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School is out for the summer, and along with it, any and all structure for our family — except for poor Dad; he continues to heal the sick, school vacation or not. This is the first time in a few years that I will not be going to Camp Tawonga to cook for the hundreds of campers and staff. Although our children and I miss being there terribly, we are busy "not doing anything."

As much as I loved being near Yosemite for the summer, it's really nice just to be at home, ready to receive visitors at a moment's notice. Some of our close friends from temple dropped by the other afternoon — Mitchell is a chef, Ruthanne a history teacher, Julie a psychiatrist, and children. With our combined efforts and skills, we put together a terrific, impromptu party, complete with a delicious dinner, with absolutely no planning, fussing or stressing.

We ended up tie-dying, which was tons of fun for the kids. The shirts, pants, skirts and sheets turned out beautifully, but as the afternoon turned into evening, we realized it was time for dinner and there was "nothing" to eat. Fortunately, the pantry is well-stocked with dried pasta, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil. The herbs and lemons in the garden always supplement nicely.

Somehow, like the old shtetl tale of the beggar who makes borscht out of buttons, we were able to create a scrumptious, filling meal, with a little of this and a little of that. We also enjoyed Pasta with Tomatoes, Onions and Herbs, a great Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing, and Carmelized Bananas for dessert. How fun to get to enjoy summer with friends — and use what's at hand to make a delicious meal together.




Penne with Tomatoes, Onions and Herbs |Serves 8

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, through the press
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 lb. dried penne (or other shaped pasta), cooked and drained
2 Tbs. chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tbs. chopped basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the garlic and onion, and cook slowly over medium heat until the onion is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the red wine. Bring to a simmer, and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. Season with the sugar, salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, bring the sauce to a boil. Toss in the cooked penne, and stir in the parsley, basil and Parmesan. Serve warm.




Lemon and Herb Salad Dressing | Makes 1/4 cup

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. chopped basil
1 Tbs. chopped flat leaf
parsley
salad greens

Whisk together all ingredients. Toss with salad greens.




Caramelized Bananas | Serves 8

4 oz. unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Marsala
3-4 bananas, peeled and sliced

Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a sauté pan. Once the mixture is completely melted and caramelized, stir in the Marsala and bring to a boil for 2 minutes to remove any alcohol.

When ready to serve, turn up the heat under the caramel sauce, add the bananas and heat until the fruit is warmed and coated with the sauce.




Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a Bay Area cooking teacher and food professional. Her columns alternate with those of Louise Fiszer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)">.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).