only in August…

August is the month of perfect produce. Yeah yeah technically you CAN get tomatoes during the chilly months, but they sure don’t look or taste like this:

I die.

(apologies, just watched the Rachel Zoe project).

That is a salad of tomatoes (heirloom and yellow), fresh basil, salt and pepper and oil and balsamic. Perrrrfecccction.

For a nice easy summer dinner, we had hot dogs. Specifically:

Not bad at all, and a mere 40 calories each (er, well… see how many I ate. But still…), compared to the 340 for a typical frighteningly large Hebrew National, 310 of which are from fat. Yikes!

Our rather unconventional hot dog topping:

  

Upon the advice of Mark Bittman. And you know what… SO GOOD!

So a hotdog (haha, double stack!) with mustard and kimchi, perfect summer tomatoes and, yet another perfect August food, corn on the cob.

DELISH!

Dessert was fun, and you can see the ramekin kind of evolved.

Dessert #1 (not so healthy)

Ghetto Use-up-the-egg yolks key lime custards!

to serve two:

1/4 cup milk

1 T plus 1 t. half and half

1 T plus 1 t. sugar

1.5 egg yolks (there were two, but I scraped off the tops that had gotten rubbery sitting in the fridge)

1 T. key lime juice (I used Rose’s bottled, fresh would be fab I’m sure)

Directions: Preheat oven to 325. Heat milk, half and half, and sugar in a microwave safe container (I used a Pyrex measuring cup) for one minute on 50% power. Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and lime juice. When the milk and half and half is hot, whisk it into the egg and lime mixture. Then put through a sieve into two half-cup sized ramekins or custard cups. Put in a baking dish and pour hot water into the baking dish so it makes a nice lil bath for the ramekins. Bake for 25-30 min.

Tastes like key lime pie filling!

Dessert #2, continuing the “only in August” theme:

Farmer’s market peaches you are so perfect I love you I love you I love you.

Desert #3 (I was hungry! It’s just plain ol’ fruit!)

Frozen banana soft serve!