Peach Salad with Basil Oil

I stumbled upon this recipe in Women's Health magazine.
I had recently purchased some mouth watering(ly) good peaches at the farmer's market,
     and I have a garden full of fresh basil, so this recipe was PERFECT,
especially, on a hot evening in July.

We enjoyed this salad, alongside grilled pork chops and corn on the cob.      


Peach Salad with Basil Oil
. . . as seen in Women's Health Magazine (slightly adjusted by ME). 
 

Ingredients

• 3 ripe peaches, sliced into thin wedges 
• 3 cups arugula OR I used Trader Joe's baby arugula blend, as not everyone in my household is a fan of arugula.
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans -  I used at least 4 tbsp, and toasted the walnuts, cooling them before adding them to salad at the last moment.
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1.

In a large bowl, toss together peaches, arugula, and mozzarella.

2.

Put oil, vinegar, basil, and salt in a blender or food processor and combine until smooth.

3.

Divide peach salad among serving plates and drizzle with basil oil.  

* While I put everything in one bowl and tossed it together, the liquid from the peaches does tend to make the salad droop a bit by the end of the meal.  So, if you are serving to guests, I would recommend plating it separately.   

4.     When walnuts are completely cool, top salad with nuts.  

Enjoy!

 

"Tangy and Toasted" Caesar Salad

The "tangy" is for the dressing.

     The "toasted" is for the walnuts.  

Yes, walnuts (instead of croutons) in THIS caesar salad. 

This is a lighter, tangier, healthier version. 

My partner and I served grilled salmon with this salad for dinner, 

     and the kids ate it up.

The next day, they requested the salad again, 

     specifically requesting that I add more toasted walnuts. 

Ingredients:

1- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
     (I used Wegman's Organic)

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
     (I used Trader Joe's whole grain Dijon, imported from France)

8 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Walnut halves or pieces, toasted (1/4 - 1/2 cup)

One large head Chopped Romaine lettuce


Directions:

Whisk together first 7 ingredients, in a small bowl.

Toss dressing together with Romaine lettuce.  

In the meantime, place a nonstick pan on medium heat.
Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and place walnuts in pan.
Toss walnuts frequently,
     until they begin to brown and "toast" (only a few minutes).
Place walnuts on a paper towel to cool.  

When walnuts have cooled completely, toss together with salad.

Add the shaved Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (as much or as little as you desire)
      at the last second , and lightly toss the salad again. 

Add more salt and pepper (to taste), if necessary.

Wine, Cheese, Bread - Perfect.

Let us not forget a simple cheese and fruit platter, paired with a nice glass of wine.

Last night, my partner and I went with friends to see the movie, "Moonlight Kingdom"
     at our local, independently owned movie theatre.
Afterward, our friends invited us over for a light meal.

Presented beautifully on a cutting board, was a delicious display of cheeses -
     some Gouda, some brie, some blue cheese . . .
 and fruits (strawberries and grapes), as well as a few slices of meats (pepperoni and prosciutto),
     some crackers,
and a loaf of Trader Joe's baked bread, served straight from the oven.  

The four of us, intimately gathered around the small coffee table -
     two on the couch, two on the floor . . .  sipping our wine (me, with a nice glass of red),
enjoying our meal.   

Good conversation, good people, 
     good food, good wine.

Warm, simple, elegant - perfect. 

Or, as the Dutch say, "gezellig".

The types of the cheeses and the wine . . .
                   the fruit and the bread - unimportant
      (though, I will find out the name of the wine and post it).

Use whatever you like,
     display it on a nice cutting board,
          and enjoy it with people you love.

To end the evening on a "sweet" note,
     round the meal off with a few simple cookies on a plate.  

Thank you, Peter and Paula, once again . . .
               for your warm and wonderful hospitality.    

  

"It's Too Hot Out!" Caprese Salad

The temperature in Fairfax, Virginia on this hot July day is a cool 100 degrees.
The best thing to do is stay inside and eat something refreshing,
     like this healthy caprese salad.

Ingredients:

Grape tomatoes (yellow and red) - 16 oz. container of each, cut in half

Oil and herb marinated mozzarella balls (bought at store) - about 8 balls,
                                                                                             cut into quarters

2 - 3 spoons full of marinade from mozzarella balls


Fresh, chopped basil ( 8 - 10 leaves)

Sea Salt


Directions:

Add tomatoes (cut in half) to bowl and sprinkle with salt.

Add mozzarella (cut in quarters), and the marinade from the mozzarella balls.

Add chopped basil, and toss all ingredients together.  


That's it!




Chef's note -  

I like to cut the mozzarella and tomatoes into smaller pieces because it is easier for people to eat.
Also, if you can't find the marinated mozzarella balls, just drizzle the salad with a little bit of
olive oil,
olive oil and lemon juice,
   OR
olive oil and balsamic vinegar . . .
   and some freshly ground pepper.

