I feel like summer is the busiest season for me. Every weekend I have plans for something….BBQ’s, concerts, and other events (like Comic Con!). Between work, home life and all these other happenings, I get really tired and need time to just relax. Gardening, reading and shopping help me take a break from all the chaos. I am a total control freak and plan and organize everything; I have to just crack open a beer and enjoy the sun. I cannot wait until our vacation in August. I have planned a totally awesome trip to California that will include tons of hiking (Yosemite, here we come!) and wine tasting (aaah, Wine Country). Until then, I will try to relax more and give you guys some easy summer-friendly recipes to get you through the heat.

Our bin this week includes: Cauliflower, Broccoli, English Peas or Pea Shoots (Liberty Gardens), Scallions, Strawberries (All Lancaster), Spring Garlic (Liberty Gardens), Eggs (Cockadoodle Ewe).

Squash

Getting squash in our bin this weekend makes me excited. Squash totally symbolizes the gardening season is in full swing! There are sooo many squash recipes out there; just make sure to use ones that bring out the flavor of the squash. I am going to share a recipe with you from good ol’ Jamie Oliver. I can always rely on him to supply recipes that utilize fresh and in season produce.

Squash Carbonara

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 medium green and yellow zucchini

1 pound penne

4 large free-range or organic egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 good handfuls freshly grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

12 thick slices pancetta or lean bacon, cut into chunky pieces

A small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, flowers reserved (if you can get hold of flowering thyme)

Optional: a few zucchini flowers

Before you start cooking, it’s important to get yourself a very large pan, or use a high-sided roasting pan so you can give the pasta a good toss.

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger zucchini lengthwise. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller zucchini can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the package instructions.

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a very large frying pan (a 14-inch is a good start – every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Add the zucchini slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the zucchini is coated with all the lovely bacon-flavored oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

It’s very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini, bacon and lovely flavors, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you’ll scramble the eggs.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straightaway. While you’re tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning. If you’ve managed to get any zucchini flowers, tear them over the top, then serve and eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

Strawberries and Eggs

I have a bad ice cream addiction. It is really hard to keep it in the house because I can eat it all by myself. Summer is known for ice cream. I will only eat it if I buy it from the local ice cream shop or if I make it myself. I got an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid when I first got it. The recipe I will be sharing is from Alice Waters (fabulous!). Enjoy…..

Strawberry Ice Cream

3 egg yolks
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 pints strawberries
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
a few drops of vanilla extract
a squeeze of lemon juice
a pinch of saltWhisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl. Pour half-and-half and 1/2 cup sugar into a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive saucepan. When hot, temper with the yolks. Little bits of scrambled egg will turn up in your ice cream if you don’t temper.  To do this, slowly pour the heated milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook, always stirring. Allow to thicken. Do not let it boil. Your custard is done when it passes the spoon test. Coat the back of your spatula or spoon with the custard and run your finger through it. It’s ready when your finger leaves a trail that doesn’t close up. Remove the custard from the heat and pour through a strainer to catch any bits of cooked egg that may have escaped your attention. Add the heavy cream and chill in in an ice bath, stirring frequently to speed up the cooling process. Mash the cleaned, hulled strawberries with 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (I used a potato masher). Stir to melt the sugar and then add to the chilled cream mixture. Add vanilla, salt and a drop of lemon juice. The custard base must be very cold before churning; ideally you’ll wait 8 hours or more. Freeze according to your ice cream machine’s instructions.

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the veggies that I grow in my backyard. It is so good and so easy to prep. Here is a recipe that I found on Pinterest. All I did was search “Broccoli recipes” and pages upon pages of recipes came up. I decided to pick this one because I love shrimp too.

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

1. Heat the oven to 425.

2. On a large cookie sheet, toss together 2 pounds of broccoli cut up into florets (but not teensy tiny florets, I like a little stem attached), 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground), 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground), 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/8th tsp hot chili powder. Spread into a single layer and pop into the oven for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss together one pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined, with 2 Tbs olive oil, lemon zest from one lemon, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (I just eyeball the salt and pepper) in a bowl. When the broccoli’s been in the oven 10 minutes, add the shrimp to the broccoli and toss (carefully.)

3. Roast another 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the broccoli is “tender and golden around the edges.”

And that’s your dinner!

I served it in a big bowl of rice and squeezed some lemon on top. It was a big hit.