Summer Creations

Usually when I have time to plan and create a weekend dinner, I start off thinking about dessert first like any rational person might do. A quick search through the fridge yielded the following summer delights: one peach, two pints of raspberries about a day away from joining the Dark Side, and maybe 17 individual blueberries. Not nearly enough for a pie, but perfect for a cobbler:

And yes, it is mandatory that all cobblers have the juice of the fruit inside bubble over and spill down the side of the ramekin while baking. It is one of those unwritten Laws of Baking Delicious Stuff.

Since you technically shouldn't only eat cobbler for dinner (stupid rule), I tried my hand at a summer pasta dish my family routinely made while I was growing up: Portland Pesto. I am pretty sure the recipe is from some regional Oregon/Northwest cusine cookbook (which makes sense because of the name) which in turn was adapted from a local restaurant.'s recipe. I am taking some substantial liberties here as all I really remember about the dish is its name, the pesto, summer sausage, and... maybe some bell peppers? I added in grape tomatoes and olives for good measure:

Interesting tidbit... I never really liked this dish when I was a kid. I just picked out the noodles and the summer sausage. Ridiculous I know.

--Isaac.