Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

 

I know it's rude to brag, but oh my god.... this is one of the best recipes I've made so far.   I've adapted this recipe from one I saw in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food and Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals on Food Network.  I had to think of something to do with all my cherry tomatoes, and I didn't want to make another tomato mozzarella salad.  If you have more cherry tomatoes than you know what to do with, this is definitely the recipe for you! The only thing I would change the next time is that I'd add more garlic! This is a MUST TRY!

TOMATOES:

1 lb cherry or grape sized tomatoes

1/2 Cup olive oil 

1-2 bulbs of garlic- separate the individual cloves from their skins

2-3 Sprigs rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Add the tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic cloves into a oven safe dish. 

2.  pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil over the mixture and toss gently, making sure everything is coated evenly.  sprinkle the salt and pepper over the tomatoes and toss again. You want about a 1/4 of an inch of olive oil in the pan.  

3.  Bake the tomatoes in the oven for 45-50 minutes.  This can be served hot or room temperature.  

BREAD:

1 baguette 

2 Tbs. Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Slice the baguette of your choice on an angle and lay evenly on a cookie sheet.  drizzle the olive oil over the bread slices evenly and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add into the oven under the broil setting.  

*** KEEP AN EYE ON THE BREAD! The broil setting on the oven is VERY hot and will toast your bread within minutes.  Set a timer if you must, because they will burn easily and quickly!

I made this dish as a side for dinner, but I could have easily eaten it for a meal.  Also, use whatever herbs you like the best.  I happen to have rosemary in my garden, and wanted to use it at least once this summer! I also served this with goat cheese to add a little bit more flavor.  The goat cheese added a wonderful creaminess and saltiness to the dish and again, use any type of soft cheese you prefer.  Another suggestion, make extra! This will only taste better the next day when all the flavors meld together.

Homemade Turkey Chili

We had some birthday celebrations this week at work, so I decided to whip up an easy chili that anyone could make.  I personally believe that everything tastes better with an egg on it.  I decided to try out a fried egg on top of our chili and it was absolutely delicious! I topped my chili off with avocado, onion, and cheese, but you could use any toppings you like.  I promise you'll try this chili one time, and you'll wanna make it all year round!


INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lbs. ground turkey
1 sweet onion diced
3-4 cloves garlic diced
Red bell pepper diced            (These were on sale, you can use
Yellow bell pepper diced      any bell pepper you have on hand)
2 fresh jalapenos
Splash white wine (Anything you've got will work!)
1 Can red beans
1 Can black beans
1 Can chili beans
1 Can crushed tomatoes
1 small can green chilies
3-4 Tbs. Chili powder (add one at a time, tasting after each one and add more as you like)
1 Tbs. Onion powder
1 Tbs. Garlic powder
pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Begin by browning the turkey in a large pot on medium-high heat. .  Add in the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent.  De glaze the pot with a splash of white wine, and continue cooking the turkey and onions until the white wine is cooked completely out.

2.  Once the onion is finished cooking, add in the diced bell peppers and continue cooking until the peppers are softened. 

3.  Add in the beans, tomatoes, diced jalapenos, and green chilies. At this point, you will also want to add in the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat down and allow the chili to simmer for at least an hour.  

You can serve it that day, or heat it up for another time.  Another great idea is to freeze it in single servings and defrost as necessary.  Just top it off with whatever toppings you like, including fried eggs, and enjoy!!!

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Lavender Glaze

Growing up, my mother always had these mints in her purse that I would secretly steal.  They were violet mints and something about them was soooooo addicting. I remember going on vacation to Hawaii my freshman year of high school, and while we were there we found a convenience store that carried them.  My mom and dad bought a whole case! I'm pretty sure we finished about 3-4 packs that day!  I got the idea for this glaze from those memories.  The lavender gives a subtle hint of flavor to the glaze without overpowering it.

The cookie recipe if from Rachel Ray's Magazine and the cookies are fantastic.  You could adapt these cookies with any citrus fruit and they would be delicious.

Lemon Cookies:
1 stick butter (the recipe says chilled but mine was softened)

1 1/4 cups sugar
Grated peel of 2 lemons, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside. Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, 1 cup sugar, the lemon peel and juice until fluffy. Mix in the egg. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and combine.

2. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheets to racks to cool completely.

Lemon Lavender Glaze:

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 Tbs Lemon juice

2-3 Tbs Milk

8-10 Sprigs Lavender - dried & buds removed

Combine all ingredients and stir.  If the glaze is too thick add more milk until you get the consistency you want. I used Lavender from my mom's garden and dried them in my kitchen.  You can also purchase dried lavender buds from craft stores like Joannes or Michael's.   I would recommend buying lavender buds that are either purchased or from your own garden to ensure that no pesticides were used on them. 

The Beginning

This is now my second blog.  The first one kind of just, fizzled away.  I recently have begun cooking and baking and I'm amazed at how much I love it! I spend many hours searching for my next idea on the web, and I am beyond thankful for all of those food blogs out there.  I've gotten some of my best ideas from them!

I'm the kind of person who wont even consider a recipe unless there is a picture available to show me how it should look once I finish.  For that reason, all will include pictures of my final product.  I've always loved cooking, but never ventured outside of the usual salad and chicken until recently.  Some of these will be epic failures and others hopefully successes! Please enjoy as much as I do!