summer lovin’

Ugh my friend still hasn’t sent the pictures from yesterday. PATIENCE! Onto today.

Today was a perfect summer day :D Farmer’s market, walk in the park, swimming and lounging poolside, cookout, homegrown veg. What more do you need?

Farmer’s market Thursday! Mmm mmm mm. More stripey squash! Peaches n maters. Spanish melon (?!)

Lunch: my adorable mother gave me her leftovers from Washington D.C. Restaurant Week (! We’re going out tomorrow, so stoked! Restaurant Week is probably my favorite holiday!) from the heavenly Willow, where they had a work lunch.

According to the website, this was “Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Eggplant & Bacon Ravioli, Shitake Mushrooms & Tomato Butter”. FABBITY FAB!

I supplemented with the last of the freaky Asian yams.

Still a wee bit hungry- tried some melon!

Good! Looked like honeydew, but tasted… bear with me here… kind of like cantaloupe, but… blander in a pleasant way? Almost gourd-like?

Still a little hungry- quick protein jolt.

Other half from yesterday.

Onto dinner. Dinner was a tomato bonanza, at the home of that great tomato grower, my father. Late blight may be hitting some people, but it sure ain’t hittin’ him.

I’ll get to that, but first, check out the nice side dish I made!

Salsa Potatoes

Chop up a whole buncha red onion. Sautee in some oil on medium low heat. While that softens up, chop up a whole buncha red pepper (in this case, straight from my dad’s garden), and red potatoes. Add those, and crank up the heat to get a nice char on the potatoes.

Then season! Salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Things will stick to the bottom of the pan- it’s okay, you’ll deglaze.

When everything’s looking nice and browned and crusty, use salsa juice (!) to deglaze the pan (part of the tomato bonanza was my dad’s homemade salsa. You could use tomato juice, hot and spicy V8, salsa, or, quite honestly, water).

Reduce heat to low, and cook the potatoes through, periodically deglazing the pan with your choice of liquids.

The final look:

YUMMMM! Okay so the whole dinner.

Appetizer (cause we’re classy like that): homemade tomato bisque, courtesy of my dad. This was awwwwwwwesome, due in part to the fact that the recipe was not devoid of milk and half and half (but was still overall mostly tomato and broth). Perfectly rich yet the primary flavor was perfect ripe tomato.

Entree: STEAK! And accompaniments.

My dad is a man who knows how to cook a steak. This was top sirloin, in my opinion a really excellent cut, and on the leaner side, no less! Simply seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning and Worcestershire and cooked over charcoal, MEDIUM RARE, the way God intended. On the side, the awesome potatoes and delicious homemade salsa.

Yay tomatoes!

Finally: my aunt and uncle are on the episode of Ace of Cakes that’s on in half an hour! Check out their Pinto cake, and see some of my relatives! (but not me, as my immediate family unit decided to groom for the party, and thus missed the big reveal x_x)