Weeknight dinners are always a challenge, especially when there are ravenous kids in the house. Do you have a fast and fresh recipe to share with our readers? Send it in and tell us briefly why it comes in handy in the middle of a busy week (one entry per person, please). You have until September 30th before the contest closes. All recipes will be acknowledged, tested and tasted. The winning recipe will be featured here on this website, and the winner will receive an autographed copy of my cookbook, Summertime Anytime, along with this chic set of salt and pepper mills from Grind!

Good luck and happy September! Send in your entry using the comment box.

Photo credit: Mangio da Sola

Last week, I received a wonderful care package from a friend of mine who lives in New Jersey — a gigantic box of tomatoes and peaches from her local farmers market. As women tend to do, my thoughtful friend had somehow read my mind and sent me just the answer to my cravings. As school and the ensuing frenzy begin, fresh juicy tomatoes and peaches are what I’ll miss when summer is behind us.

But since I had just made a batch of gardeny gazpacho and festive Caprese Towers the night before, I pulled out this recipe from The Summertime Anytime Cookbook, one that I employ whenever there’s a surplus of tomatoes to keep from going to waste. Requiring just a few minutes to prepare and plenty of unmonitored oven time to spend as you wish, they are as addictive as kettle corn and packed with nutrition.

If you can resist eating the whole tray straight out of the oven, there are umpteen tasty ways of using these caramelized gems. They add bold color, texture, and verve to just about any meal. Toss them in an omelet, quiche, salad, couscous, rice, or pasta (I sauté some vegetarian sausages and broccolini in olive oil and garlic, then add the oven-dried tomatoes and a little broth to form a delicious sauce). For a quick hors d’oeuvre, thread them on little skewers or toothpicks along with bite-sized bocconcini of mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. The slow-roast technique draws out the best of flavors even when tomatoes aren’t at their peak. Which may be around the corner but I’m not admitting it yet!

Makes 40 pieces

10 firm but ripe plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dried thyme or Herbes de Provence
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200° F. Trim the stem ends off of the tomatoes, quarter them lengthwise, and remove and discard the seeds.

2. Place the tomatoes in a large, nonreactive bowl and add the olive oil, vinegar and herbs; mix well. Season the tomatoes generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

3. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 2 to 3 hours, or until all the liquids have evaporated and the tomatoes are shriveled and dark on the edges but still rosy. (Alternatively, bake the tomatoes at 120° F. overnight, for 9-10 hours).

4. To store, place the dried tomatoes in glass jars, seal tightly, and store refrigerated for up to 1 week. To store them for longer, cover them with olive oil and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

For another delicious way to put those beautiful summer tomatoes to use, try my Seared Fish with Simple Sauce.

If any of you watched the finale of The Next Food Network Star, you know that the three finalists got to film a pilot of their dream cooking show. Each contestant had to prepare their favorite dish, one that represented their culinary soul on a plate. Well, if I had been one of those contestants, this is the recipe you would have seen me prepare.

What makes this salad such a signature? It’s unanimously delicious, it’s as fresh as can be, and it’s beautiful to behold, a picture of summer in all its elegant simplicity. What’s more, it passes the Farmgirl test: you can easily prepare it on a weekday or for guests without breaking a sweat.

Slices of fresh mozzarella are stacked between gorgeous summer tomatoes, homemade pesto, and olive tapenade, and then adorned with more diced tomatoes and fragrant basil. For a stunning effect, choose tomatoes and mozzarella that are about the same size in diameter. To save time, you can purchase pesto and tapenade from your grocer, but you can throw the ingredients in a blender much quicker than a trip to the store. The sweet vinaigrette brings all the flavors together, like a spritz of garden perfume.

It’s a warm-weather ensemble you’ll definitely want to put your name on.

8 servings

Tapenade (makes 1-1/2 cups)

2 cups pitted Kalamata olives
3 garlic cloves (if you like garlic, choose large ones)
4 anchovy fillets
2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pesto (makes 3/4 cup)

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and cooled
3 garlic cloves (if you like garlic, choose large ones)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Vinaigrette (makes 3/4 cup)

1/4 cup white wine or champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

8 ripe tomatoes of assorted colors, cut into 1/4-inch slices, ends diced around the stem and reserved
16 ounces fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
A handful of basil leaves, sliced thinly, plus sprigs for garnish

1. Prepare the Tapenade: In a blender or food processor, blend the olives, garlic, anchovies and pine nuts until almost smooth. With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an airtight container and set aside.

2. Prepare the Pesto: Wash out the blender or food processor. Then add the basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, nuts and garlic. Blend until minced finely but not puréed. Add the olive oil through the top in a slow stream and pulse to blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Adjust seasoning with additional cheese or salt. Transfer the pesto to an airtight container and set aside.

3. Prepare the Vinaigrette: Whisk the vinegar, honey and mustard in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, place one tomato slice on each of 8 serving plates. Spread each with a spoonful of Tapenade. Top each with a slice of cheese; repeat the process using Pesto. Top with a third tomato slice. Toss the diced tomato ends with a little vinaigrette. Spoon some of the chopped tomatoes over each stack and around the plate. Drizzle with more vinaigrette and sprinkle with sliced basil. Garnish with a sprig of basil.

For another perky summer salad, try my Asparagus and White Bean Salad…as a side dish or cool condiment for grilled fish.

What cools you down on a hot summer day? Tell us here and you’ll have a good chance of winning the August cooking contest!

Photo credit: Olivier Napa Valley

It’s hard to admit that summer is almost over. The back-to-school catalogs are clogging my mailbox, my appointment book is crammed with check-ups and haircuts, and my kids are desperately trying to finish their summer reading. Even though there are plenty of sunny days ahead, I can’t help wishing summer would last forever.

How do you maintain that carefree spirit even when we are all back to the grind? I say, bring on the fruit.

Agua Fresca is a classic Mexican drink, made with equal parts fresh fruit and water. For this recipe, blend the juiciest pineapple you can find (frozen defrosted fruit will work, too) with lime or lemon, filtered or bubbly water, and just enough sugar to make it all sing. Spiked with mint and perhaps a splash of your favorite alcohol (vodka, tequila, rum, etc.), it is intensely fruity and absolutely refreshing.

Try this recipe using watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, or papaya…and remember to drink in sweet summer as long as you can.

Makes 6 cups, 6-8 servings

1 ripe fresh pineapple, cut into chunks (about 1 pound or 4 cups cut fruit)
1/2 bunch (leaves from 3-4 sprigs) fresh mint plus a few sprigs for garnish
3 limes, juiced, plus 1 lime cut into wedges for garnish
1/4 cup superfine (or granulated) sugar
4 cups filtered water

1. Place the pineapple, mint leaves, lime juice and sugar in the blender. Fill the blender to the top with water and liquefy on high speed until well-blended and frothy.

2. Pour the liquid through a fine sieve or strainer into a large pitcher, pressing hard on the solids with a ladle or spoon until all the liquid has passed through. Chill for several hours.

3. Serve over ice, garnished with mint and a lime wedge.

For another thirst-quencher, try my Pomegranate-Mint Mojitos.

What cools you down on a hot summer day? Tell us here and you’ll have a good chance of winning the August cooking contest!

Photo credit: thekitchn.com

Announcing the winner of our July Cooking Contest! Debora Dale of Los Angeles is a self-described farmers market addict. “I used to over-buy each weekend because everything (at the farmers market) looked so amazing.” Often by the end of the week, she had to toss produce that had passed its prime.

This recipe, which she calls her “Mid-Week Rescue Salad,” is her solution. “Now, I go through the refrigerator and rescue everything before it’s too late.” The vegetables are basted with a simple balsamic marinade, which helps them caramelize beautifully on the grill. Then they are chopped up along with sausage (I use vegetarian brats) and drizzled with a mustardy basil vinaigrette.

As it turns out, I discovered this salad was aptly named when it rescued me from a what-to-feed-the-mother-in-law-for-dinner dilemma (thank you, Debora).

Deborah does beautiful framing at Memento here in Los Angeles. You can contact her via Memento Framing at Facebook.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a side salad

Garlic Marinade

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

An assortment of vegetables for grilling (mushrooms, multi-colored peppers, asparagus, whole scallions, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, corn, etc.)

1 (14-ounce) package Tofurky Beer Brats or 3/4 pound of your favorite sausages, halved lengthwise

1/2 loaf ciabatta or French bread, sliced 1/2-inch-thick

Basil Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic or 1 small shallot, chopped roughly
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
A handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high.

