Apple Crisp for Two

I have not mastered cooking for one.  Like, as of yesterday, my kitchen/refrigerator were so full of leftovers, it looked like I live with a family of 6.  I had soup (recipe on its way), bread bowls, chili mac, two different desserts... I like leftovers, but even I don't want to eat quinoa and black bean chili for 8 meals in a row.

This is why recipes that are automatically diminutive are appealing to me, particularly desserts.  I am not a dessert person.  If I am baking, I am doing it for one of two reasons.  First, I might be baking because I am stressed.  You know this about me: I am a stress baker.  It's probably a good thing that I don't like sweets, or I could be very fat.  Second, I might be baking for someone.  When I lived at home, my mom was always requesting baked goods, and I like to bake for other people.  But here by myself, I don't often get people requesting desserts.

Then, there's Jesse.  He loves apple anything - pie, crisp, whatever.  I made him a pie for his birthday, but may or may not have burned the crust (rookie mistake!  I made a lattice crust and didn't adjust cooking time.  Ugh. Don't worry, he still ate almost the whole thing - except for much of the crust, which he snuck into the trash).  So after that embarrassment, it was time to try apple crisp (you literally can't mess that up).  Except I only had 2 apples left.  Enter apple crisp for two!  You only need one apple!  And since I am not a dessert eater, a smaller yield was perfect.

This recipe makes either one small or two mini apple crisps (perfect for my little Le Creuset mini bakers) that you can totally have in the oven 10 minutes from now (drop the computer, now!).  They're so quick and easy, the most time consuming part is peeling the apples.  Plus the end result is great: it's a little apple crisp that you can acceptably eat in one sitting.  Top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream -  you sort of have to.

In under an hour, you could be sitting eating a little apple crisp with someone who's always there for you.  Is there a better way to say thank you than to hand someone a mini apple crisp?  I hope not.  For now, that'll do.

Recipe:

apple crisp for two
from Taste of Home
serves 2

Ingredients:
1 large tart apple, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons butter, melted
dash ground cinnamon
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Place apples in an ungreased 2-cup baking dish, or in 2 separate 1-cup baking dishes.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.

3) Combine the brown sugar, oats, butter and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apples.

4)  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer, or until apples are tender.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Eggplant Ravioli Soup

Last month, I was the lucky recipient of four eggplants from friends at work.  I had no plans for them, but when someone offers me eggplants from their gardens, I do not know how to say no.  So I took them all in and then started scouring my Pinterest boards for eggplant recipes, and I decided on this eggplant ravioli soup.  It was just starting to get cold, and a nice hot soup full off eggplant and ravioli sounded like sheer perfection.  And, it was.

This soup is very quick and easy.  There are only 3 steps, and one of of them is to stir in the ravioli and cook for a few minutes.  It is a perfect weeknight dinner.  The recipe actually calls for raviolini, which are mini raviolis, which I couldn't find.  The big ones worked just fine.

This soup was really good.  I ate it for days and it made great lunches.  I even brought some for work friends because it makes a huge pot.  Simple, warming and delicious.  Throw in some grated carrot or diced celery if you want it to be a little heartier - just promise me you won't add any meat.  Unnecessary!

Recipe:

eggplant ravioli soup
adapted from Wine and Glue
serves 8

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium eggplant, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
32 ounces vegetable stock
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound raviolini or ravioli (tortellini can be substituted already)

Instructions:

1) Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the eggplant and garlic, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the eggplant gets soft, about 5 minutes.

2)  Add the stock, tomatoes, and basil, and bring to a boil.

3) Stir in the ravioli and cook about 3 to 4 minutes until just done.

Egg Muffins, or Crustless Mini Quiches

Okay I know I am literally the last person on the planet, besides maybe natives living in the Amazon rainforest, to make and talk about these.  You've seen them.  You've heard them called egg muffins, crustless quiches, whatever.  Either way, I know you've seen them before!  They are all over Pinterest (even I have pinned them), and if you're as lucky as I am, and 59% of your Facebook friends are Beach Body coaches, then you've probably seen them there too (no offense, LG, especially since you haven't posted about these yet so I guess I beat you and the Amazonian natives to the egg muffin party). 

