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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Best in Summertime Food

What is it about truly good food that turns me on? I mean, there are times that I get actual goosebumps over seeing or tasting a particular food. To see what someone has artistically put of themselves into a meal -- what they've created and developed -- makes me happy. And there's nothing like vegetables straight out of someone's garden. So, when we found ourselves around the table with my family in Idaho last weekend, I was more then happy to devour a whole plethora of home grown foods including juicy ripe tomatoes sliced with ribbons of basil straight off of the plant and sweet corn with butter and salt. I could have eaten them all night long. And to see my mom's bouquet of sweet peas on the kitchen counter reminded me of growing -- when she would plant a whole wall of the sweet peas with little strings running up and down the wall for the plants to grow on. The flowers are so sweet with fragrance. It reminded me of summers gone by.
And then, on our last day there, it hit me....my mind started whirring, thinking, wondering..... I grabbed some green tomatoes from the vine, tossed in just a little fresh ripened red tomatoes, a bit of summer peach, a finely diced jalapeno, basil, salt and pepper, olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to create a sort of salsa. I piled it inside of a pita bread sandwich but it could just as easily been served alongside a charbroiled chicken breast or piece of fish. Or with warm tortilla chips. It was delicious and disappeared quickly.
And should I mention the homemade peace cobbler -- warm and straight out of the oven -- that we finished off our meal with? See, there are some horribly redeeming qualities about Idaho.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those are definitely good memories that you have come away with. And you've made me hungry in the mean time. ;-)

Daniel Thomasson said...

You had my mouth watering just from reading about the meals. I bet the salsa was delicious.

Anonymous said...

That "sort of Salsa" sounds delish!
Will have to give it a go.

Just dropped in to say hi - have been lurking for a while and enjoying your world. ;)

Laurie said...

Tell your mom I'm on my way! I too
LOVE veggies. They are the bestest!

HUGS!!!!!

Lemuel said...

I agree! There is nothing like fresh vegetables from the garden.

Wayne said...

It's not Idaho. You could have been in any state. It was family....And of course a mothers cooking!

Tony said...

There is something nice about lovely food with family (well, as long as it's not MY family). Peach cobbler ... mmmmmmmm!

RAD said...

You and food and desserts! And so fit and trim! Bastard! As alwasys it all sounds lovely! We are hoping to make some homade salsa from our garden this weekend too!

Anonymous said...

Homemade salsa with ingredients right from the garden is the best. But if you don't have a garden, try the Peach Salsa from Trader Joe's - sweet & hot -mmmmmmmmmm!

Anonymous said...

OK... now I am salivating... I gotta go make something fresh and wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Yumm, pass it over here! :)

Grego

Doug said...

It would be an ultimate blogger moment if we all crashed your mom's house for dinner.

Lovin' homemade salsa...yummy!

Dave2 said...

Good food? Then you need to grab your man and meet up with Vahid and I in the city tomorrow night. We don't plan on eating bad food! :-)

dit said...

I love sweet peas too. So amazing!

You really should consider writing a cook book. Seriously!

Rick Rockhill said...

I love to eat fresh summertime food. Good, local produce-especially organic tomatoes and such get me excited too Lewis!

Anonymous said...

I think "homemade peace cobbler" is a great Freudian typo. Not everyone associates "peace" with home, even when great food is involved. You're very lucky.