Hello friends!

Since graduating just over a month ago, I moved to a little town right outside New Brunswick called Highland Park. Aside from it’s adorable charm and short commute to NJ Transit, it also happens to be home to a lovely Farmers’ Market that happens each Friday only a few blocks from my house.

Blocks, people. It is literally a hop, skip, and a jump to fresh produce central.

I decided to pop on over last Friday and check out the sites, and couldn’t help but feel like a kid in a candy shop.

If the candy shop were full of colorful, fresh veggies, that is.

I honestly wasn’t sure where to start; the variety simply blew me away!

Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, even dandelion greens and garlic scapes were among the mix at the market. Though I could have honestly bought a little bit of everything, my slim wallet gently reminded me to make smart choices and only buy what I needed for the week.

But what was I to make?

I can’t handle decisions of this magnitude!

After looking over the options again and again (and probably annoying every volunteer/farmer who just wanted me out of there)  I decided on some of my favorites: zucchini, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, asparagus…

and even a new one: golden zucchini. This is not a yellow squash – there is actually such a thing as a golden zucchini. They are sweeter than the green zucchini and absolutely ahmazeing.

Oh and a new addition to my kitchen family: Benny the Basil Plant!

Say hello to Benny everyone!

Why did I name this plant, you ask?

Would you totally judge me if I told you it was so I could sing “Benny and the Jets” to him as I watered him?

If you would, forget I mentioned that.

After adopting said basil plant, I happily skipped (more like stumbled) home with my treasures and got to work on a new recipe.

I decided to do my own little spin on Pasta Primavera. Sticking with the vegetables I picked up at the store, plus a few I already had in the pantry, I went on a limb and stir-fried the vegetables with a little melted butter and some soy sauce.

Not sure where the idea came from, but friends, it is one of my better ones.

Then I found a simple White Sauce from my new go-to cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, that utilized some homemade veggie stock which I happily had stored away in the freezer.

I love having homemade stock for things like this.

This meal came together wonderfully; the flavors of summer in one wonderful bowl.

Oh, and if you are wondering what else you could whip up from your Farmers Market be sure to check out TheKitchn’s post on 10 Meals Straight from the Farmers’ Market.

I’ll be back tomorrow with something sweet, something chocolatey…..

something awesome!

So I’ll see you then!

Happy Baking!

Pasta Primavera

• 1/2 box fettucine
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 ears’ worth of fresh corn
• 2 green zucchini, roughly chopped
• 1 golden zucchini, roughly chopped
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil fettucine according to package directions.
2. Reduce vegetable stock by half in one saucepan, and reduce cream by half in another. Pour cream into stock and stir to combine. Set aside until later.
3. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large wok (or skillet) over medium-high heat. Add in all vegetables (corn through cherry tomatoes) and toss to coat in butter/soy sauce mixture. Stir fry for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are softened but still crisp.
4. Drain pasta, then add to wok and toss with vegetables. Pour sauce over pasta and vegetables and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper as needed.

All Photos, Recipes (Unless Otherwise Specified) And Writing Copyright © 2013 Jessica Gonzalez | On Sugar Mountain