Seasonal Confusion

 I stop and check on our garden when I walk Tom to work in the morning.  A couple of peppers are on, the tomatoes are just starting and the herbs are doing well.  This week has been weird weather wise.  Overcast in the morning and then some POURING rain storms.

 This type of weather (especially when the air conditioning in the apartment gives the impression that it's much cooler than it really is outside) puts me in the mind of cooking. It felt and looked like Fall though if you stepped outside into the humidity, it was clearly very summery. Alas, still I felt compelled to spend the day in the kitchen.

Since it's Nic's birthday week, I wore this cute apron he made when he was little with his handprints all over it!

  Since we had blown through all the jars of last year's batch of salsa.....that was just the beginning of a day at the stove!  Oh, how I love my food processor for all that chopping!

Rainy days also require comfort food so tried a new recipe....a potato au gratin layered with leeks, chopped artichoke hearts and gruyere cheese.  Served that with fresh green beans and a tossed green salad for dinner. Creamy, rich and yummy!

 And since I got Eleanor's awesome Kitchenaid, I finished up with a flourless chocolate cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.  Cute heart in the middle of that strawberry!