#TBT to last week, folks. Because #lovewins and we’re still excited.

We saw friends and loved ones afforded the constitutional right to marry and we wanted to take another moment to celebrate with them.

So in true, Garlic, My Soul fashion, we baked for the occasion. And created an almost foot tall, multi-colored token of our affections, inspired by the couples who headed straight to the court houses in their hometowns to tie the knot. If you didn’t get a wedding cake this weekend, let us offer you this.

We know there’s a long way to go before our country is truly free from inequality, a lot of healing needed that cake won’t fix. But we hope each step, large and small, brings us closer to people treating people with humanity, compassion and love.

As a small kitchen note, how great are these colors, right? The GMS kitchen has some brilliant food color gels that we can highly recommend. Being gel, they won’t change the consistency of whatever treat you’re dying. And look at those colors. Bright and proud! Just like our feelings for the Supreme Court.

#LoveWins, y’all. That’s something to celebrate.

Whether you like to eat it or just look at it (it’s the most beautiful of all the melons, no?), watermelon is a classic summer delight. Frankly we’re ashamed it’s taken us this long to dedicate a desktop calendar to it. So go ahead, indulge!

YOU GUYS it’s July TOMORROW. How did that happen? I have no idea. One minute you’re cruising into Memorial Day, and the next it’s July 4th.

Here’s what you can look forward to this time of year:

Collards
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Melons
Passion Fruit
Peas, Black-eyed
Spinach
Tomatoes

Now, this list I must admit is a little lacking because apparently I don’t cook enough of these things enough but here are some ideas on what to do with these seasonal items:

This falafel salad has tomatoes, cucumbers, and you can use spinach or arugula – seasonal score!

This Southwestern Salad features corn, tomatoes, and other seasonal veggies, too, and it’s the perfect thing to bring to a BBQ this coming weekend!

And, finally, this Salmon Walnut Salad features spinach as well as blueberries which are so sweet this time of year – the perfect summer salad for a light dish that doesn’t require too much heat.

Looks like I need to get on making eggplant, black eye peas, and collards soon. What is your favorite July produce dish?

July is almost upon us and that means fireworks, America, and BBQs. When it is so hot out no one wants to cook or turn on the oven, so we found a great recipe that can be a nutritious lunch or a hit at a potluck BBQ.

We made some minor adjustments to the Table for Two recipe besides making it GF by using GF Bionaturae penne pasta. We used black olives instead of green and roughly chopped all items rather than dicing. We do not always have the patience for dicing – especially when it is 90 degrees out. Also, Columbus makes fabulous GF deli meats and cheeses and are widely available. We splurged and used their uncured dry italian salamae, which did not disappoint.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t take long – only as long as it takes to do the chopping, mixing, and pasta cooking – less than 30 minutes. The original recipe recommends refrigerating for 4 hours before eating, but we won’t tell if you dig in long before that!

Ingredients:

1 pound of the pasta of your choice
1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
5 ounces hard salami, sliced into rounds and quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Cook pasta and chop other ingredients. Drain pasta and place in large bowl.
2. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, olives, feta, and salami to the pasta. Mix thoroughly.
3. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and pour over pasta. Mix thoroughly.
4. Refrigerate until desired temperature.

What is your go to BBQ potluck dish?

Happy Friday, folks! We’ve made it once again to a weekend. High five yourself!

This past weekend was my first downtime since the beginning of April, so I saw two movies in theaters with Jeff, slept in, and read a bit. Now I am in for a weekend full of cooking up delicious things and getting back into the kitchen (provided the weather cooperates and it isn’t 90 degrees in my house…again.) Anyways, here are five things I’ve been thinking/reading/looking at this week:

1. I am listening to the Bully Pulpit on audiobook, and it’s read by Ed Herrmann! Since he past away at the end of 2014, I have been sad to live in a world without him, and this feels like a tiny gift from the universe. Plus, at 35 hours long, it’s good to like the voice of the reader, am I right?

2. This article from Mark Bittman about farmers, and how we need more of them. I am telling you, if I could work as a farmer for a commitment of 5 years and that meant my student loans would be forgiven, I would do it in a heart beat. HEAR ME MARK? OBAMA? I am ready to be persuaded!

3. Guys, I have such a girl-crush on Kate from Cookie + Kate. Her Quinoa Black Bean Tacos look amazing and I cannot wait to make them and report back. I love finding reliable vegetarian bloggers because sometimes I just feel guilty for eating all that meat (it’s not great for the environment!) and I want to help out but still be full. Anyways, check her out, she’s fantastic.

4. This tour of the Le Creuset Factory has me wanting even more pieces for my kitchen. I love cast iron and I love that they used recycled pieces for this! My Dutch oven could be an old railroad iron from Germany or France or Italy, that someone once road on adventuring in their own life. It’s whimsical, really. Plus, look at all those colors!

5. This succulent illustration that I saw on Tumblr. I love California, but sometimes I must greenery, and with the recent drought, it’s been hard to find something green to look at. But I have about 10 succulents on my tiny porch that all came from one plant (Merv!) and I like the idea of someday having an entire garden of these weirdos.

So that’s what I am up to, loves! What are you doing this weekend? What are you reading? What are you planting? What are you eating? Holla atcha girl!