Regardless, I am not sure why it took me so long to make these, because they are awesome.  You can quickly whip up a batch on a Sunday morning, and then you have breakfast all week long.  They're super versatile: you can add whatever you want to them.  I happened to have mushrooms and peppers left over from pizza night with my friends, so those were added to this batch.  I have since made a batch with chopped rosemary and cheddar cheese.  I am totally excited to try out a spinach and feta version.  Carnivores, go crazy and add sausage, chopped ham, bacon, whatever meat works for you.  Basically add veggies, meat, and/or cheese, and you can customize your little quiches easily.  You can go vegetarian, or carnivorian, or dairy-free, or gluten-free... you name it.

You can also change up the way you eat them.  I liked to smush mine in between two toasted english muffin halves.  I also ate a few plain (they are super portable and good to pack for work).  But, like the recipe itself, the way you eat these is full of options.

So I may be late to the party, but I am making up for lost time.  I love having a breakfast ready for me all week long, since mornings are not my strong suit, but I love breakfast.  They're quick and easy to make, and even quicker to grab and take with you!

Recipe:

egg muffins, or crustless quiches

from everywhere on the planet (but specifically, from Michelle Smith Dr. Secrets)

males 9 egg muffins

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk

seasoning of your choice (I used Italian seasoning once, fresh rosemary another time)

mix-ins such as vegetables, meat or cheese (1 - 2 cups worth, depending on how much stuff you like in your muffins)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

2) Add eggs, milk and seasoning into bowl and whisk.  Pour egg mix into muffin pan until cups are 3/4 full.

3) Add desired mix-ins. Stir each cup with a spoon to incorporate mix-ins.

4) Bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate pans 180 degrees, then bake for 10 more minutes.  Quiches will have puffed up, but they will shrink back down.  Immediately remove quiches from pan using a spoon.  

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Bundt Cake

My friends and I have started the best thing ever.  We call them BYOI Nights - Bring Your Own Ingredients.  If you follow the blog, you know that's a rule I instituted when I was living with my family still.  If they chose a recipe and went grocery shopping for the ingredients, I would cook it for them.  Meat and all.  I still feel like this is a great deal, but frankly the offer was rarely taken.  I think Nick was the most common BYOI-er, followed by Kenzie and my mom.  Rachael complained about it bitterly.

But, my friends decided we would do a BYOI dinner once a month here at my house.  Everyone pitches in to bring the ingredients (and the wine), and then we gather here, I cook, we eat, and it's awesome.  We have done one in September and one in October, and we already have our November date booked.  I seriously love my friends and I look forward to our BYOI nights like crazy!

In the September night, we made pizzas.  I made dough and Katie and Caitlin brought toppings. I also made this cake for dessert.  Dani was sick and unable to make it, so we were free to spread gluten around the kitchen in dangerous clouds.  I had planned on gluten-free delicacies, but they would have to wait for October's dinner!  Wait for the brownies :)

Now, this cake went over great; my friends ate it and loved it; they both happily took some home, and I sent the rest to my mom's (you know me - I'm not a cake person).

But with that said, I will be honest: I cannot for the life of me find the recipe that I used.  I spent two days searching for the exact one, and this is as sure as I can be.  I did not have a streusel topping, and I didn't use a glaze although it's possible that I just don't make one even if it was called for.  I am at least 55% sure that this is the right recipe.  Either way, it looks very similar, so if you're craving a bundt cake with a cinnamon filling, here you go :)

Recipe:

cinnamon streusel coffee bundt cake
from Baked by Rachel 

Ingredients:
for topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
for filling:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
for cake:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons sour crea,
1 cup all-purpose flour
for icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and 8-inch bundt pan.

2) In a medium bowl, combine topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly.  Break up and large pieces.  Set aside.

3) In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients.  Set aside.

4)In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Mix in egg and vanilla until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients, mixing until combined.  Finally add sour cream, mixing until all ingredients are incorporated and no streaks remain.  Scrape bowl as needed.

