As the weather cools down, you have the opportunity to create some great summer-into-fall meals.
Summer's End Recipes
Dishes to carry your kitchen from summer into fall.
Web2Carz Contributing Writer
Published: August 23rd, 2012
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ow that kids are back in school and the weather's finally cooling off, the summer meals of barbecue everything, salads, and basically nothing that requires the oven to be turned on are being pushed aside for heartier fare. But these in-between months present a bit of an issue—it's not cold enough yet for things like chili and stew, but it's not hot enough to keep eating gazpacho and cold noodles. While we still eat all of those things regardless of outside temperature, here are a few ideas to make the transition from summer to fall.
 Stir Fry.Stir Fry. Stir fries are great for in-between weather because you can make them hot or cold, and you can serve them with rice or noodles (or no starch, if that's your thing). You can also switch in vegetables that you have on hand (say, leftovers from your CSA or the farmer's market), which allows for a world of variety. And that's before we talk about sauces. |
 Pizza. Pizza. Pizza is a good "anytime" food, but thanks to summer produce, now's a perfect time to experiment with different toppings—figs are in season during late summer, so maybe try a prosciutto, fig, and gorgonzola pizza. It's definitely different, but if you're not interested in trying out something a little left of center, try things like summer squash (it's helpful to sautéed it before putting it on a pizza, though, so it doesn't make your crust soggy), roasted tomatoes (a new sauce, perhaps?), or a fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil (which, if you've been growing this summer, you probably have a truckload of by now) pie. |
 Pesto. Pesto anything. Thanks to the aforementioned basil-growing, we've got a surplus of the herb on our hands. In a food processor, mix a few handfuls of basil leaves with some olive oil, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts (walnuts will do if you're on a budget, they've got a similar flavor and are much cheaper), then pour the finished product on...just about anything. We like it best on spiral pasta, chicken breasts, or toasted crusty bread, as a sort of bruschetta. |
 Squashes. Squashes. These are what we like to call the "Pumpkin Months," and for good reason—the bright orange gourd seems to pop up in everything we consume, from muffins to soups to coffee drinks. You can use it in a similar way as you would use sweet potatoes, so go nuts. |
 Pasta Salad.Pasta Salads. You can forego your pile of mixed greens in favor of adding seasonal veggies and cheese to cold pasta. This is another dish for which we prefer spiral pasta, since it holds dressing (Greek or Italian are our favorites) better. Things like tomatoes, asparagus, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, and artichoke hearts are great for cold pasta salads. This is another sort of dish that's incredibly customizable, so it'll be sure to please everyone in your whole family. |
