Wow, what happened? I was doing so well at posting, and then I ran out of preedited pictures, hit a wall, and just sort of stayed there for a while.

Yeah, so. Pasta! It is great. I have definitely been eating some pasta. The basil rioting out on the balcony helps. So does the bargain bin at the farmer's market.

Pasta with zucchini, peppers, basil, etc.

linguine/other
olive oil
a shallot/other
a big handful of those sweet-hot yellow peppers
another big handful of baby zucchini
a stack of basil leaves
other fresh herbs such as parsley
salt, pepper
grating cheese if you want it

You know how to cook pasta. Put it on first so it'll be ready at approximately the same time as the vegetables.

Chop up a shallot and wilt it in olive oil. You can of course use garlic, red onion, etc etc. Everything will be delicious.

Chop up your other vegetables; I chose mine based completely on the bargain bin. I had peppers (which were wilty and needed to be used up) and baby zucchini (which were in excellent shape; were they just not selling or what?). So I diced the peppers and cut the zucchini into half-moons. If you have other delicious summer veg lying around, feel free to use them as well.

Throw the peppers into the pan, salt, and let wilt for a few minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until softened and delicious. Take the pan off the heat, correct the salt, add some pepper and chopped herbs, and toss with the drained pasta.

Put it on a plate and eat it. Or, you know, eat it out of the pan; whatev. If you want to be be ultra-fancy you can chiffonade some more basil and strew it artfully over your serving. If you want to be filled with the goodness of dairy you can grate some appropriate cheese over the entire business. If you want to be very full you can eat the whole pan yourself and retire gracefully to your bed.