Summer food is just so delicious. How great is it to go out in the garden, pick a few sprigs of herbs, a bunch of fruits and veg, and then make something simple and full of flavor? I love this way of living. July is definitely the month where everything starts to happen; tomatoes come ripe, cucumbers double their size every day, picking beans is a daily occurrence, and the herbs are always a minute away from flowering. We are often gone for the last half of July on vacation, but along with many of you, we are continuing to shelter at home, which means that we are here to witness the wave of produce coming in. Usually the neighbors, and whoever is housesitting for us, get the benefit of it. I’m feeling behind, and the harvest has barely begun!

A great recipe to use up all the bounty is Panzanella. This is one of those ingenious dishes that was ‘invented’ to use up any ingredients to hand. Overripe tomatoes? the last few olives or capers sitting in oil? half a cucumber in the fridge? baguette going stale on the counter? Check, check, and check. We always have extra baguette from Adam’s bakery in the freezer, and right now the tomatoes are ripening faster than we can eat them (I really must get canning). You can find a ratio of ingredients anywhere, but I suggest you start with what you have.

I found some beautiful fresh spring shallots at the market this morning, but you can use onions. After slicing one small fat bulb thinly, I soaked them for a couple of hours in a tablespoon or so of red wine vinegar, to take out the harsh raw flavor, and then dumped the whole mess in. I used two pounds of tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces if they were large, and sliced in half if they were cherry tomatoes. I used a small cucumber, seeded and peeled. I used two cloves of garlic, grated. I made a dressing of 1 Tbsp of red wine vinegar whisked with 1/2 tsp of homemade grainy mustard (thank you Liz!), then added about 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil. I used a handful of torn basil leaves, and a few fresh oregano leaves. Plenty of salt and pepper. About 1/2 cup of good black olives, drained and sliced, or you could use a few tablespoons of drained capers. The baguette, cut into big chunks and toasted with olive oil and salt in the oven until very crisp. About a cup of fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes. You can add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you wish (I did not). Let it sit about four hours on the counter to marry the flavors.

This is a hearty side dish that will work well with any summer meal, or you could add some grilled chicken or shrimp and call it your main course.

I got a text from a friend (and home gardener) who is having a glut of peaches and hot peppers. It was fun to exchange recipes and ideas. I’d love to know what you’re harvesting, and how you’re cooking it - we would all benefit from your brilliant home cooking ideas. Feel free to add to the comments section!

It's hot, and turning on the oven seems counter-intuitive. The days are long, and busy with activity. By 7 pm, making dinner seems like a chore. But going for take-out is not the solution, as it often requires more energy than cooking (figuring out what to get, getting in the car, driving in traffic, etc), and certainly take-out is not as healthy as a home-cooked meal. So I require easy, healthful meals that can be made quickly and easily. I find a shift of focus is necessary. 'SIMPLE' is my keyword. I rely on my summer produce to get us through our hot weather meals. Nothing is simpler than boiling a pot of pasta, and while that cooks, sautéing a simple sauce of olive oil, fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Or, grill a piece of meat, add a side of sautéed green beans or a caprese salad, and you're done.

Also helpful is assembling a meal early in the morning and letting it sit in the fridge all day, until the grill can be turned on in the evening. That can be a pizza dough, resting until you can top it with fresh pesto and grill it over high heat on your pizza stone. Or it can be a marinated meat, like today's meal.

Chicken souvlaki in pita, with tzatziki and chopped tomatoes, is one of those perfect summer suppers. It uses lots of produce from the garden (cucumbers, garlic, tomatoes, oregano, Romaine, lemon juice that you've frozen from your winter lemons), and couldn't be simpler to assemble. Even picky eaters like grilled chicken and soft bread, and those who like more flavor can slather on the tzatziki. Make plenty of extra chicken and have a salad with the leftovers the next day. Extra tzatziki can be a lovely dip for plain veg or a salad dressing. Keep leftover pita in the freezer and defrost as needed.

For the chicken souvlaki, you'll need boneless breasts or thighs, whatever you prefer. I always make at least 6 breasts so we'll have lunches for a day or so afterward. In the morning, place them in a marinade - a combination of lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano. If you have some leftover white wine, add that. Make enough marinade to cover the chicken and leave in the fridge until you're ready to grill it. You can make homemade pita and it's worth it, but that changes the meal from simple to complicated. So just buy the freshest, best pita or flatbread you can find.

After getting the chicken in the marinade, make the tzatziki. You'll need 1-1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, 3 Tbsps lemon juice, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt or kosher salt, and about a cup of chopped cucumber. Peel the cucumber and scoop out the seeds before adding (my chickens adore them!). If you have a commercial cucumber that seems waterlogged, you can salt it and let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse and dry before adding to the yogurt. But with homegrown, I find that this is an unnecessary step. Mix all the ingredients together, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in the fridge until dinner time.

When you want to eat, grill the chicken, and after letting it rest ten minutes, slice it. Chop some tomatoes and extra cucumber for those who want it, and wash and tear the lettuce if using. Traditional souvlaki includes red onion, so you can use that if you like. Let everyone assemble their own sandwich in the way they like it best. Mine is often so stuffed that I have to eat it with a fork and knife.

Enjoy!