new year's resolution

It's actually been almost 3 months since my last post.  Unbelievable!  I don't really know what the problem was, but for a while I wasn't feeling very creative in the kitchen.  I didn't have a ton of motivation to try new recipes, experiment with new ideas or techniques, and so this blog has suffered.  Well, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to b more diligent in the kitchen.  Remember to enjoy the creative process of cooking, not just try to get to the end result as fast and easily as possible.  I got a few cherished cookbooks for Christmas, and became a lot closer to a new foodie friend, and now I feel this renewed passion for cooking.  I've missed it!

So the other day, I made a simple ham and cheese tart for dinner.  We had so much cheese in our fridge, so I had to think of a way to use some of it up.  I think it turned out perfectly.  I love the thyme and black forest ham with the complex flavors of the different cheeses.  It was a fun and successful experiment.

Cheese and Black Forest Ham Tart
serves 6

1/4 C grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 C grated Manchego cheese
1/4 C grated smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 C grated Irish cheese
(or use any combination of any cheese you think will go well together.  I liked these because each had it's own very distinct and unique, deep flavor that complimented each other really well)
1 sheet frozed puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
1/2 C caramelized onions*
4~5 super thin slices of Black Forest Ham
1/4 t fresh thyme leaves

1. Preheat the over to 400°F.  On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 16x10 inch rectangle.  Trim the uneven edges.  Place the pastry on a baking sheet.  Lightly score a 1 inch border around the edge of the puff pastry, and prick the inside of border every 1/2 inch with a fork.  Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Place the slices of ham over the pastry, followed by the onions, and evenly sprinkle the cheese and thyme over the top.  Place back in the oven until the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

I served it with a simple green salad with a lemon vinaigrette.  Helped to balance out the cheese:)

Caramelized Onions (America's Test Kitchen Recipe)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 lbs onions (about 4 medium), halved and sliced thin
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon water
pepper

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over high heat.  Stir in the onions, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are deeply browned, about 40 minutes.
3. Off the heat, stir in the water and season with salt and pepper to taste.

produce

It has been way too long!  I was visiting family for a couple of weeks, and then I was so behind with pictures!  And soon I'll be moving ... But I promise I will diligently show you my adventures in my new kitchen!

The other day my best friend from high school was visiting, and we went to a little farmer's market and I found these beauties.  I love colorful produce!

I made a simple roasted chicken for dinner, with colorful fingerling potatoes, these carrots, red & yellow onions, and bread from this book.  It was fabulously colorful and flavorful.

Recipes to come, I promise!

another one of those last minute meals

In fact, I looked in my fridge and saw parsnips and broccoli that needed to be eaten pretty quick, so I got them prepped while I thought what in the world to serve with that.  Afterall, you can't really have a dinner of just pureed parsnips and roasted broccoli, can you?

So I made aglio e olio, but this time with fabulous minced shallots along with the minced garlic.  Good choice!

These were all so simple that I don't feel like I need to add a recipe. 

For the pureed parsnips, I peeled and cut off the ends of 2 medium sized parsnips, cut them into little pieces, and boiled them in slightly salted water.  Then I drained them, threw them in the food processor with about a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and a little (about 2 T?) whole milk.  After tasting it I felt like it needed a bit of a bite so I added some freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.  My baby girl ate a ton!  It's similar to the texture of mashed potatoes, but silkier and a VERY different flavor.  It's kind of sweet, almost floral.  You have to try it sometime!

Roasted broccoli, I'm sure I've had on here before.  450°F oven, cut broccoli into bite size pieces, toss in salt, pepper, olive oil.  Roast in the oven until the florets are crispy and browned and the stems are no longer crunchy.

And the aglio e olio I've done before.  It's a staple in our home.  It's a nice simple but delicious dish that goes with ANYTHING.  Fish, chicken, even heavier meat, and of course--like tonight--veggies.

green dinner

We had a green dinner in celebration of St. Patrick's day.  I made roasted asparagus and broccoli in garlic infused oil, roasted Brussels sprouts with smoked turkey sausage and shallots, of course pesto with pasta, and my winner of the evening, green bread.  I just made our usual bread with green water I made by pureeing spinach and parsley and soaking it in water and straining the solids.  I ended up putting some of the solids in the dough because I thought it would add to the color, and I'm glad I did.  It had really little spinach flavor, if any, and was a fun naturally colored addition to the meal.

Did YOU make anything fun for your St. Patrick's day celebration?

