Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Happy Solstice, Y'all




That's the temperature on my shady kitchen porch. If that thermometer was a few feet away, it would read well over a hundred, I feel sure. The damn thing is that at ten o'clock tonight it'll still be in the nineties.
Time to drink iced coffee. Time not to move too much. Even Owen doesn't ask to go outside very often. It's to hot to think outside, much less play.

But. That's summer. And this is also summer:

The egg production is tapering off but my god, it's been a good year for tomatoes. That's just what I've picked today. I tomato-fairyed two of my neighbors this afternoon, leaving each of them four nice, fat red ones. I am going to cook something tonight which I should not, but which Lily says is the very, very best thing ever and it requires quite a few tomatoes so what the hell?
It is what I would deem as "trash" cooking in that it has both mayonnaise and cheese in it.
Tomato Pie.
The ingredients are simple. A prebaked pie shell, sliced, salted and drained tomatoes, cheese, mayonnaise, basil.
It'll probably be the best damn thing I ever put in my mouth. We shall see. If it's really, really good, perhaps it will become our traditional Summer Solstice Supper.

I'm also cooking collards. We sort of got burned out on collards during the winter but I still have some nice ones that we planted in late spring and every bag of salad greens I buy goes nasty after a day in the refrigerator and so obviously, it is not the correct time for me to make salads with lettuces in them and so we shall have the collards tonight. Here they are, washed and cut-up with another chopped tomato and some onion:

I'm going to Panko-bake some of that sea bass Mr. Moon brought home. Tomato pie, collards, and sea bass.

Yeah. That'll do us.

My back is really bothering me today. In aid of trying to relieve the pain I did an hour of yoga and then spent some time on the stationary bike.
I think it made it worse.
Dammit! ACTIVITY cures everything! Right?
Mmmm....
Well, maybe not.
I ain't crippled yet so I imagine I'll be okay.

So Happy Solstice and wear your sunscreen and a big old hat and eat some tomatoes if you possibly can. Lift from the knees, not from the back.
It's the longest day of the year and I think that using the extra time in kissing someone you love would be a particularly fine idea.

That's my advice.

Love...Ms. Moon

17 comments:

  1. Tell us what to do with the cheese and mayo!

    And bless your heart in that heat!

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  2. I just ate one of those tomatoes with a turkey sandwich for supper. Baggy and I shared it. How was the pie?

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  3. oh, my, that pie sounds lovely. I planted my own basil and it is growing nicely but the tomatos? Not so much. Because today is the first day over 70 we have had all year.

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  4. ohhh always a good idea!!
    kissing, well...and tomatoes.

    happy first day of summer ms.moon

    xoxoxox

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  5. no tomatoes here in Cali yet. Just started warming up. two weeks ago it was in the 60's, now it's 102. That's California for you

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  6. Tomato Pie! Yes! I had my first Tomato Pie in Selma made by my 2nd (?) by marriage...it was quite yummy and I when she told me of the mayo I just tried not to think about it. I don't think you could use plain yogurt as I so often try to substitute with.

    You have the heat but you have the humidity which we don't. I'm inside too...having a mango smoothie. I don't want to think about cooking but the boys will be back anytime(!) so I will be cooking tonight.

    Did you sleep wrong on your back last night or too much gardening?

    I need to dig out that recipe and fix it when our tomatoes grow...nothing on the vine here but little yellow flowers...which is a start!

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  7. I meant to say my second cousin by marriage...hhhhmmm get that right!

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  8. Being from Canada I do not know Fahrenheit very well so I imbiggened the picture and saw the Celsius. Yah. That is really fucking hot.

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  9. THANK YOU again for the lovely tomatoes! I had a feeling it was you... but you know, I do get fairied by Mr. Lawrence, the Nahooms and Mr. Ransom... I still don't know who left me the chair on my back porch!

    I love Lloyd, and you.
    xo

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  10. I looked at that thermometer and immediately started sweating.

    I envy your tomatoes. We will be lucky to have our first ones by August. It's so sad here to see the fields and gardens flooded or just unplanted. So many people have just gave up on the idea of a crop this year.

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  11. I like that idea of kissing someone I love. Will do.

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  12. That tomato pie sounds delicious, mayo or not.

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  13. Tomato pie! I'm so excited about this recipe. Seems like something even I could make. Yummy! If you have time can you post exactly how you make it? And pics please!!!
    Thanks for sharing this. I'd never heard of tomato pie before.

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  14. Tomato pie sounds wonderful, and your advice is very sound. Of course I am a crazy fucker, so my judgement of sound may be impaired.

    I love you so!

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  15. Jo- Have done. You would like this, I think.

    DTG- Yum. I am sure Baggy enjoyed her shared meal with you.
    Wait- is Baggy a boy or a girl? I know I know this.

    Kori- We have opposite problems, climate-wise.

    rebecca- Eating tomatoes and kissing over bites is the best.

    Terena- Sounds like what happened here about a month ago. Crazy!

    Ellen- The yogurt thing only worked somewhat. Flavor good, consistency not so much. I think my back pain is from lifting that truck topper last week. I haven't been the same since.

    Birdie- No matter how you calculate it, it is hot.

    Ms. Fleur- Enjoy the tomatoes. And I did NOT leave a chair.

    Mel's Way- I hope next year is better.

    Omgrrrl- You could even throw in some bacon.

    Syd- Ay-Ay, Sir!

    Angie M- It was. Sigh...
    And shall be again tonight.

    Bethany- Done and done. Lily told me about it.

    Ms. Bastard-Beloved- We are alike-crazy so I trust your judgment implicitly.

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  16. Oh my that is HOT!!

    Your food looks lovely. And Kissing sounds like a fine idea.

    Happy Solstice my dear friend xx

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