Summer and fall meals

This past week's weather had us all scratching our heads about what we wanted to eat - warm and humid, to sunny and cool to downright damp and chilly!

I have found the best way for me to keep my thoughts organized is to make lists. Each week when I get home with my harvest I arrange and rearrange the veggies I have, putting the older and more perishable ones in the front of the fridge and make a list of what I have. Then, as I think of things I want to make or have for dinner, I write that list. This simple method helps me remember what is in the fridge and also aids in deciding what to have for dinner. Below are some of the thing I did this past week.

Tomato, onion, parsley - made tomato sauce. My method is pretty simple: Saute onions in olive oil under low heat until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes that have been roughly chopped and start to cook them down. Add a can of tomato paste, salt and pepper and any herbs you desire. When thickened, run it through a food mill and use or freeze.

Peppers, onions, garlic, herbs - we have received a lot of fresh onions and peppers recently and I was trying to figure out what to do with all of them. I made a big batch of sauteed peppers and onions. Just cut them all up and cooked on top of the stove until browned and tender. I then had them to use for a variety of dishes: I made a frittata for dinner one night using the peppers and onions as part of the add-ins. We will be having sausage sandwiches with them. I also did a side dish in which I cooked up the greens, mixed in some peppers and onions, and grated parmasan cheese over the top of it.

Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic - finally made Caponata - so glad I got to it before my eggplants went south! I froze it in small containers to be eaten through the winter. It can be used as bruschetta, or it can be a side dish for meats. I often eat it with a nice sausage over pasta.