Grilled Honey Peaches with Honey Mascarpone

Oh boy, I really had one of those days yesterday.  And I could have told you that at 7am that morning, too, that's the really sad part.  Lack of sleep, failures of technology, one thing after another, blah blah blah.  I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say it wasn't the best day I ever had. 

The one redeeming thing is that I have a few moments right now to write about these honey peaches with honey-ed up mascarpone.  Which is also writing about the very first time I stood in front of a grill and cooked something.  It's true!  First time ever. 

A Citrus-y Fruit Salad

Summer time: time for fruit salad.  I love fruit salad.  So many delicious flavors.  And I think it's even better if you leave it for a few hours, or overnight, and let some of those juices come together.

More often than not I'm peeling an orange to eat after a meal, or grabbing a pink lady apple for snack later.  But I guess it's the right time to pull things together a little more when friends will be eating fruit with you.  It's simply a matter of chopping up fruit, but I like the combination of ruby red grapefruit and orange segments in here.  I think grapefruit and orange is always a good idea.  And the watermelon chunks don't hurt, either.

This salad was good for about 10 servings.

2 ruby red grapefruits
2 oranges
2 cups red grapes
1/8 watermelon, cut into chunks (I used half of a quarter watermelon I got that way at the grocery store)
2 peaches
3/4 cup diced strawberries

Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the fruit for an extra zesty flavor.

Happy 4th of July!

Butternut Soup with White Beans and Cilantro

I had such a delicious soup a few weeks ago.  It can be pretty socially fluid around here, with so many students in Boston who come and go at various times during the year.  Some friends got together for dinner before a few were leaving town for the summer, and Dan Nystedt cooked up a fantastic dinner for us ... including this soup. Usually pureed soups don't do much for me, but this one was so flavorful and had this little spicy kick to it.  Awesome.  So here it is.