unbruschetta

wow- the second half of this month has been crazy busy.

a conference in New Orleans, then directly following my birthday weekend, craziness at work and a baby shower and 311 concert this past weekend.

needless to say my kitchen and i miss each other.

when life gets busy i tend to fall back on simple, quick and easy meals - and this time of year it doesn't get any easier than a couple of ripe tomatoes, handfuls of fresh herbs from the garden and freshly baked peasant bread from the farmers market. a little sprinkle of good flaky salt, a drizzle of fruity olive oil and a couple of turns on the pepper mill and I am in heaven.

summer happiness

happy Friday!

summer happiness is...

chocolate decadence cake

inspiration comes in many forms. farmers markets, pinterest, a special event ,a beautiful photo or blog. i was inspired last week by a post from souvlaki for the soul who was in turn inspired by a recipe from the paleo spirit. I am a huge fan of peters photography and creative recipes, i knew that he wouldn't steer his readers wrong and he certainly raved about the cake - i knew i had to make a vegan version of this dense chocolaty cake.

summer berry cake

my heart skips a beat anytime i come across local berries at the market.

there is something totally special about a perfectly ripe, sun kissed berry.

currants, raspberries, gooseberries and blueberries are all in season around the lakes region  - have I told you how much i love this time of year.

head over heels in love.

rainbow swiss chard + scape fettuccine

there is nothing better than letting the Saturday morning farmers market inspire you.

beautiful bunches of rainbow swiss chard, curlicue scape's, freshly baked breads, gooseberries, blueberries, currants and baby lettuces all at the ready for you to scoop them up and take them away.

the past two Saturday markets, i have come across the most beautiful organically grown rainbow swiss chard. i swear it calls to me, i cannot not buy it- that would be a shame.

grilled vegetable orzo salad

this beautiful salad tagged along with the strawberry almond breakfast cake to my Pepe's fathers day celebration and was a bit of a scene stealer. grilled eggplant, red onion and rainbow peppers  are tossed with a healthy amount of fresh herbs, arugula and a double dose of lemon and olive oil then finished with a good flaky salt which intensifies the simple flavors.

grilled sweet potatoes

one of the things i like best about summer is enjoying dinner in the backyard - grill heating up, drink in hand, pup happy, sunsetting over the lake, birds singing for their dinner and the scent of flowers enveloping you in a heady perfume that never gets old