Strawberry Lemonade Bars

I haven't exactly been whooping it up this summer. I think it has a little something to do with the fact that I'm really pregnant and we've had several heat waves so far. But at least I can cook/eat like it's summer — and these treats are like summertime in a bar!

I do a lot of pursuing on Pinterest these days, and I came across this recipe there. Brad and I both really enjoyed it — it's light, refreshing, and so full of flavor. They're a snap to make, too, as long as you have a few lemons on hand. (And I highly recommend that you use fresh-squeezed lemon juice rather than store-bought. It'll make a huge difference in taste!)

Rhubarb Snacking Cake

I've already mentioned that I love me some rhubarb. And there's no better time than now to get in on the action while it's still in season. This rhubarb snacking cake is a great way to feature the unique, tart flavor, and I dig it!

I looked up rhubarb on wikipedia to get the low down. I was very interested to read this: "Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the U.S., a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the U.S. as a fruit, it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits." Sorry, was that nerdy of me to find interesting?

I saw this recipe in a post from Smitten Kitchen. It caught my eye because she talked about how she took Martha's recipe, cut the cake portion in half, upped the amount of rhubarb, and threw more crumb on top.

YES. This is my kind of a recipe.

Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce for Mom(s)

For some reason, pregnancy and blogging hasn't mixed for me. It may be because my baby bump precludes me from using my laptop comfortably on my lap. Or possibly because we've been trying to get so much done every weekend — we're definitely in the nesting stage!

We've painted the baby's room and our living room/kitchen, shopped for new baby furniture, registered, and I've been trying to make food to freeze so I'm not cooking dinner so much during the week. And at the end of any of these projects, all I've wanted to do is sit down with my feet up and veg.

I did, however, manage to make a few homemade gifts for Mother's Day.

Cherry Pancakes for Hurricane Irene

This week the east coast has had a few fun surprises from nature — an earthquake on Tuesday and now Hurricane Irene graces us this weekend. And you can't have Irene knocking on your door with nothing delicious to offer her. So for Pete's sake, be a polite host and have something wonderful to make for breakfast in her honor.

In addition to the usual bad weather must-haves like milk, eggs, bread, and batteries, I've also made sure to stock up on butter, flour, and cherries. Cherries, cherries, cherries. You know, just the necessities.

If you can find fresh, local cherries, this is the time to buy them! I found them for $0.99/pound last weekend and bought...ahem...7 pounds of them. Yeah, I know. But come on people. It's one time a year that I can get these tasty gems so fresh and inexpensively!

Pickled Cucumber Salad

During the work week, there's little that's more enjoyable than having dinner on the roof deck as the sun sets for the evening. For nights like these, we love to make something simple on the grill with a refreshing salad on the side. Easy, and it all fits on a tray that I can carry upstairs to the deck.

This pickled cucumber salad is a great summer alternative to a traditional green salad. And it's so easy that you can throw it together in minutes while the grill heats up.

And lately our favorite way to enjoy this salad is on the side of a delicious delmonico steak from Martin's in Reading Terminal. We share the steak and get our salad on — a super-easy meal in a snap!

We recently had a furry houseguest for a couple of weeks — Rosie agreed that this meal was fab!

Fresh Corn and Zucchini Cakes

I know. Zucchini again. But this stuff grows like a weed during the summer, and I can't seem to help buying a couple of pounds of it every weekend. And for your amusement the record, Brad doesn't like zucchini, and I don't like it by itself. But I really like it in stuff, so I actively seek ways to use it.

These savory little pancakes are so tasty and a snap to make. And they're a perfect snack or side for a summer dinner, either warm or at room temp. (They're 1 Point+ each if you're a Weight Watcher-er.)

Jersey corn was on sale at the produce stand. The sign said "bi-color" corn, but you be the judge...

Ahem. Two yellow kernels, huh? Fortunately it was still fresh, sweet, and delicious!

Summer Squash Cake

I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "Enough of your veggie-filled sweet treats!"

But I need you to trust me that this "loaf cake" (as Martha calls it) is freakin amazing delicious. It has a very unique flavor, as most of the breads/cakes that I've made with veg tend to have a spicy flavor (i.e. cinnamon, nutmeg). However this cake's flavor is sweet and moist and has a hint of pistachio and fennel seed.

And can I just put it out there that I do.not.like yellow squash. Can't eat the stuff. Don't like the taste; can't stand the smell.

The recipe comes from Martha, one of my favs, and is called Two-Colored Squash Loaf Cake. Martha, darling, please don't be offended, but the name of your recipe leaves something to be desired. You're already messing with people by throwing a whole lot of squash into a cake. Perhaps a friendlier name (i.e., one that doesn't have the word "loaf" in it) is more suitable? That's my only complaint — and I've taken it upon myself to rename the recipe.