Three of Many Reasons Why I Love Summer

1) Fresh veggies

2) Fresh fruits and

3) Cooking with fresh vegetables/fruit like this yummy recipe:

Summer Vegetable Skillet

2 or 3 ears corn, removed from cob

1 tomato, chopped

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

Fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 or 3 zucchini squash, chopped 

Parmesan cheese

1. Mix together corn, tomato, basil and Italian seasoning. Set aside. 

2. Sauté the onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic until tender.

3. Add the zucchini and cook until tender.

4. Add the corn mixture and cook until done.

5. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy...

Interest in Pinterest

Like so many others on the Internet, I have a huge interest in pinning on Pinterest. Now that I am on summer break, I am trying some of the many recipes pinned on my "recipe" board. Must say that the first one I tried is definitely a winner especially with the cherry tomatoes ready for picking.

A little olive oil, slice onions, cherry tomatoes and sugar

gives you a wonderful topping for buttermilk chicken.

Buttermilk Chicken with Sweet Tomato Relish (adapted from Your Homebased Mom)

Buttermilk Chicken
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2 inch thick
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil 
 
1. Pound chicken breasts until about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Marinade in buttermilk for 1 hour.
3. Combine flour, salt and pepper into a shallow dish.
4. Remove chicken from buttermilk and dip into flour, turning to coat both sides.
5. Heat oil in large pan and add chicken.
6. Cook chicken on both sides until cooked through.
7. Top and serve with sweet tomato relish.
 

 
Sweet Tomato Relish
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced 
2 tablespoons brown sugar 
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1. Heat olive oil in pan.
2. Add sliced onion and cherry tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes.
3. Add in sugar and Italian seasoning. Stir and simmer until thickened.

Enjoy...

Summer Tomatoes

Recently NPR posted a news article based on the book Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook. The article peaked my interest because I have always dreaded tomato purchasing during the winter. Ugh! Grocery store tomatoes are NOTHING like a homegrown summer tomato. The taste, the texture, the appearance of winter tomatoes are not the same fruit/vegetable as what is picked during the summer months. 

 

 

So during the summer months I try to take advantage of the summer harvest by canning, (wonderful to use in vegetable soups and sauces)

 baking pies and tarts,

 sauteing, and roasting,

Below are two of my favorite ways to use summer tomatoes.

Tomato Tart with Basil Garlic Crust

Crust:

1/3 cup fresh basil
1 garlic clove
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice cold water

Place basil and garlic in food processor. Process, scraping sides as needed until finely chopped. Add flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Add butter and process until crumbly. Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time. Pulse a couple of times each time. After 4 tablespoons, process a few seconds. If it forms a ball do not add any more water. Flatten to a disk and chill for one hour.

Tart:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large tomatoes, slices
1 tablespoon olive oil 
salt and pepper

Roll out crust and place in a tart pan. Add cheeses and top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake 375⁰ until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

4 cups grape tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium bowl add the grape tomatoes and 3 garlic cloves. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper. In a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish, place the tomatoes and garlic cloves, ensuring they are in just 1 layer. In a 350 ⁰ oven, roast for 20 minutes, and then stir. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot water, if too dry in appearance. Return to the oven and cook for 20 to 30 more minutes. When ready, the tomatoes will have begun to shrivel and the liquid in the dish should have thickened. Serve hot from oven.

Enjoy...