Dog Days are Over

It's been a long, hot summer, and finally... the cooler weather is here. It's a good time to listen and watch this funky, spiritual song by Florence and the Machine called Dog Days are Over.  (click!) Throughout the video, which is set in a whitewashed room, singer Florence Welch is wearing full body white makeup and various costumes. She sings along with a series of go-go dangers, tribal looking drummers, and a gospel choir. The scenes are like pagan rituals, and this unusual song slowly builds to a visual crescendo. We should all dance like this when the dog days of summer are over.

Counting down

Eleven... more... days... of... summer! It's September 10th, and I just saw a commercial on TV for Boston's Nutcracker Ballet. Just sayin.' No really, I am just saying that you ought to get out there and do all that stuff you wanted to do this summer bur never got around to doing. Go for a bike ride, take a swim at the beach, or a hike in the woods. Paint your toenails pink! Dig in the garden! Just do it. Call in sick. I won't tell, promise. The clock is ticking, and the Nutcracker is watching you.

Teriyaki beef salad

There always seems to be a bit of leftover something or other in the fridge during grilling season—a chicken paillard, an ear of corn, or a half of a piece of steak—and it usually ends up being the star of a salad. For example, this leftover piece of grilled steak was completely reinvented. I sliced it into thin strips, glazed it with sweet teriyaki sauce, tossed it over baby spinach, colorful peppers, pea pods, radishes and onions, and finally, I sprinkled it with sesame seeds.

Starry Night

Inspired by... Vincent Van Gogh's starry night. 

detail

This is one of my favorite paintings, and most certainly one of
my favorite artists. Below are paintings, collages or mosiacs, 
inspired by VVG's Starry Night. 

Collaborative clay project by young students

artist unknown

by Evelyn Spatz

Mosiac made from glass marbles, artist unknown

student work, using tempura paint

made using salt, spices, crumbled snacks, and food coloring, by Kelly McCollam

by Korean artist Lee Kyu Hak 

mixed-media mosaic, using wrapped bits of newspaper and magazines 

Using over 7,000 dominos, by artist Flippycat

tattoo, artist unknown

pastel by Gay Athri

quilled paper, artist unknown

Fabric collage, artist unknown

digital paintings, artist unknown

diorama made from marshmallow Peeps, by MaryLea Harris

by Jacqueline Turner

made by yard, young student work, artist unknown

by Peter Max

artist unknown

If you send me your Starry Night, I will post it here too!

Fiori di zucca fritte

The Italians are masters at cooking with what's in season, and frying stuffed zucchini blossoms is a fine example. These tasty little morsels are the ultimate treat in the summer, and use the flowers of zucchini, squash, or pumpkin. You'll also see this in the Provençal region of France as well. It's one of those low budget peasant foods that end up in pricey restaurants.

Pick your blossoms early in the morning and pull out the stamen, stuff with cheese before the flower closes up. There are countless ways to stuff the flower (some don't stuff at all) and most Italian Nonnas will tell you to use an herbed ricotta cheese for this, but I like to use a less watery, herbed goat cheese. Mama Mia... my Nonna Angelina is probably rolling over in her grave right now. I mix a young goat cheese and some herbed Boursin cheese (which gives a hint of garlic), lemon zest, and some chopped herbs such as chives and parsley. Then I dip in a batter of egg, flour, soda water and salt and pepper, and fry it quickly. The blossoms are crunchy on the outside and creamy in the center. Lucious.

photo, Dan Ryan (taken in Italy)

A pair of pears

Still life of two pears. 

I painted these under our shady pergola on a sunny late-summer day. The fruit is from one of two espaliered Bartlett Pear trees we have. Each pear tree produces dozens of pears!

Tally ho!

Sketch by Jack Murray

I live in serious horse country, where the push buttons on one of the two stop lights in town is up at horse rider height. No kidding! In addition to the summer polo matches at Myopia Hunt Club and the fox hunts, Hamilton also hosts two back-to-back horse competitions / shows in late summer. The annual Myopia Jumper Classic (September 2-3) just ran last weekend with many internationally known equestrians, including recent Olympic medalists, and the Boston Equestrian Show (September 6-9) is on deck for this weekend. Ladies, wear your best hats!

Buddhists at the beach

Photos, Diane Carnevale 

There I was at Crane's beach, relaxing on a gloriously sunny, late summer day, when a group of  about 15 Buddhist monks appeared and sat very near me. They were all draped in brown from head to toe, but eventually some stripped down to their shorts and tees, and swam and played soccer and did their Tai chi or whatever it is that Buddhist monks do, and soaked up the sunshine just like the rest us. Some spoke English, but most were speaking in an Asian language... Chinese, I think. It was quite a lovely peek at a foreign culture, and wonderfully entertaining-- certainly not a typical day at the beach.They were gentle souls who laughed and ate watermelon, and after the sun set they took photos of each other pretending to hold the moon in their hands as it rose. I was enchanted by all of them, and it made for a very serendipitous and memorable day at the beach.

