A Rose In Our Yard

 I don't know the variety. But this palest yellow ruffled rose tinged with pink is a welcome sight each day and after a hard pruning last year has come back more beautiful than ever. Summer in the garden.

Something New With Cube Steak

Cube steak seems to be a popular, semi regular addition to our meat CSA box. A mechanically tenderized slice of beef (usually round steak) cube is an economical cut. In fact when the economy was hardest hit around 2008, sales of cube steaks went up -- significantly. I usually whip up chicken fried steaks and gravy when I see that package. But tonight -- well I just didn't feel like making gravy. We didn't have much milk and the weather was a little warm. I wanted something just a bit lighter with less pans to scrub.
Milanese cutlets are one of James' favorite. Turkey or pork they are always a hit and so I decided the fate of my little cube steaks. I dipped each in an seasoned eggs beaten with a couple drops of hot sauce and then into a mixture of breadcrumbs, parsley, S&P, and parmesan cheese. I fried the cutlets in olive oil and butter until the coating was crisp (about 3 minutes on each side) and served each on a bed of arugula and potato salad (leftover potatoes no less).
Chicken fried steak -- Italian style.

Think Of Something Quick

After a whole day weeding and digging in the garden I was too tired to move much less think about dinner. But there dinnertime was, staring me in the face with no plan in sight.
I started with the rice cooker. We'd have something over rice.
I was moving kind of slowly so I decided on a slow dinner -- slow-cooked broccoli and pancetta over rice. I only had to get up every few minutes or so to stir.  It doesn't look like much, but with a drizzle of oregano vinaigrette James thought it was pretty special -- just like I had it planned.

Chicken And Mushroom Sauce

Some early mornings I lie awake listening to James and the dogs snooze and flipping through cooking shows (or home improvement -- my two favorite genres) on TV. Recently I happened upon The Barefoot Contessa making a simple dish of braised chicken with wild mushrooms. Why not I thought. I have chicken, I have mushrooms, I have wine. I set out to make  this tender chicken in rich gravy.
For some reason the house felt a little warm today so James and I had dinner on the picnic table by the chicken coop. I don't think the "girls" noticed.

Ground Beef Spaghetti

I don't think there is anything in the least bit authentic about this spaghetti. It's more Women's Day" than Mario Batali. But there is something homey and comforting about it and James requests the dish often.
All I do is sauté ground beef  in olive oil with onions, garlic, chile flakes, fennel seeds and oregano. From there I improvise. When I have tomato paste I use a bit. Sometimes I mix in chopped bacon or prosciutto. Tonight I deglazed the pan with wine (well okay it was champagne I had in the fridge from the other day's dinner). Since James loves broccoli and since I am trying to eat less pasta these days I cooked broccoli in the pasta cooking water and mixed it into the drained spaghetti along with the sauce, a good sized pat of butter and a handful of shredded parmesan.
Nothing fancy, but a popular dish around here.

Playoff Pizza

"Honey, The Heat need me," James declared as he settled in for the game. One more win will clinch the team's place in the NBA Finals or it could be the last game of the season for James, Wade and Bosh as they battle in Indiana.
Clearly a TV friendly, handheld dinner was in order. Pizza!
Tonight's version has crispy crust, arugula pesto, thinly sliced potatoes, prosciutto, red onions, fresh garlic, buffalo mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Go Heat!

Simple Salad and Southern Vegetables

On menus at little mom and pop lunch rooms and restaurants throughout the South customers are offered "meat and three." Their choice of a central protein (roast beef, fried chicken, pork chops) and 3 side dishes, generally a rotating list of salads, beans and soft cooked vegetables. Many eaters (me included) opt for just the three with a hearty piece of cornbread to soak up the juices. Squash casserole is a regular on many of those menus and on Thanksgiving tables throughout the region.

For some reason tonight, looking at a box of Ritz crackers on our kitchen shelf, I set out to turn out beautiful farmers market summer squash into this cheesy, buttery baked vegetable dish.

First I cooked the squash (about 4 cups) and sliced onions (1 medium) in a skillet with a small amount of water for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile I crushed 1 large sleeve (about 35 crackers) of Ritz crackers (okay they aren't classy or artisan but admit it they are delicious -- and James loves them) and mixed in 1 cup of grated cheese. Cheddar is more traditional but I used Gruyere. I mixed half of the cracker combo with the squash and stirred in 2 eggs, 3/4 cup of whole milk, and 1/4 cup of melted butter. After seasoning with S&P I turned the mixture into a prepared baking dish and topped with the remaining cracker mixture and dots of butter. The casserole bakes for 25 minutes at 375º until toasty and golden brown on top.

On the side, you won't find this crisp salad on any meat and three menu but our garden is brimming with fresh, beautiful lettuce. This was our first garden salad of the season and I dressed it simply with a light Meyer lemon vinaigrette.

California meets the South on a plate.