I accepted cherry tomatoes, and even grape tomatoes. Then plum tomatoes came along and I was ok with that too. But strawberry tomatoes? I think we’re going a little overboard. What is the point anymore? Must we liken our tomatoes to every kind of fruit known to man? I mean, wouldn’t you just kill me if I told you to make tomato paella with sliced strawberry tomatoes? Can’t a tomato just be a tomato?

Popularity: 26% [?]

This is one of those pictures that really doesn’t need any words to persuade you how good it is. So beautiful on it’s own, I almost left you here without an explanation. But then… talkative old me decided I just couldn’t do that to you - I mean, you must be wondering just where this salad came from. Right?

I had this masterpiece in Argentina, at La Cabrera no less (the steakhouse I wrote about here). Since it was our second time back to the restaurant and we knew how big the steak portions were, my friend and I decided to split one order of steak and go with a salad instead. This one salad made of hearts of palm, tomatoes and avocados sounded interesting to her.

We ordered it and fell in love.

Recipe after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 22% [?]

I am so not ready for the season to change. I am a total summer girl at heart and the cold weather is only beneficial for me if I am at home, curled up on the couch watching a good movie or reading a great book! But it’s life and I am preparing for winter! Well, at least I am but my poor beautiful vegetable garden isn’t.

This is where I need your help! This past summer I decided to plant my very first garden and to be honest I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to planting and taking care of it. I guess I was lucky (or maybe I was a gardener in my past life) but the garden grew and I had all sorts of fresh produce in my back yard! Unfortunately, now my garden is dying because of the cold weather. So, what do I now?

I have basil plants that I would love to save, I have heard that the best way to save herbs is to freeze them but I am not sure what the best “freezer” method is.

Help?

Also, I have tomato, cucumber and green pepper plants, what do I do with them? Am I suppose to dig them up and throw them away or do they stay planted with the chance of growing back next year (is that even possible)?

Help please! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sarah- Go Chiefs and Go Bears!

P.S. I still need to try making Fried Green Tomatoes again!

Popularity: 24% [?]

So there I was yesterday, wandering around Trader Joe’s as I often do after work, waiting for dinner’s inspiration to come to me. I had had a big lunch and wanted something lighter for dinner, and with the temperature breaking a very humid 90 degrees in Chicago, I didn’t want anything too heavy. In fact, I wanted to avoid turning on the oven at all costs.

When R called to see what was for dinner, I was standing in front of the cheese section (oh, glorious cheese section!) and reported, “I don’t know… but probably something involving goat cheese.” So I picked up a log of goat cheese and a ball of fresh mozzarella and soon the gears in my brain were whirring. I’ll let you in on my train of thought…

That ripe tomato at home would be perfect with the mozzarella. Great. Instant caprese. But I should probably have some protein… no chicken, tofu would be weird… what about beans? OH! What about that chickpea salad that Molly at Orangette always raves about?

Bingo.

I knew that reading the food blogs would pay off someday.

At home, I began to prepare my trio of salads: caprese, chickpea and greens. But when I went to reference Molly’s recipe, I realized I had forgotten a crucial ingredient: Parmesan! Let this be a lesson to us all: never doubt yourself when hovering around an extensive cheese section - always buy the cheese! Nevertheless, the chickpeas were already drained and the lemon was already squeezed so, figuring there was nothing to lose, I crumbed some goat cheese atop the salad.

It turned out not to be a terrible choice. The creamy texture of the goat cheese actually went well with the crunch of the chickpeas, but I can definitely see how Parmesan would be a better choice. (Molly, please forgive me for butchering Brandon’s recipe!) But I did love the salad and can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch today.

All in all it was quite the satisfying meal. True, there may have been a bit too much cheese on the plate by a nutritionist’s standards, but clearly, that didn’t bother me.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Sorry guys, it’s been a while since I have blogged but I am back!

So, a couple of months ago I decided to plant my first garden. Not having a single clue how it was going to turn out, I was shocked to see my little garden explode into its own little forest of tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and basil.

My two tomato plants have basically taken over my garden and I have run out of sticks to prop the plant stems up. I am sad to say some of the stems have broken off due to my own lack of care. Plus the fact that a we had a terrible few days of fierce storms with extremely high and damaging winds, so this didn’t help my poor plants either.

Yesterday I decided it was time to start caring for my garden again, so I took all the broken stems out and picked the green tomatoes that never would have a chance to ripen. I used these green tomatoes to try and make Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time.

I was told by my boyfriend’s mother that the only thing I really needed to do to make Fried Green Tomatoes was just put oil in a pan (I used EVOO), bread the green tomatoes with breadcrumbs and fry them on the stove. Easy enough!

I think not! My Fried Green Tomatoes turned out mushy, slimy and hot. The bread crumbs hardly even stuck onto the sliced tomatoes.

Do any of you have a good recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes? There are a ton on Recipe4Living, but I still have about four left and I would love to try this again.

-Sarah, Editor for Recipe4Living

Popularity: 9% [?]

I’m the kind of person who likes to follow directions. Doesn’t really matter what they are, but I figure everything should turn out moderately well if directions are followed. Same is true for recipes. The step by step instructions usually lead you toward a decent finished product. Now, I know from personal experience that, especially with recipes, even the most specific directions don’t always yield the expected results. And every once in a while I get brave enough to throw caution to the wind and make up my own.

Last night, R was making his famous lemon and garlic pasta, but I wanted something extra to go with it. R loves bruschetta and I had a quickly-ripening tomato, so it seemed like a good plan. After consulting some reliable recipes, I chose to go it on my own. And the results were fantastic! Ripe tomatoes, freshly baked bread and high quality parmesan cheese made the perfect combination for an easy bruschetta. The fresh flavor complimented the garlic in the pasta with a lightness the meal needed.

I used a French baguette and found the pieces to be slightly small. Next time I’d try to find a wider Italian bread, I think. I’d also cut them a little thinner - it’s hard to bite into a 1-inch thick piece of bread! All in all it was a very successful attempt and I was proud of my creation. But I don’t think I’m quite ready to get rid of the cookbooks yet….

Bruschetta

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes
1 loaf Italian bread
3-4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 C. onion, chopped
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

Directions

Seed and dice tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add basil, garlic, onion, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Cut bread into slices 1/2-inch thick. Drizzle grill pan with olive oil. Place slices on pan, turning each piece of bread to make sure both sides have oil. Toast bread over medium heat until both sides are golden brown. If you don’t have a grill pan, this can be done in the toaster oven.

Top each slice of bread with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Using a vegetable peeler, shave long curls of parmesan and top each bread slice with a curl.

Yield: 4 servings

Popularity: 5% [?]