Wednesday, August 29, 2012

What to do with all of those tomatoes!!!

We grew 16 tomato plants this year so to say we are swimming in tomatoes is an understatement. Which I love but unfortunately I tend to eat so many that I get heartburn. B-O-O H-O-O (quote from Breakfast Club).

Here is what we did with the many tomatoes we picked this year:
We baked tomatoes (slice a beefsteak in half, sprinkle with your fav cheese, drizzle with EVOO, add some fresh herbs - we used basil and parsley and a little S&P. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 min)

We made Salsa (I throw white onion, jalapeno, a crown of garlic (which I wrap in foil) and about 3lb roma tomatoes on the grill - just until they are roasted. You can use the broiler instead if you wish. I pulse everything in a food processor until desired consistency. Then I add a cup of chopped cilantro, 1/2c chopped parsley, 5 cloves of raw minced garlic, about 1/3c of diced raw white onion, some cumin to taste, a pinch of sugar, 2 TBSP of white vinegar and a pinch of salt). 

Grilled Pizza (I buy store-bought crust and brush it with grapeseed oil, garlic infused if possible. I add roughly chopped garlic, evenly layer my drained tomatoes, layer fresh basil leaves and then top it with fresh mostzerella and some black pepper. While its cooking on the grill (preheated to about 400) I whisk together high-quality balsamic vinegar and grapeseed oil. I drizzle this over the pizza before serving.)


TIP: The key to a successful pizza or tomato pie (which is not posted) is properly draining the tomatoes. It prevents soggy crust.



Dried Tomatoes
This was BY FAR my favorite way to eat tomatoes. You dry them out in the oven by layering them on a baking sheet, sliced. Drizzle EVOO/Grapeseed oil over them, sprinkle S&P, layer any fresh herbs you like I prefer basil or thyme and about 4-5 cloves of garlic very roughly chopped. Bake at 200 degrees for 2-4 hours depending on your oven. Store in a jar with more EVOO in your fridge. My favorite way to eat this is on a slice of toasted baguette, topped with this tomato mixture and then sprinkled with herbed goat cheese. But you can always mix the tomatoes with pasta and your favorite cheese - I ate the dish below with herbed goat cheese.










Monday, August 20, 2012

"Owl miss you" project

A good friend of mine is moving...snif.
The boys and I made her a little going away kit. Mason drew her a picture, Jaxon gave her a batman ring and Brant and I completed this project together.
On Pinterest I saw "owl always love you" and thought we do something a little different. "Owl miss you!"



Owls are symbolic in so many cultures, it can mean wisdom, mystery, transition - all of which I think apply to moving somewhere new.
So the boys and I went to Joann's and bought large pom-poms (1.99) and two pieces of felt - tan and orange (0.34/ea). We already have a huge container of googly eyes so this just took a few minutes to make -  grab your scissors and glue and you have a cute owl. I glued the owl's butt to a piece of orange felt so he would stand up better but it's not shown in this pic.
My friend loved it and the boys had fun too!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Ice Cream Bite Treats

I titled this post "Ice Cream Bites" but thought it sounded like, ICE CREAM, BITES!
And ice cream does NOT bite...especially when your a mom and have your oldest son entering Kindergarten in a week and feel it's best to emotionally eat to cope with the change!!!

I bought my favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor (it was on sale AND I had a coupon - meant to be!), What a Cluster, which is PB ice cream, PB bits and marshmallow. I treat myself to this once a year because realistically I could eat this every single day and gain 600 pounds.
I scooped some ice cream onto a Nilla Wafer.


I stuck cocktail spears into the center and put the treats into the freezer for about 20-30 min. Right before I took the bites out I melted my favorite chocolate and began to drown the bites in chocolate.


Then I stuck the bites back into the freezer for about 20 min, took them back out and thoroughly enjoyed. Next time I'm going to replace the ice cream with a raspberry sorbet. I'll keep ya posted.




Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Coq Au Reisling

I tried this recipe from Nigella Lawson's cook book - LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Not the healthiest but if you need cheering up on a cold, overcast day - this is the dish to eat.


  • 1 cup bacon diced (I used about 1/3c)
  • 1 leek, finely sliced
  • 12 skinless chicken thighs or 2 3/4 pounds thigh fillets
  • bay leaves
  • 10 ounces oyster mushrooms torn into strips about 4 c (I like using a more hearty mushroom such baby Portabella)
  • 1 bottle Riesling.
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Buttered noodles, optional
Heat the oil in a casserole or large wide pan and fry the bacon until crispAdd the sliced leeks and soften them for a minute or so. Tip in the chicken thighs, bay leaves, torn mushrooms and wine. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer gently for an hour.