Stuffed Tomatoes

I've been having an unnatural craving for stuffed peppers.  You know, the old timey recipe for stuffed peppers with ground beef and rice.  Unfortunately my husband doesn't like green peppers.  So I tried to figure out a way to satiate my cravings without making something he wouldn't eat.  I came up with the following recipe.  Another great way to use up all those tomatoes from the garden!

Stuffed Tomatoes (serves two)
2 large tomatoes
1/3 cup ricotta
1/3 cup cooked crumbled hot sausage
1/3 cup mozzarella
1 tablespoons fresh basil, shredded
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice tops off tomatoes.  Using a small knife, cut out insides of tomatoes.  Scoop out meat of tomatoes with spoon.  Invert on paper towel to dry.  Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in small bowl.  Stir to combine.  Divide cheese mixture between tomatoes and place in an oven proof baking dish.  Bake 35-30 minutes or until heated through.  Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and serve warm.

Super Easy Cheesy Chicken Tacos

So like most Americans, my husband and I really love Tex-Mex food.  Mexican comfort food always pleases the palate and can be really affordable whether you visit your favorite taqueria or whip up a dish at home.  This dish utilizes left over chicken breasts for a delicious and quick dinner.

Super Easy Cheesy Chicken Tacos
1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 package of taco seasoning
Your choice of corn or flour tortillas
Your favorite taco toppings (I serve with diced tomatoes, shredded romaine lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and salsa)

Combine all ingredients in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir to combine, making sure all cream cheese is melted.  Serve warm.

Broiled Maple Soy Glazed Salmon with Spiced Carrots

My husband thought he didn't like salmon.  Salmon happens to be one of my favorite things, and it's jam packed with nutritional goodness.  Not to mention pretty easy and stress free to prepare.  So naturally I decided to attempt to convert him to a salmon lover like me!  I found success with this recipe:

Maple Soy Glazed Salmon  (Serves 4)
4 (6oz.) Salmon Fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
dash of dried ginger
dash of cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.     Preheat broiler.
2.     In small bowl, whisk olive oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger, and cayenne until combined.
3.     Place salmon fillets in broil safe dish, skin side down.  Brush with sauce, salt and pepper, and broil until cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
4.     (Optional:  Make a 2nd batch of sauce for spooning over salmon after plating for an extra bit of flavor.  I highly recommend doing so!)

Spiced Carrots
1 lb. carrots, cleaned and cut into thin coins
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1.     Preheat broiler.
2.     Toss carrots with olive oil and place in broil safe dish.  (NOTE:  You can make the carrots in the same dish as the salmon, if you like.  I used a metal 9" X 13" baking dish and spread carrots on one side, starting them 3 minutes before adding the salmon.) Broil until tender, 10-12 minutes.
3.     Remove cooked carrots to bowl and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Stir to combine, serve warm.

Easy Gourmet!!! Roasted Garlic Spread on Toasted Crusty Bread

Ever wanted to present your girlfriends with a knockout snack during a moving night???  Maybe you want an elegant (and incredibly easy) appetizer for a dinner party.  Look no further!  Make roasted garlic spread on toasted crusty bread!  Doing this couldn’t be easier and is really tasty.  Maybe not the best choice for a date night, unless you both just love garlic, but it’s still a crowd pleaser. 

Roasted Garlic Spread on Toasted Crusty Bread

4 Medium sized heads of garlic

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 loaves of crusty bread (I like sourdough, but French bread will work well too)

Aluminum Foil

1.      Preheat oven to 400°. 

2.      Remove outermost layer of skin from garlic, leaving individual cloves and their skin intact.

3.      Cut tops off cloves with large knife.

4.      Rip the foil into squares large enough to wrap the heads of garlic separately. 

5.      Place each garlic head in the center of a piece of foil.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil per head, and turn and rub to coat. 

6.      Wrap foil around each head and place in oven. 

7.      Bake 35-40 minutes, or until garlic is a brown color. 

Meanwhile, toast bread lightly.  Remove garlic from foil and serve one of two ways –

1.                  Either smear on bread yourself (top with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper) and serve to guests; or

2.                  Remove garlic head from foil and place in small ramekin with small knife and toasted bread on platter.

