Always time for Tomatoes

I love tomatoes, I especially love people who grow tomatoes in their garden and bring them to work to share!!

Thank you!!

I took some yellow tomatoes home from work the other day and made

tomato, mozeralla cheese and basil salad. It was FANTASTIC!!

Tomato, Mozarella and Basil Salad

Slice 3-4 tomatoes of your choice

Slice fresh Mozarella Cheese

Chop Basil

Arrange the tomato and cheese on a plate or platter

Sprinkle with olive oil and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar

Add a little salt and pepper

Then top with fresh basil

Getting Ready for the Week

In preparation for the busy week it seemed like a good idea to pre -make some meals that can be taken out of the freezer and popped into the oven for dinner. One of the easiest ones for me, being the Italian girl that I am, is Lasagna.

Lasagna

1 pk lasagna noodles cooked

For the filling:

2 eggs, beaten
1 pint ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Fresh Parsley chopped
(mix together all ingredients listed above for filling)

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

pasta sauce of your choice ( I make my own)

To Layer:

Put a little sauce on the bottom of the 9x13 inch baking dish you will be using

Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom

First, cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture

Then add 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese

and 1/3 of the sauce.

Repeat.

Top the lasagna with remaining noodles and sauce.

Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.

Lasagna is my comfort food. I love coming home after a long day and sitting down to

a home-made lasagna dinner.

TOO Hot to Eat

The past several days it has been so hot that I have not really been in the mood to eat or cook anything for that matter.

With the temperature at 97 -100 degrees it just doesn't feel right to turn on the oven. Yesterday I decided to go back to a recipe I remember people bringing to "shared supper" at church when I was a kid.

Now, I didn't particulary care for it as a kid but as an adult I do enjoy it!

Nine Layer Salad

You layer each ingredient in a glass salad bowl

Chopped lettuce (any kind)

Ham ( cut in to small pieces)

1 whole, chopped red onion

Cheese ( I used cheddar but you can choose)

Sweet Peas ( cooked and drained)

Tomato ( 3-4 choppped )

Bacon ( 6-8 slices cooked and crumbled)

Egg Whites from boiled eggs, chopped

Sunflower Seeds

Topped with:

Dressing of your choice but normally served with Blue Cheese or Ranch

I forgot the photo while it was in the glass bowl so you can see all the layers but here it is in the salad dish. This salad is so full of flavor and such a great meal on a hot summer day!!

Fried Ravioli

I had a brilliant idea tonight for dinner. I decided to take the Pumpkin, Sage Ravioli I bought at the market and DEEP FRY it !

Then I made a Cream Sauce for the top.

The sauce was:

sauteed 1/2 white onion in butter until very tender

heavy cream 1 cup

1/2 cup sweet white wine

nutmeg

1 tbsp. honey

pepper

I topped the dish with toasted, chopped hazelnuts.

This was EXCELLENT!!

That is why I am submitting this to Ruth for her Presto Pasta Nights.

How to cook with Bok Choy

Many say that Bok Choy's popularity comes from its light, sweet flavor, crisp texture and nutritional value. It is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium.

I don't cook with it frequently but I made it as a side dish tonight and I think it turned out very nice. My husband and I think it the flavor is similar to asparagus.

I sautéed the bok choy in a little vegetable oil and garlic. I did not cook it too long because I don't like soggy vegetables. After sautéing it for about 5 -7 minutes I seasoned it with a little fresh pepper and parmesan cheese.

A Favorite

Tonight I resorted to a recent favorite. I actually have heard from several friends that they tried this recipe and found it to be quite delish!


Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey (I added a little more honey)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
Melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.
Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon skin side down on the grill.

Sorry for the repeat recipe but is was so good that I had to make it again!

Sometimes it's just nice to have a salad

I was really in the mood for a good salad this weekend. I don't know why.

So I decided to make a Greek Salad.

I added Romaine Lettuce, tomato, black olives, pepperchinos, feta cheese and green peppers. I also like to add red onion and cucumber to my Greek Salad.



The dressing was 1/4 cup oil, 3- 4 tbsp. red wine vinegar, chopped parsley, oregano, pepper, and romano cheese.