! Hard in that it took a long time to find one that *was* it. But I found it! Thanks, internet. Read More »

Rustic Tomato Tart

This is a recipe from my good friend Christina, first tasted six, maybe seven, years ago. It was amazing. One bite and I feared I would eat the whole thing. Her crust was absolute perfection. The tomatoes were red red red. Summer at its finest. The herbs. Oh my. I could write a poem about it. This girl has the knack. A carefulness about her cooking that takes good recipes to great executions. She can do no wrong in the kitchen.

My version of this savory tart was tasty. It was delicious because tomatoes, herbs and Parmesan cheese are delicious. It was pretty. My friends Laura and Jonathan ooo’d and aaah’d. My house smelled amazing. But with one bite, it secured it’s 2nd pace standing. “It’s not as good as Christina’s.” I said.

“I knew you were going to say that.” Jonathan said.

Maybe it’s the salad syndrome. Or the grilled cheese effect. It always tastes better when someone makes it for you. A little behind the scenes magic is the key ingredient. But with all that said, and assuming that none of you have been so lucky as to have had a bite of a rustic herbed tomato tart with Parmesan crust made by Miss Christina, this will surely win 1st place in your world and be a summer staple for many many years to come.

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