5) Scatter topping ingredients into the bottom of the bundt pan.  Carefully spread out half of the batter over the streusel topping.  Sprinkle with brown sugar filling and top with remaining batter.

6) Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until dark and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7) Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

8) In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk.  Drizzle over cooled cake.  Slide with a sharp knife and serve.  Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Thai Chickpea and Veggie Pizza

Bear with me for a second.  I know that when I say "pizza," you picture tomato sauce and cheese.  At least that's what I was told when I whipped up this Thai chickpea and veggie pizza, which has no trace of either cheese or tomato.  But this pizza was so delicious, so healthy, so addictive, that even Nick ate a few pieces, and I was so excited to have leftovers.  This pizza will definitely be a make-again.  Let's break down why.

First of all, the sauce.  The tomato sauce is replaced by peanut sauce in this recipe, and the peanut sauce isn't just your average one, either.  It's low fat and low calorie, but it certainly doesn't taste that way.  Secret ingredient: pureed white beans.  They make it thick and creamy without needing to add lots of peanut butter, plus they add protein.  And it tastes amazing, with lots of fun things like lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, and peanut butter of course.  This sauce recipe makes a bunch of it so you can make all the chickpea pizzas you want.  Or dip pretzels in it.  Or serve it on veggie burgers.  I did all of the above, quite happily.

Second, the vegetables!  I know that chickpeas, carrots, zucchini, red pepper and scallions may not be the most common pizza toppings, but when said pizza is smothered with peanut sauce, all bets are off.  The cool thing is that you roast these veggies real quick before you put them on the pizza.  That ensures that they are the perfect consistency - not too mushy and not too hard.  It also brings out some of the natural sweetness (is anything better than roasted carrots?!).  Make sure you cut them into matchsticks to make sure they cook at the same time; I used a mandoline and was done so quickly.  I love mandolines.

Please promise me you will try this pizza!  Shake up pizza night a little bit!  I swear to you, it will be better than you are expecting.

Dietary note - this pizza would be super easy to make gluten-free.  Just use your favorite GF crust and swap out the soy sauce in the peanut sauce for tamari.  Good to go!  Vegetarian and gluten-free!

Recipe:

Thai chickpea and veggie pizza
from Veggies Don't Bite

Ingredients:
for pizza:
1 pound pizza dough
1/2 can chickpeas
1/2 cup carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup zucchini, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 cup red peppers, sliced into matchsticks
2 green onions, sliced
for light and creamy peanut sauce:
1 cup cooked white beans
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
5 medium cloves garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup water

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  While it heats, make peanut sauce by combining all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  You will get about 1 cup and will not use all of it in this recipe; refrigerate the leftovers.  You can also serve it as a dipping sauce for the pizza!

2) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place carrots, red peppers, zucchini and chickpeas on cookie sheet.  Roast for 5 - 10 minutes until they are softened a bit.

3) Build pizza by generously coating the crust with peanut sauce.  Add chickpeas and gently press down to keep them in place.  Add the carrots, zucchini, and red peppers.  Sprinkle with sliced onions.

4) Bake according to pizza crust directions, or until your chickpeas get crispy on the outside.  I bake mine at 500 degrees for 5 - 10 minutes.

Sesame Kale Glow Bowl

It's ironic, really, that just when I felt my life was going to be at its most empty point, I feel like it's busier than ever.  Two thumbs up to that.  Busy is good.  I'm tired, but I'm having a good time too.

When you're this busy, one thing that can sometimes fall by the wayside is eating well.  I confess to eating at McDonald's the night they started serving breakfast all day (no McGriddles though- what a rip off!), and to forcing Kenzie and Nick into taking me to Boston Market for my usual order of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and stuffing (that's correct, you don't see a single green vegetable in there unless you count the diced celery in the stuffing).  I'm still smaller than I was in the spring before my life went awry, but I know full well that hash browns and macaroni and cheese is no way to keep myself healthy or happy!  Plus there were a couple weeks there when I had no leftovers, and thus no good lunches for work.  All around bad news.

