FIGS. I love them. The last of the figs are at the market and my fig tree is exhausted. All of this  as I am thinking about more ways to use them. Charlotte Moss recently posted her thoughts on figs and I loved the pictures of figs she posted. Her blog is one of the most beautiful. The photos are amazing.

http://charlottemoss.com/tete-a-tete/

Here are some from my Mother's garden that she sent to me. They were delicious.

Then there are recipes you want to try with figs. I made this one for dinner last night. Delicious.
Mine was just as lovely. However I dressed mine with a mustard vinaigrette. Yummy is all I can say.
http://foodandspice.blogspot.com/2012/06/fig-salad-with-fresh-basil-arugula-goat.html

I might try this one:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/05/fig-and-goat-cheese-pizza-with-arugula
I think this pizza looks yummy.

Which brings me to pizza. I want to try a grilled pizza this weekend. With a long weekend there are more opportunities to try a few more items on the grill.
I am hoping to grill some shrimp this weekend.  I was surfing at lunch and saw this recipe which I think looks easy but tasty.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shrimp-and-lemon-skewers-with-feta-dill-sauce

Well, the weekend awaits. I'll report back next week.
Happy Labor Day. 
Have yourself a White party to close out the summer. I may.

Well I have been thinking about a change for lunch and am ready for some new salad adventures.I studied Heidi Swanson's site 101Cookbooks, a new blog: The Year in Food,  and various links and then these two emerged. Really a combination of several recipes but generally similar to the links below.

This is a favorite of my daughters with red onion, cherry tomatoes,green beans and feta. The Greek red wine vinaigrette and fresh greek oregano from my garden make it very tasty.
I believe we got this recipe years ago from Bon Appetit but this one from Smitten kitchen is very similar.
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/05/green-bean-and-cherry-tomato-salad/

This one looks more like the original we found! I would go back to this site. We like green beans but the yellow ones are beautiful in the salad. Tonight I had yellow tomatoes but the red also give a good pop of color.

http://theredspoonblog.com/2011/08/summer-bean-salad-with-tomatoes-and-feta/

Those yellow grape or cherry tomatoes are so sweet they are like candy. Amazing!

I also love this pretty bowl. It was a wedding gift my parents received more than 50 years ago and luckily I was to take possession years later.  I love it every time I enjoy a salad in it.

Next came a new quinoa salad my friend H sent me. Peaches, basil, feta (I substituted goat cheese) fresh sweet corn, red onion, a few heirloom tomatoes ( those small red and purple ones) and a few crisp green beans. I used 2 peaches and left the skin on, fine for me. You could add pine nuts or golden raisins but this was delicious and a great mix of flavors. The dressing was simple and only enhanced the flavors. Basil added a fresh taste of summer. Quinoa makes a terrific lunch as it is filling and high in protein but so good for you.

Here is the link. This blog is a new one for me. The photography is superb. 'Makes me want to eat everything I see on this site.

http://theyearinfood.com/2009/09/one-last-hurrah.html

This sweet ironstone bowl was an old one from our years in Salisbury.It has the faintest blue lining and although very simple, I do love it. The color reminds me of a robins egg in the deep brown bowl.

Before I added the fresh corn it looked fine just as it was.

The addition of the corn and a stir,  allowed the goat cheese to form a lovely coating. These peaches are so good but we know the season is almost over. Better think about the market this weekend for one more hurrah!

Here is the recipe

Corn, Peach & Quinoa Salad 2 c cooked quinoa 1 ear fresh corn (yellow or sweet) 1 peach, diced 1/4 c crumbled feta 1/4 c pine nuts, toasted handful chopped, fresh basil - golden balsamic vinegar olive oil salt and pepper In advance: Bring two cups water to boil; add one cup quinoa. Cover, simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Boil corn until just tender, and allow that to cool as well. Once corn is no longer hot, slice the kernels from the cob by holding the corn vertically in a wide, shallow bowl and running a sharp knife along the length of the corn, in sections. Toast pine nuts at 250 degrees until golden. (This was done in a toaster oven; may need higher temp for conventional oven.) Allow these to cool to room temperature as well.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together one part vinegar with three to four parts oil. Salt and pepper to your liking. In large bowl, combine all ingredients all ingredients and toss. May be served at room temperature or chilled for a couple hours.

Tomatoes are IN! I cannot get enough and keep finding recipes for  enjoying them. 

Last Saturday we had dinner with friends and I tried a new recipe for tomato tart. This is always a great summer dish but thinking of different variations,  I was open to a new way to enjoy! I had seen this recipe on a web link for a cooking class in New York  and decided to try it. ( more on that soon)

It is called Tomato Tarte Tatin.

http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2012/07/11/tomato-tarte-tatin-recipe/

Here's mine. Yum

I used sweet cherry red and yellow tomatoes but you could use plum tomatoes also.


Of course this  is a good way to enjoy them too, all varieties - heirloom and cherry with basil and arugula. Summer on a plate!

Today I read about lovely dinner honoring local farmers  and they had a perfect tomato salad. The dinner was called Taste of Nelson with Hill and Holler. This dinner  celebrated local farmers and their products. I see many of these at the Charlottesville City Market on Saturdays. This blog features local chefs, food and products from the area. You may enjoy it too.

