summer joys~ arugula & sand boxes

I am going to resist the urge to blog about not blogging and launch back into counting the joys of summer. We are counting twenty twelves in 2012 here on Bessemer Avenue, and as I failed to share our twelve signs of spring, perhaps this next delightful dozen will find its way to completion here at my corner of cyberspace.

Our sand box is sunken into our back deck, thanks to my clever daddy, and does tend to stay damp. My boys like it best that way. They like it more than damp. They like it wet and gloriously muddy. Sand is so, so much fun to scrub out of those tight little curls!

And arugula.

Ah, arugula. I fell in love with this spicy, leafy, very-easy-to-grow green goodness this summer.

My little kitchen garden has yet to be what I envision it, but it gets a little better each year and in June I finally got around to sowing my out-of-date arugula rocket seeds left over from last spring and they did me the very gracious favor of sprouting. And producing a bountiful crop of zippy, yummy leaves.

Arugula has its origins in the Mediterranean, germinates in just 5-7 days and can be harvested 2 to 3 short weeks later. It is frost hardy and can be grown right through the winter in a cold frame or, due to its shallow roots, in a pot on a windowsill.

I failed to plant my seeds in succession but just threw the whole lot of them in the ground together, hardly expecting them to do much. Four weeks later I had more arugula than I knew what to do with and went searching the internet for arugula recipes.

This was the result:

an arugula salad with apple vinaigrette, 

arugula stuffed portabellos 

and linguine tossed with arugula pesto. 

And my boys ate it all. And liked it. The mushrooms were a little rich for me but the rest was very yummy. Here is the recipe for the salad dressing and the pesto, altered enough that I'm not going to feel bad for not remembering the website where the originals were found. {smile}

Apple Vinaigrette

1 whole apple, chopped in food processor
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. grated red onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. dry mustard or dijon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. olive oil

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend till smooth. Refrigerate till serving.

I tossed the dressing into the greens and then topped with feta, bacon, apples and walnuts.
The sweetness of the dressing mellows the spicy greens, making it very palatable for little ones.

Arugula Pesto

2 c. packed arugula leaves
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted
4 garlic cloves, minced before blending
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. EVOO
Blend in food processor till smooth.
Then add 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Toss with hot pasta or freeze for later use.