Sweet August corn

The corn in our part of the country is at peak this time of year. So sweet and so good you can cut it right off the cob and eat it raw, there's no need to grill or saute it.

Here's some that I de-silked and ready to cut. I place the cob (sans husks) upright in a big bowl and slice down the kernels on the side, that way all the loose kernels end up right in the bowl, a good chef's trick.

So I had my eye out for some nice corn salad recipes. I found two great ones. 

the first used cucumber, feta cheese, tomato, parsley, and a oil and vinegar dressing. Really delicious.

The second was a corn and pasta salad that avocado, cherry tomatoes, basil, and an olive oil/lemon dressing. Also, just great. I ate on them both for days, it's the taste of summer!

Jaws rocks

I could write a dozen posts on my love for the old movie "Jaws". It has to be in my top 5 favorite films of all time, I've seen it more times than I can count.
One of the things I love isn't even in the movie itself: the iconic poster image (used originally for the Bantam paperback edition of the novel on which the movie is based) of the great white shark coming up from the depths to attack a girl swimmer. So much visceral messaging is packed into this one image...horror, sex, doom, nature, vulnerability, etc...while also being just a great graphic.

So I had the idea the other day to create my own homage to the poster on a rock. Yes, a rock. I'm always looking for craft opportunities and, well, this seemed like a fun project. And it was. I found a good sized flat specimen just right for painting the image. I love the way it turned out.

Now, the only person I know who's a bigger fan of "Jaws" than myself is my friend Ron. When I posted this picture on Instagram he commented "How much?" I knew he would love it. So then I decided to make another rock as a house warming present for he and his boyfriend, David. They've recently been re-doing their guest cottage in East Hampton and the decor is decided nautical. This little 'object d'art' would fit in nicely. 

On the back I decided to inscribe it with a quote from the movie uttered by the feckless mayor, "'Amity', as you know, means 'friendship'". Well, they loved the gift, and Ron totally understood the quote was meant sincerely. 

The hutch

Sometimes the light in the Hamptons is so pretty. Often I'm sitting in my dining room sitting on the little settee next to the dining table and I love the way the light looks streaming in. It's the room that has the most windows and doors so it's very bright. I was sitting there the other day and snapped this picture of some hydrangea from the yard sitting on the yellow hutch. I liked all the greens and off-ochres of the objects in and around the piece. Lovely.

Pooltime

In the Summer, there is no better place to be than at the ocean or in a pool. Even better is when the pool isn't yours so you don't have to pay for all the installation and upkeep for only 2 months of use!
Thank God I have a great friend (Dean) who has the perfect pool in the perfect yard at his house in Settler's Landing, a lovely enclave in East Hampton. This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, but in fact I'm going there today (on the most glorious weather day of the year) for a BBQ. I'm bringing my favorite recipe of Texas potato salad. Stay cool everyone!

Carrot Salad

All of a sudden it hit me. A major hankering for carrot salad. And I had never really been a fan of this dish in the past.
But I remember that good ol' Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa herself, had a recipe in one of her old cookbooks.
I found it and, as usual with her recipes, it was very easy and flavorful. Boy, was it good. She uses fresh pineapple chunks, golden raisins, and a little sugar for sweetness. To make it my own I added some diced delicious apple. Terrific. I "ate on it" for 3 days along with hot dogs I made on George Foreman grill, a long ago gift from my parents. It was 4 days of Classic Summer Eatin'.

Wok on the wild side

I've been thinking about getting a wok for some time. In fact, I said to myself that I would get one the next time I came to the house, probably at TJMaxx in Bridgehampton, they'd maybe have them cheap.
My favorite cookbook, "Dinners in a Dish or a Dash", that I've blogged about before, has a whole chapter of stir fry recipes that I've never tried. I had my mind made up, now's the time to get wokking!
Well, it just shows that if you put out the positive energy then you will get it back in kind.
As I got off the bus the other day, the weather was beautiful walking to the house. As is the custom in this village, people put things out on the curb, sometimes with a "FREE" sign attached, that they want to get rid of. There in front of a house on my walking route were two big cardboard boxes of stuff. Dishes, vases, old books...and, lo and behold, A NICE WOK! It looked nicely made and well-used. I actually liked that it had some age on it. I plucked it right up and brought it home.





Scoured it (I know this isn't especially advised but I wanted to make sure it was somewhat sanitized), and oiled it.



The first dish I made was a flank steak stir fry with carrots, zucchini, and brown rice. YUMMO.



It worked nicely right on top of my gas stove grill but I ordered a wok ring from Amazon (just $6!) and it came today.



Now I'm ready for my next creation.