Is it July already?

It's absolutely mad how quickly the time has past; I've been cooking (a lot) and snapping lots of pictures but recording no recipes..  While I've been working on a variety of projects, I pushed my summer travel plans back and planted a kitchen herb garden.

I'm still trying to find that balance between everyday food preparation--the kinds of meals you can get done in under 30 or 40 minutes--  and the culinary Odyssey that often overtakes an entire day's time.  The reality is that most of the projects I've undertaken of late demand  more time and energy than I should be investing in a meal for two, and often produces copious left-overs, of which I am generally not a fan.  It's been a long time since my last dinner party, yet in my mind I'm still cooking for six.

The summer is the perfect time to accomplish a more simple and elegant style of eating wonderful meals for two.  Raw fruits and vegetables are at their peak, and can be showcased on their own, or dressed with high quality herbs, oils and salts.  (Herbs can be added to incorporate flavors, or enhance single notes.  Fresh cilantro pesto is on its way, and lots of chilled grain salads reminiscent of more traditional tabbouleh will be made.)

I made the choice to focus on producing a good display of edible blossoms-- particularly the delightfully peppery and bright nasturtium, whose flowers and leaves are edible. The leaves are similar in taste to commercially produced watercress (they are in fact within the same genus).

The nasturtiums I planted in my kitchen herb garden are now popping with color and begging to be incorporated into a cheerful summer salad, to sit atop a single layer vanilla cake, or to be stuffed with a delicate avocado mouse.  In fact, nearly all of my herbs are flowering, and I may just whip up a sort of salad for fairies, incorporating all my edible flowers; lavender, viola, thyme, and summer savory to name just a few.  Snipping and snacking on these tiny delicate blooms also serves to stimulate growth, resulting in heartier herbs.  Similarly, I plan on tossing my new dill seed heads and pollen in with some cast iron roasted fingerling potatoes. Yum!