Counter Culture

This time of year there are a lot of birthdays in our family. This "fruit pizza" showed up for the last birthday and was enjoyed by many. A cookie dough crust is covered by a cream cheese mixture and then fruit is piled on top. This is a nice summer dessert which can be made with any combination of fruits.



Many years ago I came across my first fresh figs. I loved them and have been on the lookout since then to find more. When I ran into them at Costco several weeks ago, I bought them without a second thought. Loosely following a recipe in Emeril's From Farm to Fork, I stuffed them with a sour-cream/whipped cream mixture, drizzled them with honey, and sprinkled them with lavender. A feast for the senses!



The colors of summer never cease to amaze me. Setting out fruit and vegetables on our table creates such beautiful kaleidescopes and I can't resist taking pictures. I hope you are enjoying your fill because fall is just around the corner.



I made a very quick side dish this week by grating fresh beets and carrots and dressing them with Italian salad dressing. The raw taste of beets is just a bit earthy, but if you can tolerate them, they make an extremely healthy addition to your dinner plate.



Last, but not least, I made gluten-free pizza this week from an amazing recipe you can find over here at our friends Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I never thought dough this good was possible with gluten-free but look at the results!



I have several winter squash sitting in my kitchen and I can't wait to begin cooking fall dishes. Roasted squash, butternut squash soup, pumpkin pie....the months of comfort food are on their way!