Now we're talking, now it feels like summer. The catmint in our yard is in riotous, excessive bloom, a purple explosion ironically contained in tidy, linear beds. Virtually alive with honey bees, the effect is stunning as I sit here on the deck, in my robe, with a cup of coffee, on a sunny-cool Sunday morning. (If any of my neighbors can see me, good morning to you.)

Yeah, it's nice to be home, even from Italy. Bzzzz...

We embraced our return to the states with a late afternoon Little League baseball game followed by burgers on the grill. Hot juicy damn that burger tasted good! Just...yum. I topped mine with nothing more than sauteed mushrooms, but John and Nathan went the distance. In a nod to all the simple, beautifully prepared food we had in Italy (sigh), I made up a little warm potato dish - halved new potatoes tossed with (La Finca veggie share!) arugula, capers, sliced roasted red peppers, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. The heat of the potatoes wilted the arugula and brought out the salty goodness of the capers and peppers. Nice alongside a burger or chicken or fish or even on its own. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Today we're on for more baseball and grillin', baby! Along with the arugula, my veggie share included bok choy. A quick saute with lots of garlic, minced jalapenos, and a splash of soy sauce should add crunchy-salty-heat to the shrimp and steaks I'm going to grill (yep, double-beef, bit of a planning goof, but I doubt anyone will complain...). Maybe I can convince Stacey, Cooper Cuteness, and Levi Sizzle to join us...

Happy Sunny Sunday!

Moderate it: ah hamburgers, so good, so potentially not-moderate. I've never been a thick burger girl, so I either cook a small one for myself, or cut a large one in half, then in half again lengthwise, and voila, a thinner burger. I eat mine open-faced, topped with veggies (raw onions, sauteed mushrooms, tomato in season - you know the yummy drill), alongside a salad, and it's all good.

Veggie heaven, oh yeah. Today was my second pick-up of vegetables from my La Finca CSA veggie share. A bounty of leafy greens, more than we could ever eat in just salads, so I got busy cookin'...

First I made a gorgeously jade green spinach soup, with a hint of curry and cream. Hot or cold, with crispy croutons afloat in the silky smooth greenness - absolutely delicious.

Next, stir-fried bok choy, really simple. Heat a little oil in a wok, toss in some thinly sliced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, the roughly chopped and rinsed bok choy, a few tablespoons of Lawry's Teriyaki Sauce with Pineapple (I love this stuff). Toss, toss, let the juices and sauce reduce until quite thick and bok choy is tender-crisp, toss, toss, season with a bit of salt (if needed), done. Quite tasty.

And then, kale polenta. Yep, kale polenta, I made it up on a whim and it's amazing. Creamy smooth polenta studded with tender-chewy kale. Nice combo. Top it off with freshly grated Parmesan for extra yumminess.

So! Along with a bag of mixed greens, a big bunch of arugula, and a bunch of red-leaf lettuce, pleeeenty of veggie variety to get us through the weekend. Love it, love it. To me, this is what summer is all about... (Recipes posted in comments, below.)