…don’t let go, girl, we’ve got a lot!”
(Sorry, I was raised on the oldies station. When all my friends were jamming to New Kids On The Block and wearing Hammer pants, I was singing along with The Four Seasons and The Temptations!)
So here’s the deal, I know that Labor Day weekend is supposed to signal the end of summer, and pumpkin spice is already taking over the grocery store shelves, and my mother-in-law has already started with the Halloween decorations, BUT I’m not quite ready to let go!
As I took my walk around the farmers’ market this weekend, and I saw baskets of apples creeping up next to the peaches, I realized I wasn’t ready to be done with summer produce.
And why should I be? I want to eat peaches until I’m sick of them. The heirloom tomatoes are still beautiful. My okra plants are producing like crazy! And as we stood by the mountains of corn, the conversation went something like, “Do we need corn?” “I dunno, what do you want to do with it?” “Who cares, it’s there, shouldn’t we get more while we can?!” Yes. Yes, we should.
So, we got all the things, and I took on the weekend without a hard plan, which really is very unlike me, but is the most fun! Here’s how it went…
For my pile of ever growing okra (left-hand pictures, top and bottom) - You’ll see some appropriately sized okra and some “I left town for three days” okra. Those suckers can get big! (The overgrown ones aren’t good for eating, they get too tough, but if you lay them out to dry, they are fun to paint for craft projects!)
My latest favorite way to eat okra is roasted with a herby mayo sauce on the side for dipping. Cut the okra in half, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425 for 12-15 minutes. The mayo sauce is a couple spoonfuls of mayonnaise, a little lemon juice, one small garlic clove, a pinch of salt and pepper, and whatever herbs were still alive on the patio!
I still had okra to use, so I did a quick pickle. We love a good crispy, briny vegetable around here. Usually I quick pickle cucumbers, red onions, or radishes, but these okra turned out nicely. Is there anything better than a snack plate with something pickled on the side? Full recipe down below!
A tomato galette also made an appearance (middle set of pictures) - I found a bit of pie crust left in my freezer from making chicken pot pies, and was inspired to make a tomato tart, but easier. Enter the galette, a free form flat pastry with the edges just “rustically” folded over the filling.
I used one large red tomato and one large yellow tomato. Slice them, lay them out on a layer of paper towels, and sprinkle with salt to draw some of the moisture out. While the tomatoes are draining, roll out the pie crust into a large circle, and transfer to a parchment lined pan. Sprinkle some parmesan and mozzarella cheese over the crust, then a little bit of fresh basil. Blot the tomatoes dry and layer them on (leaving a border around the edges). More cheese and a little pepper goes next, then fold the edges of the crust up and over, folding and crimping as needed. Brush the crust with a little egg wash and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.
And finally, pound cake with skillet peaches (right-hand pictures, top and bottom) - the pound cake is a recipe I have had forever, written in the first recipe book my mom started for me. It just says “Philly Pound Cake”. Turns out it’s literally the pound cake recipe put out by the Philadelphia Cream Cheese people. I found it online, recipe for the cake here. I add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and divide it into 2 pans because when I do it in one pan, it always spills over. (Also, it won’t take as long to bake as the recipe says if you do 2 pans, I think it’s closer to 35-40 minutes.)
For the peaches I peeled and sliced 4 large ones, and sautéed them in a stick of butter over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Then I stirred in 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a little splash of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes, and voila, peaches in a caramel-ish sauce that are wonderful spooned over that cake, or vanilla ice cream, or both.
So, go ahead with all the fall things, if you want. But as long as I still see corn, and tomatoes, and peaches, and all the other late summer things, I’m leaning in to the last bits of the season with wild abandon and no plan! (Who am I kidding, you know I have a plan…)
MONDAY - Labor Day Cookout - Shish-kabob
We love a 3-day weekend! Marinated pork loin and veggie kabobs at Yaya’s. The neighbors will bring a couple salad/side type items, and I’ll bring dessert!
TUESDAY - Carnitas Quesadillas
I’ve been working on a Mexican-inspired pork carnitas recipe (coming soon!) and did a big pork roast on Saturday. So we’ll use some of it for quesadillas, and then I’ll freeze the rest for quick dinners down the road.
WEDNESDAY - Chicken Parm and Fettucine Alfredo
I love the combination of red sauce and white sauce in the same meal. It feels so over the top and decadent. Chicken cutlets with marinara and mozzarella for the chicken parm and a pile of rich fettucine alfredo on the side. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
THURSDAY - Sliced Steak and Provolone Sammies
I have another flank steak in the freezer (it was a 2-pack when I got it a few weeks ago), so for a quick dinner we’ll throw it on the grill and slice it thin for panini sandwiches on good sourdough bread loaded with melty provolone cheese. This fresh corn salad would be great on the side!
FRIDAY - Friday Night Pick-up
SATURDAY - Dinner at YaYa’s (the in-laws!)
Cubed chicken cooked up in an Asian orange sauce, lo mein noodles, and pork pot stickers. Another “fake-out take-out” night for the win!
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s
Pork tenderloin roasted in the oven, fresh farmers’ market green beans, corn on the cob, and caprese salad. Like I said, still soaking up summer foods.
LUNCHES for this week -
I found this list of chopped salad ideas from Eating Well, and they inspired me to make my own! I did a big bowl with thinly sliced red cabbage, halved red and yellow grape tomatoes, diced cucumber, shredded carrots, and chickpeas all in a mustardy vinaigrette. It’s a definite “eat the rainbow” kind of salad! And bonus - it made enough to fill four lunch-size containers!
EXTRAS for this week
I received a beautiful Staub cast iron braiser for my birthday, and immediately roasted a chicken over some fingerling potatoes. We ate it up in a jiffy, and now I want to go ahead a roast another chicken just to have around for sandwiches, salads and snacks. Yes, snacks. Anyone else just grab a piece of cold roasted chicken out of the fridge when they need a little something? No..? Just me?
Refrigerator Pickles
Makes 1-quart jar
· 1 ½ cups hot Water
· ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
· 1 tablespoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· 1 tablespoon White Sugar
· 2 teaspoons Whole Peppercorns
· 4-5 cloves Garlic, smashed
· Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to taste)
· Several sprigs of Fresh Herbs (such as Rosemary and Thyme)
· Enough vegetables to fill the jar *See Note
Fill a one-quart jar with whole, sliced, or other cut vegetables. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and peppercorns, tuck in the fresh herbs, and add the smashed garlic.
In a large measuring cup, mix together the hot water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour liquid into jar to cover vegetables. Close tightly.
Leave the jar on the counter for 1-2 hours to come to room temperature, then move jar to the refrigerator. Smaller cut vegetables will be ready the next day, larger vegetables may need two days. Store pickles in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
NOTE – For cucumbers, it usually takes 3-4 sliced cucumbers to fill the jar, depending on size. For a red onion, one large sliced onion should do it. For radishes and okra, I just pack in whatever will fit. Sliced carrots, pepper strips, and green beans also pickle nicely. If you want to do mixed vegetables, heads up – red onion and radishes will turn everything else pink!
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
All recipes categorized by type can be found in the index!