They are not around very long so if you want to have squash blossoms. Have them now.

But I can’t be expected to end my week of basil recipes just because a finicky bunch of squash blossoms won’t wait around for me to finish up with basil. And squash blossoms will not wait.

Which means I am going to have to combine them this week with the basil I am committed to. So my usual trip to the Hollywood Farmers Market for this week's Market Matters will have to be a squash blossom recipe that highlights the big bold flavor of basil.

Which is no easy feat. I have had squash blossoms many ways. A light touch is usually best.

I have had them deep-fried in a beer batter with chili powder. Which was delicious of course, but It could have been fried anything and still tasted just as good. The batter was a bit too aggressive for something so etheral. I say you should save that batter for onions or at least something with more heft on the palate.

No matter what your personal religious beliefs are don’t you think that basil and green beans just belong together.

It’s not quite the same as Mr. and Mrs. peanut butter and jelly… but it’s still a match made in heaven.

So for this next recipe honoring basil I am going to tear open that closet door and let this romance shine! I am going to marry the bright green “king-bean” of summer with the high and mighty bright green “king-herb” of summer. Because, prop 8 does not apply to vegetables. Besides, if they are going to be together anyway, we may as well encourage a little sanctity!

But, honeymoon or no, I still need a twist. Maybe even some (more) irony!

Summer brings to mind bright crisp salads. I could have easily made a salad of crisp, cold green beans with slivers of crunchy red onions. I could have tossed these with a bold and vibrant basil red wine vinaigrette and finished it all off with and a creamy bite of goat cheese.

But I didn’t do that! Too mainstream…

Road trips seem very American to me. So it seems like a great way to spend the Independence Day Holiday! A road trip seems especially luxe in a 35ft Georgie Boy Pursuit R.V. that sleeps 8, with  2 televions, wet bar and full kitchen!

I am on just such a road trip as we speak (err, I mean type).

But this road trip in an R.V. is making it way through the wine country of Sonoma and Napa. I think our road trip food needs to be geographically appropriate. Corn Dogs and cotton candy have their place, just not on my plate.

Still we are in a recreational vehicle. It has a kitchen (of sorts). I am expected to pitch in on the kitchen duties. In fact on this first day of travel I am in charge of hors d’oeuvres. R.V. hors d’oeuvres! I like the sound of that…

But not only am I in an unfamiliar kitchen. But I am in an unfamiliar kitchen moving along CA1 at 60 mph. So there is a lot of room for kitchen disaster.

I am not in a chatty mood.

But we have burgers to talk about. The trouble with blithely bouncing burger banter about is that I then have to belly up to my bluster!

Which is an (overly) cute way to say. I promised a week of burgers and I shall deliver. Now I didn't say what kind of "burgers", did I?

Because the truth is as big a carnivore as I am (and I am), I could not face red-meat two days in a row.

Besides what if my burger obsession causes me to lose the veg-heads out there. My guess is that a buffalo burger does not rate super high on their thrill meters.

Sup! needs every reader he can get. So court the veg-heads I must. To do this I am pulling out the big guns. I am bringing out the meatiest veg I know. The portobello mushroom.