Vegetables

As much as I love mashed potatoes, I have never been an enormous fan of the skin-on mash. I don’t mind a chunky mash. I’m not adverse to rustic.. But something about the skin-on mashed potatoes has always been problematic for me in the potato pantheon.

When I was growing up, autumn squashes were limited to pumpkins for carving, pumpkins for pie, and the occasional butternut or acorn. There were plenty of inedible decorative gourds around, little colorful and warty things that were ideal for filling a bowl or cornucopia on a holiday sideboard but were definitely not for cooking. You could sometimes find other varietals at farmers markets or if you knew someone with a garden.

It doesn’t matter what food trend is at the forefront, or which healthy diet plan is being touted by celebs, or what your doctor thinks of your current cholesterol. Everyone wants you to eat more dark leafy greens. Unless you are on a potassium restricted diet, these nutritional powerhouses are just good for you, high in fiber, low in calories, and when prepared well, delicious.

Tomorrow is the big day; the Olympics of cookouts, the all-day burger festival, the national holiday of hanging out that is Independence Day. Maybe you have a whole spread planned, full of grilled meats and cool beverages. Maybe you're tagging along to a potluck, or picnic, or some other grand event where you should bring something but it's not yet clear what.

It's coming up on the summer solstice, which means that it's also coming up on zucchini season, or "zuch szn" as no one calls it but me. Sure, zucchini are available throughout the year at the grocery store, but now is when they emerge into their full powers. In the beginning, it's lovely to have a few fresh zucchinis to grill or sautee, or throw in a salad. But in roughly three to six weeks, it will be a time when zucchini seems to take over everything.