Such a fresh, end of summer meal. Perfect to maximize the last of tomato and pepper season. 

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (about 4 cups), halved

2 small red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, diced or medium

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 pound  medium pasta shells

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces(use more if you like basil…I did and do)

3/4 cup or so of ricotta for serving (I used a goat ricotta that was mind-blowing)

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, bell peppers, oil, vinegar, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature, 20 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and add pasta to sauce  tossing to combine.  Add the basil and ricotta and serve right away. 

*This recipe is from Marta Stewart’s Everyday Food*

This past weekend, the farmers market was full of beautiful, ripe watermelons of all different colors and sizes.  I went with the classic, pinkish-red watermelon and plan on making watermelon juice later today. 

If you live in New York and are looking for a market near you, check out the GrowNYC site below:

http://www.grownyc.org/greenmarket

The lovely thing with pasta is that you can add just a few ingredients to it and create  a nice light summer dinner.  This arugula, tomato, and feta pasta dish is just that—-light and delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pound linguine (fresh is ideal)

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups baby arugula

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup crumbled feta

coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine according to package instructions.  Drain pasta.  In pot, heat oil over medium then add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened..about 3 minutes.  Return pasta to pot with the tomatoes, and cook until heated through.  Add arugula and feta;  toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

This was a frequent dessert at summer barbecues in North Dakota, and with rhubarb popping up at all the farmers markets, now is the time to make a crisp, pie, or a dessert sauce to serve over thick yogurt. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/rhubarb-meringue-dessert/Detail.aspx

This pasta salad is great for parties and buffets.  A favorite in my family, especially for great summer lunches and picnics.  This recipe serves 8, but I will usually double it for parties and family gatherings.

Ingredients for the Parmesan Dressing:

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions for the Parmesan Dressing:

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until the dressing is smooth.

Ingredients for the Salad:

1/2 pound penne pasta

2 cups packed baby spinach, washed and stemmed

2 small jarred roasted red peppers, diced

1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese, diced

Directions to prepare the salad:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente.  Drain the pasta into a colander, run cold water over it or submerge it in ice water until chilled through, and drain well. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, spinach, roasted red peppers, and smoked mozzarella. 

Toss the salad with the dressing and serve immediately. 

*This recipe is from The Whole Foods Market cookbook.*

As a former  resident of Seattle, I LOVE coffee,however,sometimes the acidity of coffee can be too much for me.  So, when my sweetheart purchased the Toddy coffee maker, which removes over 60% of coffee’s acidity,  and I made my first delicious, Toddy  iced coffee with soy milk, I couldn’t have been more stoked for summer! It’s simple to make (just ground coffee and filtered water) and nice to have the coffee concentrate stored in your fridge for whenever you need that caffeine fix. Also, the coffee maker is $30- totally worth it!

http://www.toddycafe.com/

http://www.google.com/products?q=toddy+coffee+maker&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Hx51TO7GHMKXnAf0xMTHBg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEkQrQQwAg

With the leftover fresh corn I had from my husband’s chicken fry birthday party last weekend, I did a little research to find a simple and easy dish to make and here is what I found.  Thank you very much, Barefoot Contessa. SO DELICIOUS!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-corn-salad-recipe/index.html

So easy. So delicious.  So perfect for a summer bbq, especially with vanilla icecream on top. 

Ingredients:

1(9 inch) unbaked pie crust

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Mix in the lemon zest and juice,then gently stir in the blueberries.  Pour into the unbaked pie crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon.  Mix in the butter using a fork until crumbly, then spread the topping evenly over the pie filling.  Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven (nice and browned).  Cool on a wire rack.   

I found this recipe at

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Crumb-Pie/Detail.aspx?src=etaf