Pound Cake

This week, I was given the all-important job of taking care of the "boys" - my wonderful brother and father. With my mother at work an hour away, and my sister already back at college - I don't return for another week! - it was I alone who was left to feed the army.

And let me tell you, my teenage brother alone eats as much as an army. Maybe more!

So when it came to deciding upon a dessert that would last them more than a day and a half - no small feat, considering my brother's appetite - the choice was simple: pound cake. That glorious concoction of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. Lots of butter and eggs.

Tomato Tart

Didn't I tell you that I was going to make more tarts this summer? What can I say, I love my new tart pan! After making a sweet and creamy dessert tart, it was time to try something a little more savory. This tomato tart fit the bill and made for a delicious dinner. We had it with steak salad, but it's definitely hearty enough to stand on its own, too.

Tomatoes, to me, are synonymous with summer. Those wan, insipid hothouse tomatoes you can buy at the grocery in the winter aren't even worthy of the name. No, I want a huge, juicy, homegrown tomato, bursting with flavor. I absolutely stuff myself with them while they're in season, and have found lots of ways to prepare them inventively. But using them in a tart was new to me, so of course I had to try it.