Summer Sunday: Provençal Stuffed Tomatoes

The tomatoes were not actually stuffed. They were simply topped. But the recipe calls them stuffed.

The recipe comes from John Besh via Martha Stewart and is easy peasy.

I did not have as much as basil as the recipe calls for, but the topping/stuffing still turned out a little greener than I imagined it would/should.

[ green does not deter us ]

We love green. Green is goodness.

[ green is godly ]

We enjoy vegetable plates. Especially when it’s so hot outside.

Not everyone would go for it. Thank goodness we only have to worry about ourselves.

July 4th: Back to basics

Well, Happy 4th to you. What did you eat?

Perhaps you did not employ the same strategy as I did when planning your lunch today: The ability to purchase all ingredients at the corner grocery store, not having to cook anything for very long, kind of light, and very easy.

We ate potato salad — the kind without mayo. Thanks to AW.

[ not so heavy ]

And of course, when all else fails, we turn to our favorite bowl of greens.

[ arugula, tomatoes, parmesan ]

[ a little meal but very filling ]

Add a little bread and you have a festive table for two. Some wine would be nice too. But we did not have wine this time.

July 2nd: Pique-nique

It’s too hot out there for a real picnic. And maybe it’s not so easy to get comfy these days.

However, that does not stop us from enjoying traditional picnic fare … or non-traditional macaroni salad.

[ no cream, no mayo ]

The recipe came from her. But it doesn’t really look exactly right when comparing her photos and mine. Then again, she is a real deal chef and a real deal photographer. I’m just a lady in a kitchen with an iPhone.

We also enjoyed some chips & guac. And maybe, just maybe, dessert may have been froyo/ice cream and sprinkles.

Sunday indulgence: Three cheese baked pasta

My sister left NYC this afternoon, and I was both exhausted and restless afterward. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to nap or read or be productive or just sit. The only thing I was sure about was that I wanted pasta.

So as always, it began with some tomato sauce a la Sara V. And then there was pasta and cheese and breadcrumbs under the smart oven’s broiler.

[ a little kick & a little crunch ]

We’ll get back on track tomorrow. After all, staycation is over, and it’s back to the office as usual. There are no more guests expected before mid-September, so we have no excuse not to eat as well as possible.

I’ll still eat frozen yogurt, of course. Of course!

Casserole Crazy: Zucchini, not squash

We ate a neutrally healthy meal tonight. Well, maybe it was more junk food than nutritious, but there was an awful lot of zucchini in there.

[ & crackers & butter & cheese ]

Perhaps it was because I was too tired to try very hard or maybe it was because MB is on her way and it was in honor of her [junk food queen] or maybe it’s just because we like middle west junk food dinners sometimes.

But like I said, there was zucchini:

[ & 0nion & some egg ]

This is our kind of comfort food.

Thanks again, Bittman: Roasted quinoa with potatoes and cheese

We referred to HTCEV again tonight. These easy meals are always welcome and are good practice for building an arsenal of go-to/staple meals, which we’ll certainly turn to in coming months.

Although a simple dish, this was our first time eating quinoa in such a nutty, crunchy fashion. We liked it.

What you see here: red quinoa, red potatoes, red bell pepper, scallion, cilantro, salt, pepper, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and smoked gouda.

[ a little garden ]

Accidentally I deleted the wrong close-up photo from my phone, so all I have to show you is this blurry one:

[ hello ]

It’s been a while since we ate quinoa. I kind of missed it.

Staycation: All I ever wanted

Yesterday was the first time we’ve really had a chance to take our time with a meal since returning from London last Friday. When I asked John what sounded good, he said: “Something hearty and healthy.”

So we made Bittman’s ratatouille salad.

[ whatta relief ]

It was a simple and modest plate of food, but it was good — eggplant, zucchini, garlic, tomato, onion, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese atop some greens and a little bit of semolina pasta to make it feel like dinner. [We were a little hungry.]

In days to come, we’ll probably fall back on lots of meals such as this, as greens and veggies are big staples around here. Plus the temperatures are too high for anything very complicated.

When in London: Fish & chips

Hey – Did you know in London, the restaurants serve nachos with Cool Ranch Doritos? We thought it was just a one-establishment practice, but it turns out to be common practice. Odd indeed.

Last night John ate vegetarian fish & chips.

[ breaded cheese, unmashed peas ]

He said it was the most cheese he had ever eaten.

*Note: The dish called for mashed peas, but John is not a baby, so we just went with garden peas.

Sunday indulgence: Unimpressive

Well, I fibbed. It’s Sunday again — day 2 of the 3-day weekend, and today we ate a la midwestern family restaurant … pasta & salad.

We went to Trader Joe’s today, and I thought we’d find something good to use in our dinner, but as it turns out, everything was well picked over by the time we arrived. I suppose everyone had already stocked up for their big Monday barbeques.

So I made some tomato & basil sauce, and we ate it over organic vegetable pasta.

[ tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic, spices ]

[ with a little shredded parm ]

Of course, it would not be the W-V household without an arugula salad, right?

[ predictable ]

And that’s that. I want to tell you that tomorrow’s meal will be fancier. Except it’s hot outside, and even hotter in our apartment, and there is leftover tomato sauce. So we’ll probably just have pizza.

Sunday indulgence: Cheddar and scallion twice baked potatoes

The potato confidence around these parts just grows and grows.

[ very brave spuds ]

We also enjoyed some poblano pepper & corn chowder, courtesy of Pacific Naturals. Unfortunately, the photo was lost somewhere between the setting sun and our Sunday night movie viewing.

Next weekend will span three days. It’ll be slower, longer, quieter — and there will be edibles more impressive than these simple starchy booties, one might hope.