So, I went grocery shopping again.  I bought things like kale and tempeh and quinoa - and by the way, how awesome is it that I can buy these things and no one is going to complain that I am making weird stuff for dinner?  This is a glow bowl.  It's so named because it is so healthy, you will glow after eating it.  Well, that's what they say, anyway.  I don't think I am glowing, but I certainly felt better after eating it.  Not to mention the fact that it was delicious.  The sauce is a soy-dijon-lime-ginger sauce, and it coats the quinoa, tempeh, kale, broccoli, and red onion perfectly so that everything is super flavorful.

I do think that the next time I make this, I will make the sauce first, and marinate the tempeh in it for 30 minutes.  My favorite tempeh recipes have been the ones where it gets marinated. Tempeh has such a good texture, and it is perfect for sucking up all the flavor from marinades.  It was still good in this bowl, but it wasn't the star of the dish, which I think it had the potential for.

Healthy doesn't have to be complicated or boring.  Healthy can be a bowl full of delicious vegetarian ingredients like this!

Recipe:

sesame kale glow bowl
from the Glowing Fridge
serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups kale, de-stemmed and torn
2 cups broccoli florets, about 1 small head
4 ounces tempeh, chopped/crumbled
2 tablespoons soy sauce/ tamarin for gluten-free
2 tablespoons water
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions:

1) Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.

2) Meanwhile in a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil on medium-high heat.  Add the red onion and sauce for 2 -3 minutes. Add the garlic, kale, broccoli and tempeh.  Sauce for about 3 minutes.

3) In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, lime juice, dijon mustard, ginger, pepper, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds.  Add mixture to saucepan with vegetables and mix until well combined.  Cook for about 2 more minutes.

4) Once quinoa is finished cooking, scoop it into bowls and top with vegetable mixture.

Fiesta Nachos

I hate football. This is no secret.  But I like to make food for football parties, as long as I don't have to watch the game.  So these nachos were my offering to the opening night of football season last month.

If I am being honest, they didn't start out as nachos, and that wasn't the plan for them either.  The recipe I was following was not called fiesta nachos, but fiesta lettuce wraps.  Slightly healthier and a little less football-y.  I decided to toss the lettuce, add chips, cheese and jalapeños, and call it nachos.  I would have to say this was a very good idea.  The lettuce wrap filling was the perfect vegetarian nacho topping!  There are red and yellow peppers, red onion, and black beans.  They're flavored with garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice - not to mention a sour cream sauce with more lime juice and zest and cilantro.  Mmmmm.  I added the sauce before I cooked the nachos, because I don't really love cold sauce on hot nachos, but it's up to you if you want them to be a cool dipping sauce or something.  Bottom line: these nachos almost make football not so terrible.

Oh, if you want to make these into the lettuce wraps they were meant to be, buy yourself some Bibb lettuce and leave out the chips, cheese and jalapeños.  The preparation is the same otherwise.  If that's what you're doing, you will notice that the veggies never get cooked.  Everything is raw in the wraps; the vegetables and spices meld together in the refrigerator for a few hours.  I can't tell you how that is since I used my filling up on the nachos, but I imagine it would be great.

Recipe:

fiesta nachos
adapted from Girl Gone Gourmet
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 bag tortilla chips
1/4 cup jarred sliced jalapeños

for sour cream sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon cilantro
zest from 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss the first 12 ingredients all together in a medium-sized bowl.

2) Make sour cream sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl.

2) Lay chips on a baking sheet in an even layer.  Spread toppings over chips as evenly as possible.  Add jalapeños.  Add dollops of sour cream sauce on top; reserve some for dipping.  Bake for 5 - 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Potato Salad

Ah this recipe brings me back to my last pool party of the season!  It was mid September and still swelteringly hot.  I invited lots of friends and family over for a fun day poolside.  Everyone brought something delicious to eat and drink.  I served the oatmeal raisin cookies from yesterday's post, root beer pulled pork, and this potato salad.

Let me be clear: I usually hate potato salad.  You know how I feel about mayonnaise, but even without it, the thought of goopy salads is just gross.  This salad, though?  Not goopy.  And full of not just potatoes (which I love) but hard boiled eggs, celery, scallions, even finely chopped dill pickles!  Add that to the flavor of fresh dill, whole grain mustard, and paprika?  You've got yourself a potato salad.  I, of course, ignore the fact that the recipe calls for a mix of Greek yogurt and mayo, and use the yogurt alone.  I promise you that even yogurt-haters don't notice; there's enough flavor in there.

