Beautiful evening light this week leading up to Summer Solstice has been enhanced, sadly, by smoke from some distant fires.

These hot days I caught a craving for popsicles, and was grateful to have a six-mold in the pantry; grateful also to have plenty of rhubarb from next door. I cooked a bunch down with sugar to make a simple compote I could freeze and use as needed, and needed some right away. I blended it with fresh strawberries and the juice of half a lemon, froze the pops overnight, and enjoyed one down by the pond the next morning. So refreshing! So simple, so delicious!

The first rhubarb treat I made a couple weeks ago was an upside down cake, which was also pretty simple and delicious. I saved a few stalks from the compote pot to bake one more of these this week.

Meanwhile, down at the pond, the Palmer’s penstemon are blooming, and Tadpole Pedicure training’s been going great!

Wren found a second garter snake, bigger than the first one, in the curly rush yesterday morning. And the first cherries have ripened on the new little tree.

I’m curious how the gazillion cherry blossoms matured into just a handful of cherries, and will be interested to see what happens next year. Maybe it was insufficient water at a crucial stage, or some other horticultural error, maybe birds were picking them off all along, or maybe it’s just the growth habit of a young sapling to thin its fruit. I shouldn’t be surprised: the apricot and peach trees both drop a lot of early fruit.

Today was so hot, and so windy, I had to stay inside from mid-morning until evening. Red flag warning all day and for the next couple, and a faint persistent haze on the horizon. ‘Fire’ shouldn’t be a season, but it is. I took the opportunity make waffles I’ve been dreaming about for weeks, a whole batch to freeze for quick toaster reheating, and three for brunch.

This Dash mini waffle iron is a delight to use, heats fast as soon as it’s plugged in, cooks a waffle in just a couple of minutes, and the light pops off when the waffle is done.

I fried some thin-sliced pancetta for a little protein to go with the extravagance of waffles topped with Greek yogurt, rhubarb compote, fresh strawberries, and maple syrup.

It seemed brunch was no sooner finished than it was time for Zoom Cooking with Amy. We made potato-onion crisps that didn’t turn out quite as crispy as I’d hoped, but were still tasty.

Thinly sliced potatoes and onions layered with grated provolone and parmesan cooked at 375F for twenty-five minutes. I tossed some pancetta on top of a few just for fun. They were very tasty, but a lot of effort for the end result.

The leftovers will be fun to play around with, though. I hope they’ll crisp a bit more with reheating. I imagine topping one with a fried egg for tomorrow’s breakfast, and they could make a base for huevos rancheros, or top a hamburger, or serve as a crouton atop a soup or salad. I think if I ever make these again I’ll use a lot less cheese. That might deliver better crunch.