Shishito Peppers with Chevre

Is anyone else inundated with all things summer?  You may have noticed the abundance of recipes with no more than a few simple ingredients coming through this blog.  Like everyone else, we have been struggling just to get everything done each day so simple is best lately in the kitchen!
You likely have noticed the proliferation of shishito peppers on restaurant menus.  I love them grilled and served with great olive oil and course sea salt.  A little chevre and marcona almonds doesn't hurt either!

I like chive flowers, so added a few more and cilantro leaves.
Chopped marcona almonds or toasted hazelnuts work great too!

I've made these with pepperoncini peppers too -- I have a few plants going nonstop!

Blueberry Lime Preserves

What a great season for blueberries!  I love eating these in season, but will also freeze some on cookie sheets and then fill gallon freezer bags with them.  They make a great addition to smoothies, homemade blueberry "ice cream" with just Greek yogurt, some honey and a rocket blender.  Or just eaten frozen they are a surprisingly sweet dessert.
But a great way to capture summer in a jar is making preserves with blueberries.  I've made many combinations through the summers: plain, or with: orange, lime, cherries, raspberry.
I've even used these and added diced habanero to make a sweet/spicy counterpoint to brie.  The buttery richness of brie against this sweet, tangy, spicy chutney rocks!

The recipe below is a favorite combo of mine--blueberry with lime.
Makes 3-4 half pint jars

Panzanella

The grilled bread is just poking out through in this picture, I add a lot of grilled veggies in the summer!
But add more or less depending on your taste.



Baby it's hot outside!  Why turn on the oven, grab your favorite vegetables and a few slices of a rustic bread.  The framework for this is simple, adjust with any additions or deletions to suit your taste.
you will notice in this picture I served it with a grilled salmon steak. 
this would also make a great summer lunch for company, serve with some cheese and a glass of wine