Where I live in the south west of Western Australia we have an abundance of fresh summer fruits this time of year - apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines - as well as grapes, cherries, strawberries, mangoes, pomegranates - the list goes on. It is absolutely my favourite time of year for fresh fruit, just waiting to be quickly prepared and served fresh and juicy.
How about fresh fruit with musli for breakfast on the patio? I don't know why I don't have this more often. So delicious. Just chop, layer, serve and enjoy!
These collages I have made with "PicMonkey" on-line photo editor. I have only just heard of it - Have you tried it? It's free on the web and lots of fun.
To keep reading and seeing more pics, please click on "read more"....
Or a simple summer vegetable stir fry. This one has cashews and honey in it.
I used carrots, cauliflower, asparagus spears, garlic, snow peas, zucchini and capsicum. Whatever you have or like really. Slice, chop and stir fry for about 3-5 minutes, then add (depending on your quantity of vegetables) 2 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons honey. Stir fry for another couple of minutes and throw in some toasted cashew nuts. Delicious!
You can add pasta to make a more hearty meal.
I struggled with the light on my patio in the first pic. The second one was taken inside, with window light - perhaps there is a message there.
Or perhaps you might go out to lunch with friends..... These are corn and zucchini fritters with a Mediterranean salad and salsa that I had in a cafe last week. My banana smoothy came in a jar!
Doesn't this glass dish of cherries look luxurious? You could marinate them and enjoy with a dollop of cream or panna-cotta.
Or in the afternoon you might just want to sit on the patio with a book and a cooling iced drink and a sliced peach.
Languid summer days - too hot to cook - but perfect for relaxing and smelling the flowers.
Do you have some favourite easy to prepare summer recipes?
Thanks for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you.
I
am
linking up to Mosaic Monday, Travel Photos Monday, Our World Tuesday, Foodies Tuesday, Wednesday Around the
World,
Travel Photo Thursday, What's It
Wednesday, and Oh the Places I've Been. Please click on
the
links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual
touring at its best!Mosaic Monday
Travel Photo Mondays
Our World Tuesday
Foodie Tuesday at Inside Journeys
Wednesday Around the World
What's It Wednesday
Travel Photo Thursday
Oh The Places I've Been
You might also enjoy -
The fruits of summer
Summer is here
Blueberries for breakfast
Whatever the time is where you are, we are both at computers at the same time - it's just after 0900 here on Vancouver Island.
ReplyDeleteSummer food? I wish! We are still making hearty stews and thick soups, baking and roasting and doing whatever we can to heat things up.
I like a crisp and crunchy summer salad with a little chicken or shrimp added. Pair it with a glass of dry white wine and I'm a happy summertime girl!
Thank you for the head's up on PicMonkey! I need to look into that. Lordy, I can never figure out which I like best about your blog. The elite photography in of itself or the food and escape travels! I would absolutely try every single one of these dishes, Jill. Light and healthy sounds absolutely perfect right now (and a contrast to my latest post ha, ha). My first though would be the corn and zucchini fritters! Those sound amazing. Now my stomach is growling :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is beauty pure beauty - culinary artistry and photography to match. Great post!
ReplyDeleteOh my but your food looks tasty. I'd love some summertime fruit about now. I like to gorge myself on cherries in the summertime. Still 6 months to wait here, although I noticed the branches budding on our tree this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI love the Mediterranean summer stir fry idea. yum!
Wow mouth watering!
ReplyDeleteVery Lovely.
Happy new week.
Regina
The corn and zuchinni fritters look like something I would definitely order and I think I might know where to go - those jamjars I think are the giveaway! Your food photography just gets better and better Jill, and it continues to make me drool both from an appetite point of view and also that I'd love to be as good as you at taking such amazing photos :)
ReplyDeletethanks Jo. It certainly takes time and practise to get food photography looking good, and the right lighting helps a lot - sometimes I just can't get the light I am looking for.
DeleteJill, everything looks so yummy. So many pretty fresh fruits and vegetables. Your photos are beautiful, well done! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteYum.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is something to look forward to! It will be a half a year before all this snow and ice is gone and these things are fresh in northern North America. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHow delicious! Lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's winter where I live (of course, that's not too bad here in California), but all of your summery salads look awesome to me. I think that pomegranate is a fabulous touch to salads -- they taste good and look good.
ReplyDeleteYum ... that all looks so delicious and healthy too (bonus) ... but where's the sorbet?!
ReplyDeletethe sorbet will probably be next week's post Ingrid. It wasn't done in time for this one!
DeleteStunning food photography Jill .... I could almost reach out and pick one if those luscious cherries from the bowl. I use PicMonkey a lot but am wondering how you achieved the panels with words as in your top collage. It adds another dimension. Well done!
ReplyDeletethanks Diane, that one wasn't created picmonkey. I created it in Picasa, added the background colour - it allows you to pick a colour similar to one of the colours in your image, then I went into Photoshop Elements and added the words.
DeleteLooks delicious :)
ReplyDeleteThese look like wonderfully light and healthy summer dishes. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteStunning food photos, Jill. I'm going to try your salad -- I have most of the ingredients in the refrig, just have to get more cashew.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up. Hope you have a great week!
Food looks delicious!!
ReplyDeleteNice photos...Have great weekend..
Oh my this all looks so yummy and healthy as well... what a bonus
ReplyDeleteMollyxxx
You did a fantastic job styling these photos. All those little elements really complete the picture. I especially like the woman reading in the background behind the iced tea and sliced peaches. Is it strange that these photos are making me homesick for Texas. If it was summertime in Texas (my old home is covered in snow right now), I'd rush off to the market with your photos as inspiration for the day's meals. As it is, I am in tropical Malaysia and can only daydream about peaches and cherries.
ReplyDeleteBut think of all the amazing fruits and vegetables you have in Malaysia which you could use!
Delete