After days and days of heat, when no one much feels like eating or cooking, even I was starting to get hangry. I decided I’d give roasted corn and tomato salad a whirl. It looked very enticing and healthy on my favorite authors Instagram feed. As it so happens she was featured in the last Magnolia magazine and shared the very same recipe. You can get most of the ingredients at the farmers market making it a natural summertime choice. And healthy too. So after I picked up a couple of things at the market and a drink at Starbucks, I slipped into something cool topped off with my favorite red plaid apron, turned on the music and set my mind and hands to making some delectable food.
You’re actually supposed to roast corn on the cob and then shave the kernels off but I cheated and bought frozen corn and sautéed it. I tossed cherry tomatoe halves into my favorite salad bowl along with some roasted cauliflower bits, green onion, cilantro, feta cheese crumbles , salt and pepper and of course, the corn. A treat for the taste buds and a feast for the soul. Thought I’d toss together another whole 30 greek salad as Lexie and I like to have that at the ready. We douse both salads with our default dressing -olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and mustard. For optimum health we needed to injest some protein so I grilled some chicken breasts in my grill press for that BBQ flavor and we gathered round for some scrumptious hot weather sustenance.
I was on a summer menu roll so I decided to make some fresh peach pie and while I was at it, why not some homemade lemon ice cream? The tartness of the lemon perfectly complimenting the sweetness of the peach pie. Just slicing up the peaches was a gift for the senses. The scent of peach as well as the ombré color from the pit outwards. I cooked this into my own pie filling and filled the crusted pie plate to over flowing with the bright orange concoction. Nothing I like better than to play with my pie crust and invent unique designs for the top crust.
I grated the rind off four lemons and then juiced the lemons, using both juice and lemon rind in my ice cream. Working with lemons is so refreshing. I end up with about 1 cup of lemon juice and that seems to be just the right amount of tartness and color. We were invited out for dinner the next evening so a perfect chance to share our spoils with friends. Actually I just had another taste of the lemony goodness and am tempted not to share anymore but I will, as this is real food, full fat ice cream and I don’t want to be wearing it in the weeks to come.
Spending an evening putzing around in my kitchen creating nourishment for my family is extremely cathartic and satisfying. I guess you could say cooking is one of my hobbies and life’s loves. Putting separate ingredients together, that would not taste good alone, and churning out something delicious and nutritious is my kind of magic.
The Red Plaid Apron 