It may not be potato salad season (or pool party season), but hey, it's a holiday weekend.  It's not too late to make potato salad!  Give it another couple weeks, and it will just seem weird.  You'd better get on it now.

Recipe:

potato salad
from Two Peas and Their Pod
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
2 pounds Russet potatoes, washed and peeled, cut in half
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup light mayonnaise (you can sub more yogurt!)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped dill pickles
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1)  In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain potatoes and rinse with cold water.  Once the potatoes are cool, cut them into chunks, about 1/2-inch pieces.  Place potatoes in a large bowl.

2) In another large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and mustards.  Pour the mixture over the potatoes and gently stir with a rubber spatula until the potatoes are well coated.  Add the onions, celery, pickles, eggs, dill and paprika.  Gently stir again.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.  Serve immediately or chill for up to 2 days.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This kind of weather has me really missing summer.  I'm not the type to wax poetic about the fall.  But when my classroom is 59 degrees in the morning, and we can't afford to turn the heat on, I really get nostalgic for summer days.

I suppose the one good thing about the cooler weather is that it makes me feel a bit more like baking. It's hard to feel motivated to turn on the oven when it's 90 degrees outside.  But when it's dark at 6:00 and freezing, what else is there to do but bake?

The next time you feel the urge to bake just to warm up your house, may I suggest these soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies?  This is one time that the name of a cookie perfectly describes it.  These are soft and chewy cookies, full of more oats than you'd expect, and plenty of raisins as well.  Oh, and as for the raisins?  Soak them in water for 10 minutes before you use them, and then drain.  They'll be extra plump and juicy.  Genius raisin hack.  Then, add some walnuts if you're so inspired.  There's even some molasses in there to add a depth of flavor that you can't quite put your finger on (but there it is).  It's a good cookie, that's all there is to it.  And it makes your house smell nice, and it might even help warm up your kitchen a little if you're refusing to turn the heat on in your house.

Recipe:

soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies
from Sally's Baking Addiction
yield 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raisins (soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

1) Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth.  Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined.  Set aside.

2) In a separate bowl, toss the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.  Beat in the oats, raisins, and walnuts if using on low speed.  Dough will be thick and very sticky.  Chill the dough for 30 - 60 minutes in the refrigerator.  You can chill up to 2 days; just allow the dough to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.

3) Prehreat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper of silicone baking mats.  Set aside.

4) Roll balls of dough (about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides.  The centers will look very soft and undone.  Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  The cookies will continue to set on the baking sheet during this time.  Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.  Baked cookies freeze well - up to the 3 months.  Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze for up to 3 months as well; bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute - no need to thaw.

Caesar Pasta Salad

When school first started last month, Kenzie and I had grand plans to make tons of salads to bring for lunches.  No leftovers for us - just salads.  Probably in mason jars.  And fresh fruit and huge jugs of water maybe with a few sprigs of mint and lemon slices.

Real life now that we've been back at the grind for over a month?  Well let's just say my lunch today consisted of a store-bought granola bar, a pear, and some leftover lentil dal (recipe coming!).  Water, minus the mint and lemon.  No mason jar to be found.  And that's okay.  Leftovers are delicious and I don't even like mint that much.

But that first week, with our overzealous salad makings, we stumbled upon this salad.  Imagine combining caesar salad with pasta salad, and voila: you have caesar pasta salad.  There's everything from croutons and tomatoes and romaine lettuce to penne and, if you choose, chicken (I left it out, of course).  You make your own caesar dressing, too, complete with anchovies and everything.  Or, if you're freaked out by that like me, you can leave them out and just double the Worcestershire sauce.  Don't worry, the dressing is super flavorful without it.  I also swapped out the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt, as I always do.

