This past weekend, my sister came to visit me from Philadelphia.  I was on a mission to show her the best of Durham (I'm in a drawn out campaign to convince her to move here someday).  So, since my life and my work revolve around food and eating, my best of Durham mainly involved food and eating.  First thing first, I showed off the fact that, here in Durham, we have peaches and strawberries at the same time! Then there were pastries from Loaf and Scratch, visits to a few restaurants, the obligatory baseball stadium food, and lots of fresh veggies from the farmers' market. 
 
Here are a couple of recipes for simply prepared vegetables that we enjoyed over the weekend.

Beets Braised in Butter
Beets
Butter
Pinch of salt

Take 1 bunch of beets (3-4 medium size), wash and cut off the greens and the roots. Thinly slice them into rounds. Melt 1 TB of butter in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the beets to the butter and let them cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Decrease the heat to low. Spread the beets out evenly in the pan, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cover.  Let cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until you can easily spear them with a fork.

Squash and Basil Saute
Summer Squash or Zucchini (4-5 small or 1-2 larger)
2 Spring onions (only the white and light green part)
Several leaves of Basil
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Salt

Slice the Onions and the squashes.  Heat about 2 TB olive oil in a frying pan on medium to high heat.  Add the onions, coat in the oil and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add a small pinch of salt (1/8tsp).  Add the squash.  Toss in the oil and cook for about 2 minutes. Decrease to medium low heat.  Add the basil and 1-2 tsp of soy sauce let cook until tender (only another minute or two).  Add a little bit of water if the soy sauce ans squash start sticking to the pan.

Summer Refrigerator Pickles
These recipes come from my friend's blog - The Accidental Southerner.  She posted this  last summer and I've made many iterations of these over the past year.  This weekend, I made a batch that included carrots, sugar snap peas, radishes, cucumbers, and garlic scapes.  These recipes are simple fast and DELICIOUS!
SUMMER PICKLE RECIPES

My sister and I ended the weekend by making French Toast using a 2 day old baguette.  I my campaign is progressing well.  If nothing else, my sister now knows that is she ever moves to town, I will feed her constantly.

A NOTE on PARKING:  Over the next few months, because of the road construction associated with Morris Ridge (the new building next to the Market), portions of Morris Street will be closed to through traffic.  The Market parking lot at 423 Morris Street will remain open for you to park in during the Market.  Market customers may drive beyond the barricades and park there for your Market shopping - just follow the green OPEN sign! Parking elsewhere include municipal lots around the Market and street Parking on Foster, Roney, Corporation, and Hunt Streets.