The finale of summertime...

Just a little something to let you all know what I've been up to as of late...

Tomato, Fresh Fig and Blue Cheese Salad (courtesy of my friend Charlie)

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes, about 8 ounces, thinly sliced

1/2 pound fresh figs, cut into quarters (I cut in half)

1 ounce crumbled blue cheese, like Fourme d’Ambert, more to taste (I used sweet or dolce
gorgonzola)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Black pepper.

PREPARATION

1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and salt. Whisk in oil.

2. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast pine nuts, shaking the pan
occasionally, until light golden, about 2 minutes.

3. I basted the halved figs with balsamic and grilled on high both sizes until
browned in places.

4. Spread tomato slices on a large plate. Scatter fig quarters and pine nuts over
tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and thyme, drizzle with dressing and finish with
pepper.

Somewhere in the blackberry patch...

 

Double Good Blueberry Pie

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup graham cracker/ ginger snap crumbs
4 T melted butter, divided
3/4 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/4 cup water
4 cups blueberries, divided
1 T lemon juice
Whipped cream

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine crushed graham cracker/ ginger snap crumbs and butter together and press into pie pan. Place in preheated oven for 7 min or until crust is golden brown. Allow to cool.
3. Add sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, and 2 cups blueberries to a saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until it boils and becomes thick.
5. Remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice. Allow mixture to cool at room temperature.
6. Once crust and blueberry mixture have cooled, add last 2 cups of fresh blueberries into cooked blueberry mixture and pour into pie shell.
7. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Also included are some photos of the steps to make bagels (let me know if you'd like the recipe)

 

And photos of homemade cream cheese...

 And of course farmer's market bounty!

Home grown basil with tomatoes and fresh mozzerella from the farmer's market...yum!

And finally, most important of all, blackberries!

Cobbler...

And jam...

And a loaf of bread thrown in there too!

Have a great week!