 2 C Brussels sprouts, cleaned, stems removed, and cut in half

1 smoked turkey sausage, cut into quarters lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 shallot, sliced medium

salt and pepper to taste (go light on the salt, the sausage has plenty)

2 T softened butter

1/2 T canola oil

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Toss all the ingredients in a 9 x 13 pan.  Make sure the vegetables are evenly coated in the butter.  Roast in the oven for 20~25 minutes, until caramelized and slightly crispy in some party.  Let cool slightly, serve warm.

Roasted Broccoli & Asparagus:

1 head of broccoli

1 lb asparagus

2 T olive oil

2 T canola oil

4~5 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Cut florets off of the broccoli, leaving about an inch to two of stem.  Cut them into pieces small enough to eat easily, but big enough that they don't char in the oven.  Trim the bottom of the asparagus about an inch or two.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and smashed garlic cloves over medium-low heat.  Once the garlic starts to sizzle a little and turn a golden-brown color, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Place the vegetables on a large sheet pan in a single layer, and pour over the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.
5. Place in the oven and roast for 7~10 minutes, until tips are crispy and browned.

Basil & Hazelnut pesto:

(makes enough for 1 lb of pasta, with some leftover for toast!)

1/2 C basil leaves, removed from the stem

3 T parsley

1/3 C whole toasted (and peeled) hazelnuts

2 small or 1 large garlic clove

1 large shallot, cut into medium pieces

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

3~4 T finely grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano cheese

1. In the bowl of the food processor, pulse together the basil, parsley, nuts, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper until chopped fine.
2. With the spout open and the food processor turned to the on position, slowly pour in the olive oil until smooth.  If you need to, stop and scrape down the sides.  Add the cheese and stir to combine.  Serve with hot pasta.

Dessert.  I was too lazy to make anything, and this was really enticing for some reason.  And green:)

doesn't get much better than this

Eggplant Parmesan. You might think "eggplant? I don't do eggplant." You've never had eggplant parmesan. And if you have and you still say that, you've never had GOOD eggplant parmesan. This stuff is beautiful and delicious and smooth and tart and crunchy and everything good. It's a little bit of a process because globe eggplants tend to be a little bitter if they aren't salted beforehand, but it's worth the work. If you don't want to deal with the salting, sweating, cleaning and then breading, go ahead and use Japanese eggplant. They'll be smaller pieces, but VERY tasty. Serve with some pasta and extra sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan (From America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)
makes 1 9x13 pan
2 globe eggplants (2 lbs), sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
salt
1 C all-purpose flour
pepper
4 large eggs
4 C panko bread crumbs (or plaind dried breadcrumbs, but I like the texture of panko better)
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1-1/2 C)
6 T vegetable oil
4 C tomato sauce (homemade, please!), pureed smooth
8 oz mozarella, shredded (2 C)
10 fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)

1. Toos the eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt (easiest if done in 2 batches) and let it drain in a colander for about 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, adjust 2 oven racks to the upper- and lower- middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat the oven to 425°F. Combine the flour and 1 t pepper in a large zipper lock bag and shake to combine. Beat the eggs into a shallow dish. Combine the breadcrumbs, 1 C of the Parmesan, 1/4 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper in a second shallow dish.
3. Spread the drained eggplant over paper towels. Wipe away as much salt as possible and press firmly on each slice to remove as much liquid as possible. Working with about 8 eggplant slices at a time, place them in the bag with the flour, seal, and shake until thoroughly coated. Remove the eggplant, shaking off an excess flour, and dip into the eggs. Remove to eggplant from the eggs, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat evenly with the breadcrumbs, pressing them to adhere. Lay the breaded eggplant on a wire rack. Flour, dip in egg, and coat the remaining eggplant with breadcrumbs in the same manner.
4. Remove the preheated baking sheets from the oven. Pour 3 T oil onto each sheet, tilting to coat the sheets evenly. Spread the breaded eggplant in a single layer over the hot sheets. Bake until the eggplant is well browned and crisp on the first side, about 20 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices over. Switch and rotate the baking sheets, and continue to bake until the second side is browned, about 10 minutes longer. (Do not turn off the oven.)
5. Spread 1 C of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Shingle half of the eggplant slices over the tomato sauce. Distribute 1 more cup of the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with half of the mozarella. Shingle the remaining eggplant exposed so that it will remian crisp. Sprinkle with 1/4 C of the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 C mozarella.
6. Place the dish on the lower-middle rack of the oven. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and well browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the basil over the top and cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Pass the remaining 1 C tomato sauce and 1/4 C Parmesan separately.
   