2. Prepare the Garlic Marinade: combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Trim the vegetables and cut in halves for the grill. For zucchini and eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Brush all the vegetables and bread slices with the Garlic Marinade. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the vegetables and sausages at a 45-degree angle on the grill. Cook until marked well, 2-3 minutes, then rotate to create cross-hatch marks and cook another 2-3 minutes until charred. Flip and repeat. Remove the vegetables as they are done (cooking times will vary according to the type of vegetable) and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bite-size chunks.

5. In a blender, combine all the ingredients for the Basil Vinaigrette and liquefy.

6. Just before serving, grill the bread slices. Mound the vegetables and sausages in a serving bowl or atop greens and drizzle with the vinaigrette, saving the remaining dressing for another time. Serve warm or at room temperature, with warm grilled bread on the side.

If you are a salad lover, try my Tomato Cheddar Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing.

Don’t be shy…Enter the August cooking contest and you just might be the next winner!

Photo credit: userealbutter.com

If you prefer your fish flaky, not steak-y, then summer grilling has probably been wishful thinking. No matter how much you slick the grill, it seems impossible to get a beautifully cross-hatched fillet instead of a fishy mess.

Wrapping the fish in grape leaves is your ticket to barbecue repute. The fish takes on a summery bouquet of citrus, brine and char, while retaining its moisture and tenderness. Serve the fish right in its package, and your guests can decide whether to eat the leaves or not (they are delicious but perhaps an acquired taste for the uninitiated).

The smashed potatoes provide a fluffy bed for this lovely Mediterranean dinner. Serve it with some tzadiki or Persian Cucumber Salad alongside and you will be good to grill on those hot August nights.

Serves 6

Grilled Fish

6 (6-ounce) fillets red snapper, Dover sole or cod
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
I (15-ounce) jar grape leaves in brine, drained
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Olive oil
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Feta-Oregano Smashed Potatoes

2 pounds baby red potatoes, scrubbed
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves chopped finely (about 1 tablespoon), or 1 teaspoon dried
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon zest.

2. Gently squeeze the excess liquid out of the grape leaves without wringing them dry. Separate them carefully, trimming off the stems if necessary. Lay 2 or 3 leaves flat on a cutting board, dark side down, overlapping them so that there are no holes. Rub the inside of the leaves lightly with butter, then place a fillet in the center and wrap the grape leaves around to enclose the fish completely. Place the wrapped fish on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the Feta-Oregano Smashed Potatoes: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until very tender (15-20 minutes); drain and transfer to a large bowl. Using a fork or masher, crush the potatoes while still hot with the sour cream, butter, feta and chopped oregano, until creamy but with a few chunks remaining. Season with salt and pepper. If a creamier texture is desired, continue mashing, adding more sour cream and butter to taste.

4. When you are ready to cook the fish, brush and heat the grill to medium-high (alternatively, heat a little olive oil in a large pan and sauté the fish). Lightly coat the grape leaf wrapping with olive oil and place on the grill.

5. Cook the fish packets until the grape leaves are lightly charred on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. The cooked fish will be slightly firm to the touch. Serve immediately, over a bed of the potatoes, garnished with the lemon wedges and Persian Cucumber Salad.

Do you love fish like I do? Here is another one of my favorite ways to prepare it…and it takes less than 10 minutes: Porcini-Crusted Salmon.

Don’t forget to enter our August cooking contest.

Photo credit: honestfare.com

What’s your favorite way to beat the heat? When you need to chill, what fits the bill? Send in a recipe and tell us briefly why it cools you down (one entry per person, please). You have until August 31st before the contest closes. All recipes will be acknowledged, tested and tasted. The winning recipe will be featured here on this website, and the winner will receive an autographed copy of my Summertime Anytime cookbook, along with this chic set of salt and pepper mills from Grind!

Good luck and enjoy every bite of August! Send in your entry in the comment box below.

Photo credit: Angelina Santana / flickr

Boiled vegetables used to tell a dreary tale. Cooked until they were limp and lifeless, they were reminiscent of comatose institutional food. Surely they were the reason many of my friends spent their childhoods as veg-phobics.

