Tomato Tart with a Scallion Goat Cheese Filling

My family came to visit New York for the first time ever. We don't see each other very often since they live in Texas, but it was my birthday last Tuesday so we celebrated together. We went to the 9/11 memorial, took the staten island ferry to see the statue of liberty, went to the rockefeller center, ate soup dumplings in chinatown and gelato in little italy. It was truly the best birthday I've had in a while.

I took them to all my favorite restaurants. They also had a lot of firsts when it came to food: chopped liver, hipster thai food, halal truck lamb and rice. My dad raved about this amazing scallop ceviche we had, though I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what "ceviche" means—all that matters is he loved it. The meals we shared together were so carefree, and I was just happy to see them happy.

At the end of each day we were completely beat from all the walking, but also the insane heat + humidity. This weather has been ridiculous lately. Just ridiculous. My mom and brother even called an audible during their last full day here and went back to the hotel early in order to cool down. As of Friday, they escaped this heat wave by going back to Texas...where it's cooler right now.

It's only appropriate that the recipe I'm sharing today is a fresh tart made with uncooked tomatoes and a smooth, cool filling of goat cheese, ricotta, and scallions. It makes a great addition to any summer dinner party, but is no less enjoyable if you're dining alone. Either way, it's a good meal to beat the heat. Enjoy and stay cool!

Beijing Roast Duck

One of the reasons I love food so much is the way it brings people together. You can share a meal with complete strangers and in the end feel like family. It's a commonality that connects us all.

I've been thinking a lot about the intro to this recipe. I could tell you a nostalgic story about my family and keep this place clean from current events and politics for fear of alienating some of my readers, but ultimately that's not what I want my blog to be. I want to talk to you like real people who live in the real world. I want to tell you about my struggles, and I want you to tell me about yours. I can't blog about the food that's supposed to bring us together while the world we live in falls apart. So here goes:

I don't want to live in a world where people are murdered while driving home or selling CDs because they are unfairly judged by the color of their skin. Or a world where the officers who risk their lives to protect us are gunned down in retaliation because of the uniform they wear. Or a world where families celebrating a national holiday are mowed down by a terrorist in a goddamn truck.

I wish we as a human race could have more empathy for each other. That sounds so childish to say, and I understand we will never live in a peaceful utopia where hunger, poverty, and racism don't exist, but is it really so naive to ask for an end to the senseless violence? What can we do? What more can we do than post some heartfelt words on Facebook that will be all but forgotten in a week? My answer is I simply don't know. But I will try my best to figure it out.

Arctic Char Rice Bowl

You may think that as a food blogger, we would eat well in our household. The truth is, outside of what is posted on this blog, we eat a lot of junk. Boxed mac & cheese is a part of our weekly rotation, as is packaged ramen, way too much thai takeout, and the occasional ice cream bender. To our defense, I try to sneak in veggies wherever possible: frozen peas and mushrooms in our mac & cheese, peppers and scallions in our ramen, but still, a lot of junk.

Why? How? Well, I think it comes down to not wanting to cook after making and eating whatever it is I'm making for this blog over and over again in a short period of time. I'm reminded of an article by Mark Bittman for the New York Times where at one point he talks about writing his first cookbook and his daughters proclaiming he "fed them squid every night for two weeks," a claim which he declares as "ridiculous; it couldn't have been more than three or four times a week." I must assume he's being cheeky with that last comment, as three or four times a week is more than plenty!

Mexican Street Corn

Things happening as of late: I graduated! This fun and cheeky website I built, while building this other website with some awesome classmates. Interviews and more interviews. A Swedish midsummer's festival. My first Yankees game! A jazz show at Village Vanguard. So much grilling at the park. Dim sum with old friends. A breakfast sandwich crawl and fried chicken club hosted by the one and only, Donny. And of course the Saveur celebrations (where I got to meet so many amazing people: Sam, Cynthia, Renee, Brooke, Nik, Phi, Alana, Molly, Stephanie, Sherrie, Michelle, Elizabeth, Yossy, Sydney—Hi guys!).

Things not happening as of late: Calling my family enough. Responding to emails (sorry everyone!). Spending time with Phillip. Taking O&O for their annual vet checkup (I promise, soon, dear kitties). Sleeping enough. Eating healthy. Riding my bike like I usually do during the summertime. Going to the beach. And most of all, this blog, or cooking at all for that matter.

But since I graduated, hopefully that means I'll be able to devote more time to the laundry list of things above, so let's start with a post on what is probably my absolute favorite part of summer: sweet corn.