Did I ever mention that I live in New Jersey and one of the great things about the "Garden State" is our Jersey tomatoes. Unfortunately, my own little tomato patch didn't live up to reputation, but I have plenty of family whose plants did fair well. Needless to say I'm up to my ears in Beefsteak, Grape, Cherry, and various heirlooms. I've been eating Tomatoes in some form or another at least twice a week. I tried out this delicious appetizer on a girlfriend who recently came to visit. The flavors were unbelievable, I ended up making it a second time later on in the week for my parents to try. One thing to note, buckwheat or chestnut honey may be hard to find so I ended up drizzling the final product with more of the clover honey.

This salad pairs two of my favorite food items, sweet watermelon and tangy fresh goat cheese. I wouldn't have thought that the two flavors would complement each other as well as they have but I decided to give it a try. I believe almost everything is better with Goat Cheese or Bacon. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this salad turned out to be. One thing to note is that Nigella seeds may be hard to find, so if you have some coarsely ground peppercorns they will do the trick just fine.

Most days, the idea of an anemic little chicken breast for dinner is about the last thought I want to entertain. This recipe is a good solution, since the chiles add a mild zip to the meal, and the crème fraîche provides luxurious mouth-feel. Best of all it's simple to make. In fact, I can't imagine why you couldn't streamline this by skipping the whole chile-roasting process and use strips of canned Anaheim chiles instead. My only other suggestion is to use chicken breasts with the skin on, as this adds considerable flavor. Serve with corn-on-the-cob or your favorite rice--perhaps with some chopped fresh cilantro stirred in at the end, and a salad of sliced vine-ripened tomatoes on the side.

One of the great things about summer cooking is how wonderfully light and healthful your dishes can be. I eat a lot of salads during the summer months and I'm always looking for something new, a nice departure from your standard green salads or heavy potato and macaroni salads. This one is positively fresh and light but full of good flavors. The Vinaigrette would make a perfect marinade as well for a good cut of beef. To add even more depth and flavor to the salad itself toss in a few dried currants or golden raisins.