monday munchies: too hot too cook

Only a couple of dishes to post this week, as summer has finally arrived, making time in the kitchen a wee bit unbearable. I was also out of town this weekend, so I relied on the food of friends and festivals.





Last week I whipped up this pasta dish with the remainder of my cilantro pesto and fresh tomatoes.






Tonight I waited until 8:30 p.m. for the heat to subside so I could use some extraneous veggies. The summer squash, onion and kale tacos turned out really well. And didn't create too much heat! I didn't have salsa, or peppers, so I flavored with the leftover gazpacho I ordered at Alterra last week. Worked out great!





On Sunday, I was treated to my friend Heather's culinary chops. She whipped up a delicious pre-Lolla breakfast of French Toast and turkey sausage. It was brilliant and staved off the need for too much festival food.

Heather, her husband, Sam, and I also enjoyed a fantastic brunch on Saturday. I'd been to this place a couple of years ago and had a great experience, but I wasn't sure if I'd just built it up in my mind. Glad to find out, it's still wonderful. I highly recommend the all-you-can-eat brunch at Joey's Brickhouse if you're ever in Chicago. It's made-to-order and drinks are between $1 (Miller Lite) and $4 (top shelf Bloody).

Hopefully the weather will cool down a little bit, as I have loads of veggies to use up from my CSA.

Stay tuned for a Lolla recap later this week!