Enjoying Summer

Hello again.

I am just coming up for air trying to balance work and all that summer has to offer.  Truth be told, work is winning at the moment...but I try not to let it stifle all of my fun!

This past week the heat in Austin has really set in (we have been fortunate so far with all the rain we have had) and temperatures have been sweltering.  All that I crave when the heat is on are nice vegetables and salads.  So this arranged salad (above) I made to satisfy my craving.  The wonderful part about it is that it is so dang easy. 

Really all you have to do is roast whichever vegetables you find, either at the local market or the grocery store in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes (or charred to your liking-I like them pretty charred).  While they are roasting, you make a dressing:

1 part sherry vinegar

3 parts olive oil (extra virgin is probably best)

a tablespoon of Dijon mustard (or homemade if you are a food dork like me)

the juice from 1/2 of a lemon (whole if its not very juicy)

1 tablespoon finely minced shallot

Salt and pepper to taste ( do a pinch each)

It really couldn't be easier....and it is so much cheaper than buying it from the grocery store...and it tastes better.  Believe me.

The only other thing that I added, the cherry on top (a very crucial cherry I might add) is Pure Luck goat cheese.  Holy Wow this stuff is good.  And it really brought the dish together.

Now for my favorite part of the meal...you know, being a dessert addict:

Homemade peach ice cream that I made and froze after getting all those peaches (remember?).  This was an amazing way to use up a lot of them and is one of my favorite things ever (you all know that ice cream is my favorite food, right?).  Besides the ice cream, I ended up making peach cobbler, peach bread pudding (kinda tasted like french toast, yum), lots of peach salsa, and the ice cream.  We also had our share of fresh peaches and even froze a few.

I would definitely recommend peach picking but make sure that you first have a game plan for how to use them.  Those suckers really ripened up fast...way faster than I thought that they would!

Well adios for today, I hope you have a blissful Thursday!