Sunday, August 7, 2011

Soul Food #102~



Earth is here so kind,
that just tickle her with a hoe
and she laughs with a harvest.
Douglas William Jerrold,



My son-in-law grew a wonderful garden this summer~ Carrots,string beans,cherry tomatoes,regular tomatoes,onions ,lettuce,basil,cucumbers.
A great crop of wonderful colorful healthy food..
I am impressed and happy he is planning an even larger garden next year~


The children seem to love it too..
My hand model is princess Giuliana who is turning 10..on the 8th..xx
That's her pretty bathing suit you see as the background..she was also the artist that added the small daisy to the bowl of veggies.. she told me it added a certain artistic something:) She is right!Her brother Adamo turned 12 the day we visited..he starts high school soon....they are both so nice to the younger children..
Wonderful kids.Just wonderful..
All of them a delight to watch..to observe..to photo.
They really are God's little treasures to us.
My son-in -law gave us a bag of wee tomatoes.. cucumbers..onions and string beans..
The tomatoes were put to good use:)

So good..just cut your tomatoes.. add loads of fresh basil.. fresh garlic and Evoo..

Let marinate all day in a pretty bowl..summer is best as everything is fresh..and the warmth melds the flavors beautifully...

At the end of the day..dinner time..add your just cooked pasta.. toss.. and enjoy the aroma of summer:)
As an additional treat..I pulverized Jacques' home made croutons w/ additional basil and added..on top..a generous sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano on top of that ..and there you have it..Toss and enjoy. Outside if at all possible enjoying watching the birds at the feeders.~
An almost no cook delicious meal.
Adamo had asked me for an easy recipe..he said his aunt was a good chef and he wanted to cook also..Adamo..this one is for you~

21 comments:

  1. Giuliana has summery, pretty nail polish. The garden is gorgeous too and the produce is wonderful. They must take good care of their garden.

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  2. you are a great photographer and capture summer well

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  3. The photos are magical and the atmosphere is evident in every shot....I love the colour of Giuliana's nail varnish too....a summery post that made me smile....
    Karen

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  4. Love Giuliana's pretty blue nails. ;-)
    Such fun to see young children excited about the bounty of a garden. They are lucky indeed!
    My copy of Artist's Journal Workshop was waiting for me when I arrived home from Maine. Can't wait to start journaling once again. Thanks for the inspiration to order a copy of this book for myself.

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  5. Sarah you are so welcome!You will like it.. I am almost almost positive~
    I hope you show us:) Did you take photos in beautiful Maine to draw/paint? I took out some Marginal Way photos..maybe 15 yrs old..to try
    Thanks everyone..the garden photos turned out dark..I had the wrong setting..thanks for your kindness:)
    I LOVED her varnish too and when I saw the photo I thought it's perfect with her bathing suit:)

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  6. Guiliana is cradling the tomato so gently and her manicure matches her dress :)

    What a wonderful garden! I am growing cucumbers this year too, where the zucchini used to grow. The cukes are better behaved.

    Another aspiring man chef in the family - how wonderful.

    I have to try your fresh tomato pasta sauce when I have enough tomatoes. It sounds simple and looks delicious!

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  7. You can roast the tomatoes too..like you like Susan..That's good too..

    Easy peasy:)

    Cukes ARE better behaved:)

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  8. Oh this looks so yummy...and that nail polish, just gorgeous.
    As always, you are such perfection, Monique!
    Enjoy all your little grandchildren..what a delight.
    What a lovely, simple recipe...Jarryd will certainly enjoy that spaghetti.
    Shel xx

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  9. This is absolutely, positively summer at its best Monique. Love Jacques' homemade crumbled croutons on top. I could eat tomatoes every day for the rest of my life.

    Love the blue nails - very trendy. Happy birthday princess Giuliana. Your birthday is today.
    Sam

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  10. T'is that time; Guiliana is teh perect model; love all your photos; your mother in law must be thrilled with your post.
    That is what I call the Perfect summer pasta dish; full of summmer freshness and Basil makes everything taste even better.
    Rita

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  11. I forgot to mention that I also have been been making Mme Benoit's mushroom rolls for many years; always a hit.
    Rita

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  12. I'd forgotten how amazing food fresh off the vine tastes until I joined a CSA this summer.
    Nothing like it!

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  13. Le plaisir naturel... des moments sains... Le bonheur... juste le bonheur des choses humbles et familières retrouvées... Instants uniques...
    Gros bisous

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  14. Love those blue nails!
    I made the same pasta the other night but with Celentani...a favorite here and I have a ton of gorgeous tomatoes!
    Yours looks better than mine though!
    I love the crumb idea...

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  15. Thank you for your visits..

    Would it not be nice if fate had it to share a bowl of this together?
    We could paint our nails that shade?
    I could paint your nails..Love doing that to others:)

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  16. Fresh and simple meals are sometimes the best. We just picked our tomatoes I am thinking that I know just what to do with them.

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  17. I always love your soul food posts Monique. There is so much food here, for the eyes, the spirit, the tongue. Well done. xxoo

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  18. I see a future in fashion design for Giuliana. She has an eye for color, and is not afraid to use it.

    Monique, I've enjoyed looking at your SIL's prolific garden, and particularly, the helping hands of the the little gardeners!

    I managed to steal a few Roma and heirloom tomatoes from my garden, but most are still struggling to make it, this year.

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  19. They will make it Sol..I just prepared a post of Romas..they finally bloomed!
    If I can do it.you can betterdoit.

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  20. What an adorable hand model :-) I hope she had a very Happy Birthday and was gifted with more lovely nail polish!

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