caprese salad

My favorite vegetable? Tomato. My favorite herb? Basil (with a close runner up of parsley). My favorite cheese? Any. (lol)  But fresh mozzerella is very close to the top of the list.

My heirloom tomatoes are starting to ripen at a steady, eat-one-or-two-a-day rate. Yesterday, I made a caprese salad with room temp mozzerella and heirloom tomatoes, and some beautiful basil from my mom. I am currently out of olive oil, so I just left that part off this time.  Also, I noticed the Pioneer Woman makes a balsamic reduction and drizzles that, so I will be giving that a go as well.

Caprese Salad

fresh ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
fresh mozzerella, brought to room temperature or warmed in a bowl of warm salt water, and sliced
fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Layer the first 4 ingredients on a plate as so: tomato, cheese, basil leaf, salt and pepper. As a final touch, drizzle good olive oil over the salad. Enjoy!

So, so, so good. I could eat this every day.

(heirloom tomatoes pictured:  the dark one, Black Krim; the red one, Homestead; and the yellow one, Mr. Stripey)

stove-top macaroni and cheese

I have a few "go-to" chefs that I can always depend on for making great recipes that my family will love. Alton Brown, Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman), and Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).  I decided to try a stove-top recipe for mac&cheese recently, because honestly, I haven't found the baked mac&cheese of my dreams just yet. Some good ones, but not perfect ones.

Alton has this one on his website, and I tried it the other day. WOW. For a quick recipe, it's really good. And I like that it has no flour in it for thickening. Instead, it uses eggs.

I made the changes that I typically do these days, because we are using whole grain pastas and lower fat dairy products. But other than that, I didn't change anything except to cut the amount of butter in half.

My kids love macaroni and cheese, and will never fail to tell me if they don't like a recipe I've tried. This one gets thumbs up from all three, and me as well.

Stove-top Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt (next time I will add 3/4 teaspoon instead)
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente and drain.  Put back in the pot with the butter and toss to coat as it melts.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard.  Carefully whisk in the milk.  Stir this mixture into the pasta and then add the grated cheese.  Over medium low heat, cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until creamy. Remove pot from heat and let sit for 3 minutes before serving.

grilled cheese with smoked gouda, fig preserves, and fresh basil

Being in the midst of packing for camp, Sunday School teacher meeting at 3, and church/fellowship shortly thereafter, I am in a bit of a rush today, so I'm foregoing the pics of the food this time. :) But I had to share this wonderful grilled cheese recipe that I absolutely loved, and considered myself very chic to make. hehe!

Smoked Gouda with Fig Preserves and Fresh Basil, on Buttered Whole Wheat Bread! Woohoo! (yes, that's pretty much the recipe. lol)

I like the smoky flavor of the cheese against the mild sweetness of the figs, and of course the occasional peppery bite from the basil just keeps things spicy. And, as Dillon said after tasting a bite, "I like the aftertaste." Aftertaste is always important. :)

jammin' with tomato jam

One of the greatest, if not THE greatest, things about summer is the supply of fresh tomatoes from the gardens of my mom and my brothers.  During the practically flavorless tomato based meals of winter, it's what I think of with longing in my heart.

The standby recipes are fresh salsa, roasted tomatoes, incredible spaghetti sauce, and best of all, just plain old room temp thick slices dusted with salt & pepper - nothing better.

But I do like to experiment, so when I saw this recipe from Food Loves Writing, I had to give it a try. I ended up cooking it for about 2 hours, 15 minutes before I got the consistency I wanted, but hey, that's okay - it's summer and I have all the time in the world. Well, not really, but I was home that day anyway...

In addition to making the jam, Dillon and I had grilled cheese for supper that night (see below).  It was so good, we had it again for Sunday lunch after church, when Dalton was home, and it was a hit with him too.

If you have an abundance of tomatoes that you are tired of canning or putting in the freezer, give this a try. I think you'll be glad you did. The small amount of honey adds sweetness, but the real sweetness comes from the long slow cookdown of the onions and tomatoes. Heaven in a pot.

Tomato Jam (adapted from recipe found in the cookbook Herbivarious by Michael Natkin; I originally found the recipe in the blog linked above)
Makes about one cup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled and diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced small
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Combine the tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, basil, honey and salt in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir in cayenne pepper and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, then adjust the heat to keep the tomatoes simmering until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. This will likely take a couple of hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like. Serve at room temperature. 

Grilled Cheese our way:

Butter one side each of two slices of good whole wheat bread. On the opposite side of one slice, layer slices of sharp cheddar cheese and fresh mozzarella. Top with chopped basil leaves. On the other slice, spread tomato jam on unbuttered side, and place on top of cheese/basil, tomato jam side down. (In other words, just make a grilled cheese sandwich, butter on the outside, haha). Grill until toasty golden brown on each side, and the cheese is all melty and gooey and perfect. Cut in half for easy access, and enjoy. Resist temptation to make and devour a 2nd sandwich. Or don't resist. :D