Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Sometimes it is just not possible to grill

outside so my solution is the grill feature

that is an option on my panini maker.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 -4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
Wheat Hamburger Rolls

Monterey Jack Cheese, sliced
2 Tbs. pesto ( basil, olive oil, spices)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Stir together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic,

salt and the 1/8 tsp. pepper.

Using a small spoon, remove the gills

from the underside of the mushrooms.

Brush both sides of the mushrooms

with the oil mixture.

Place the mushrooms, stem side up,

on the grill and cook until nicely grill-marked,

about 4 minutes. Turn the mushrooms

over and cook until tender, about 4 minutes more.

Place cheese slices on top of each mushroom

a few minutes before you remove them from

the grill and cook until melted.

Toast the rolls .

What a great summer option

and it taste great too!

Beautiful!

The other day I came home to these beautiful

flowers left for me, on my birthday, from

Marsha and James. Aren't they gorgeous?

The bouquet has some of my favorite flowers.

I love Gerber Daisies! They have such bold

color: red, hot pink, yellow and orange.

The yellow lilly in this arrangement is

also incredible.

Thank you!!

Breaded Goat Cheese over Tomato

This is a recipe you absolutely must have!

I caught Michael Chiarello's show the other

day on Food Network. I sat with my mouth

open, possibly even drooling a little, as he made

Tomato Steak with Baked Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

I immediately added this dish to my list for the week.

I did not follow the recipe to the letter of the law but

everything still turned out wonderful!!!

Baked Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

This saladlooks best when the tomato slice

and the goat cheese slice are about the same size.

1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon water

1 egg

4 rounds fresh goat cheese, about 2 ounces each

4 thick, ripe beefsteak tomato slices

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the salad

2 cups lightly packed mixed tender fresh herb leaves

such as basil, chervil, tarragon,

Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chives (1-inch lengths),

Red wine vinegar

In a small, shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs

with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the water and work it in with your

fingers to moisten the crumbs lightly.

In another small, shallow bowl,

beat the egg just until blended.

Dip one flat surface of each goat cheese

round in the egg, and then in breadcrumbs,

patting the crumbs in place.

Repeat on the other flat surface.

Refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.

Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates.

Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet

over moderately high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil.

When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds,

one coated side down. Cook until lightly browned,

about 45 seconds, then turn and cook

on the second side until the cheese

just feels quivery, about 45 seconds longer

depending on the thickness of the rounds.

Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.

In a bowl, toss the herbs with a splash of

red wine vinegar, a light drizzle of olive oil,

and salt and pepper to taste.

Mound the herbs on top of the cheese,

dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.

This is a dish that I will be making frequently!!!

Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Sauce

I just came across this great new event

"Bookmarked Recipes" hosted

by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen Experiments .

It is such a good idea because we all have

those recipes that we have come across

online or in magazines that we have read

and thought I should make this sometime.

Well, now we can try those recipes out and

share them with fellow bloggers via this event.

My entry for this weeks "Bookmarked Recipes"

is Tilapia with Balsamic, Butter Glaze

By Epicurious

Ingredients:

Balsamic Butter Sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup ( 1 stick butter) cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Simmer vinegar and garlic in small saucepan

over medium heat until reduced to thick syrup,

about 5 minutes. Set aside.

**Cook fish**.

Rewarm balsamic syrup over medium-low heat.
Whisk in 1/2 cup butter 1 piece at a time.

Tilapia

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 4- to 5-ounce tilapia fillets

salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 large skillets over high heat.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.

Sauté fish until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

This is a very nice dish.

The balsamic, butter sauce is just right on the fish!!

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese & Peach Panini

You know that there are just some ingredients that

just work really well together!

The other day I spent hours, I know it is crazy,

but hours looking at the Williams-Sonoma website.

I found so many recipes that sounded fantastic but this

one went directly onto my list for the week.

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese & Peach Panini

by Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
1 firm-ripe peach, peeled if desired, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 slices sweet batard, each 1/2 inch thick
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. apricot preserves
2 Tbs. crumbled goat cheese (chèvre)
2 thin slices prosciutto

Directions:
Preheat an electric panini maker according to the

manufacturer's instructions.

Arrange the peach slices on the preheated panini

maker and cook until grill marks appear, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Brush one side of each bread slice with the butter.

Lay the slices, buttered side down, on a clean work surface.

Spread the top of one slice with the apricot preserves.

Sprinkle the cheese on the other slice and top with the

prosciutto and peach slices. Top with the other bread slice,

buttered side up. Place the sandwich on the panini maker

and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until

the bread is golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Now that is some sandwich!

Watermelon Sorbet

When I was litte there was an ice cream van

that used to drive through our neighborhood

but instead of selling the usual ice cream

choices they sold about 15 flavors of Italian Ice.

I remember the excitement that came after

hearing the music coming from the ice cream van.

The mad dash around the house began to

gather as many coins as possible before he passed

the house. If you were lucky you found enough

money, in time to catch the van and order

a small cup of Italain Ice.

That is what this Watermelon Sorbet reminded me

of as I ate it ~ ahh the good old days.

Watermelon Sorbet
5 pounds seedless watermelon,

cut into small chunks(6 cups)

1/4 cup sugar

Grated peel of 1 lime

Pinch salt

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1. Using a blender, puree the watermelon; you will need 4 cups watermelon puree.

2. In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup watermelon puree, the sugar

and lime peel to a simmer over medium-low heat,

stirring until the sugar dissolves; season with the salt.

3. Pour in the remaining 3 cups watermelon puree,

then whisk in the corn syrup until incorporated.

