Fresh Salsa....

It's that time of year, the gardens are starting to produce and soon I will have more veggies then I will know what to do with! I did not plant as many tomato plants as I usually do, leaving more room for the Cucumbers, Cantelope and Watermelon I was hoping to have an ample harvest of... alas that is not to be! Some critter has decided to eat one whole side of my garden which included those fruits and veggies as well as my carrots, beats and radishes.... SIGH.
So I think I will get more tomato plants, as now it the time when the stores are starting to discount those plants which no one has yet has opted to give a home...

Fresh Salsa is one of my favorite things to make with summer tomatoes. That and a nice Caprice Salad.... YUM. I created 3 base Salsa recipes in which you can switch in and out the "extras"

Base Fresh Salsa Recipe

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 c diced tomato

1/4 c diced onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Fresh Recipe #1 - Fruit Salsa

Add to the mixture above

2/3 c diced fruit my favorites are pineapple, nectarines or peaches

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Fresh Recipe #2 - Pepper Salsa

Add to the mixture above
1 c diced red, orange and or yellow peppers
3 good shakes of Habenaro Sauce

Fresh Recipe #3 - Bean Salsa
Add to the mixture above
1 8 oz can beans - Ranchero style beans, black beans, kidney beans
Use a masher to smash the beans to make it more dip like.

Now you can of course change the spice of the salsas by increasing or decreasing the cayenne or habenero sauce. Also you can add about 1/2 c chopped cilantro to any and all above. Not everyone is a cilantro fan like I am so I did not include it in the recipes I made this past weekend, and they received rave reviews.

Note: In my photo above, I also have guacamole (that will be another post), but if you keep the pit in the guacamole when serving it is less likely to turn that gross shade of brown. Usually lime or lemon juice is used to do this same task, but I did not use either for the guacamole above, and look how lovely green it is!

Tomato Tart....

An Impromptu party is one thing which inspires me to try out new inventions. We were getting ready to host such this evening, so while looking at what was already in my cupboards I remembered a recipe I saw while traveling and opted to attempt to recreate it with what was in my house....

Tomato Tart
12-14 sheets Phylo Dough
6 oz spreadable Cheese
1 bunch Basil chopped
3 ripe Tomatoes thinly sliced
3 oz shredded Parmesan
Olive Oil to drizzle
Dash of Salt & Pepper on top

Layer the phylo dough with cheese - 2 sheets, cover with cheese, 2 sheets, cheese  repeat....
Spread a thin layer of cheese over the top sheet
Cover with thinly sliced tomatoes, chopped basil and Parmesan
Drizzle with olive oil salt and pepper and bake at 425 for 15 min
Slice when cooled and serve

Spreadable Cheese - Vermont Cheddar Cheese Spread, Laughing Cow Cheese, Goat Cheese, etc.
You can also trade out the phylo dough for puffed pastry - just fork the pastry, spread the cheese on top and away you go.....

I used the spreadable Vermont cheddar for this evening's recipe.

So how did this recipe which I just created, made and am attempting to try out on my friends at this evenings impromptu get together? What where the reviews? I hope they will comment on this post.... as they are about to arrive...Wish me luck!

Fruit Crisp....

In the summer there is nothing like picking your own locally grown fruits. I take my children, and often their friends to help pick, as you can NEVER have enough hands.  We will of course munch along the way, and end up with full belly's and stained fingers from all of our labors.
One of our favorite things to make with those freshly gotten goodies is a Fruit Crisp...

Fruit Crisp

5 cups Fruit (bite sized - chop if needed)

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 stick softened Butter

3 Tbs Cinnamon

1 tsp Allspice

1 cup Quick Oats

Mix the fruit and sugar and add to a 2 liter baking dish
Mix the remaining ingredients, making sure the butter is well incorporated into the flour and oats.
Place on top of the fruit and bake at 350 for 45 min.
Eat warm either alone or over ice cream. I love to have this in the morning when cooled with Yogurt.

Fruits to be used:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Peaches
Rhubarb
Cherry's
Apples
Raspberries
Blackberries

Feel free to combine fruits as well, just be sure to end with about 5 cups of fruit.

Leftover fruits or those which may begin to turn prior to them being eaten can be frozen and again used in this recipe during the winter months.  When freezing fruits (cut into but sized pieces when needed) and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once solid, then place into Ziploc Baggies. This will help to keep the shape of the fruit.

Come on Blueberry season.....

Ratatouille...

Not only is an adorable children's movie, but it is a delicious dish my family has grown to love. I think that this dish is perfect to be made at the end of the summer, when all the ingredients are readily available from the stores, farmers markets or even your own garden.

I plan on making this for dinner Thursday night, as I saw on Pinterest a recipe where they served it as a sauce over fried polenta and I had to give it a try! YUM.

My Ratatouille Recipe
3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 med Fennel Bulb - defronded and sliced
1 med Onion - chopped
2 Celery stalks - chopped
3 Carrots - pealed and chopped
1 med Yellow Pepper - chopped
1 large Zucchini - chopped
1 med Yellow Squash - chopped
1 med Eggplant - chopped and soaked in salt water for 10 min then drained.
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste

Saute the 1st 5 ingredients over med high heat, when onion is soft, add the next 4. Saute till pepper is soft. Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 10 min.

For tomorrow night I will make this recipe and then spoon it over Polenta medallions which have been pan fried in butter for 2 min on each side and top with some grated parmigiana. I will also be serving some good crusty bread to help soak up all those awesome juices... Now just to wait until Thursday...and to decide what wine to serve...