Photo: tiny banquet committee

I bought a watermelon when I was visiting my sister out in Montauk last week but was so busy with new-baby activities (yes, everything turned out great and he’s absolutely gorgeous!) that we never got around to eating it.
Not wanting to waste what may be one of my last watermelons of the summer, I scoured some cookbooks looking for an alternative to watermelon lemonade or watermelon arugula salad and found a recipe for watermelon pudding that I adapted ever so slightly. I can’t believe I’ve gone 41 years without knowing the pleasure of this light and refreshing dessert!
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Photo: taratara69

I know, it sounds strange. But think about it. You eat blueberry muffins, right? And blueberry pie? And blueberry pancakes? All a combo of blueberries and something bready or doughy or crusty. So why not a berry pizza? Besides, it gave me an excuse to use my dad’s pizza stone. You know I’m not one for extra kitchen gadgets, but I have to say that it did wonders for my crust. I am tempted.

And my sweet and savory pizza pie was tempting too. For all three generations that sat down to lunch. So much so that in minutes, it was gone. Leaving us with only good conversation to share.

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Photo: star5112

I’m in Pennsylvania farm country for a few weeks. That means lots of just-picked peaches, more sweet corn than you can possibly imagine, and even a few stellar tomatoes that haven’t been decimated by the 2009 tomato blight. All good. Until a craving for crab cakes hits. And then what’s a rural gal to do?

With no fish market within 30 minutes, I had no choice. Cravings must be satisfied. So don’t blame me. I turned to crab in a can. It isn’t organic. And I’m sure the can is lined with BPA. But I’m posting as a reminder to you (and to myself) that we parents (especially) have to make the most of whatever you’ve got. Just for kicks, I made the recipe almost exactly as printed on the side of the can. And guess what? When I added a little love, these crab cakes were simply delish. Even Atticus (Mr. I’m-not-eating-fish-anymore-because-it-stinks) ate two—with his fingers, of course!

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Photo: jensteele

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I’m on a peach kick—enjoying my first truly delicious peaches of the season. Maybe it is the wet weather we’ve had, but my first peaches in July were mealy. Ick. Now that August is here, however, all that has changed. And the ChowFamily is relishing my favorite pitted fruit.
For dessert last night, I decided to macerate some peaches. Pre-kid, macerating usually involved alcohol. But post-kid, I’ve turned to using either sugar alone or a combo of sugar and balsamic vinegar. In combination with the kick of a  little fresh ginger, this goes great over whole milk yogurt for a snack, over ice cream for dessert, and even spread on toast for breakfast.
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Photo: sygyzy

The ChowBaby has been on a no-food kick for a while now. Okay, no-food is a bit of an exaggeration. But even Stacie (who babysat last week) would agree, he hasn’t been eating much. Even she seemed a little concerned. And then I got a little concerned too. Until I remembered our philosophy that kids (especially kids like mine) have a natural ebb and flow when it comes to appetite. By respecting that (and not freaking out), and consistently offering delicious and nutritious foods (ie, not just anything to “get” him to eat) I was helping build a foundation for healthy eating for life.
Sure enough, the tides turned this weekend. And when my little guy made it clear that he had entered a new phase Saturday morning by eating 2 eggs, 2 slices of watermelon, a bowl of granola, some strawberries, a glass of milk, I admit I got a little excited. We hit the market and as we walked past all the in-season produce, we grabbed what seemed like everything in site. Atticus threw veggie after veggie and fruit after fruit into the basket. And, inspired by his excitement, I went home and made meal after meal of dishes I haven’t made in a while. One of the easiest? Roasted Basil Peaches made with my first peaches of the season.
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Photo: kelly sue

By the time you read this, we’ll be blissfully entrenched in the Bay Area thanks to our old friends Emily and Ian (and their 4-legged-babies Buddy and Maggie). I’ve never spent any real time in San Francisco, so it’ll all be new to me.

Of course, I had to do a little food research before I left. Looking for hole-in-the-wall restaurants, kid-friendly cafes, and classic local cuisine. That’s how I landed on today’s recipe for Cioppino. It’s a fish stew developed by Italian fisherman in the 1800s that’s made with the catch of the day. And it is typically served over long pasta like spaghetti or linguini—and what ChowBaby doesn’t like that?

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