We’re getting into summer and that means some pretty exciting months of fruits and veggies that just.won’t.quit. Right now, you’re going to be obsessed with stone fruit, but come August you’ll be just whipping up cobblers and calling it a day – I know the feeling of any over-full CSA. Here’s what is hitting the market this month (please note, there is a lot more in season, this is just some headliners!)

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Eggplant
Grapes
Kohlrabi
Mushroom
Okra
Bell Pepper
Stone Fruit
Summer Squash

Here are some of my favorite items to make with above mentioned produce:

This Cauliflower Stirfry Rice has both cauliflower and mushrooms in it (plus some other superstar veggies) making it a winner for the season – plus, it’s paleo. And a perfect vegetarian dish too, that won’t leave anyone starving.

Okra have a reputation of being tricky, but I don’t know why. They are delicious many ways, but we think the easiest to learn how to make these suckers is just frying them whole. You won’t regret it, we promise.

We did a Cold Salad Week a while back, and these Sesame Peanut Noodles were a star. The bell pepper shines through, and adds an amazing crunch.

We love stone fruit the way it is, but we especially love it in ice cream or cobbler. This Peach Ice Cream is perfectly light and sweet for any early summer parties (or birthdays, ahem) that might be coming up!

Summer Squash is everywhere this time of year, and there is only going to be more. The wise thing to do is cover it in cheese and devour it. Luckily, we have a Summer Veggie Tian for you to do just that.

I hope you get a chance to experiment with these ingredients, and try something new! We’ll be adding more grapes and kohlrabi to my diet, for example, after realizing we’re severely lacking on those ingredients here at GMS! Happy June, y’all!

We would be lying if we told you June wasn’t one of our favorite months. Partly because some of our favorite people were born in June (ahem, Jennie!) and partly because it’s finally hot enough to break out the pops! Start your summer off right and treat yourself to these floral beauties!

Hey-o folks!

Jeff and I are visiting Rebecca and her BF Colin in London, and we are seeing the sights, hitting up the museums, and eating all the foods. I haven’t sat down and read the Internet in almost a week (heck, I haven’t really sat down in almost a week) so I don’t have much to report on this front, so I’ll give you five things I’ve loved about London:

1. The museums! We have been to the Museum of London, Bletchley Park, the British Museum, Stonehenge, and the Imperial War Museum. Each of them has been amazing, and I have learned so much while being here.

2. The food. I have eaten so much food you guys, but we’ve been walking and average of seven to ten miles a day, so I don’t even feel badly. We went to two Jamie Oliver restaurants, at least two pubs, I’ve had fish and chips, Mr. Whippy ice cream, been to Borough Market, and we even had a BBQ in the countryside! Whoever said that London doesn’t have good food maybe doesn’t know how to eat.

3. Seeing the countryside and more of England than I did when I was last here in 2006. We got to see Colin’s village, Cublington, as well as Bletchley, and Salisbury, where Stonehenge is located. Tomorrow, we’re headed to Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian, which is also out of London.

4. Hanging with Becca, obviously, has been amazing, especially because that’s meant we have a tour guide who not only knows where everything is, but also knows the history of England, knows what is weird and what we’ll think is weird to point it out, and also is patient and willing to do things she’s done already again (and again) for the sake of her visitors from the US. I don’t know how we would have seen everything we did if we didn’t have Becca guiding us from place to place.

5. The culture. Walk on the left! Drive on the left! Be super polite, have a pint, call somebody “love.” Pretty much everything that I’ve seen and heard is adorable (pudding means dessert, but also pudding, but that pudding isn’t dessert; eggs aren’t refrigerated, eggplants are aubergines, lift instead of elevator, the response “I will do”, etc. etc.) The words quite, queue, and keen have made their way into my lingo. Having Colin around helps because he’s British, obviously, and it’s fun to hear him try to act American, too, to hear what people think we sound like (right, y’all?)

I hope that you guys are having great weeks wherever you are, and if you’re headed to London in the near future, let Becca know, she’ll show you a good time!

You guys, my pictures for this post are the worst.

Please, please, please don’t let this stop you from making this recipe because it is the actual bomb.dot.com and you shouldn’t miss out because I can’t remember to collect my real camera from my neighbors and can only use my iPhone.

I have a toddler and thus, I can barely remember to put my shoes on in the morning. Don’t hold it against me.

Or him.

Anyway. This is a dish that’s not actually too hard to make, so it can be done on a weeknight. It’s also a dish that’s super impressive, so you can make it for your friends at a dinner party and they will ooohhh and aaahhh over it, I promise you.

I’ve seen it done.

I found the original recipe on Bon Appetit, and then after making it, oh, 100 times, got it to a place where I felt really, really good about it.

A couple of notes to get you there faster:

1. Do not substitute chicken breasts, or anything skinless. Do not be afraid of chicken thighs with the bone. They are delicious, they will not give you a heart attack. Chicken breasts are so boring, anyway.

2. When it says drain the fat, drain the fat. Just trust me.

3. The chickpeas that this recipe produces are the best things that have ever been created. Almost even better than the delicious chicken.

Chicken Harissa

Serves: 2 really hungry people, or 3-4 reasonable people. I’m in the former category and frankly you should be too.

Ingredients

4 Bone in, skin on chicken thighs
1 can chickpeas
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
s & p
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup harissa paste (I found this in the ethnic aisle at the regular grocery store and prefer the spicy variety, but there are a million kinds so pick your poison- you can also find it on the internet, just like everything else)
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with s&p. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side, toss it aside onto a plate.

Pour off all but 1 T drippings from pan (again, super important step). Add onion and garlic; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it gets a little dark, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas, harissa, and broth; bring to a simmer.

Arrange the chicken, skin side up, into the chickpeas; transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes. Serve with a big, fat, salad and maybe a piece of crusty bread. Enjoy every.single.bite.

Guys, I love salad and I love salmon and I love lots of colors in my food.

Do you ever just start to feel rundown and realize that you need to eat a bit of fish and a pile of vegetables? Jeff doesn’t love fish, so when I know he’s not going to be about I always make sure to buy something from the sea to whip up for myself.

This salad started off simply; some salmon, seared on each side with olive oil for about a minute, and then cooked for 5-7 minutes in a 425 degree oven. I seasoned with a little salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, while the salmon was in the oven, I put together a simple salad: kale, spinach, blueberries, goat cheese, and walnut pieces. I dressed this with some homemade dressing: equal parts olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice.

When the salmon was done, I placed it on top of the salad, and voila! Done. Easy lunch or dinner with an amazing protein.

Here’s the recipe.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1/2 pound salmon
1 bag or bunch of kale, chopped
1 bag or bunch of spinach
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 – 1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts
olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
balsamic vinegar
s/p

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Salt and pepper the salmon and place skin side up into a hot cast iron pan that’s been greased with olive oil. Saute on one side for one minute, then flip and do the other side.
2. Place the whole cast iron pan in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through. Meanwhile:
3. Make your salad: combine kale, goat cheese, blueberries, and walnuts and toss.
4. Make your salad dressing: combine equal parts lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a jar and shake well. Dress your salad.
5. When your salmon is done, place filet on top of the salad – serve! Makes enough for two hefty salads.

Enjoy! I hope you love this simple salad as much as Eva and I did. Because we ate it in about 10 seconds flat!