Sunday Summer Notes

After a week that was so full of work (mornings at SummerWrite workshop at Writers & Books and afternoon meetings), this weekend seems to swing into another fluidity. The pace of a rower, I think. I swing from one task to another; sometimes stopping to gaze out over the orchard, or watch the nonstop chicken rodeo going on in my yard. The chickens have cleaned up ever mulberry in our wide yard. We have three mulberry trees, and I think the birds prefer the dark berries to the white. Both are very sweet.


Peter and I had planned on going to a Red Wings ball game last night, but as we headed East, we
were swallowed up in a wild thunderstorm. The rain was thick as milk. Plan B: the movies.
Since it was so wild outside, we decided to see Cowboys and Aliens, which is a so-so film. It could have been great, if they had punched up the humor and carried the working metaphors a bit further. Had a great cast. I was jump up scared three times, because I didn't see it coming. Thank goodness I wasn't holding pop corn or the over-sized medium Sprite. Peter would have been doused. I should look this up, but is this movie a comic book series? Sure are a lot of comic book movies this summer. In the trailers for this show, there's new movie starring Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Phillip Seymour Hoffman et al (another great cast) , called MoneyBall, and that looked interesting to me. Hope I get to see it when it comes out. Maybe it will be released during the baseball playoffs.

When it's really steamy outside and you don't want to heat up the kitchen:

Recipe:

Tomatoes (pick the variety) if cherry or grape you'll need a bunch; romas or any variety of slicing tomato, you'll need 6-8.
Wash tomatoes, then hand slice, then coarse dice and put in clean bowl, juice and al.
coarse chop 2-3 closes of fresh garlic.
coarse chop basil, (a decent bunch of leaves)
coarse chop half an onion (Vidalia or sweet other onion)
thin slice , one small zucchini, and quater each slice.
Put all these ingredients in your bowl with tomatoes.
Olive oil, pour threes turns around bowl, light stream of oil. May be about 3 Tablespoons.
Shake season salt, or just salt and pepper and red pepper flakes(go easy with this).

Stir everything gently in your bowl and let it steep.

Prepare pasta as directed on box. It can be any kind of pasta, I like penne rigate and bowties
with this. Once cooked, drain pasta then put back in your kettle with two tbls. of butter to coat the pasta; then shake some grated romano cheese and toss gently so everything is mixed.

Put pasta on plate, top with raw sauce, then sprinkle more romano cheese, or shredded asiago,
mozzarella, or whatever your desire.

You can keep this vegetarian or serve with side of grilled meat (sausage, your choice).

I have also added chopped mushrooms, carrots, yellow squash to the raw sauces. Secret is to keep the veggies sliced thin and coarse chop.

Summer is the best time for this because of the garden's abundance. Enjoy!