It's summer but it's kind of gray in L.A. The kind of summer gray that makes me crave green.

So this morning I walked down the hill to the Hollywood Farmers Market on the hunt for green. Well the most prominent green of summer is zucchini. If you have ever grown zucchini you realize how much of the summer garden they are willing to take over if you let them. Why let them?

If zucchini is left to do it's thing, 12 pound monster squash would be the result. Those behemoths are fun to look at, but honestly they are not the zucchini of my culinary dreams. Big zucchini can get woody in texture and quite bitter. I like sweet zucchini, which means I look for the smallest zucchini I can find.

Strangely baby zucchini are more prevalent at my Farmers Market during the peak of summer. You'd think the little guys would make their appearance earlier. But I guess as the vine grows the opportunity for zucchini multiplies exponentially. Makes sense. So farmers have lots of little squash and have no qualms about plucking them when they are tiny. Because they know that as long as summer shines there will be more zucchini.

Happy Thanksgiving.

If you're still struggling with your menu I have a suggestion. Don't forget to put something green on the plate. Green beans are traditional holiday fare. In fact, I think it's just not Thanksgiving without green beans. But sadly, this vegetable is usually seen this time of year as an oozy-gooey, over-baked casserole topped with something crunchy that I can never actually identify.

Well I have a confession. I won't eat that. I won't watch you eat that, and I certainly am not cooking that and putting that mess on my lovely blog! I won't do it.

But I do understand tradition. Really, really I do. And I know a whole lot of you require this side dish each and every Thanksgiving. The funny thing is you require it, without really liking it. Come on admit it, you don't really like it. Just 'cuz your Gramma made it a certain way you feel obligated to reproduce it just so. Then you force yourself to choke back a few mouthfuls every year. It's a tradition, right?

Well not at Sups! house. Not now. Not ever!

I have a simple summer meal for you. Seared Scallops with Succotash.

It's a great warm weather dinner because it takes advantage of super sweet summer corn while it’s at its best. Besides there is no oven to turn on and very little hanging over a hot stove involved. The scallops are seared a mere 4 or 5 minutes. The succotash just a few moments longer. It could even be made ahead and served at room temperature. Further simplifying the preparation.

But I think its best served warm, with a cool and crisply acidic chardonnay. Which is no bother because two people working in tandem can get this meal on the table in 8 minutes flat, once the prep work is done.

Still, just because this is a quick cook meal does not mean you can get sloppy about the details. I am quite finicky about scallops.

Scallops should be served rare, if you cook them all the way through you are destroying their delicate nature. An overcooked scallop is a rubbery waste of money. But just because I won't submit to an overcooked scallop does not mean I want it undercooked or improperly cooked either. In fact I like quite a bit of crunchy crusty searing on my scallops.