  

Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Sauce

 Dinner with my daughter, one hot, July night . . .  

Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Sauce 

Inspired by www.myrecipes.com

 Ingredients:

16 oz. spaghetti
16 oz. container cherry (or grape) tomatoes
Olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
kosher salt
crushed red pepper
3 T. chopped fresh basil
crumbled goat cheese or shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese
8 - 10 garlic cloves 


Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2) Fill large pot with water, bring to a boil, add spaghetti and a few dashes of salt,
          and cook spaghetti as directed on the box

While spaghetti is cooking . . .

3) Combine tomatoes, garlic cloves (whole, peeled), 1 or 2 swirls of olive oil, vinegar,
          and salt ( to taste ) in a baking pan.
     Toss well, to coat, and place in oven.

4)  In the sink, place a small pot underneath a colander.
     You will want to save the reserve pasta water.
     When the pasta is done, drain the pasta into the colander.   

5)  While the pasta is draining, remove tomato mixture from oven.
     Add to the empty pasta pot.
     Add a small amount of the pasta water to the pan, scraping off any of the tomatoes, garlic,
           and juices, and add that to the pot, as well.

6)  Add pasta to pot with tomato mixture, and toss together, adding more of the pasta water,
          as needed, a little bit at a time.
     The pasta will soak up the juices, giving sauce a nice consistency. 
     You will end up throwing most of the reserve pasta water out.     

7)  Sprinkle pasta with crushed, red pepper ( to taste ).

8)  Place pasta in a large pasta bowl , for serving.
     Top with the chopped, fresh basil.
     I put the cheese on the side,
          so my daughter and I could choose our own.   

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How's it taste?  

Delicious!                          

I used the goat cheese, which gives the sauce a sweet flavor and creamy consistency.
My daughter preferred the parmigiano reggiano.


                         

Speaking of Squash . . .

Speaking of Squash . . .

Back in June, for my son's 7th grade science project,
     we constructed a rain garden in our backyard.
We planted tomatoes and watermelon, basil and cucumbers . . . and squash. 
We have used the basil, multiple times, in pasta and veggie dishes,
     sandwiches, drinks, and pesto sauce. 

The tomatoes, still green,  are growing and transforming into a beautiful shape.   
The cucumbers have not yet made an appearance, and we are not sure why.
Neither has the watermelon, though, it is not yet time. 
And, any day now, we will be pulling the ripe, yellow squash off the vine. 
Maybe for cooking more frittatas, or pasta, salad,
     or by itself . . .  right on the grill.  

Tomatoes

Basil

Squash

Breakfast of the Week - Frittata w/ Squash, Onion, Garlic & Goat Cheese

Frittatas are great.
I like to eat them for breakfast, but a frittata can be eaten for any meal.
The best thing about them is that you can throw just about any ingredients into them.
I try to make use of the ingredients that I have.

This week, I had a tiny, single squash (from the farmers market)
     sitting in my veggie basket,

Squash, Onion, Garlic, Goat Cheese Frittata

               just begging to be eaten.
So, I chopped it up into bite-sized pieces.
I, also, had half an onion to use.
So, I chopped that up, too.
I ALWAYS have garlic on hand,
so, I chopped up a few cloves of garlic.

I threw all of those ingredients into a pan with some olive oil,
     and sauteed them for a few minutes.
Then, I added 2 eggs (brown,organic),
beaten with just a splash of milk,
     and let the eggs settle into the pan with the veggies.
I kept the pan on top of the stove,
     until the egg could no longer be swirled around in the pan.
Then, I placed the pan in the oven
     (350 degrees for about 5 mins.),
until the egg was cooked through.

During the last minute, or so, of cooking time,
     I tossed some cheese on top.
I had some goat cheese in the fridge, so that's what I used.
I sprinkled the entire frittata with sea salt and fresh, ground pepper.    

"Give-Me-a-Sec" Blueberry Shortcake

I prefer cooking to baking, so when I have guests over for dinner,
     I try to find simple ingredients for a dessert that I can throw together (without baking).

Recently, I was going to serve strawberry shortcake for dessert,
     but the strawberries did not look good, so I bought blueberries, instead.  

What should I use as the "shortcake"?

One can't go wrong with Sara Lee's frozen all butter pound cake ( in my opinion ).

And, for the ice-cream, I went with Trader Joe's french vanilla.

The "twist" in the dessert, was a last minute idea (from my cooking partner)
     to add a drizzle of Triple Sec,
allowing the orange flavored liquor to soak into the buttery pound cake,
before adding the blueberries and ice-cream.

The orange and the blueberry paired quite well.

And, of course, with the butter flavored cake and french vanilla ice-cream.
 