fancy nancy

I wanted to make a fancy dinner tonight. I don't know why exactly, but I was really in the mood for something fancy. It might be in part because over the weekend I ran into a dear friend from Japan and her sweet husband and family and found out we live 20 minutes away from each other! And she's a total foodie. I'm so excited to get together with her more often and make delicious food. Mmm can't wait. That, and I feel like pasta is so often misunderstood. Pasta is such a beautiful and diverse food, but a lot of people only buy spaghetti (and don't get me wrong, I LOVE spaghetti) and pair it with a jar of tomato sauce of some kind. Not the way to enjoy pasta. Sure, in a pinch whatever works. But homemade sauce is so quick and simple and ... FANCY!

So tonight I was inspired and made a mushroom and white wine sauce with rigatoni and it was amazing. And since it was such a beautiful fall evening, I roasted some butternut and acorn squash as a side.

Creamy White Wine and Mushrooms with Rigatoni
serves 4~6
1 lb rigatoni
1 lb mushrooms (I used cremini, or baby bellas, but shiitake and plain white buttons would be great, too. If you're using white buttons, though, I reccomend using a couple varieties, just for a more complex flavor)
3 T butter
1/2 C heavy cream
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 C white wine (NOT cooking wine. They always say to use a wine good enough to drink. I don't drink so I wouldn't really know what that is, but I always buy a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris or a nice-sounding white wine;))
1/4 C very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, bring 1 tablespoon of butter to medium-high heat and melt. Add the shallots with a little salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring often, until very soft and slightly browned. Remove to a plate.
2. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and add half of the mushrooms with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook until browned. Once they're browned and released all of their juices, transfer to the same plate as the shallots and cook the other half of the mushrooms with another tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain, and set aside, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
   
4. Replace all of the shallots and mushrooms back to the pan and heat through. Add the white wine and cook until completely evaporated. Add the cream and let simmer until slightly thickened and reduce the heat to low. Add 3 tablespoon of the parsley and about a 1/4 C of the cheese and stir in.
5. Gently toss the pasta in with the mushroom mixture, adding some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed.
6. Serve warm with extra parsley and cheese.
   

Roasted Butternut and Acorn Squash
serves 8+
1 butternut squash, cut in half pole-to-pole
1 acorn squash, cut in half pole-to-pole
2 T butter, softenend
1~2 T brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Place the halves of the squash, cut side up, on a a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread a teaspoon of butter, sprinkle with about a teaspoon of brown sugar, and season generously with salt and pepper on each half.
3. Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until caramelized and cooked through. Either serve sections or scoop out with a spoon and gently smash together with a little milk or cream.
   

vegetable lasagne

This was so good. Look at the picture. I don't think I need to say much else.

Except ... If you're one of those people that thinks a meal isn't a meal without meat, you are so missing out.

Vegetable Lasagne
makes 1 9x13 pan
1 package no-boil lasagne noodles (I like Barilla)
1 9 oz bag of baby spinach leaves
1 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used white button, but cremini or shiitake would be delicious, too. Use a variety!)
4 T butter
4 T flour
4 C milk (I used 2 C 1% and 2 C whole)
1/2 onion, minced
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 C grated mozzarella cheese
1~2 C freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
2. In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and season gently with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing once in a while, until juices are released and evaporated and the mushrooms are browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second half. (You never want to crowd mushrooms or they won't brown properly)
   
3. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and add the onion with a little salt and pepper. Cook the onion until softened but not browned. Add the flour and stir until there are no more dry spots left and flour is cooked and slightly golden.
4. Add 1/2 C of the milk, and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Continue to repeat with the addition of milk in small portions until all the milk is used up and the sauce can coat the back of a spoon.
5. Add the spinach to the sauce and stir gently until spinach is wilted. Take the pan off the heat.
6. In a 9x13-inch lasagna pan, pour a little bit of the sauce and layer 3 lasagna noodles on top. Top with 1/3 of the mushrooms, 1/2 C of sauce, 1/2 C of mozarella, and a couple tablespoons of parmesan. Add noodles and repeat. On the top layer, use 1/2 C of sauce, 1/2 C of mozarella, and the remaining parmesan.
7. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake under the broiler for 5~10 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

And here's a cute picture of my sweetie enjoying her serving

our easter feast

For Easter dinner I made a Garlic Lemon and Rosemary Roasted Chicken with roasted veggies and caramelized green beans on the side. I think I ate too much ... or this food was super rich compared to what we've been eating lately because I feel a little heavy, but it was sure worth it! And it was so easy. Roasted chicken is such an inexpensive and easy way to make something fancy.

