Good Taste: Plum Upside-Down Cake

From August 2008 Real Simple

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan, at room temperature
4 firm, ripe plums, each cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the plums and 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook, tossing until the sugar dissolves and the juices from the plums become syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Arrange the plums in the cake pan in slightly overlapping concentric circles, starting from the outside. Spoon any pan juices over the top.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. With an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup of the butter and 2/3 cup of the sugar until fluffy. beat in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.

5. Pour the batter over the plums and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 1 hour. Place a large plate over the cake pan and invert the cake onto the plate.

Thoughts: Criminally simple for how tasty and pretty it is--20 minutes prep. Great way to celebrate summer's beautiful fruit.

Good Taste: Greek-Style Picnic Salad

From September 2007 Cooking Light

2 cups uncooked write rice
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 cups bagged, prewashed spinach (about 8 oz.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (8 oz.) reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15 1/2-oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
10 lemon wedges

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Cool to room temperature; set aside.

2. Combine boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and cut into 1-inch pieces.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine rice, tomatoes, spinach mixture, cheese, and next 5 ingredients (though chickpeas). Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with nuts; serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Thoughts: Perfect last-minute meal, as most of the ingredients are already in the pantry. Would be so good with pine nuts, but pine nuts are as expensive as diamonds these days. Was there a pine nut catastrophe? This is such a deceivingly quick dish and very tasty.

Good Taste: Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant Pizza with Tapenade and Fontina

From August 2005 Bon Appetit:

Dough:
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
Generous pinch of sugar
3 1/4 to 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Topping:
3 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips
2 small eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips
3.4 cut extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 cup purchased black-olive tapenade
3 tablespoons mince fresh marjoram or fresh oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups (packed) coarsley grated Fontina cheese
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

For Dough:
Stir 1 1/4 cups warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup flour; let stand in warm draft-free area until bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Stir oil and salt, then 2 cups flour into yeast mixture. Knead dough in bowl until almost smooth and beginning to pull away from sides, adding 1/4 cup more flour to prevent sticking. Turn dough out onto floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls as needed, about 7 minutes. Place dough in lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, for topping:
Prepare barbecue. Arrange zucchini and eggplant slices on 2 large baking sheets. Brush vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until tender and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to platter.

Sprinkle 3 baking sheets with flour. Punch dough down. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces; roll out each piece on floured surface to 12x8-inch oval. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Brush dough tops with oil. Place ovals, oiled side down, on hot side of grill rack and grill until bottoms are firm (watch closely to avoid burning), about 3 minutes. Turn crusts over, grill until dough is set, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to baking sheets, grill mark side up.

Spread 1/4 cup tapenade over each pizza, arrange grilled zucchini and epplant slices over. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon marjoram and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Drizzle lightly with oil. Sprinkle each with 1/2 cup Fontina and 1/3 cup Percorino Romano. Return pizzas to cooler side of grill. Cover and grill until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle pizzas with parsley; slice and serve.

Thoughts: This meal brought to us by Trader Joe's. Olive Tapenade: $2.50; Fontina: $3. So cheap. Anyway, the eggplant was too chewy after grilling, so I tossed it. This was my first grilled pizza and I am such a fan--no hot oven in the hot summer! This recipe was a hit with all the Lloyd eaters. Success!

Good Taste: Chicken Salad with Potatoes and Arugula

From August 2008 Real Simple

1 pound new potatoes
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 rotisserie chicken
3 bunches arugula, thick stem removed
1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan, shaved

Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and slice.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using a fork or your fingers, shred the chicken, discarding skin and bones.

In individual bowls, combine the arugula, chicken, tarragon, and potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Thoughts: Perfect autumn salad, especially on a busy day.

The Good [Kids'] Stuff: Poisson Rouge

I have been very reluctant at giving my kids much screentime, but after a crazy summer of packing, moving, living at grandmas, moving again, and unpacking, there have been moments that I've needed a little something up my sleeve to help Peter stay entertained. My amazing friend, Krisanne, introduced me to the kids site, Poisson Rouge (red fish). It is endless! It has very cute, happy games, no annoying Dora or Elmo, and a cool art vibe. Peter can navigate it so easily, it scares me. I didn't know he could drag things on my laptop until I saw him do it so deftly on one of the puzzles. The website is French, although there are multiple languages offered. Once I walked in, and he was doing one of the games in Greek and trying to repeat the words--that was hilarious.

Does anyone else have any kids' websites to recommend?

The Good Stuff for Me: What I'm Listening To....continued

I recently went to an art history conference in Amsterdam, where I had the opportunity to hear Neil MacGregor speak. Neil MacGregor is the director of the British Museum. After he spoke, I gasped! He was incredibly inspiring, thought-provoking, and best of all, a fabulous story teller. After talking to a few art history folks there, I learned that he is doing a series for the BBC called "History of the World in 100 Objects." Mr. MacGregor started these lectures in efforts to attract a more diverse crowd at the museum. These are 15-minute mini-lectures (lectures make it sound boring; these are really engaging, exciting story-telling sessions). All the objects are in the collection and each segment follows the thesis of the entire project: we, as humans, are more alike than we are different. At moments, these talks are so very poignant that I have to fight back the tears. You can listen to these lectures here.

Good Taste: Grilled Shrimp and Lemon Kebabs

If you know me (and you all do, I'm guessing), you may know about my secret. I have this bad tendency to hoard recipes. Not like you imagine, where I'm drowning in papers and have to clear a path to my bedroom! Maybe hoard is too strong of a word...maybe I collect recipes. Many recipes, 3 overflowing binders of recipes, mostly in the form of magazine clippings. So, I am changing my system. I always have thrown away recipes that haven't impressed me and my food tasters, but now I am going to dump all the successful recipes right here and throw away the paper. This means that there will be a lot more recipes on here and more peace in my life.

Grilled Shrimp and Lemon Kebabs

24 medium shrimp

2 lemons, cut into small wedges

3 yellow Squash or Zucchini, ends trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 sprigs fresh basil

16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Heat a broiler on high. Place the shrimp and lemon wedges on 8 skewers, alternating them. Halve the squash or zucchini lengthwise, then cut them into 1-inch-thick slices. Divide the squash among the remaining 8 skewers. Place the skewers on the grill and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Serve the shrimp and squash with the basil, torn into pieces if desired.

Thoughts: this meal takes 10 minutes and the grilled lemon is great squirted over everything. Yummy with simple salad or rice pilaf.