Are You Having Fun Yet?

Are you having fun yet?

We are!  Summer is flying by, even though it feels like it’s been summer forever here in Nashville!  We are hot but happy.  It’s funny how the grass is always greener and we always wish for the season and the weather that we do not currently have.   It seems like everyone has taken off for sunny and sandy spots and those of us left behind are trying to embrace the hot, dry weather.  We can’t change it so we might as well learn to love the perpetual bad hair days!  At least we’re all sharing it right?   We are loving growing tomatoes and trying to wage a losing battle against the sneaky chipmunks. There should be enough for all of us to share, but they don’t seem to play nice and subscribe to that line of thought.  So, at least we have lots of amazing farmer’s markets around town to supplement the difference.  It’s so much fun to come up with recipes for all the amazing produce.  Last year we joined a CSA and got weekly bundles of whatever was fresh and ready to pick/harvest.  We loved it, but were out of town too frequently to take full advantage. This year, we are just going to the farmer’s markets once we use up what we bought last time! It’s always so hard to find time to cook, so I like to try and make a lot of whatever I do make so I can freeze some for later.  I’m trying to do this with both baby food and our food.  There’s nothing better than having fresh tomato sauce in the middle of the winter.  What are some of your favorite seasonal recipes?  We would love to try them!

Here’s a salad that is one of my current favorites and really easy to make.  I have been on a huge kale kick lately and love it in all forms.  I adapted this from a super yummy salad I had recently at Tavern here in Nashville.

Take 1 bunch of kale – wash, trim and cut it.

Microwave or steam it until the volume decreases by almost 1/2 or until it is cooked to your liking.

Allow it to cool and season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with  a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese, slivered almonds and dried currants.

Toss with good quality olive oil.

Optional – serve with grilled salmon, chicken or protein of your choice.

Serves 2-4

Let us know what you think and I hope you’re having better luck protecting your garden from the chipmunks.  Bon Appetit!