An Afternoon With Joy

I'm so behind with keeping up with the rest of the Sundays With Joy group.  I just want to do right by Joy and try each and every single one of her fabulous recipes.  I may be turning into a bit of a Joy super  stalker fan.  I follow Joy's blog, facebook page, instagram feed, and now in a group dedicated to making a recipe from Joy's cookbook every week!

This weekend I actually made LAST week's recipe and THIS week's recipe.  Please don't tell Joy, I don't want her to be disappointed in me. 

So I actually was thinking, what would it be like to have Joy as a guest.  Would I do right by her preparing a great meal?  Would Izzy scare Joy with her over zealous greeting?  Maybe and most likely yes but wouldn't it be swell anyway!

This past Saturday, my sister and I started our day by going to the local farmer's market.  I was a bit crabby as my sister texted me at 7:15 but it was worth it to get there early and have the best pick of everything on display.  I really love the variety our market offers.  Between there and my family's garden, I feel blessed to have the freshest and best fruits and veggies, even breads and cheese too.  We made quite the hall at the market and put on a great spread for our family in the afternoon.  Here's a list of our afternoon smorgasbord:

• Homemade crostini using basil/tomato sourdough bread from the farmer's market.
• Pasta with homemade pesto using basil from my family's garden.
• Caprese kabobs using tomatoes and mozzarella from the market/basil from the garden.
• Corn on the cob from the market with garlic butter/parmesan using corn and garlic from the market.
• Cucumber salad using fresh picked cucumbers from the garden.
• Two varieties of fresh local cherries from the market
• Pesto dip for crackers or crostini using the homemade pesto. (will share my recipe later)
• Meat and cheese platter with wasabi gouda and garlic dill cheese curds from the market.

To top off the day, I also made last week's Sunday's With Joy recipe, Zucchini and Potato Pancakes. 

I made a fresh basil and lime garnish to top off these wonderful pancakes!  This recipe was amazing, I loved them!  They were simple to make with few ingredients but they pack a great flavor.  The zucchini was fresh from the family garden.  I hate to brag but my addition of the basil sour cream and lime really was a hit! 

This is a picture I posted on instagram that afternoon.  It really was an impressive display and we had enough for lunch, dinner and leftovers for the next day.  I made the comment to my family that afternoon, "this is how I imagine I'd eat if I lived in the Mediterranean"!  That was the truth, it was such a relaxing afternoon with great food and great company.  It was an olive oil and garlic filled day!  I think Joy would approve too.  Until the time came for dessert and I was totally behind on making this week's recipe, Espresso Granita with Sweet Lemon Cream.

The recipe would have made the perfect light ending to this lunch and dinner.  Unfortunately I didn't make it as is or on time.  I made my own take on granita with a tart margarita flavor and lemon lime cream.  It was just enjoyed the next day instead.  Granita is pretty fail proof and who am I kidding, I fell pretty darn fancy saying granita!

I'll post some pictures of the granita when I can.  I should say IF I can, another busy work week for me!  I hope you all had a good weekend and are ready to face the week.

Do you have any favorite farmer's market items?  Or maybe at home garden goodies?  Fresh is always best, don't you think?