Well. The week of actually bearable temperatures had a side effect I should have realized earlier: tomato season is over. There is nothing at the store but flats and flats of plasticky greenhouse ugh. So I couldn't spend this weekend hovering over a hot water bath. This was probably good, considering the heat, but still. Boo no tomatoes! Instead we sat around with lost appetites, eating snacky dinners and drinking frigid beer.

I did a lot of broilering. This is clearly useful and hazardous for the same reason: its instantaneity. Watch out, or things will burn; keep the oven door open and watch. Seriously.

Crostini, this time with knife pesto:

Rip the leaves off a bunch of basil; smash and peel two cloves of garlic. Mince it all together, mixing so garlic and basil are chopped together over and over. Stick it in a bowl; add olive oil; mash further with a fork. Release the basil oil.

Cut real bread into slices; add pesto; add parmesan and mozzarella. Keep cheese on the light side; you want it to nearly vanish.

Stick it all under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep an eye out.

That was saturday's snacky dinner. On sunday I did something even easier. Well, first we went to Fiesta del Mar for lunch: easier every way but financially. It was substantially delicious and worth it, as Fiesta del Mar always is. Afterward, though, I noticed that we still had some of the tahini sauce from the eggplant last week, and that I had better do something with the leftover pesto, and that we had pita bread.

Crispy pita dudes

Cut pitas into eighths. Open them up and spread insides with tahini sauce, pesto, or whatever sounds good. If pita is having opening issues, you can just use the top of each piece. Other things: melted or softened butter with herbs is always a good idea, for instance, or roasted red pepper mash. Close, stick on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil if you want, and stick under the broiler. Continue to keep an eye out.