This evening we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday as well as Father's Day, both of which fall on the same day this year. My food friend, Suzanne, has an award-winning frosting recipe, Chocolate Caramel Ganache, that I've long wanted to try. When my MIL said she would like a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, I knew I had the opportunity I'd been seeking. I then remembered that Suzanne also has a fine recipe for tender yellow cake, another of hers on my to-do list. Perfect! And perfect they were. This cake was outstanding, truly delicious, especially the frosting. Gah! You make a chocolate caramel sauce which you stir into a ganache and then whip the whole thing. Divine.

And there's leftover chocolate caramel which, because we also tried this, is fabulous atop vanilla ice cream (get Talenti brand Vanilla Bean if you can find it; the best).

Because it's also important to actually eat dinner too, I made my Zucchini, Beef and Pistachio-Yogurt Casserole as well as a platter of Lemony Green Beans (the pictures are dreadful so use your imagination). We all dined well and are destined for early bedtimes tonight.

Lots of beach and sun today, a little bit of work done too. Home tomorrow or Friday and then back to it!

What a nice day today was. I successfully stemmed and pitted 6 of my 8 quarts of sour cherries, freezing some while most of the rest are now macerating; I'll can them tomorrow as, if all goes according to plan, a delicious Sour Cherry Jam with Black Pepper (and maybe a splash of balsamic; that is TBD). My tomato tart is truly scrumptious, and I've got the recipe, Herby Tomato Tart, posted in Entrees. What a hit! To go alongside it tonight for dinner, I made my lemony green beans which are, bar none, the best green beans ever. Slick a skillet with olive oil and squeeze in the juice of a half lemon. Heat over medium-high heat until nice and warm, add a big bunch of green beans (two handfuls or so) and sprinkle with a generous bit of salt (a quarter teaspoon or so). Shake the skillet (or use a wooden spoon or spatula) to toss the beans with the lemon oil, making sure all the beans are coated.

Cook, 5-7 minutes, until the beans are crisp-tender and have started to sear in some spots. Unreal!