Summer

Summer can be short in Chicago, and I don’t want to spend mine in the kitchen. I take my cue from Ina Garten, a cook I try to emulate. She suggests using the best ingredients and preparing them simply. Fortunately, I have the popular Evanston farmer’s market to keep me supplied with fresh picked fruits and vegetables from farms in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Fresh Mozzarella

I like soft cheeses like fresh mozzarella and it’s creamier cousin, burrata to transform my market finds into a meal. Best when freshly made, these semi-soft Italian cheeses have a delicate milky flavor.  The firm elastic texture of fresh mozzarella makes it easy to slice and layer.  In fact, my go-to summer lunch is an open-faced Caprese sandwich with smoked mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes.

Burrata Salad

I discovered nirvana early in the summer when I ordered a salad of burrata, strawberries, sugar snaps, and hazelnuts at Pacific Standard Time, a great new restaurant in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. I couldn’t stop making it at home while the strawberry season lasted. New berries have taken now their place in the recipe. I also want to try it with peaches and toasted pecans.

New Summer Berries

My newest fruit discovery is the saskatoon, also known as a serviceberry. Highly nutritious, it looks like a blueberry but grows on a tree. I have one in my garden, which is how I’ve come to eat so many. A wet spring, followed by hot early summer weather made everything grow spectacularly. I’ve never had a comparable crop. Sweet and delicate, the Saskatoon Berry Institute of America describes the  berry as “having as sweet, nutty almond flavor.” Although I snacked on many of them, I also put them in a tart and paired them with some light whipped cream.

Limeade

Another favorite summer treat is fresh limeade. Sweet, sour and refreshing it’s just what I want after a walk or a trip to the beach. A longtime favorite, it was the highlight of my trips to Drake’s Sandwich Shop, an old-fashioned luncheonette that was once adjacent to the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor.  I use Elise Bauer’s limeade recipe from Simply Recipes.  I like the extra punch of lime the addition of lime zest gives to the drink. Although I don’t add the mint, I do sometimes infuse the syrup with basil.

Tea

Everyone is thirsty in the summer so I feel encouraged to be creative, I grew up drinking iced tea, so that’s always in my rotation. Try my grandmother’s recipe it only takes a few minutes. If you like a sweeter drink add 1/3 fresh lemonade for an Arnold Palmer.

Other Summer Drinks

When I overbuy at the market I make fruit drinks. Watermelon agua frescas are always my first choice, Both sweet and refreshing, the pulp helps keep you hydrated. Try my recipe  from my post on 30seconds.com. When I have a wider array of ingredients I make a green juice; try my recipe  it even wins over novice green juice drinkers.

No Calorie Drinks

I have to admit that my ultimate discovery of the summer has been Spindrift. It’s a no-calorie sparkling water that has actual juice flavor, not just fragrance,  l can’t get enough of the grapefruit version. I even got a subscription. My family laughs, but I haven’t found anything as refreshing.

Changing the Name of My Blog

As I’ve mentioned I  will be changing the name of my blog to “A Chicago Life,” so look for it in the future.