summer vegetable casserole with cheesy breadcrumb topping recipe | writes4food.com

Summer vegetable gratin.

This Summer Vegetable Casserole recipe is the perfect summer-to-fall transition dish, to make while summer produce is still abundant and the weather cools off enough to where you’re OK with the idea of using the oven to make dinner. We love it as a main dish with a sliced tomato salad, but it’s also a great side for grilled chicken or steak. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

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homemade spiced cherry tomato jam recipe | writes4food.com

Spiced cherry tomato jam.

You may ask yourself, “tomato jam?” And I say, “yes! Tomato jam!!!” Fantastic with sharp cheddar and chevre on a cheese board. This excellent Spiced Tomato Jam recipe is a gateway to both jam-making and home canning: It yields a small batch, cooked without pectin, that’s easy to manage if you want to give canning a try. (Freezes well, too.) Get the recipe!

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homemade tabbouleh salad recipe | writes4food.com

Easy tabbouleh salad.

Pack-able, healthy lunch option; easy afternoon snack; part of a festive array of appetizers: Tabbouleh — that Middle Eastern salad of cracked wheat, herbs and vegetables — is a rock star. You know you have all this stuff in your fridge (OK, maybe not the cracked wheat, but we can remedy this). Get this easy recipe for homemade tabbouleh!

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whole grain farro salad with corn and tomatoes recipe | writes4food.com

Whole grain salad with tomatoes and corn.

This recipe is inspired by a dish that a colleague many years ago brought to an office potluck. Some 15 years later, it’s still one of my favorite lunchtime salads, and a great side dish for grilled chicken, too. This fantastic salad features whole-grain farro, sweet vegetables, herbs and an easy balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Get the #recipe!

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puff pancake (Dutch Baby) croque-monsieur style | writes4food.com

Dutch baby croque monsieur-style.

I celebrated Mother’s Day by making my mom a whole bunch of homemade goodies this weekend, including a zesty lemon tart and an antipasti spread. But brunch turned out to be the hit of the weekend, thanks to this Dutch Baby (puff pancake) topped, croque monsieur-style, with ham and Gruyere. Get the recipe!

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Orzo salad with spring vegetables and herbs.

Of all the recipes in my “Findlay Market Cookbook,” a simple pasta salad is the one I’ve made most often. It starts with orzo (cooked in vegetable stock for flavor), and has the perfect simple dressing and tons of vegetables. What I love most is that it’s so adaptable; here, I’ve swapped vegetables and herbs from the original recipe to make a perfectly seasonal spring pasta salad. Get the recipe!

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Upcoming cooking class: Pesto!

Join me on Tuesday, September 22, for a fun class at The Cooking School at Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield — we’ll be exploring pesto and talking about its cousins (including romesco, chermoula, pistou and more variations). Get the scoop!

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Classic tomato sauce for canning or freezing.

At an organic food conference last spring, I heard about a new-to-me process for making homemade tomato sauce using ripe summer tomatoes. It’s a wonder! This three-part recipe for tomato sauce is super efficient — and delicious! Get the recipe!

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tomato salad dressing made in the sunshine | writes4food.com

Fresh tomato salad dressing.

As if summer tomatoes aren’t sun-kissed enough: This easy tomato salad dressing is doubly so. Mix chopped tomatoes, herbs and other good stuff in a tall jar, pop on the lid and set it in the sun for a couple of hours. This dressing is super easy and versatile, too! Get the recipe!

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