What could be better than a lazy Sunday, devoted mostly to the garden harvest and food prep. We have a vegetarian visiting with us at the moment, so that adds a fun challenge to menu planning. I cheated and took everybody out for lunch, so that takes any pressure off dinner, and with most of the crew out shopping, I get to relax, pick my herbs and veggies and play.

For the carnivores dining this evening, I’ve got some boneless chicken thighs defrosting, which I’m going to sauté with white wine and herbs (tarragon, parsley, oregano, sage and rosemary – what can I say, I’m having fun). We’re having a great basil year, so I’ve been able to keep a regular batch of pesto going most of the season. Pine nuts have been really expensive this year, so I’ve been substituting pecans (maybe a tad more bitter, but at a quarter the cost, quite acceptable) but otherwise stay with the classic basil, garlic, parm cheese and EV olive oil blend. I’m going to casserole some cooked pasta shells with pesto, and top it with fresh tomato sauce (chopped tomatoes, onions, garic and whole basil leaves) and shredded mozzarella cheese melted under the broiler. I had a hit last week with a Swiss chard frittata, so for my second vegetarian entrée, I’ll tweak that, leaving out the browned sausage meat and adding some jack cheese. The herb garden will provide a bunch of parsley for that. And since okra is our crop de jour, I’m going to try frying that again, although I’ve never come close to matching my dearly departed grandmother’s (Momma, give me guidance) version. In theory, after dredging the sliced okra in beaten eggs and coating with cornmeal, they should fry up into a delicious dish, but mine always clumps into a mess, with the cornmeal going one way and the okra another. Ah well, hope springs eternal, maybe the spirit of Momma will guide me tonight.

Until they are gone (and my tomatoes are on the way out) our meals will include a side of cherry and sliced toms and cukes. Gotta love the summer, although it’s going fast.