The last of the tomatoes, the last of the zucchini

And my wedding cake!

I think it’s funny how this time of year (the ten days after Labor Day, I mean), the discourse swings between “Is fall here? Is it too soon??” to “Fall is totally here, WHIP OUT THE SQUASH.” The heartbeat of the pumpkin enthusiasts beats loud, so I get it. Let’s let them have this.

Now, I am absolutely in whip-out-the-squash mode, both because it’s crispy outside and due to the nature of what I do. When working with food, there are only so many months I can think about raw vegetable salads before I’m like: soup sounds so good. And polenta. And really anything simmered. Anything stewed. DON’T GET ME STARTED ON ROASTED.

I need the four seasons to remind me it’s time to mix it up! And mix it up besides food, too. I think a change in the seasons is a nice reminder that we can adjust our routine, change up our habits, clean out a part of our life. You know, fresh-start syndrome.

But while we might be ready for change, there are still summer vegetables lingering around until the end of the month, and I consider this week my love letter to them. Here’s how to make zucchini recipes that will perfectly transfer to fall, how to use an end-of-season tomato, and then, a cake. Because I love cake.

The weekly round-up!

First, let’s talk about this cake. When I was shooting my book, I needed a cake for the final pages. I whipped up a Pomegranate & Lemon Cream Cake that I had been testing for a few weeks, and as we were shooting it I told my fiancé….”I think this is one of our wedding cakes??”.

For background: I’m making us four wedding cakes, kind of like deconstructing a traditional wedding cake’s tiers. We’re thinking:

• One traditional wedding cake-cake

• A Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie cake

• Tiramisu Cake (think: tres leches… but also think tiramisu)

• Banana Honey or Lavender Honey - this one is still in deep debate between me and my fiancé.

My silly little iPhone photo of it

This one, with a moist olive oil crumb, a lemon soak and a whipped cream topping, is the one I want to use as our traditional wedding-cake-cake. This recipe photo is the last photo in my cookbook, and the recipe is available exclusively for those who pre-order!

We just went live with the pre-order PDF, so if you’ve pre-ordered and want to claim the recipe, you can get it here!

Zucchini Soup with Lemon Pepper Polenta - Now onto how to use the last of your zucchini! I’m constantly surprised at what magic grated zucchini can do. Here is melts into the soup, making it creamy, but still light.

Sun-Dried Tomato Panzanella Salad - Before you go thinking this is just-another-panzanella, please try the vinaigrette (that uses sun-dried tomato oil from the jar) and the sun-dried tomato pesto that goes with it. If you find yourself with a few late-season tomatoes, this is a perfect way to brighten them up.

And my latest long-form video, Caramelized Lemon & Goat Cheese Orzo (that is secretly packed with zucchini!). This is a chiller video where I just wanted to cook an easy dinner together. It takes 30 minutes and is so filling, perfect for a family recipe or a night for having friends over. You can watch the full video here.

And wow, what a week. I’m a little strung out, I will not lie. But that’s why I’m taking this fall season and running with it. I think I’m going to make the Sticky Shallots & Lentils from my cookbook and just load it up with squash tonight. I deserve to crank the oven to 450°F, right?

Let me know what you’re cooking, what you’re baking, and what you’re binge-watching. I always need ideas ;)

Until next week!

Xoxo,

Squash_Snacks