Friday, September 28, 2012

just because you can, doesn't mean you should

Ann Romney wore this outfit
 on the Jay Leno show Wednesday night...
Clearly, she's trying to prove
 she can be one of the cool kids.
(The cool kids who live on the Jersey Shore)
 What's next? Tattoos?

Sunday, September 2, 2012

the fruits of labor day

It's September, and that means it's the beginning of the end of summer. The markets are bursting with fresh fruits and veggies, and it makes a person just want to go all out to enjoy the fresh bounty while we can.
Here's one idea for using up those luscious, juicy nectarines I can't seem to get enough of:

Galettes are kind of like a free-form tart: just plop down a bunch of thinly sliced stuff on a round of pie dough, turn up the edges, and cook it 'till it's golden brown.
 Easy as pie, (or possibly even easier).
Anyhow, here's how to do a Nectarine Galette:

Slice up a couple of juicy nectarines (leave the skin on..galettes are all about being rustic)
and drizzle with some lovely local honey and a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

Place a round of the pie dough of your choice  (This one's made by Pillsbury, who did NOT pay me to say it...I'm just really bad at making my own) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 
 Finely grind or chop about a half cup of almonds and sprinkle them over the dough,
then arrange the slices of fruit overlapping each other, leaving about an inch or two of crust around the outside.
It looks really pretty this way, but you could just heap them in a pile in the center of the crust, and it would be absolutely fine, too...it's supposed to be rustic, remember?
Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, making little pleats.
Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar (equal parts cinnamon and sugar mixed up) 

and bake at 400ยบ until it's golden brown and crusty.


I don't want summer to end just yet...I'm not ready!