The end result is a creamy, tasty pasta salad that reminds you vaguely of caesar salad but is way more fun.  I was a little worried at how the leftovers would be for our lunches, but it was still good one day later (and that was all that was left).  I am not sure how long the lettuce would stay good with the dressing, but I think the pasta helps by absorbing a lot of the extra moisture.  Perfect for a good lunch - and nothing makes your work day better than a great lunch waiting for you all morning, am I right?

Recipe:

caesar pasta salad
from Spicy Southern Kitchen
serves 4-6 as a main dish or 6 - 8 as a side

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 anchovies, finely minced (or substitute for an extra teaspoon Worcestershire sauce)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound penne pasta, cooked until al dente and rinsed with cool water
6 large leaves Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
4 green onions, green parts sliced
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 grilled chicken breasts, diced (optional)
1 1/2 cups croutons

Instructions:

1) In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise through the Worcestershire sauce.

2) Toss half of the dressing with the pasta and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3) Mix in the remaining ingredients, including the remaining dressing.  Serve.

Pasta with Raw Fresh Tomato Sauce

Two posts in a row now where both are for summery foods.  And it could not feel less summery today.  Last night I had my fireplace going.  Ugh.  But it's better late than never.  And this is probably the best pasta dish you will eat (next summer).  And also for the second post in a row, it's one I kind of threw together!

We had lots of big gorgeous tomatoes from my aunt and uncle's garden: heirloom tomatoes that were huge, heavy, and juicy.  I knew I wanted to feature them in a pasta dish, but I thought cooking them was kind of a shame.  When you cook tomatoes, they all taste like tomatoes.  But fresh heirloom tomatoes are something else entirely.  I decided to try my hand at a raw tomato sauce.  I had seen some recipes like that on Pinterest, and gave it a shot with what I had on hand.

The end result was a fantastic dish that had way more flavor than I expected it to.  The tomatoes were able to keep their flavor, brightened up by basil and thyme (I used dried, but I think fresh would be even better if you have them).  Garlic is a must for any tomato sauce, of course.  And that's it.  Don't overdo it.  Let your tomatoes rule the roost; they deserve it.  They only get to be the stars for like 3 months a year, after all.

Recipe:

pasta with raw fresh tomato sauce
a Bridget Cooking original
serves 4

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
1 minced clove garlic
1 pound pasta

Instructions:

1) Chop the tomatoes, reserving seeds and juice.  Combine tomatoes, basil, thyme, and garlic.  Let sit for 15 minutes or more for flavors to mesh.

2) Cook pasta according toe package directions.  Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.

3) Combine hot pasta with raw tomato sauce.  Add a little pasta water if needed.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

Fresh Corn Salad

I know, I know.  Fresh corn is sort of over since it's now October.  But back in late August, it was still glorious.  Mom, Rachael and I went to Idylwilde Farm in Acton, which is a place that makes me wish I was rich.  It's a farm stand that goes beyond veggies (although the ones they have are gorgeous, as you can see below).  They also make sandwiches, soups, pies, Chinese food, salads, pasta dishes, casseroles... you name it.  I had a to-die-for Caprese sandwich there, and we also grabbed a free sample of corn salad.  It was so simple, and yet so delicious.  What I could see were fresh corn kernels and scallions, and that was about all I could taste, too; it was fresh, bright, sweet, and let the corn be the star.

I decided to recreate it at home with some of their corn.  I know, who am I, right?  "I'm going to make my own recipe."  I never say that.  But I did say it, and I did it, too.  It was so simple, even I could figure it out.  I decided not to cook the corn because all summer long, adding fresh corn to dishes was sort of my thing.  I like to leave it sweet and poppy.  Then I dressed it as simply as possible with a tiny bit of olive oil.  You could add honey if you want to make more of a sweet dressing, but again, I wanted the corn to be the rock star of the dish.  I couldn't ignore the scallions, and salt and pepper were a must. Then I was done.  And this dish was devoured faster than you could believe (almost faster than it was to make it, which is very fast since it's one step!).  It tastes like summer.  I hope you remember it next summer when corn comes back in season! :(

Recipe:

fresh corn salad
a Bridget Cooking original, inpired by Idylwilde Farm's salad
serves 4

Ingredients:
3 - 4 ears of corn, kernels removed from cobs
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 scallions, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Serve room temperature or cold.