A platter full of dead-ripe tomatoes strewn with wild arugula, dressed with Carter & Cavero’s  lemon extra-virgin olive oil, and Maldon salt and black pepper—carpe diem

We found a baseball bat-sized zucchino in the garden. We halved it, scored it, studded it with garlic slivers, covered it with pimentòn-seasoned breadcrumbs, lots of really good extra-virgin olive oil, and a good sprinkling of parmigiano-reggiano, then roasted it for two hours. We sliced it into slabs (as if  it was a roast) and served it with lemon wedges—excellent save.

Keeping our girlish figures (sorta!)—two bites of cucumber and an ice cube. Ice cold cucumber salad with rice wine vinaigrette and fresh mint

Hoi-sinful Ribs (Canal House Cooking Vol N° 1, page 77), a tall bottle of ice cold Chimay, and a big pile of paper napkins

We’re loving iced verbena tea and blackberry cobbler for this midsummer lunch

Too hot to cook. We’re sitting in front of the fan with ice bags on our heads thinking cool thoughts.

Chicken saltimbocca and little zucchini with lemon butter and thyme leaves

Pan-fried weisswurst with Dijon mustard, new fingerling potatoes, and cornichons…cold beer not shown

Cold corn  soup with lots of black pepper, a dollop of sour cream, and snipped fresh chives

Panzanella with Kalamata olives and a little glass of apple lambic

Sliced tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs “buttered” with hummus, drizzled with really good extra-virgin olive oil, and seasoned with chopped celery-parsley leaves and s & p

Early summer tomatoes and young arugula dressed with tonnato sauce