The Crows That Be have bestowed a login upon yours truly, Mo Tracey. I made a brief guest “caw” over a year ago with a post about recycling, which was really a thinly-disguised attempt to justify the obscene quantity of beer, wine, and liquor vessels that had piled up in my foyer (pronounced the French way, foy-ye). Since then, I’ve moved in with my Steady Gentleman Caller (and moved up to a larger kitchen), spent a month camping through the South of France and Bordeaux, visited Louisiana, and recently returned from a jaunt through Québec. These Francophone-territory jaunts, coupled with my long-standing love of cookbooks, the increased availability of local produce in Boston, and the benefits of a paycheck, have all combined to turn me into quite the little cook.

Lest I overwhelm the collective voice of the blog via my self-indulgent introduction, I will provide the breakdown of the Watermelon and Feta salad I contributed to V-Bar’s delightful engagement party. I can’t take credit for the Jambalaya, that was all the boy and The Fat Man (Paul Prudhomme).

Watermelon and Feta Salad

adapted from Jacques Pépin

1 Watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks or balled, if you have the patience

1/3 cup olive oil (the unsullied kind)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Tabasco (I like a good amount, but add to your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups crumbled feta cheese

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Jacques adds olives, but I omit.

Whisk together everything you can whisk in a big bowl, then add the watermelon, feta, and anything that’s not so easy to whisk and toss. Garnish with the mint. Eat soon, it quickly turns to soup as the melon de-bloats.