Squash blossoms might make this pizza sound pretty fancy, but it really isn't. Delicate squash blossoms are everywhere at the farmers market at this time of year. I've been eyeing them and contemplating ways to easily incorporate the floppy, sunny flowers into a meal. I've eaten blossoms fried and stuffed, but to be honest, I find them time-consuming to prepare and often oily and rich. So I decided to simply layer them, with no other preparation, on a white pizza -- a pizza with no red sauce -- and see what happened. The results were resoundingly good and a unanimous hit at the dinner table. The flowers shriveled and crisped while cooking, which concentrated their subtle and nutty flavor. This was nicely rounded out by sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers, onions and a kick of heat from crushed red chili flakes. These fragile squash blossoms may be delicate, but it's clear that they are no shrinking wallflower.

For this recipe, you can make your own dough or purchase a good quality fresh dough from your supermarket, which is a simple shortcut for an easy meal. This recipe stretches 1 pound of fresh dough into a large rectangle, but you can also shape it into two smaller pizzas.

Squash Blossom Pizza With Sweet Peppers, Onions and Pecorino

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: Makes 1 (10-by-15-inch) pizza

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt for taste

1 pound homemade or prepared fresh pizza dough

1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet red peppers, such as Jimmy Nardello peppers

8 squash blossoms, quartered lengthwise

1 (8-ounce) fresh mozzarella ball, patted dry and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the grill for indirect cooking over high heat (about 500 degrees for a gas grill) and preheat a pizza stone for at least 15 minutes. (Or preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a pizza stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat for at least 15 minutes.)

Whisk the oil, garlic and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

Stretch the dough out as thinly as possible and lay on large pizza peel (or rimless baking sheet lined with parchment). Lightly brush with the oil. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the pizza. Top with the onions and peppers. Arrange the squash blossoms over the vegetables, and then place the mozzarella around the squash. Sprinkle the oregano, chili flakes and pepper over the pizza and lightly season with salt to taste. Top with the remaining cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone. Close the grill lid and grill until the pizza is golden brown, about 15 minutes. (If baking in the oven, slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.) Remove and brush the crust with some of the oil. Drizzle any remaining oil over the pizza. Cut into serving pieces and serve immediately.

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I am the queen of rustic desserts, which is a nice way to label desserts that are rather imperfect. The good news is that there is plenty of room for rustic and, yes, imperfect desserts in anyone's repertoire. In fact, most cuisines tout their own homey version of bubbling, squidgy desserts cobbled together with crumpled and crinkled borders oozing juices like a ruptured pipe. They're supposed to do that, and more important, they taste really good.

When one lacks a certain gene for patience and finesse, these desserts are just right. They relieve all pressure to be exacting, methodical and, well, perfect. Once that pressure is removed, there is plenty of space to simply relax, bake and eat. Just be sure to pass the napkins.

Plum Galette

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time

Yield: 6 servings

Pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes

2 to 3 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:

6 large plums, halved, pitted and sliced; or 12 small plums, halved, pitted

6 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch of salt

Prepare the pastry: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into flour with your fingertips until the dough resembles coarse meal. Add enough water to bind the dough. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk, then wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Prepare the galette: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the plums in a large bowl with 4 tablespoons sugar, the flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.

Roll out the dough on parchment paper into a 12-inch circle. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Mound the plums over the sugar. Sprinkle the plums with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Fold the border of the dough up and around the plums. (The center of the galette will be exposed.)

Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove and cool the galette before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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How do you like to eat watermelon? Undoubtedly, it's a summer treat. I remember hot New England summers when the air was so humid you could slice it with knife. My brothers and I would eat thick watermelon-smiles, as wide as our faces, leaning over the grass, while the juices dribbled down our chins and forearms, and spitting the seeds out (at each other, of course).

But there's more to watermelon than simply a slurpy snack or a seed fight. Watermelons are nourishing and thirst-quenching. They are mostly water (92 percent), but they are also rich in vitamins (A and C) and nutrients, such as magnesium and potassium.

In the Mediterranean, watermelon is served for breakfast and throughout the day as a hydrating refreshment, easy to eat and full of natural juices. Watermelon is also delicious in salads, adding mellow sweetness and mild flavor with each healthy bite, while perfectly complementing peppery greens, sharp onions and salty cheese.

Nowadays, watermelon is available in a seedless variety, which not only makes for more refined slurping, it's also easier to dice and cube when adding to salads. In this bulgur salad, watermelon teams up with feta, sugar snap peas and red onion for a crisp, light and refreshing salad you can serve as a light meal or a side dish for your next barbecue. And, no worries, there's still a place at the table for the good, old-fashioned watermelon slices to slurp on if you crave a juicy seed fight.

Watermelon, Feta and Bulgur Salad

Active time: 30 minutes

Prep time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 cup bulgur

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for garnish

1/2 small seedless watermelon, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, about 3 cups

2 handfuls sugar snap peas, stemmed and halved

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

4 ounces feta, crumbled

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

Lemon zest for garnish

Place the bulgur in a bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and let stand until the bulgur is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain any excess water and fluff the bulgur with a fork.

Whisk the oil, lime juice, cumin, black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing to the bulgur and stir to combine. Taste and add 1 more tablespoon dressing if desired (the rest will be drizzled over the salad).

Transfer the bulgur to a serving platter. Scatter the watermelon, snap peas and red onion over the bulgur. Top with the feta, parsley and mint. Drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with finely grated lemon zest and additional black pepper. Serve immediately.

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