3.                  Enjoy!

Open Face Tomato Sandwiches with a side of Cucumber Salad

So this horrible heat wave has inspired me to create fresh and delicious dinners without weighing the hubby and I down.  Nothing is better than a fresh tomato from the garden, and this is another way to use the excess of tomatoes without doing another caprese salad.  The cucumber salad is an amazingly fresh salad to keep you cool during the hot summer months.

Open Faced Tomato Sandwiches  

4 Slices of Four Cheese Texas Toast
1 Tomato sliced into 4 slices
2 Tablespoons shredded basil
4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
4 tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bake Texas Toast according to package directions.  Remove from oven.  Preheat broiler.  Top toast with basil, tomato, and blue cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Return to broiler until tomato is seared (Watch for this to happen - it's easy to lose food u[ in smoke to the broiler gods!!!)  When seared, remove from oven and top with balsamic vinaigrette.  Serve warm and accompany with cucumber salad (recipe to follow).

Cucumber Salad

2 medium sized cucumbers, cut into chunks
Salt
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
dash garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place cut cucumber in colander and salt generously.  Drain 30-60 minutes.  Squeeze out excess water and transfer cucumber to bowl.  Add yogurt, celery seeds, garlic powder, and black pepper.  Stir to combine.  Refrigerate until time to serve.  

Another Delicious Summer Pasta!!!

This is my go to dish when I'm feeling lazy and still want to impress for dinner.  Fresh spinach and spongy feta make this pasta light enough to serve in the summer.  Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to heat up the pasta to your liking.  Leftovers get much hotter than the original dish!!!  I love to serve this with a Peach Bellini to counteract the heat.  I don't really measure this recipe so here are my best guestimates!  Hope you enjoy!!!

Pasta with Spinach & Feta

1 box of Penne
1/2 cup olive oil
1 regular sized bag baby spinach
2 tubs feta
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
Generous shaking of red pepper flakes
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste
1 cup freshly ground Parmesan cheese, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish

Boil Penne according to package directions.  Drain and return to pan.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute red pepper flakes and garlic until fragrant, several seconds.  Remove from heat.  Add spinach to olive oil and turn with tongs until just covered with oil.  Add to pasta and stir to combine.  Add feta, salt, pepper, and Parmesan and stir to combine.  Pour into serving dish and top with remaining Parmesan.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Find my favorite Peach Bellini recipe here!

Katie's Answer to Summer - Pasta with Lemon and Basil

Growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, I never considered Italian food to be ethnic.  I grew up eating at authentic Italian restaurants at least twice a month, and I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill pizza place (although all these places did serve an amazing pizza).  You could get a perfectly prepared veal Parmesan, delicious handmade gnocchi, or an inspirational fettuccine alfredo on your lunch break.  Spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, and stuffed shells were staples on my family's menu.  It wasn't until I moved south of the Mason-Dixon line that I realized that Italian wasn't as common as McDonald's.  

Living in North Carolina, I have come to appreciate being raised on these incredible Italian dishes.  Although sometimes in this North Carolina summer heat, nothing sounds appealing to me about a heavy lasagna or alfredo sauce.  

But if you're like me, you're not willing to give up your Italian food just because the mercury stays above the 90 degree mark.  I've found a perfect summer pasta recipe that is fresh, light, and delicious, not to mention super easy and quick on a warm summer night!

Pasta with Lemon and Basil

1 lb. pasta (I like fettuccine for this dish as it works really well with this sauce, but use your favorite)

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Put oven-proof serving dish in oven to warm.

Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water.

Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and minced garlic in a small bowl.  Whisk together.  Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and whisk until thick.  

Drain pasta and return to pan.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix thoroughly.  Add shredded basil, salt, and pepper and mix to combine.  Transfer to heated serving dish.  Top with additional parmesan cheese.  

Serve with crusty Italian bread and a caesar salad.