Ravioli with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce

There's just so much to love about summer.

Warm, sunny days.  

No school.  All my kids are here, home for the summer, everybody under one roof.

Which means there are more people around for Gus to play frisbee with.

More people around for Clyde to turn his puppy charms on.

Those eyes....are like two puddles of...okay, I'll give you whatever you want.  *sigh*

And now that it's summer, our local Farmers Market is open.  Today's recipe was inspired by the ravioli I bought from the pasta vendor there!

Mocktails for the Family

Because I wanted to make a drink to make dinner seem special, because the heat called for a refreshing drink, because I needed to use the blueberries I bought at the farmers market, because I thought it would be fun for the whole family to drink out of my favorite margarita glasses........I served these pomegranate/blueberry concoctions at dinner last week.

To turn your mocktail into a cocktail, just add 1 oz. of vodka to your glass.

Prosciutto and Mozzarella Panini

With the 100-degree heatwave last week, I was running out of oven-, stove- and grill-free cooking methods.  I'm so glad I had my panini press to rescue my family from the salad-and-rotisserie chicken rut I was falling into! 

The inspiration for these flavorful panini came from my local farmers market.

It's usually the fresh fruits and vegetables that inspire me.

Last week, however, it was the fresh mozzarella and the bread from Clear Flour Bread that were the catalysts for this recipe.

100-Degree Weather? The Perfect Dessert: Fresh Berries With Creamy Custard

Gus doesn't want to venture out into the heat.  He's content to sit at my feet while I blog instead of trying to cajole me into a game of fetch.

This is what we call the "frog-dog" position.  His head is resting on the trestle under the table, but if I get up from my chair to get a better shot (and let's face it, with my lack of photography skills, there is no such thing as a "better shot"), he's going to get up as well and I won't get any picture at all.

The thermostat hit 100 degrees today.

I'm not complaining.

I'm thankful for indoor air conditioning, and an outdoor pool to float in.

However, I'm not going to turn on the oven or the stove for an extended period of time.  Or worse, fire-up the grill.  Stand in front of an open flame?  In this heat?  Nuh-uh, that would be cruel.

Instead, I focused on the blueberries and raspberries that I bought yesterday at the local Farmers Market.

Today's recipe is so refreshing and very easy to make.  It's so quick, you only need a playlist with four songs!

Inspired By The Farmers Market

Our local Farmers Market has returned for the summer.  For the past three Wednesdays (and for every Wednesday until October), the inspiration for what to prepare for dinner comes directly from my purchases at the market.

Last week was tough, because of the rain.  I was looking forward to making ravioli primavera, but the pasta vendor wasn't there.  I was so discombobulated by the forced change of plans that I found myself wandering around, wondering "What will I make for dinner? What will I make for dinner?"

And then I ran into Libby and her son, and she asked, "What's for dinner?"  And the only response I could give her was "I don't know!!!"

It turned out okay, I bought some wonderful bread and made the chicken sandwiches with satay sauce that I blogged about last week.

This week, I made up for last week's indecisiveness.

Two types of ravioli, fresh mozzarella (so happy to see the pasta vendor return!), tomatoes, sugar snap peas, spinach, strawberries, zucchini, onions, broccoli and basil from the farmers market all managed to make their way onto the dinner menu this Wednesday in the form of Ravioli Primavera, Caprese Salad and Strawberry-Spinach Salad.