I'm not kidding myself, of course...I know that in a matter of days, summer will make its official appearance for good, and it'll be at least 1,000 degrees here in Texas.
To wit, my hair will be doing all kinds of unsightly frizzy things before I smooth it into submission, and I'll be practically bathing in sunscreen to keep those rays away from my ghostly white skin.
Even with that brutal reality check filed away, I've sure been loving the proverbial calm before the storm in the meantime. Not only has it been breezy and pretty much the perfect temperature for the past week now, but I've been enjoying a surplus of that glorious Vitamin D without turning into a lobster. Bonus!
And when the weather is this stunning, I can't help but think of lovely summer-y salads like Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Vegetable Orzo. With a light lemon viniagrette, fresh basil and veggies in practically every color of the rainbow, it's a great light lunch or a fantastic pairing with chicken or fish (well, if I ate fish, anyway...Will does, I don't) for dinner.
And when I don't feel like taking the time to actually (gasp!) boil a pot of orzo, just fresh tomatoes drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper and basil will often do the trick. Ditto for a perfectly ripe avocado with cilantro taking the place of basil and a bit of lemon or lime juice to keep it from browning. Delicious.
There's something about the simple flavors of summer that make me so happy. Not only is the local Farmer's Market its most fragrant, but the hotter temps naturally make me crave healthier fare—unlike those blasted winter months where pizza, pasta and homemade chili are the cure for all that ails ya.
So with that said, I think I'll head to the kitchen and whip up a batch of Roasted Vegetable Orzo and get those five servings of veggies taken care of in one fell swoop...and I'm guessing Will will enjoy it along with his roasted tilapia tonight, too. Fingers crossed, anyway...
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