I ran into Whole Foods this morning to pick up a few fixings for a quick and healthy dinner, and saw that the elusive and very brief fig season had arrived! I love figs- especially fresh figs. They are the most fascinating blend of colors, with that deep plum fading to green outside, and that beautiful deep pink inside. The aroma takes me back to the time I spent in Florence, at La Pietra. The figs grew on either side of a long garden path, and we picked one every time we walked by. You might think that would get old, but nope! Just as amazing the hundredth time. Now that I am far from that Mediterranean climate, I love lighting my La Pietra candle and mixing up a pitcher of fig cocktails. With a few easy small bites, (like dried figs stuffed with goat cheese), a drink in hand, and the intoxicating scent of fresh figs and cedar wood, I feel like my get together is al fresco, in the Tuscan hills!