Here's a fabulous twist on a Caprese:  add peaches, cheese, and balsamic. Speaking of a Caprese, this fig version is unimaginably delicious and easy, and it's so much fun. It’s something you can extend out to an entire Abondanza platter, but if you're doing Whole30, let's not forget the beauty of a Paleo Caprese. Use hearts of palm instead of mozzarella, add avocado and olives, and you've got everything you’ll ever need.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve had the joy of seeing Roy’s unimaginably delicious pasta, and I'm delighted that he has shared one of his favorite recipes with us this week. Roy’s Mangia sauce includes beautiful summer tomatoes roasted with onions, lots of garlic, and olive oil--until it all melds together to become a rustic sauce. Mangia.

It is so delicious with buttered noodles, extra Parmesan, sautéed sausage, and handfuls of herbs. This is another dish that is dangerous to make, because whoever you make it for will follow you around until the end of time. 

There are so many other ways to enjoy the simplicity of a sliced salted tomato, beginning with a sandwich. What sandwich isn’t made infinitely better with a summer tomato slice? From a BLT to a tuna sandwich, to the simplicity of a patty melt with a thick Beefsteak tomato slice, freshly grilled with a bit of melted cheese… quite frankly, it's divine. There's no sandwich that isn't made better with specialty produce like the onions I wait for every year from my farmer friend, Froggy. 

Recently when cleaning out the refrigerator, we came up with this spectacular dish. We grilled and charred everything we had on hand, including tomato, zucchini, onion, and corn, and used it to create a rather divine salad. I happened to have a container of uniquely delicious mayo Fernanda had made for an Elote creation. The Elote recipe didn’t come to fruition, but this mayo flavored with garlic powder, lemon pepper, and chili powder sure did, and by happy accident, a star was born.

The beauty of this deliciousness is that you can do it two ways: I made a vegan version, and for the other version I added Mexican white cheese, extra fresh garlic, and herbs. I must say, this is equally fabulous the next day, and although it doesn't happen to photograph beautifully, you will pretty much want to stand over the kitchen counter and eat the whole thing.

Have you ever had a fried green tomato? They are sublime cut into thick slices, and the trick is the flour-egg-flour method. I use a batter that’s half cornmeal and half gluten-free flour to really get the crunch. This dish requires plenty of salt, both on the tomato and in the flour mixture. Wonderful served with any of my Magic Elixirs, like Romesco sauce, Smoky Red Pepper Sauce, or a delicious aioli. If you've never made these, they are a must-do, and by the way, they make an unbelievably scrumptious sandwich.

If you want to extend the summer, there is my Tomato Confit, and I recently discovered that many of you freeze it. Dried tomatoes are also easy to make and freeze, and this week I've invited my friend Chef LaRae to talk about canning tomatoes. She is a home cook whose posts always inspire me with their “get in there and do it” attitude.

This beautiful grain-free Pasta Primavera is perfect for the height of summer. I’ve embraced these luscious hearts of palm noodles. This dish is loaded with vegetables: roasted tomatoes, sautéed corn, and zucchini--the bounty of the season! So many of you are enjoying this grain-free pasta that we’ve arranged 10% off. See below for discount.

Tomatoes are always elevated to the next level with my Marinated Red Onions. That perfect blend of olive oil, vinegar, and dried oregano simply brings out their natural flavor, and there’s nothing better than a seasoned tomato, which is why our friends at Mis’ Rubin’s are sharing some of their spectacular seasonings below.

And last but certainly not least is my mother’s meat sauce. Although she wasn’t an excellent cook, she had some dishes that I (and others) have brought forward, and I have to tell you, her meat sauce is spectacular. Always double it and freeze some. There is nothing more glorious than pulling it out of your freezer, heating it up, and having an (almost) instant delicious dinner.

A couple of weeks ago, Friday Favorites was all about rest, and in keeping with the theme, I’m delighted to say that I’m taking a 10-day break from nocrumbsleft and my screens, so we will not be sending out Friday Favorites for the next two Fridays. We will return to Instagram after Labor Day and to Friday Favorites on Friday, September 18. If you feel that Friday Favorites (and nocrumbsleft) brings joy into your life, please consider sharing with a friend. When people ask how I wound up with so many followers, I like to say, “One person at a time, and people sharing the inspiration with friends.”

I’m delighted to share these lovely spices, which are carefully sourced and made in small batches by a family-owned company that’s been spicing things up for more than 80 years. Mis’ Rubin’s Seasonings are perfect for everyday cooking and wonderful with the simplicity of a perfect tomato. 

Canning tomatoes is akin to putting summer in a jar. For many years, I followed the traditional water bath canning method for tomatoes. With this summer’s heatwaves, I didn’t know if I could bear another hot canning session. That’s where pressure canning comes in. Pressure canning cuts the tomato processing time in half, and you don’t have a boiling cauldron going for hours. Delicious, healthful, and homemade. Get the recipe here.

LaRae Burk, Blogger
@chezlarae

Growing up, I remember plucking tomatoes from my family’s garden and putting them straight into my mouth this time of year. Even on a small balcony, all you need is sunlight and decent soil for your very own tomatoes. If you’ve never grown tomatoes, these two tips will help you easily grow your own in a container: 

1. Plant in sunlight. Tomatoes do well with 6+ hours of sunlight, but I’ve grown them successfully on an apartment balcony with less. 

2. Plant in good soil. I recommend any organic container mix, but a common option is Miracle-Gro’s Organic All Purpose Container Mix.
 
Bryan Wilhaucks, Gardener
@stlbackyardfarms

I love seeing the pottery collection in each color. So many factors align to make each bowl unique: the way it’s thrown, built, glazed, and painted results in a singularly beautiful shade, because the glaze adheres uniquely to each piece. For instance, the Azul glaze on the denser, hand-built, rustic and sturdy Fred Bowl will have a slightly richer hue than the same Azul glaze on the smoother hand-thrown Marinated Onion Bowls or on the hand-painted platters. Plus, each batch of Azul glaze will have its own characteristics because of the cobalt, which creates unique shades depending on how the light hits it. We love that no two pieces are ever exactly the same, but they all harmonize together like a chorus. It’s so fun to mix and match the glazes, and if you’re creating a collection, my favorites glazes to mix with Azul are Pearl Tie-Dye, Moondust, Malachite, and Pearl. Click here to view the Shop.

If you are a blog subscriber, you might not be receiving our weekly updates from the pottery Shop about new products, Shop updates, and special promotions. In order to receive those emails, you need to be a Crumble, a former customer in our Shop, or you can now sign up specifically for pottery Shop emails! You can sign up here.

Each week I share my own podcast here, but today I am proud and delighted to share my dear friend Laurie’s (along with her co-inspirers, Michael DeVaul and Ron Whitmore) new podcast, Evanston Rules, which highlights the voices that are key to creating interracial understanding and getting to know our neighbors.

          

I love Teri’s cookbook, especially the salad section! She takes an everyday boring dinner and makes you want to eat it over and over again! 

Laura Brown
Cleveland, Ohio
@lifterlaurabrown

We are so fortunate to work with brands we absolutely love and truly believe in. If you are interested in joining the nocrumbsleft™ family as a brand partner, including sponsorship opportunities in the newsletter, weekly giveaways, or Table Talks podcast, contact us here to find out more.