Ingredients:

Butter Pound Cake (such as Sara Lee)
Fresh blueberries
Trader Joe's french vanilla ice cream
Triple Sec


Chef's note:
If using Sara Lee's frozen pound cake, thaw each slice of cake individually,
     as printed on directions, before adding remaining ingredients.  
Also, you could substitute your favorite liquor for the Triple Sec.

Enjoy!

"Lime-in-the" Tequila Shot

Ingredients:

1 lime popsicle or frozen fruit bar (such as Edy's)

1 shot of tequila

Directions:  

Put one shot of tequila in a juice sized glass.

Place lime fruit bar (stick side, up) in glass. 

     Dip, and suck.

     Dip, and suck.   

     Repeat. 

After fruit bar is gone, drink remaining tequila, left in glass.

Bottoms up!

"The Stormberry" Drink

When an unexpected storm hit our area, one recent night in June,
     hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity.
For the people who were away on vacation,
     that meant freezers and refrigerators full of food, with nowhere to go.  
Food that would be spoiled and wasted, unless someone . . . anyone . . .
     came to the rescue.

     "Save the food!" the people said. 

And, we did.

My partner, his son, and I emptied out the refrigerators and freezers of three houses
 (with permission, of course).  
Then, we sorted through all of the food, deciding what was trash, what could be revived,
and what would be okay (if we ate it right away).


Hence, the creation of  "The Stormberry" drink.

We found ourselves with several bags of frozen berries that had been mostly thawed out.
So, what did we do?
Threw them all in a blender, and added some rum.
We did not have any ice or ice cream or yogurt to add to them.

Just berries . . . and rum.  


Chef's note -

I researched whether or not it is okay to re-freeze berries.
It turns out, from a health standpoint, it is okay to do so.
But, because of all of the juices, they will refreeze into a solid block,
     and not into separate berries.
And, depending on what you are using them for,
     the quality (or flavor) of the berries will not be as good.  



  

"The Pit Stop", Roadside Barbecue at Gilberts Corner, and "Crystal's Cookies", Too.

Driving out towards Middleburg, Virginia,
   there is an intersection (where Route 15 and Route 50 meet) known as Gilbert's Corner.

Over the years, in an effort to escape the gridlock of Northern Virginia,
      I have driven past it . . .  through it . . .  and around it
(as it has been converted to a roundabout),

MANY TIMES.

And, there is one thing that is not hard to miss -
     the big ole' bar-b-que pit  (sitting off to the right, in a vacant lot),
with its dancing smoke, teasing passersby.  

But, I had never stopped.

Until recently.

We were on our way to a winery, my partner and I,
     and, as we approached Gilbert's Corner/Roundabout,
we decided to stop by for a snack.

I did not catch their names ( I will next time),
     but the family members who run "The Pit Stop" were extremely friendly and gracious.

They welcomed us as if we were old friends.

We ordered a half rack of ribs, and a side of potato salad.

The young man, who took our order, asked if we preferred spicy or mild sauce.

     "How spicy is spicy?" I asked.

     "SPI-CY!" he said.

He suggested mixing the two sauces.

So, we did.

He grabbed a rack off the pit, and placed it on the cutting board.

     "Whack".

He cut it in half.

     "Whack, whack, whack; whack, whack, whack," with the butcher's cleaver.

He whipped out a large piece of aluminum foil, and placed the ribs on top,   
     drizzled them with hot,
drizzled them with mild,
then wrapped them up, nice and snug.

We pulled a bottle of water from the large cooler,
      and sat down at one of the tables provided, underneath a small tent.

I should mention to you that I am NOT a huge fan of barbeque.

That does not mean I don't like it.  

At one time (probably after a phase of eating too much Red, Hot & Blue . . . too many times),
     I grew tired of them.

Mind you, I ate at Red, Hot & Blue because it was convenient and an okay place to take the kids,
     when the were little.   

As the kids grew older, and my choices for eating establishments broadened,
     so did my taste.

And, at some point, I became picky about the flavor of my barbeque,
     not willing to get my hands messy, unless I knew the experience would be worth it.

I took a bite of the ribs, and . . .

THIS sauce was GOOD. 

Not too sweet, not too thick, and with a nice TANG to it.

The meat was not "fall off the bone".

Some bites were better than others, but . . .
      the flavor was really good. 

And, the potato salad was nice and cold and tasty, too.

Just the right amount of mayo.

Next to "The Pit Stop",
     a nice lady named Crystal was selling cookies and homemade lemonade.

My partner and I shared a cup, and a molasses cookie.

Crystal warned us about the tartness of her lemonade but, personally,
     I did not find it tart enough.

Still, it was nice and cool and refreshing.

The molasses cookie was . . . DELICIOUS.    

All in all, it was a very pleasant roadside meal,
     and I would definitely visit again, repeating my exact order.



https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-PIT-STOP/246362309869

http://www.crystalscookies.com/