Great for Grilling-A Balmy 101 Degrees

What a cold snap! It was actually a nice day out today. I took the dog for a walk, and even at 8:30 in the morning, it was cool enough that we didn't have to worry about burned paws. The rabbits sure did need to worry, however, as she got up on her back legs and danced whenever she saw or heard them scurrying about their business in the desert. When we got home, I went for a swim, and it was nirvana. The water was a perfect 84 degrees, and the air almost the same. Water cool enough to be refreshing, air warm enough to prevent a chill. I could've stayed out all day.

However, there was work calling to me. I am back in the office next week, and I'm really feeling the pressure of all the things I need to get done at home. I need to feel like my nest is neat and orderly, and I'm about six months behind on that project! I also messed up my calendar and showed an appointment today that was tomorrow, so that was two hours out of my day as I had to get dressed and drive the 30 miles, only to have to go back tomorrow. Grrrr. I did want to stop at Whole Foods, though, and it was almost on the way home (only about 5 miles out of the way). Stop I did, and shop I did. I loaded up on beautiful organic produce, and I'm pretty sure I had my first taste of what a plum is supposed to taste like. I bit into one of those beauties, and it was like no other plum I've eaten. It was summer in my mouth, with a rich, jammy flavor.

While at Whole Foods, I picked up some ahi tuna, one of the few kinds of fish I can bear to eat. The August, 2007 issue of Bon Appetit has 13 must-try summer recipes, and I was drawn in by the Tuna Kebabs with Ginger-Chile Marinade. This really looked good, and it was. All the classic Asian flavors came into play, with rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, soy, honey, and cilantro, along with the mouth-awakening heat from a serrano chile. The tuna chunks were skewered with red bell pepper and Vidalia onions, and grilled until just done. (We haven't been able to master the rare tuna yet!)

As a go-with, I made the Japanese Eggplant and Tofu in Garlic Sauce from Weight Watcher's Take Out Tonight. You'll notice that the picture and recipe are conspicuously absent. It's not too often that the Husband declines leftovers for lunch, but he did with this. He did better than I, as I declined first-overs for dinner, too. It was looking pretty good, but the "extra firm" tofu chunks called for fell apart into tofu crumbles, and it looked like....well, it sort of looked like it had been previously eaten.

We consoled ourselves with another recipe out of Bon Appetit: Grilled Peaches with Fresh Raspberry Sauce. If you make this, don't leave out the lemon. I tasted it (a few times) before adding the lemon, and was amazed at the difference after stirring in the bright tasting juice. This is the first time I had grilled fruit, but it sure won't be the last. The magazine editors suggest serving this with a scoop of ice cream and shortbread cookies. We didn't do that, as we are working on losing weight instead of gaining it, but it would definitely be good.

I probably won't blog tomorrow, as I am meeting Nonni for dinner. However, there is a fun, tropical-inspired menu planned for Thursday, so be sure to check back then.