But the technique I learned as an apprentice in France gives vegetables vigor like no other. In fact, it is my favorite way of preparing asparagus: plain and simple. Just a brief swim in well-salted bubbling water followed by an iced-cold dunk brings out the vivid green color while preserving texture, nutrients, and flavor.

This gorgeous vegan salad, abundant with meatless protein, mingles emerald-colored asparagus with white beans, carrot coins, fresh corn, and vibrant herbs. It is as much at home on a family table as it would be in a picnic basket or at an elegant banquet. The vinaigrette has subtle sweet and spicy undertones that would suit any summer salad. Master this technique and boiled vegetables will never be outlawed again.

Serves 4 - 6

1 bunch (about 24) medium or thick asparagus
A large handful of Kosher salt

White Bean Salad

2 corn cobs, husks removed but not discarded
2 very thin carrots, peeled and sliced into small coins
1 (15-ounce) can white kidney (cannellini) beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 sprigs of tarragon, leaves chopped
1/8 cup chopped chives

Maple-Jalapeño Vinaigrette

1/4 cup rice wine (or champagne) vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup walnut or grapeseed oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Trim the tough, stringy part of the asparagus by lining up the tips on a cutting board and cutting off about 2 inches from the ends. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a generous handful of salt and return to a boil. You should be able to taste the salt in the water. Have ready a bowl of ice water.

2. Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and cook until they are crisp but tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drop into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and dry the asparagus and set aside.

3. In the same pot, drop the corn husks and corn into the boiling water and cook briefly until just tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove the corn with a slotted spoon and place on a cutting board. Cut the corn from the cobs and add to a medium mixing bowl. Repeat the process for the carrots, cooking until soft, about 3 minutes.

4. In the bowl with the corn and carrots, combine the white beans, walnuts, tarragon and chives; set aside.

5. Prepare the Maple-Jalapeño Vinaigrette: In a small bowl. mix together the vinegar, maple syrup, shallot, and jalapeño pepper. Whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. To serve, toss a generous amount of vinaigrette into the White Bean Salad. Arrange the asparagus in a row on a large white serving platter. Spoon the White Bean Salad in the center, drizzling extra dressing on the tips and ends of the asparagus.

Serve this salad with Porcini-Crusted Salmon and Farmgirl Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches for a fab summer feast!

Only a few days left to enter the July cooking contest! Thank you to all those who have submitted their recipes. The winner will be announced on August 1.

Photo credits: kathdedon.wordpress.com and them-apples.co.uk

Fresh apricots are some of summer’s juiciest delicacies. Soft and fragrant, I spotted some last week, irresistibly mounded in a wooden crate at the farmers market. I filled up two bags and brought them home, wondering if we could devour them all before they turned to mush.

Then I remembered my favorite Bonne Maman compote from France, which I have never been able to find here at home. With summer slipping by and the half-life of apricot season well behind, I attempted to replicate the deliciously tart conserves, less sweet than a jam but more concentrated than a purée.

Since the apricots were at their peak, I figured I could eliminate all white sugar, relying on their natural sweetness. But I wanted to add some harmonizing flavors, so I used a combination of orange juice and maple syrup, simmering the fruity liquid down to an ambrosial nectar. For the final touch, I scraped a fresh vanilla pod into the mix. The notes were just right; the texture fluid and luscious…liquid sunshine.

Dip into a bowl of this with a toasted baguette and you might feel transported to a French café. Add a handful of roasted pistachio nuts to the bowl and serve it as a condiment to cheese and crackers. Or spoon some over ice cream, angel cake, even panna cotta. Happily, summer is still in full swing.

1 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1-1/2 pounds fresh ripe apricots, pitted, halved, and chopped
1 (4-inch) vanilla bean pod, split (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high, heat the orange juice and maple syrup and bring to a boil.

2. Add the chopped apricots and return to a boil. Scrape the vanilla bean into the pot and add the pod as well. Lower the heat and simmer very gently for about 45 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a syrup and the apricots have broken down.

3. Serve warm with ice cream. Or cool completely and transfer to sterilized glass containers to refrigerate.

If you enjoy making preserves, try making Nectarine Apricot Chutney and Nectarine Preserves.

Enter our July cooking contest for a chance to win an autographed copy of my cookbook (featuring summertime cooking), and other cool free stuff!

Photo credits: memoriesinthebaking.blogspot.com and theshiksa.com