End of Summer Rolls {and much more}

ith summer on the outs, and a stock of Asian noodles to utilize, I wrapped up some end-of-summer rolls. Fresh, vibrant and with a variety crunchy textures, these see-through beauties have all the elements of a delicious summer snack.

Inside: vermicelli, basil and mint from the backyard, cilantro, sliced English cucumber (for their seedlessness), red/yellow/orange peppers, sliced green chili pepper, diced scallion, and crushed peanut. 

They were so good, but I hardly had the appetite after eating so many nibbles during prep. Luckily they store well and  are perfect right out of the refrigerator.

With a hankering for wet cake batter (I get this odd hankering once in a while), I whipped up a batch of lovely vanilla cupcakes. I usually make Isa’s basic vanilla recipe from VCTOTW, but wanted to switch it up. I used this recipe from All About Cupcakes and I love it! They had a nice, fluffy and a not so oily-wet texture. So I dressed their outsides to the nines to match.

I wanted to use the beautiful yellow sugar crystals from India Tree so I added a little lemon juice to the icing… and a leave of mint from the yard. I love having it out there as a garnish option.

With the fig season here, I have been rejoicing. So as to not shove the entire pint in my mouth, I though fig pancakes were in order, inspired by Cinnamon Snail‘s recent menu addition. Here those fantastically-textured fruit sliced and getting cozy in the pancake batter (always this recipe).

As always with most of the times I make pancakes, I enjoy making them so much that I forget what is a rational portion. The combination of fig pancakes didn’t work so great. The seeds became a bit overwhelming and the large wet slices didn’t help the pancake’s texture. Of course, this was with a stack of three. One might have been just fine. 

Do you know how much I love arugula? I can’t open the fridge without sneaking a leaf as if it was this decadent, forbidden food. The bitterness blows my mind. Add roasted yellow beets, crisp red pepper, a heavy hand of sunflower seeds, and a dousing of Bragg’s ginger and sesame vinaigrette and Wow!