The weekends are for slowing things down.

No rushing to events, to dinners or to appointments. I went to yoga on a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, and instead of running right back home from the gym, I walked the long way, right through the farmer’s market in downtown Brooklyn.

What caught my eye there were four tables full of fresh tomatoes. Beefy heirloom tomatoes the size of shot puts, yellow and purple tomatoes, and on the other side, fresh green tomatoes.

I hadn’t cooked fried green tomatoes since very early on in this project. I remember I had to call my mother to figure out how to fry the things. But now, after a year of cooking practice, I felt good about whipping these up on my own. This time, I would bake the fried green tomatoes, to cut the grease and fat since E and I were trying to keep it healthy, and make homemade pesto as a nice condiment.

E was fine with fried green tomatoes for sandwiches. But remember, raw, uncooked, (and therefore, unloved) tomatoes were,….say it with me now…. “for-bid-den.”

I whipped up a quick cornflake crumb breading mixture with paprika, cayenne, cumin and black pepper, for a bit of kick. I dunked the slices in buttermilk, then cornmeal, 30 minutes on a baking sheet, and boom. Lunch was served.

E and I ate outside on the porch with our plants, enjoying what was probably the last warm weekend we’ll see until next year. We took time out to just relax, listen to the leaves in the breeze and feel the sun on our faces. Fall would officially begin this week. “We’ll have to plan another adventure,” E told I. Indeed. Maybe tomorrow.

by