FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

I am like a proud mommy all over again. After 3 months of daily watering, weeding and watching I finally birthed my first tomato harvest! Granted, only one of the two plants that I started off with survived (hail storm in July…) but still, I am happy! The tomatoes are big beefy “mortgage lifter” heirloom tomatoes. Supposedly they got that name when the man who first bred them used the profits to pay off his mortgage…I have a looooong way to go until my gardening is that profitable ;-).

For now I am enjoying the fruits of the harvest, literally. The mortgage lifters are sweet and earthy tasting. Supposedly they are good cooking/roasting tomatoes. Since I had about 10 in my first harvest I decided to eat a few and cook a few so nothing would go to waste.

I made a fresh tomato sauce that is easy to freeze and take out as an alternative to canned sauces. It is a good recipe to make on a Sunday or a day that you don’t have to rush out of the house, as it takes a few hours to simmer. Here’s the scoop:

Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

Makes about 3-4 cups

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time 2-3 hours

You will need:

5-6 large tomatoes , chopped (I used my heirloom tomatoes but any beefy variety will be fine, could also use double the amount of Roma tomatoes as they are much smaller)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped (*optional…could substitute a number of different vegetables such as green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms, etc)

¼ cup olive oil

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 large handful of fresh basil, stems removed

 

Directions:

Chop all ingredients, set aside.

In large and deep saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent (~2 minutes). Add zucchini and garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt. Bring ingredients to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring every so often. 

After about an hour, add brown sugar and basil (mixture will be more sauce like now as the tomatoes will have cooked down and formed a liquid). Cover and simmer another 1 hour.

 

 

Remove

from heat and let cool for ½ hour. Place sauce in Tupperware and put in freezer.

 

 

May also use right away with pasta. You could add ground turkey or beef to make a classic meat sauce or pour it over roasted/pan seared chicken as an alternative or eat simply with noodles and parmesan cheese.

That's amore!

 

 

 

I’m baaaack! It has been a BUSY few weeks here in Minnesota. “Wedding Season” is in full swing as well as vacation season, road construction season and now back to school season!  I was hit by wedding bells (no, not literally) two weekends in a row and one of the weddings I had the honor of being a bridesmaid! Very fun but very busy. We did a lot of quick meals and even resorted to take-out despite my meal planning expertise (ugh, the pressure got to me, I had to give in!). Hey, we’re only human.

Now that this first wave of weddings are past us I can catch my breath and do some cooking before the next wave (3 weddings in September…) hits! After such a busy few weeks and a cold spurt here in Minnesota, I was craving a not-so-healthy-but-sorta-healthy comfort food: Fresh Artichoke and Spinach Dip. Yum.  I had a ton of spinach leftover from one of the many wedding gatherings and instantly thought of my favorite dip. Usually, people use frozen spinach but fresh spinach is excellent to use in this recipe if it’s available. The spinach cooks down quite a bit, so you’ll need a good amount. The not-so-healthy part of this recipe will definitely be the sour cream and mayonnaise. There are no great substitutions that taste the same. Low fat versions of either work fine but please don’t use ‘fat free.’  Fat free tends to use more sugar and non-food ingredients to make it ‘taste’ like fat. Instead, control the amount you consume instead of trying to trick your body (trust me, your body will find out and it won’t be happy..). Ok, here’s the recipe:

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Serves 8 (as an appetizer)

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

You will need:

1 (16oz) large container of fresh spinach, chopped

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cans water chestnuts, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

½ lemon, squeezed

8 oz shredded parmesan or Italian cheese blend

Dash of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Chop spinach, water chestnuts, artichoke and onion and place in large bowl. Add sour cream, mayo and lemon juice and mix well (I used tongs). Make sure all of the spinach is coated. Add seasonings and mix again. Place in a small (9x9) baking pan or glass casserole dish. Cover the top with the shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn oven up to 425 and bake uncovered for  an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

 

 

Over the weekend I hosted my sister’s “Vintage Circus” themed baby shower. She is having a little boy (Leonardo or “Leo”) at the end of September!  A vintage circus was the perfect theme for a baby named Leo (the Lion!).  Again, the theme guided the party planning but I did not go overboard. I found some vintage clowns at a thrift store; a toy carousal that I spray painted and I used popcorn holders as a vase for flowers. I also set up a tent outside and decorated with draping fabric and ribbons. I spent about $50 on all of the decorations…not bad!  Instead of getting to carnival-y on the food I went for fresh and summery. I also didn’t do anything too heavy because my Aunt Lin made beautiful and decadent circus cupcakes for desert!

Here was the menu:

Caprese Salad and baguette

Fresh Spinach Dip and veggies

Torta di Riso (My grandmother’s Italian recipe)

Fresh Fruit

Pesto Green Beans**

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

 

The menu was the hit of the party. The combination went well together and left people satisfied but not overly full. I will share the pesto green beans recipe. This was a hit and I used the pesto that I made last week and picked up green beans at the farmer’s market the day before.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while I was making this dish, but it is very simple so I think just following the recipe you will do just fine!

Pest Green Beans:

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 2 minutes

You will need:

2 lb green beans, stemmed

1/2 recipe Presto Pesto

1 cup fresh parmesean cheese, grated

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Remove stem tops from green beans. "Blanch" green beans in the boiling water (leave beans in water no more than 2 minutes or until they turn a bright green- you want them crispy and NOT cooked or mushy).  Drain beans. Return beans back to pot.  Add pesto and parmesean cheese and mix well (I used tongs to do this). Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle walnuts over the top as garnish. Refridgerate until ready to serve (could be eaten warm too but works very well as a cold salad).

Enjoy!

(I'll leave you with a picture of the cupcakes, so cute!!)

 

 

 

 

Tomatoes- tis the season.  Its hard to believe that the lush red tasty tomatoes we are seeing at the market now have any resemblance to the ones we see in the winter.  So take time to enjoy them any way you can.   Regular, hierloom, cherry or grape- they're all tasty.  For example try a Caprese salad -we can show you how.   Or how about bruschetta with fresh tomato topping as an appetizer for your next outdoor barbecue.  (You can use that basil you have growing in your herb pot too.) 
                                           

Bruschetta with Tomato-Basil Topping

(About 4 servings)

Grilled toast rounds

16 slices French bread (or about 8 slices Italian bread)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove

Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and place on medium hot grill; grill until lightly brown; turn and grill other side.  Remove from grill and rub one side of toasts with garlic.  Serve with Tomato- Basil Relish (below).

Tomato-Basil Topping

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Salt

Pepper

Mix tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste Cover and let stand about 30 minutes. Garnish with basil springs and serve.

If you have been buying those fresh packaged herbs at the grocery store, a great way to save a lot of money—grow your own. 

 

If you have a foot of deck space you can have an herb garden- well, at least pot or two.  We’ve planted some basics like basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, mint and chives.  There are many other types of herbs so, if you are feeling creative, experiment with some others.  You’ll just have to keep an eye on them and water occasionally if it hasn’t rained.  Just clip what you need and viola… fresh herbs for cheap!  

 

Fresh herbs make everything taste so much better.  Add a sprig of mint to your iced tea or lemonade, or to mixed fresh berries and melon.  Basil and tomatoes are a must.  For example, use your fresh grown basil on our easy Caprese Salad- with local tomatoes from the farmer’s market. Or add the basil to your favorite pasta dish.  Grilled chicken with rosemary and or thyme adds a whole new dimension to the same old chicken breast. 

Enjoy!