Once the puree has cooled completely,

pour the mixture into an ice cream maker

and let mix for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Then serve.

Complete Goodness!

Banana, Chocolate, Nut Crepes

I know you are probably thinking

ewwhhhh,

gross,

what is that and why would she put this

on her food blog?

But actually this is a picture of a delightful

little mixture of bananas, chocolate, almonds,

vanilla extract, milk and nutmeg.

And it is MMM, MMM ~ so good!

This banana, chocolate, nut mixture went into

the crepes I made this morning.

A little butter, warm syrup and

WOW!

Soy, Honey and Ginger Glazed Chicken Thighs

We have become a little spoiled here at our

house lately with all this time to cook good meals.

It has gotten to the point where we would rather

make dinners at home than go out to eat ~

except for a few of our favorite restaurants.

The Dinner Menu for tonight:

Soy, Honey, & Ginger Glazed Chicken

Roasted CherryTomatoes

Green Beans with a Honey Mustard Sauce

If making this Soy, Honey & Ginger Glaze

for chicken I believe is best on chicken thighs or chicken wings.

Here is the recipe:

2 tablespoons peanut or almond oil

3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup honey

1 tsp. ground ginger

pinch of ground red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

You can marinate the chicken for a hour or so in the

refrigerator if you have the time but I didn't tonight.

I decided to put the chicken in a greased, deep casserole

dish and pour the glaze on top. I cooked the chicken at

475 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

I started to cook the chicken covered and then for the

last 10 minutes I uncovered it to get that nice color.

After the chicken cooked, I took the left over sauce

and poured it into a pan and cooked it on high,

while continuously stirring it, until it thickened and

then poured a little more glaze over the chicken for serving.

And here you have it ~ a wonderful dinner!!

Asparagus Pesto

I am a huge fan of this skinny, little, green vegetable

~ Asparagus!

It is wonderful no matter how it is cooked:

roasted, sauteed, added to pasta, eggs or

even as a topping on pizza.

Tonight I made Asparagus Pesto

1 pound pasta of your choice

1 pound asparagus

1/4 cup of pine nuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds

2 medium garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2/3 cup)

Wash and cut the ends from asparagus.

Cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces.

Steam the asparagus stalks, covered, 4 minutes.

Transfer asparagus to ice water to stop cooking.

Drain asparagus well in a colander and pat dry.

In a food processor pulse nuts and garlic,

asparagus with salt until finely chopped.

And oil and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Transfer pesto to a bowl and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente.

Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water

Drain pasta in a colander.

Add pasta and reserved cooking water to pesto,

tossing to coat, and season with salt and pepper.

Fantastico!

I can't think of a better dish to submit to

Weekend Herb Blogging which is hosted

by Simona from Briciole .

Nantucket Island

We've been on a few exciting adventures

since my last entry in June.

15 years ago my husband and I were married

and honeymooned in Nantucket.

So, on our way to my brother's wedding in

Connecticut this past weekend we travelled

back to our honeymoon spot.

Here is a little information about the beautiful island of Nantucket.

If it is not on your list

of places you would like to go on vacation

you may want to consider adding because

it is absolutely beautiful.

The name Nantucket is derived from a Native American

word meaning "faraway island" or "land far out to sea.

Nantucket was populated with approximately 1,500

Native Americans of the Wampanoag Tribe when it was

discovered and charted in 1602 by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold.

The history of Nantucket's settlement by the English

begins in 1659, when Thomas Mayhew sold his interests

to the "nine original purchasers": Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy,

Christopher Hussey, Richard Swayne, Thomas Bernard,

Peter Coffin, Stephen Greenleafe, John Swayne, and

William Pike for, "thirty pounds...and two Beaver hats

one for myself and one for my wife."

During its whaling days, Nantucket was the third largest

city in Massachusetts, with a population of 10,000.

Only Boston and Salem were larger.
At its peak, there were 88 Nantucket whaling ships sailing

around the world. Nantucket Island was considered the

Whaling Capital of the World from 1800 to 1840.

The Great Fire of 1846 destroyed the wharves and much

of the business district. This fire, the dwindling demand for

whale oil, the silting-up of the harbor, and the discovery of gold

in California in 1849, all marked the end of the whaling-era
prosperity and the beginning of an economic depression
that lasted until tourism replaced whaling as Nantucket's economic base.

The Pacific Ocean is dotted with islands that have been

named for Nantucket families who made their fortunes

and brought their money back to Nantucket.

Nantucket has over 82 miles of pristine beaches,

about two miles of which belongs to the town.

The remaining beaches are owned by private non-profit

organizations and landowners, who graciously open them to the public.

Nantucket Island is located 30 miles at sea from

Hyannis on the southern coast of Cape Cod.

The island is 3 1/2 miles north to south and 14 miles east to west.

The population of Nantucket Island is approximately 12,000

year-round and 55,000+ during the summer season.

Here are some of the photos we took in Nantucket.

Hopefully they show the beauty of the island.

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of the food

but we did have wonderful meals.

We ate at De Marco for a fabulous Italian dinner

were I had the dish they are known for :

Boscaiola "Badly Cut" fresh pasta, wild mushrooms,

prosciutto, tomato, sage in a cream sauce which was

absolutely wonderful.

Another great dinner was at Cinco a tapas restaurant

where we had delightful litte plates like:

local squash blossom :chevre & herb stuffing,

caramelized vidalia onions and white truffle honey

and
pan rosted sea scallops : celeriac puree,

toasted hazelnuts, pepprtcress and apple cider brown butter

Everything at Cinco was wonderful!

Tiger Lillies

Hyannis Ocean Port Dock Area

View from Ferry when leaving Nantucket.