summer bliss

Labor Day has come and gone... but I can't stop thinking about the great food I ate all across America this summer!!

Early morning beignets in New Orleans.... lunchtime muffaletta (best sandwich of my life)!



Red beans and rice, shrimp poboys--as Ina would say, "how bad can that be? Jumping up to the Northeast, say hello to farms full of peaches, tomatoes and blueberries... all make cooking and baking so effortless.

Lucky for me, friends and family are good cooks---Dennis on the crab boil, Mia on the grilled pizza!

Then there's me.... a happy to have a full plate, a glass of wine and a jigsaw puzzle. Not letting go of summer yet!

baking from the farmer's market

  

I love teaching baking at Della Fattoria in Petaluma because the fruit is straight from the farmer's market-- fresh, seasonal, and best of all-- it's ripe! The Webers, who own the bakery/cafe, sell their amazing bread at two farmer's markets a week, and return to the kitchen with a van full of beautiful produce.

Shortcakes! Who can resist luscious berries, whipped cream and a sweet, flaky biscuit? The class also made hand-pies, one of the "new" pastries showing up on menus (everything old is new again!)

Everyone wants to learn to bake pies right now--and I have such a easy technique for flaky crust that never fails! 

Nectarine Cobbler... Apricot Upside-Down Cake.... it's hard to stop baking when the fruit is so beautiful!