Strawberry dacks

Photo, Diane Carnevale

Did you freeze all those über ripe strawberries when they were in season?... You know, the sweet ones that are actually red in the center, not white and tart? If so, your strawberry daiqueries will be even better. BTW, that's a lot of vowels! Just add berries, white rum, some crushed ice, lime juice and a little sugar into a blender; whiz it all up, and start sipping. Okay, if you really need a proper recipe you can use this one, but I just wing it. Straws are optional, umbrellas are not. Cheers Dahhlings!

Zucchini + squash tart

Photos, Dan Ryan & Diane Carnevale

If you've got an abundance of zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, this savory Martha Stewart zucchini and squash lattice tart is the recipe for you. I've been making it for around 10 years now—it's super easy to make a hit every time.  The recipe uses a buttery pate brisee pie crust, which I always seem to have in the freezer because it makes a double batch.  It's a snap to make in the food processor, and so much better than store bought dough, which has nasty hydrogenated oil and not butter. Inside the tart is diced zucchini and squash and leeks, grated Swiss, Gruyere or Jarlsburg cheese and egg to hold it all together. I also add in some chopped fresh lemon thyme for a special touch. You'll need a mandolin to cut the zucchini and squash thinly and evenly. Don't skip the salt soaking step—it releases the water in the veggies and makes it easy to weave into the lattice pattern. Hope you try this recipe; it's really delicious with a salad or a pile of those backyard tomatoes on the side.

Swing!

August was so yesterday. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, the crickets are cricketing like mad, the kids are back in school, and the September issue of Vogue Magazine is on the newsstand. In many ways, these are the best days of summer. Better go out and grab yourself some summer before it swings away!!

Fifteen MORE minutes!

Campbell's Soup is offering Andy Warhol another 15 minutes of fame! In homage to the the 50th anniversary of the artist's 1962 signature work "32 Campbell's Soup Cans," the soup manufacturer is launching colorful, limited edition soups designed in Warhol's pop-art style. The cans will be available for ¢.75  in Target stores starting on Sunday (September 2). Mmmm, Mmmm clever!

My talented frog

Photos, Diane Carnevale

Okay, maybe I've already shared too many frog photos with you all already, but this isn't just any frog; it's my frog—and I grew him from a pollywog (a buck fifty from the pollywog store). And look at the talent! Here's Jeremiah perched atop of one of my green glass balls our pond. How did the ball not roll around, like a gerbil running on one of those wheels? If you think that's good you should see him jump. And forget about having a staring contest with him, because he'll win every time. Today I was delighted to discover that now we have three Jeremiahs in the pond. I only bought two pollywogs so the word must be out that this is the pond to float in, and now we have migrating frog imports. There's some sort of joke in there about a green card, isn't there?

Resistance is futile

Summer tomatoes. Annual indulgence is necessary. Resistance is futile. Those rich, juicy tomatoes you grow in your backyard—tethered to ancient wooden stakes, slumping heavy fruits hoisted with stretchy nylons that are long ruined with runs—are a wondrous annual indulgence, and yes, impossibly irresistible.

Every winter I dream of that scent that wafts through the air after I rub against the green tomato vines, and lust for the flavor of each bite, saturated with the tastes summer. I grow all sorts in my humble little potager, from little yellow pear ones, to beefy colorful heirlooms. The Brandywine variety is my current favorite, in case you were wondering, but that might change next week when the San Marzanos ripen. So many tomatoes—all at once, it often seems—and so many different way to enjoy them, from a spicy gazpacho, to a plate of them with mozzarella and basil, and a hundred other ways in between.

+ + +

For me, the perfect way to showcase these colorful treasures is with a good old BLT sandwich. Top notch ingredients are paramount. First, find a gorgeous piece of bread—not too wimpy, and not too crusty. Lightly toast two thin slices of it, slather both sides in Hellman's mayo, then add a few slices of a cobb smoked bacon, some crunchy romaine lettuce, and of course, thick slices of backyard tomatoes, salted and peppered first. A BLT seems to cover most of those taste bud senses...sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. You know it's a good sandwich when the juices start dripping down your hand and arms. Oh yeah, summertime!

Stone fruit salad

This was such a simple salad, but so summery. You could make it with any combo of stone fruits you have on hand... peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, or plums. Here I used apricots, cherries, mint leaves, and borage blossoms. Stone fruits are delicious grilled too!

A blaze of glory!

A blaze of glorious sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) at 

Canaan Farms, Wenham. Summer just isn't summer without them.

Ode to the Ninth!

Graphic, Diane Carnevale

Tanglewood ends each summer season with Beethoven's 9th symphony, and its euphoric choral music choral music set to Schiller's "Ode to Joy." We have an annual tradition of lying outside on a blanket in the the grass, (a la Tanglewood, but without the crowds!), cranking up the outside speakers, and listening to the live radio broadcast of Tanglewood's season-ending Ninth concert. Nothing like a little Ludwig Van to mark the seasons.

Ending lyrics from the fourth (choral) movement in German and English.