Rain!

I finally broke down this morning and pulled out the sprinklers to water the front lawn. I watered it really well for about an hour. Of course you know what that means. It started raining shortly after I put the sprinkler away, and we've had three good showers throughout the day.

My vegetables are certainly happy about it, even if I'm not thrilled with the timing. I've got beautiful Swiss chard, a teeny tiny yellow squash, two tomatoes, and a mini-bell pepper.

Now, call me crazy, but I don't love plain raw tomatoes. I adore them cooked in a sauce or in salsa or even chopped on a salad. When the first tomato ripens this season, I am going to slice it up, layer it with sliced mozzarella cheese and basil, then drizzle the whole thing with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little kosher salt, and some pepper. That's a caprese salad, and I think for me it will be the perfect celebration of the summer's first tomato.

Hot June

The weather over the past two-and-a-half weeks has been HOT and DRY. We've either topped or have been close to 100F heat indexes every day. I've been caught in pop-up thunderstorms all over the state, but none at MY HOUSE. That means I've been busy watering my vegetable and herb gardens and my new plantings in the patio and azalea gardens, but I have not yet watered the front porch beds or the lawn. Well, today it looks like I'll have to. Lacecap hydrangea in the shady front bed and shasta daisies in my perennial bed are looking pretty awful. In the spring I planted hot pink geraniums, dark purple petunias, and white sweet alyssum in these pots on either side of the front door. I was really hoping that by the Fourth of July, they'd all be bursting with color, and I'd have a creative red-white-and-blue container. The alyssum did great for a while, but it hasn't put on any new blooms. Any suggestions on how to get it to put on more? It is the lacey plant in the front.

Happy Friday! I can't wait to get out in the yard tomorrow. I've got a few things on my list.

• Replace lantana in the front porch bed. I FINALLY finished weeding and cleaning out the bed, and now I need new lantana plants. Can you believe I haven't been able to find ANY 'New Gold' lantana at the garden centers this year? WTH? Three years ago the garden centers were drowning in the stuff. All I can find this year is some no-label lantana that is lemon yellow. But I want 'New Gold'!
• Pull up fennel plants. Again, they never made bulbs, just started producing a flower stalk once it got hot. This year is the last year I try fennel in the spring. It just doesn't work. I am going to try it this fall, but it seems I never have enough space for it in the fall.
• Plant butternut squash 'Autumn Glow' and beans 'Burpee's Tenderpod' where fennel was.

As hot as it is supposed to be tomorrow (96F is the high, with a heat index well above 100F), I am sure that will be plenty!

Another Summer Salad

This week I pulled out another salad recipe from my summer arsenal. This recipe combines crusty wheat bread with feta cheese, basil, balsamic dressing, and tomatoes. The surprise in this recipe is the edamame. I clipped this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens quite a few years ago, and I have to admit that I didn't even try it until last summer. The combination of ingredients didn't really appeal to me at first. But out of necessity last summer to make something with some leftovers, I pulled out this recipe and gave it a try. I was so impressed! First of all, the feta, yogurt, and basil spread that goes on the bread is divine. I can eat it by itself with crackers. Then the sweet bite of the tomatoes and crunchiness of the beans really takes it up a notch. Definitely give this recipe a try soon!



EDAMAME BREAD SALAD
3/4 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 12-oz. pkgs. frozen soybeans (edamame)
1-1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
1 recipe Balsamic Dressing, below
2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
12 slices crusty country bread, toasted
Fresh basil leaves

In bowl combine feta cheese and yogurt. Using fork mash into paste. Add basil and garlic, mash to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, up to 8 hours.
In saucepan bring 8 cups lightly salted water to boiling. Add soybeans and green beans; return to boiling. Reduce heat and cook, covered, 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool. Prepare Balsamic Dressing.
Add tomatoes to bean mixture. Drizzle 1/2 of dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, up to 8 hours. Toss before serving.
Spread feta mixture on bread slices; place slice on serving plate; mound bean mixture on top. Drizzle remaining dressing; sprinkle basil.

Balsamic Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons each balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 tablespoons whipping cream

In blender combine first 5 ingredients; blend until smooth. Add cream; blend to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Summer Cocktails

On Sunday night, Chip made us two yummy, warm-weather cocktails. For me, a Pink Salty Dog. For himself, a Blackberry-Mint Julep. Both recipes I'd clipped from Martha Stewart a few years ago.
My salty dog was so delicious! It reminded me of a grapefruit flavored margarita. I didn't try the julep because I'm not really a fan of bourbon, but Chip said it was delicious, too.

Summer Salads

This week I've made two of my favorite summer salads, and I thought I'd share my recipes.

STRAWBERRY SALAD

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cream of coconut
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp poppy seeds
6 cups baby spinach
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For dressing, in a small bowl whisk together water, cream of coconut, lemon juice, mustard, ginger, and poppy seeds. Cover and refrigerate the dressing until cool. To serve, toss together spinach, strawberries, pineapple, and banana with the dressing until coated. Sprinkle with almonds. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

CORN SALAD

1/2 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp honey
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
3 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
6 fresh ears of corn, husked, and cleaned
4 cups baby spinach
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup seeded chopped cucumber

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey until well combined. Stir in jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and salt. Carefully cut corn kernels off cobs. Add to lime juice mixture. Add spinach, tomato, and cucumber, and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.


I made the Corn Salad on Sunday and served it with Mark Bittman's Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce grilled in a cast iron grill skillet in the house. It was way to hot to cookout on Sunday! Then, I made the Strawberry Salad on Monday. I think I clipped both of these salad recipes from Better Homes and Gardens magazine a few years ago. For the strawberry salad, you could definitely use canned pineapple and store bought poppy seed dressing to make a super easy side salad. The corn salad is a fantastic side with Tex-Mex or Mexican food. It is one of my very favorite salads and is a great way to use fresh corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers from the veggie garden or the farmers' market.

Chip and Lisa at Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah

I just noticed I didn't post any photos of me and Chip from the Savannah trip. Well, here are a couple from the set. Fun times.