No cooking required

The temperature is still rising which means, at least for me, no desire to eat or cook. It is really too hot to do anything. When P tries to give me a hug I have to say, "sorry, it is too hot for hugs."


This time of year I like food that requires little to no stove or oven time. It also has to be summer food. There are loads of butternut squash in my grocery store tempting me, but I just can't do gourds in the summer -- it is beyond wrong. Thankfully there are also an abundance of cherry tomatoes. Unfortunately I can't find a decent tomato in a 15 mile radius but there are always 'halfway-decent' Romas and 'not-as-sweet-as-they-could-be' cherry tomatoes. Buy them in bulk. Snack on them. Throw them in a food processor to make a pasta sauce. Add them to your salad. Skewer them alongside fresh mozzarella and basil for a caprese salad on a stick. The possibilities are endless.

This 'recipe' (if you can even call it that) is a real no-brainer. Get some wooden or metal skewers and stick the aforementioned ingredients on them. Drizzle a little good quality olive oil over top and maybe a grind of black pepper and you're set. I took it one step further and made an arugula pesto to dip these skewers in. No stove required, just a food processor.

Arugula Pesto
makes: enough

bunch of arugula, 10-12 oz I'd estimate
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste

In a food processor add the garlic clove first and some salt. Maybe its just my processor but I think the garlic gets a better grind and incorporates best when you add it first. Add the arugula in bunches. Next add the pine nuts and cheese and start to drizzle in the oil until you get a nice consistency.

I have to admit this was the first pesto I've ever made. I just never got around to it in the past and bought the bottled stuff for convenience. In retrospect, it takes about 5 minutes to throw this together and it is 100 times better than anything that comes from a bottle. So make your own and with the leftovers.... put it on a homemade pizza.