Plentiful fresh dill at the ready outside the front door!
Quite a pungent herb so use sparingly - good in soups, yogurt dressings, salads,
especially potato salads, Havarti cheese, and of course of salmon.
My few tomato plants have not produced much this this year, however I may
get a few Roma later - already earmarked for a nice Caprese salad - and
my generous neighbor is sharing plenty of cherry tomatoes now they are
ripening daily in the heat and sunshine.
A basic recipe in most kitchens (especially if you've fed children!) no matter where
you cook, is of course Macaroni and Cheese. I made this dish over the weekend.
My version actually uses penne rigate, a similar short hollow pasta, but somehow
the cheese(s) sauce clings to it much better than smooth macaroni elbows.
Note I say cheeses, because this recipe uses not only a tasty mature English
Cheddar, but also nutty Swiss Gruyere, and classic Italian Parmigiana Reggiano.
It's a British recipe but with strong European overtones!
It's delicious - and known as 'fit for the Queen.'
No royalty sitting at our table, in fact nobody but us these days sadly.
Hoping your week ahead will have happy moments.
We're staying busy working in the back garden still!
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Ooh! I love mac and cheese! We make it here at home often. I buy an Italian brand of elbows that have ridges on them. We usually served roasted cherry tomatoes on the side that have been sprinkled with sea salt, pepper, dried basil and oregano with a generous splash of EVOO.
ReplyDeleteYour mac and cheese sounds over the top delicious! And dill is one of my all time favourite herbs. Such a summertime fragrance. Your post makes me hungry now.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a lovely week ahead, Mary.
Brenda xox
Well, I'm having a 'virtual' meal with you and enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteI love Mac and cheese. Haven't made it in ages. Dill and salmon are a favourite combination. My son is crazy about salmon.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm going to want Macaroni & Cheese for dinner now! Dill is a delicious herb. In some countries it's not used sparingly at all, but in great big handfuls.
ReplyDeleteI do love mac and cheese, and made some just last weekend. Dill is growing in my garden, too. Love it snipped into salads and soups.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful new week, Mary.
That's a huge dill plant! I have some growing in a pot on my porch. It's one of my favorite herbs. Love to use it in tuna, egg, or potato salad.
ReplyDeleteOur yellow cherry tomato plant is now starting to ripen. I picked my first few tomatoes from the plant today. We're also growing San Marzano tomatoes but they're not doing well. They all have bottom blossom rot.
Your mac and cheese looks delicious! We haven't had a pasta dish in a long time. You're the third person I've read about in the past 24 hours that's made a pasta dish for dinner, so perhaps the Universe is trying to tell me something. ;-)
You can't beat home-grown herbs and veggies - and that pasta dish has given me inspiration for my lunch.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a very long time since I last ate pasta; somehow, it does not appear on my menue all that often anymore since I am no longer part of a Sicilian family. Nowadays, when I cook for O.K. and myself, I use a lot more vegetables, often spuds, or make pizza or a quiche. You have just reminded me of how delicious a well-made pasta dish can be!
ReplyDeleteMy Mum makes a great dill sauce when she serves smoked salmon for brunch. I don't like salmon, but I always make sure I get some of the dill sauce to eat with whatever else is there (usually LOTS!).
Dear Mary,
ReplyDeleteI love the colors of the hydrangeas next to the Dill. And speaking of Dill once you grow it in your garden it will self sow forever more which it is doing in my garden and I let it grow wherever it chooses. I add tall stalks of dill in with myflower arrangements...keeps the water fresh longer.
Yes Gina, it really is a pretty herb and I love how it adds height to the garden. Yes, hope is self seeds. I've also cut some to add to a vase of hydrangeas on the dining room table.
DeleteVery hot here - we're working in back yard early!
I love that dill! Have you seen any caterpillars munching on it? It always happens to mine and I have to keep a pot separate for my own herb! But hooray for the future monarchs!
ReplyDeleteI've made Mac and cheese a few times but my Emily does it better. I agree, you need a pasta that will grab and hold on to that thick sauce. Isn't fun to play with pasta shapers and textures?!
Love and hugs,
Jane ❤️
Yummmm! The mac and cheese looks delicious. I just made a cold soup for dinner and had to take a little taste. It is delicious. My thought, Mary would like this recipe. If you haven't found Rachel on 3_sources on Instagram you need to check her out. I am totally taken by here during this pandemic time and learning more about being a vegetarian, though I don't think I could convince the two men in my house. I will keep trying. Even if you are not on Instagram I hope you go to her page and click on her first green soup picture for the recipe. https://www.instagram.com/3_sources/
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