Grown Up Floats

 There's something about an ice cream float on  a hot summer's day. Amp it up by making it an affogato, vanilla ice cream swimming in a pool of espresso.It's a yummy treat on an August day.

The Sunday New York Times Magazine had ErikKim's recipe yesterday and it's a definite must make. It's a scoop or two of vanilla or chocolate ice cream drowned in a heady shot of esspresso. Mr. Kim recommends gelato , something without eggs, but any type of non dairy ice cream can work too. I'm planning mine with an extra shot of chocolate syrup for a mocchiato vibe. A puff of whipped cream wouldn"t go amiss here either.

This is the perfect dream dessert for these humid days, Try it for a tasty take on this Italian classic,It's a blast of icy goodness during these dog days.

Anchovies And Peppers A Quick Summer Treat

 This is the time for garden veggies, especially peppers. One way to have them is with anchovies, a popular Piedmontese treat This is a great starter fo grilled steaks or a good lunch with plenty of Italian bread,

 You can use any color bell pepper, red yellow or green.First char the whole pepper. over an open flame or on the grill. Cut into strips and discard the seeds. Mix with the anchovies to form a kind of salad. You can add some olive oilbut not too much because the fish is already packed in it. I love it (as did my uncle) with thick slabs of Italian bread. You could turn the anchovies into bagna calda with the addition of a tiny bit of olive oil, butter and minced garlic. This is also good poured on peppers and even tomatoes and perfection over grilled steak,

Take advantage of the pepper harvests right now, They're great in a variety of dishes. They're elevated with rthe addition of anchovies.

Lucky Day For Fruit

 Even though it's Friday the 13th it's a lucky day for fruit. You can have it in a variety of different ways.Think frozen to cool off or fresh baked to end a hot dinner.

Puree strawberries and cantaloupes and then freeze into colorful ice cubes> These are perfect in lemonade or seltzer. They"re also great for homemade ice pops. Keep in mind that those berries are good in an easy to make crisp or cobbler. It's just an easy mix of flour sugar and butter . Fruit is dropped over this and then baked for an hour.If a hot oven is too much on these steamy days you can microwave it for only two to three minutes.

Take advantage of all the fruit out there right now. IT's a nice addition to these sweltering days. It's good eating and that's a lucky thing,

The Ethnic Aisle

 Where do you go for specific or specialized  ingredredienrs? Usually the ethnic aisle in your local supermarket.For decades everything  foreign was there.

Priya Krishna wrote abou  this in yesterday's New York Times Food section.All kinds of Asian food have  been lumped there.Some markets likr Kroger's and New Yorl 's Food Bazaar have deemed these aisles obsolete. Foreign foods should be blended in the melting pot of American food shopping.They should rethink different ethnic ingredients as the owner of Red Boat Cuong Pham want for his fish sauce.

Soon the ethnic aisle will be a thing of the past.We need to have all nationalities mix in at the supermarket It makes for a more rounded shopping experience.

The Food Section Goes Vegan

 Veganism is fast becoming an embraced lifestyle. It;s evident in today's New York Times Food section.Regular contributor and chef Tejal Rao has created a new newsletter for those eschewing meat. There are some recipes in today's Food section.

Ms Rao has three interesting ones. There's a Persian buttermilk cucumber milk ardoogh khiab which is more vegetarian thanks to the addition of buttermilk and yogurt, You could try her tofu larb or salad for these hot days.It's chock full of herbs and basmati rice . For something more familiar try  the salad pizza that also is topped with white beans. The dough is store bought and would be great during the fall too.

Signup for this new newsletter if you want some tasty veggie filled recipes. They're a great way to go meatless .They're also the path to eating better,

Get The App

 Apps rule our lives these days. We shop , seek advice and track our lives. Now we ca

n dine with them. 

I recently uploaded the Taco Bell app on my phone. There are a lot of pluses. Yiu can easily order from your house or car and then pay from it.Taco Bell offjers a lot of  bonuses too.I've already received free fries and a bean burrito. I/ve just downloaded Blaze Pizza and was delighted to see I have a free soda coming my way. 

Download apps from your favorite eateries. . They're an easy way to order and save money Do it today.

A Quick Word About Edamame Pasta

 If you want a quick and tasty summer meal look no further than Aldi.This is their Simply Nature brand edamame spaghetti. It's a quick cook nnd really good tasting.

The texture is like regular wheat based kinds with a slightly beany flavor. I had it aglio olio,with olive oil and garlic. You can try it with a quick salsa crudo too

Here is the salsa crudo recipe

2 to 3 cut plum tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 leaves shredded basil leaves

1 crushed garlic clove

cooked pasta

MIx the first five ingredients about an hour before cooking pasta.Let sit Boild edamame pasta , Drain and toss with sauce.The pasta will heat up the sauce.

Enjoy with crusty Italian bread!