Garlic Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables.

1 whole chicken
2 whole lemons, cut into quarters
2 heads of garlic, cut in half height-wise
4 T butter, room temperature
zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves o garlic, minced very fine
1/2 t dried or 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste

3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces at an angle
3 Russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into eighths
6 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Toss the potatoes, carrots, onions, salt and pepper, and olive oil together in a 9x13 metal baking pan. push them all to the sides to make room for the chicken. Place all of the garlic cloves in the middle to go under the chicken.
2. Pat the chicken dry and place on a cutting board. (I line mine with paper towels to avoid any excess liquid from dripping anywhere) Season the cavity of the chicken with about 1 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Place the lemon quarters and garlic heads into the cavity. Using some kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Tuck the wings under as well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon zest, minced garlic, and rosemary. Rub all over the top of the bird. Place the chicken in the roasting pan with the vegetables, on top of the garlic cloves. Place in a 425° oven and cook for about 1 hour, until an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 160°.
4. Once the chicken is fully cooked, place it on a platter and cover with some foil. Mash up the garlic that was underneath. Toss the mashed garlic with the rest of the vegetables and place back in the oven for another 5~10 minutes.
   

Garlicky Green Beans
1~2 lbs green beans
3~4 coves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add green beans, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and let cook for 10~15 minutes, shaking often, until some beans are caramelized and browned. The beans should still have a slight bite to them, but shouldn't be tender-crisp (this is the one vegetable I like pretty soft).
   

Another accomplishment

I finally roasted some bell peppers! I've always wanted to try, but bell peppers are expensive, and it's time consuming, so I always avoided it. But baby bell peppers were $2.50 for 2lbs at Sam's club, so I decided it was time to try. And ... don't ever try this with baby bell peppers. It was even more time consuming! What was I thinking? But in the end it was so worth it! I tossed the penne with garlic and lemon zest infused olive oil (just heat some olive oil and lemon zest on low heat and let it warm through until the garlic is golden brown). Added the peppers, chopped fresh parsley, salt & pepper, and fresh lemon juice. It was so good!

Roasted red, orange, and yellow bell peppers
Just turn on the broiler and let it heat completely. Place the peppers on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast under the broiler until the skin is blistered and black. Repeat for all sides. Pull out the peppers and place them in a plastic bag and let cool. Once they cool you can easily peel off the skin. Slice or chop and add to salads, pasta or whatever:)

HUGE accomplishment!

Now I'm not the biggest barbecue fan, but since it's Blake's favorite thing, I thought I would be a little self-sacrificing tonight and go ahead and make it. And besides, Blake is always willing to try new things, even if they "scare" him. (except anything with mayo, feta or goat cheese)

I learned 2 very cool things tonight. I learned how to properly cut a whole chicken into 4 parts (thanks to this amazing book I bought at Borders for a ridiculous $6.99, Essentials of Cooking by James Peterson.), and I learned how to make my own barbecue sauce! (and I found out that barbecue sauce--yes, Blake's favorite and basically only condiment--has plenty of vinegar and mustard in it ... interesting) I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself. I served it with oven baked steak fries, and I had cole slaw. And even if I'm picky about barbecue, I was actually ok with this meal.

Barbecued Chicken and Oven Baked Steak Fries
serves 4
1 cut up chicken, about 3 lbs

1 t hot sauce
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/4 C molasses
3 T dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 C ketchup

vegetable oil
salt and pepper

2-3 small~medium russet potatoes
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Wash potatoes and cut into 6 long wedges, or spears. Place on parchment lines baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil (I use an old cleaned soy sauce bottle to drizzle olive oil, works really really well) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
2. Coat the 2 breasts, thighs, and wings of the chicken with vegetable oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in one large or 2 medium oven-safe skillets, leaving enough room to be able to pick up and flip over each piece of meat. Cover with foil or oven-safe lids.
3. Meanwhile, simmer the hot sauce, vinegar, sugar, molasses, mustard, garlic, and ketchup, stirring periodically until sauce is reduced to about 1-1/4 C. Set aside.
   
4. Place chicken and potatoes in the oven. Let the chicken cook for about 25 minutes and remove from the oven. (using an oven mitt!) place the skillet(s) on medium/medium-high heat. Coat with barbecue sauce and flip over. Continue basting and cooking both sides until sauce is caramelized on the chicken but not charred, about another 20 minutes.
   