The blog is called Beyond the Flavor and I am cooking off of it every week it seems.
http://www.beyondtheflavor.com/home/2012/8/21/taste-of-nelson-with-hill-and-holler.html

Looks like they had quite a meal

Enjoy, they won't last forever.

I have  been thinking abut flowers. Seems the heat of summer has made me long for our wonderful early spring and all of the beautiful flowers we enjoyed when it wasn't 100 degrees and humid.

Earlier, I posted how much I liked Charlotte Moss's hydrangeas. Well I looked back at mine and realized they weren't too bad either! This was a banner year for hydrangeas in Virginia. We are not sure if it was the mild winter or the perfect early spring but May, June, and July were great months.

These are 2 types here, the lace cap hydrangea has the larger purple leaves. I just love them all.



In July I went with a friend to Pharsalia Plantation and we took a class on arranging peonies and spring flowers with Foxie Morgan. It was an amazing class and I learned a lot. We also got an up close look at the gardens of Pharsalia. That was a joy. Such beautiful rows of flowering  plants and shrubs. We cut flowers for our arrangements and then went back for lessons. It was a great day.The luncheon  was delicious. It was in the dining room of Pharsalia; good food freshly prepared in a beautiful setting. I hope I can go to another class this fall.  See the web site and the range of classes and events.
http://www.pharsaliaevents.com

Here are some of the arrangements we made.

The salmon poppies were so lovely.

These dark pink peonies with chestnut tree leaves were grand!

We used a variety of greens ( and pinks) from the gardens to fill in around peones. As you can see it added a lot to the beauty of the arrangements. This led me to think of greenery around my garden I might use in the future.

When I got home seeing the garden in a new light, I was pleased we had such a fine spring!

I cant wait for Spring 2013 when the Ajuga and Lily of the valley will be blomming again!

Seems  I took the idea of doing nothing on vacation seriously. After the first day I did just that, and never posted. The obligation of this blog is interesting. I think about posts all day long, things to share,  but never write them! Can't explain it.  Well actually, laziness and trying to move away from any obligations I suspect!

We had a terrific time at the beach and seafood was on the menu daily. We read books, ran ( HOT and HUMID) and walked daily, in the mornings and relaxed, always planning the next meal. Usually involving some type of yummy seafood but not always. The Fishmonger had terrific fresh fish and shrimp daily- red snapper, grouper and more. We go to Goatfeathers in Seagrove. B says the line is always out the door and they are busy until they push the door shut at 6pm. We like their freshness and variety.

The peaches from Clanton Durbin Farms were good this year. Seems we can never get enough of them. The are good plain, cut up for breakfast cereal and grilled. We added amoretti cookies crushed on top one  night and baked them; well imagine:  sweet and crunchy and tasty. Yum. Yes, we ate them all! One night M made homemade vanilla ice cream from my great grandmother's recipe and we had sliced peaches on top. Well, now you know why we had to run or walk every morning!

We took in mornings at the beach  under the pavilion  reading and going for a beach walks. In the heat of the day, we used afternoons for naps, reading, walking trips to town center and lazing around. I must say terribly good for de-stressing.

Each night we worked on the signature drink, cosmopolitans were a hit. One night we went out for sunset  drinks and then dinner in town at Crush. Very good crab salad and fish tacos. I'd go back for sure for that fantastic crab salad with tomato, butter lettuce and lemon champagne vinaigrette.WOAH. I would actually go for that any day, as it was fabulous.

One day C made a new sandwich she had tried in the Hamptons the prior weekend : Grilled Chicken, provolone, pesto, spicy mayo , grilled red onion, lettuce, all on grilled ciabatta. BOY it was yummy. I'd  make that again. Well, I'd eat that again, as I cant say I made them but sure did enjoy them.

We served this with tomato, cucumber and grilled corn salad with the best french vinaigrette. I confess you can see on my plate a few fritoes!! HA - BUSTED! I can't be at the beach without some incriminating chips.  Well,  that balanced out the healthy sandwiches. C wanted to put these on fociacca but the beach grocery had never even heard of such! So she tried two breads, grilled ciabatta and  flat bread. Both were fine, the ciabatta was best.

The last day at the beach it was perfect, serene, clear and  beautiful. You can't beat the beaches of Florida for that sugar sand and aqua waters.

Now home to reality and work. 'Trying to get unpacked and making farro salad for lunch. Heirloom tomatoes and the best cherry tomatoes at the farmer's market this morning make cooking easy.  The veggies are beautiful and inspiring. After our run this morning and Cafe Cubano latte ( Stef does it again) we strolled the market stocking up on fresh veggies and fruit for the week. I have missed the market and it is good to be back, visiting with friends and our favorite vendors .

My Italian friend M from Spello, turned me onto farro and it is delicious. We all like it in the running group and it makes a good salad. Fresh herbs, lemon vinaigrette, tomatoes, cucumber, and grilled chicken. This brand is from whole foods and is Italian from Sienna. I think it is as authentic as I can find in my town and I like the nutty taste and bite. This of course makes up for that Fritoe splurge!

Oh how I wish I was back at Seaside!