Summer abundance. It pours forth richly and wonderfully in oh so many ways. Including tomatoes!  Making quick and easy meals gives us more time to enjoy summer abundance. Pasta Fresca is one of Margaret Bluske's family favorite quick and easy recipes, made all the more delicious by the fact that it is strictly for this time of year, when the tomatoes are vine-ripened and the basil is fresh.

At this time of year, tomatoes couldn't be more gorgeous! This Tomato Upside Down Cornbread celebrates them. One of the healing secrets of food is that when we slow down, we can more intensely appreciate the beauty of all that our Mother earth produces! Use all your senses to take in the beautiful color and shape, fragrance, feel and intricacy of the fruits of creation!

Many of us did not know Sister Eulalia, yet her cornbread is remembered long after she passed from our midst! When we make something with love, the gift and the love it embodies is present. Honor her as you enjoy her cornbread recipe and whet your appetite for some tidbits about corn.

An easy recipe for Homemade Salsa from Vicki Lopez-Kaley and her friend Karen Imholte is great with chips, as a base for chili with beans, or in Mexican dishes. Learn how to can it to put “summer in a jar”!

September 1st through October 4th is the Season of Creation. Find out how this Season introduced by Pope Francis can help us reflect, learn and act in a deeper partnership with our brothers and sisters of the human and non-human world! Check out the information and opportunities to honor Creation.

With a few pantry and freezer staples, a supper of Corn, Beans and Salsa can be quick and tasty. The time to blanch and freeze fresh sweet corn is now. Read our story about how to freeze corn at its sweetest and to blanch other seasonal veggies for peak flavor through the year!

Meg Paulino got this recipe from an herb farm in Seattle many years ago and it is her favorite summertime drink!

Summer’s bounty includes Summer Squash and onions.  Here’s an easy Summer Squash Casserole with roots in the southern U.S. Read on to meet southern chef Vivian Howard, her "Old School Squash and Onions" recipe and stories.

Hello again, Iggy here, in what will be my last update on The Seasoned Franciscan. But worry not! The recipe swap will go on with Vicki Lopez-Kaley taking the lead as of Monday.

This recipe was submitted by Sister Eileen McKenzie, who says: "Sr. Sarah Hennessey introduced me to this amazingly delicious and unbelievably simple chocolate pie recipe. Enjoy!"

Ready for a nice, simple evening meal? Try my spin on making tortellini! This meal is a favorite in my household, and it comes together quickly and easily.

Looking for ways to use cauliflower this season?  "Ricing" it is a versatile way that you might not have thought of before!