Summer Shrimp Pasta

We're in the middle of a heat wave.  Out lovely old building does not have air conditioning, and the very pretty large windows only open 6 inches as a burglar precaution so a breezy draft is all but nonexistent.

Our dinner planning largely revolves around it not being too heavy, and not requiring an oven.  Ovens make our home unlivable these days.  In my quest across Pinterest and a few blogs I can across a one-pot pasta by Martha Stewart that inspired tonights dish.  Except that I took out all the veggies it wanted and changed the spices so it ended up it's own thing.

The penne and shrimp are tossed with olive oil, minced garlic, fresh basil, lemon juice, and tomatoes with crumbled feta on top.  It's deliciously light, citrusy, and a little salty with the feta.  Joe declared, "Man, you really have a way with sauce!"  after eating it, so not too bad for a first try.

As usual, the full recipe is at the bottom for a quick reference.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

As I said yesterday, I went a little gung-ho on the strawberries and rhubarb at the farmer's market. While I was making up some Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce for our french toast, I started the prep work for this dessert while I was at it.

I know I've said before my family wasn't huge on dessert, but my brother has always loved apple crisp.  It's really the only thing I remember my mom regularly baking from scratch. I've made a lot of cobblers in the past few months (the mango and raspberry varieties haven't hit the blog yet), so I thought I'd try something new!

What I like about this dish is that you can do your prep work in advance before dinner, toss it in the oven when you sit down to eat, and have it warm and toasty by the time you're finished.

You'll Need:

1+ 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

2 cups chopped strawberries

3/4 cup brown or white sugar

1 cup oats

1/4 cup flour

4 TB cold, unsalted butter cut in pieces

1/2 tsp salt

Start by chopping up your fruit.  I used most of a pint of strawberries, and maybe four sticks of rhubarb?  But feel free to adjust to what you have.  Peeled green apples would also go mighty fine in this.

Choose Adventure.

I'm not a person who gets homesick.  Most summers from 4th grade onward I spent some portion of my time at a sleep-away summer camp, whether it was through girl scouts or the YMCA and I loved it.  I had friends who'd sit in their bunks and cry about missing home or their dad and I never got it.  We're out having this amazing new experience, and you're worried about the fact that you're not home?

With the exception of food (and even that's changed recently), I've always been an adventurous lady.  I've always loved traveling, trying new things, and seeing new places.  My dad loves to recount the time we went to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a week when I was probably 12.  We stayed in this gorgeous little ski town, and spent our days skiing, our nights out getting dinner and hot chocolate and I could not possibly imagine a better way to live.  When we left I bawled.  Full out sobbing, gasping for air crying, during which I yelled at my dad, "Why can't you just get a job here?!"

I still haven't gotten a good answer to that question.

Picnics and Corn Hole

So after our trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory we came home hungry and excited to spend more time outside in the sunshine.  So we grabbed our little Oy-ster and headed out for a picnic!

I packed a blanket, water for Oy, jam, and cheese and we hit the road.  We stopped by Red Hen Bread for a fresh baguette, and found a grassy front yard in front of a church to sit in since our own front yard is a pretty busy place.

And now for the food: