Pesto, handpies, and a great margarita

It has been a damn good week of eating. Summer produce can make meals both simpler and more delicious, and I am extremely appreciative of that seasonal gift.

Because mint is an herb I can grow successfully -unlike basil and rosemary, both of which seem like herbs that black-thumbed idiots can grow; what does that make me? hmm..- and I love its clean, bright flavor, I use it regularly in favorites like my mint pistachio pesto.

Earlier this week, I oven-roasted some beautiful halibut and then spooned the mint pesto atop the filet while still warm. C'est magnifique!

oven-roasted halibut with mint pistachio pesto

The tomato salad came the night after the halibut when I went against my better judgment and bought some fresh sockeye salmon. It was so stunningly just-from-the-sea that I was certain this filet would be the one to change my mind.

It did not.

Sockeye is too flat and too dense for my liking. Thank goodness for the luscious toms.

collard and chorizo handpies (pre-bake)

And the next night came collard and chorizo handpies which are always a treat. And later, a grilled pizza.

This afternoon, at a first grade swim party, my good friend, M, brought me a huge, fragrant bunch of basil from her yard. She is not a black-thumbed herb idiot, and I am often the lucky recipient of her success.

It was very hot today but because I'd bought more than a few flowers at the big annuals sale at the nursery yesterday and so needed to go gang-busters in my garden after the swim party, I decided, as I walked up the stairs sweaty and muddy and mosquito bitten and whooped after planting, that we'd be having pasta with fresh basil pesto tonight.

happy Em

But first a shower. And then a margarita made with my favorite new strawberry and meyer lemon shrub* from Shrub & Co. And then a Harry Potter #7 read-aloud and then the pasta -bucatini- with fresh basil pesto, hold the garlic and pine nuts tonight to keep things light, and chopped tomatoes.

And now to bed. YAY!

*What is a shrub? A shrub is a marvelous concoction crafted from fruit, sugar and vinegar. It's yet another method of preservation though for a very different application than say, jam or pickles. Shrubs are used in cocktails (or mocktails) and provide both sweetness and tang. Shrub & Co makes outstanding shrubs: Blood Orange Cardamom and Strawberry & Meyer Lemon are two of my favorites. 

Pies, pies, pies

Earlier today, with six pounds of ribs and 6 ears of corn in one hand, and Percy on the other, I got flipped off by a lunatic woman who had stopped in the pedestrian crosswalk instead of just before it. A stop sign! A crosswalk! A bus stop! Benches! Was it really a surprise that a pedestrian might be walking by? Because she deigned to stop (the law), I and my dog-n-parcel entourage opted to cross the street in front of her car (my right) at which point she started gesticulating offensively, and as soon as Percy's paw had cleared her wheel, she roared off in a fit of rage. I gave her the go-and-die look and hoped she didn't kill someone before she got home. The kids were on the wrong side of fantastic early this morning so after getting effed off by a crazy lady, I decided to throw in the towel and stay away from all people as best I could for the remainder of the day.

In the meantime, I made two chocolate-almond cakes and while they cooled, two pies. I LOVE PIE!!!

Jack asked that blackberry pie be his birthday breakfast, and I felt that a 4th with sour cherry pie would be superb. So, both! While they cooked, I iced those gorgeous Reine de Sabas and then tossed them in the freezer. Et voila!

Presently, curried cauliflower is roasting in the oven as are some collard green and chorizo handpies. At 7:44am tomorrow morning, my oldest little sweetheart, Jack, will be 7. Aah. Have I ever told you the story of the night he was born? I had my first contraction at 2:10am and we quickly realized they were like a minute apart. We called the doula, she said "go to the hospital." Tom went to wake my parents, I plugged in my curling iron. My Mom came up and said, "what on Earth do you think you're doing?!" I unplugged the curling iron, and we left. T smuggled White Star in that evening, and that was that. Wasn't he a beauty? Still is, inside and out!