Prepare to swoon ... an intoxicating Tomato Cobbler, a lake of jammy tomato and tomatillo below; herby islands of cornmeal biscuits on top; small boats of goat cheese tucked between. Easy enough for a weeknight but worthy of a special occasion. A definite "must" for tomato lovers in the late waning days of summer. Add a salad for a Meatless Monday meal or steaks from the grill for a Weekend Feast. Summer Gorgeous! Season Change. By calendar, it started mid-August with the first-day walk to school with my favorite first graders, their twin-boy shoulders somehow wider and more square as if readying themselves for the Grade One of Life. By weather, St. Louis was blessed with an entire week of unseasonably lovely-cool, windows-open September-in-August days. And by behavior, the local wildlife is girding for winter, the neighborhood deer and turkeys and just today a flock of Canada geese feed in Dawson Field across the way. In the kitchen, season switch occurs more subtly, fir

Today's easy summer casserole: Just cauliflower tossed with cheese sauce and topped with caprese-style tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. Weight Watchers Friendly, just WW PointsPlus 4. Low Carb. Vegetarian. Could it be, could it? Yes, I think this easy cauliflower casserole could be a TwitteRecipe, 140 characters no more. Let's try. Okay, yeah, piece of cake, 139 characters in the first try! Cook cauliflower florets w salty h20, toss w cheese sauce, top w tomatoes, fresh mozz balls. Bake 350F til hot, broil if needed, add basil. Oh good, because you'll want to remember this recipe. So simple: just cooked cauliflower tossed in a cheesy sauce then, you know, topped with more cheese plus a few tomatoes for virtue's sake. That said? This is a healthy casserole, there's cheese, sure but it's less than you might think, more like tiny "bombs" of cheese versus a heavy coating. Totally satisfying, this! You're gonna love it – at least I hope you wi

Today's stunning eggplant: Roasted eggplant halves topped with an unexpected explosion of flavors, a garlicky yogurt sauce, sour pomegranate, spices and fresh herbs. Just gorgeous, this! Weight Watchers Friendly, WW PointsPlus 6. Low Cal. Gluten Free. Vegetarian. Okay so when was the last time anyone called the appearance of cooked eggplant "stunning"?! It's the pomegranate, of course, also the creamy sauce and thyme leaves that give this dish its "look". But it's the combination of rustic eggplant, juicy pomegranate seeds, creamy sauce, fresh herbs and the Middle Eastern spice za'atar which make this dish stunning both in appearance and an explosion of flavors in a single bite. Fans of Otam Ottolenghi will recognize this eggplant dish, it's the cover of Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi . And it's an eggplant recipe I have wanted to make f-o-r-e-v-e-r, especially after my dear friend Sharon last year or maybe

Today's totally captivating summer salad, a quick mix of ripe watermelon and, get this, celery! Weight Watchers Friendly, PointsPlus 3. Low Cal. Naturally Gluten Free. Paleo. Not just vegan, " Vegan Done Real ". I know, I know. Of course you're questioning this combination, watermelon and celery. Sure the colors are bright and pretty but do watermelon and celery, you know, go together ? In a word? YES. My friend Ann served this captivating salad at book club last month. She first found the recipe on the New York Times Cooking app and has made it over and over all summer, her now-strapping teenage boys "eat it up". (Side Note #1 I first wrote about her sons when they were little guys, Power Food Broccoli Salad . How the years do pass! Side Note #2 Ann and I both love the NYT app, especially how it stays in synch on the desktop, iPad and iPhone!) Back to the celery. Yes, it works with watermelon! And isn't it rare, you know, to find something that r

Today's quick summer appetizer recipe: A miniature bite of caprese salad, warm and cheesy. So really, how does Trader Joe's read my mind ? how does it know what I want before I walk the door? Blame it on all the Pretty Ways to Serve Summer's Best Tomatoes but I was feeling caprese-crazy. I stopped at Trader Joe's for those cute little mozzarella balls in the cheese section, certain I'd need to hit the farmers market later for tomatoes simultaneously big enough and small enough for the summer finger food embedded in my brain. But Trader Joe's had both the mozzarella and the perfect-size tomatoes! And in case you're wondering, no, this isn't a paid post, a sponsored post or anything like that. I'm just in awe. We might should put Trader Joe's in charge of male-female Mars-Venus communication where "reading minds" is helpful skill set.