5. Pull the potatoes out of the oven, about 40 minutes or until golden and puffy.
6. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.
   

Day 6

So I've been noticing that though I think I've been making some decently healthy-ish meals, I've been portioning a little too big. So I decided to use veggies to fill up and use the pasta as a side kind of thing. And it turned out great! I was actually full with just a small amount of starch.

I made Aglio e Olio for the pasta and I made up my own Balsamic/garlicky Salmon and roasted broccoli. So here are the fish and broccoli recipes.


For the salmon:
1 large fillet of Salmon, cut into 2 equal portions
3 T white wine
1 large garlic clove, grated or minced fine
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet, heat up the oil garlic, and red pepper flakes at medium-high heat. Meanwhile, season the salmon fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. As soon as the garlic is cooked through but not browned, place the salmon on the pan and sear on both sides.
3. Pour white wine and balsamic vinegar until the alcohol is cooked out and the vinegar thickens. Flip the fish over to coat the other side.

For the broccoli:
1 large broccoli crown, cut into small pieces
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Turn broiler on.
2. On a small cookie sheet toss the salt, pepper, oil, and broccoli.
3. Place under the broiler for about 7 minutes, or until the broccoli tips are crispy and browned.
   

Day 4

Tonight I was craving some Indian curry, so I made Lisa's Vegetable Curry again. This time I used zucchini instead of eggplant, and I don't think it was quite as good, but that's what I had in my fridge, so it worked. My one suggestion would be to seed the zucchini first (if you have one as huge as the one I had! It was practically a baseball bat!). Yum yum yum!

Can you tell I took all the cauliflower?

I am so proud of myself!

... for 2 reasons. 1) I was able to almost recreate my sister's vegetable curry that I've been craving ever since she made it for me probably about 2 years ago, and 2) I actually got Blake to not only EAT cauliflower, but ENJOY it! That, my friends, is quite an accomplishment. And I am relieved, too, because I think cauliflower might be my favorite part of this dish.

When I was in high school in Japan, I got to take an "International Cooking" class taught by mothers of students at my school. My school was an International school, so you can assume the dishes we learned how to make were pretty authentic. And this dish reminds me of the Indian food day. It is pretty much the real thing, and I LOVE it! It's not the most visually appealing, but trust me, it is good. And the best part is that it is easy and the ingredients are really easy to find. Happy curry day!

Lisa's Vegetable Curry
serves 6-8?
5 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 3-in chunk fresh ginger, finely grated
3 T vegetable oil
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t cinnamon
2 t curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1 head cauliflower, broken off into chunks
1 large eggplant, diced large
green beans (however much you want)

* vegetables should amount to about 8 C

1 C cashews (optional, but definitely suggested)
salt to taste

1. Heat oil to medium-high in a large pot. Add onion and cook until soft.
2. Add garlic, ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Cook until spices are fully incorporated and very fragrant. (about 1~2 minutes)
3. Add tomato and stir constantly until slightly pulpy.
4. Add vegetables and stir to combine. Cook until soft. Add salt and taste periodically.
   
5. Add coconut milk and cook until the curry thickens.
6. Add cashews. Serve over rice.

* you can add chicken to make it a little heartier.

I'm Back!

It feels so good to feel like I can stand long enough to make food again! My mom bought a huge steak at the Farmer's Market today (one good thing about that Market ... everything else pretty much was disappointing) and sweet corn at the Amish Farm, so to go along with that I decided to make some fresh green beans that we bought at another farm stand a couple days ago and another tomato salad. Ah, fresh produce. My tomato Salad pretty much is a Caprese Salad with Parmesan instead of Fresh Mozarella.

Tomato Salad
3 medium sized Beefsteak tomatoes
about 6 basil leaves
Parmesan cheese
juice of 1/2 a lemon
olive oil
salt to taste

1. slice and quarter tomatoes to desired thickness. roll basil leaves together and slice thin with a very sharp knife (to avoid bruising). Sprinkle basil leaves on top and with a vegetable peeler, peel pieces of Parmesan cheese on top. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste.

Challah Bread
(Sorry, no recipe ...)

Garlic Sautéed Fresh Green Beans
1/2 lb (?) fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1~2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
In a deep sauté pan melt the butter at medium/medium-high temperature. Add green beans and salt and pepper and sauté until parts of the green bean turn a bright green. Add minced garlic and continue stirring. Keep cooking until green beans are tender-crisp and slightly browned in parts. Serve warm.