Back to School

That's right, I said it. I'm going back to school!

It's not so much that I'm excited for summer break to end.  I'm just excited that it was a vacation after all, and not the permanent kind.  And now I have an excuse to buy new school supplies!!  (Nerd.)

I was a horrible blogger this summer due to major life happenings, and I will probably continue to be less than punctual: I'm teaching a new class at a new school which means I have a LOT of reading in my future.  And not the food-related kind.

Anyway, enough about me.  Let's talk about all those end of summer vegetables piling up.

Tomatoes?

Cook cherry tomatoes down with garlic, red onion, and crushed pepper to make a delicious bruschetta:

Or, make fresh marinara.  Or pile them onto a pizza. MMMMM.


Zucchini?

For a quick meal, fry it up.  Dip it in seasoned flour, then egg, then fry on both sides in hot oil.  Serve with dipper of your choice (I made honey mustard and it was finger lickin').

Or, if you're feeling fancy, make this pasta.  Or cook it into your fresh marinara with mushrooms and sausage for a hearty zucchini stew.

Or, make zucchini bread and share it with me.





Eggplant?

It's easiest to just dice it up and saute it in your fresh marinara to give it some more weight.

If you're okay doing a little work, make eggplant parm.  I make a mean eggplant parm.  The secret is to use panko bread crumbs.

I'd love to make baba ganoush, but it seems like so much work??




Peaches?

My uncle gave us pounds of peaches from his trees.  I spend a whole morning canning them with my mom and grandma.  (Cheater's canning: mix sliced peaches with the pectin and just freeze instead of jar.  They taste great it December!)

I also made muffins. (Tweak this recipe.)

And diced them on top of waffles.  Ohhh yeah.












Anyway, I wish you all the best as summer ends and fall begins! XOXO

Summer's End

Oh, tomato season, must you end so soon?

It seems to have turned into fall overnight, and tomato season is nearing it's end.  Eat 'em while you can.

I found delicious tomatoes at Gade's Farm Market in Guilderland. I also bought Yummy Peppers (literally, that's what they're called). 

I attest that Yummy Peppers are, indeed, yummy.

All veggies on this pizza came from the farm.  I like pizza because you can put on whatever you can scrounge up, and it always tastes good.  I also bought mushrooms, but they didn't fit.

End of Summer Pizza

A large ripe tomato

1/2 red onion

3 Yummy peppers, or a bell pepper

fresh basil

1 clove garlic

olive oil

cheese (whatever you like-- this time I had some sharp provolone that I grated on top)

crust (I used a Pilsbury pizza crust, which was surprisingly delicious... and super quick on a school night)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and roll out the pizza dough on a greased pan.

2. Chop up all your veggies to desired size (I like things big and rustic, but feel free to dice).

3. Spread pizza crust with olive oil and chopped garlic.  I don't use sauce because I think the chopped tomato makes up for it.

4. Layer on your veggies.  Season with basil leaves and salt and pepper.  Sprinkle on cheese.

5. Bake for about 10 or 15 minutes (it's done when the crust edges get golden).

Let cool, and enjoy :)