Ugh, summer

Jul 08, 2011 17:06

The icon makes me feel better ( Read more... )

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Comments 15

moonlight69 July 8 2011, 23:03:07 UTC
I make a yummy, easy pasta salad for summer dinners ( ... )

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amyamy July 9 2011, 01:33:21 UTC
This sounds really good. I'm not a super fan of italian dressing so I never have it around - possible suggestions for alternatives?

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moonlight69 July 9 2011, 02:12:30 UTC
I'm not a super fan of italian dressing, either. In fact, this is the only thing I ever buy it for, but you could always experiment, maybe it would work with a balsamic vinagrette, or something.

Oh, and another add in that i like is cubed cured meat: pepperoni, salami, ham...NOM.

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amyamy July 9 2011, 02:21:22 UTC
I still some lemon/mac nut dressing that I picked up in Hawaii at Christmas that I might try this with tomorrow...

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fiatincantatum July 8 2011, 23:29:37 UTC
Insalata Caprese!

1 large ripe juicy tomato
similarly sized chunk of fresh, soft mozzarella cheese(has to be fresh, preferably in whey or brine.)
salt
pepper
basil leaves
really good olive oil, preferably unfiltered
french bread or similar

Slice tomato. Salt and pepper to taste and allow to sit for 1 hour to bring out the juices. Slice mozzarella to cover all the tomato slices. Roll the basil leaves up and cut into ribbons at an angle (so that they're pretty and zig-zaggy) and sprinkle onto cheese. Add more pepper if desired. Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil.

Eat. Use bread to mop up leftover juices and oil.

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amyamy July 9 2011, 01:35:50 UTC
-laugh-

You know, it's weird, in my head cooking is always this Major Thing, very Srs Bzns and all, and I forget that it can be something simple, like tomatoes and mozzarella w/ tasty stuffs.

Do you leave the tomato to sit out or in fridge?

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fiatincantatum July 9 2011, 01:36:40 UTC
Sit out. Fridge is bad for tomatoes, makes them tasteless.

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fiatincantatum July 9 2011, 01:53:52 UTC

reasdream July 9 2011, 01:27:32 UTC
Do you want recipes which require no heat to make, or is heat okay?

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amyamy July 9 2011, 01:32:16 UTC
Either and/or both. Depending on my mood and the temp of the day, I can cope with more heat or less. Today, despite not actually being all that hot, was a total "MUST NEVER COOK AGAIN" moment, leading to a dinner of cold cuts and cheese on bread and this post. Conversely, last night I was seriously thinking about making curry or stir fry.

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jlh July 9 2011, 11:52:56 UTC
My gazpacho recipe is based on this Everyday Food one though I put in tofu instead of shrimp and I use a raw green bell pepper instead of a jarred roasted one and I put in more cucumber. But really the glory of gazpacho is that you can do whatever you want with it. Some people put in celery, which I don't care for.

Here's another one: cucumber lychee gazpacho from Aarti Sequeira, which looks easy and also has yogurt and almonds so there's protein ( ... )

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amyamy July 9 2011, 22:08:04 UTC
Ooooh, cucumber and lychee sounds like the best combination, ever. <3

I feel like summer cooking is mostly about finding really great ingredients and combining them in ways that suit you, rather than following recipes.

Yes, I agree, which is kind of my problem. I end up just buying ingredients and eating them, and feel like I'm failing on the whole "combining them in clever ways" bit, so am looking for little kicks in the pants to go "oh, right, I could do that!" Which this definitely is, so thanks.

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jlh July 11 2011, 18:23:54 UTC
If you want that you might want to look in the same places I look, which is in magazines and on TV. I watch a bunch of cooking shows and have gotten a ton of great ideas from them. Sometimes it isn't a recipe I want to make so much as an approach, or a combination of things. You think, "I could do that, but with this other thing I like." Or flip through the more accessible cooking magazines like Bon App and Everyday Food. Or poke around at stores and see what their readymade food tastes like.

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