More is Better

From ALL YOU May 2010 this was a great alternative to traditional pasta salad - I found I didn't have marinated artichoke hearts so used canned. It worked well. Enjoy!! Salt and pepper 1 pound short pasta such as bow ties, shells or penne 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup rice vinegar 1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes  3/4 cup sliced marinated artichoke hearts 8 ounces bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella nuggets), halved (about 18 pieces) 4 ounces pepperoni or salami, diced 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and spread on an oiled baking sheet to cool. (Don't worry if pasta sticks together. It will come apart when mixed with oil.)  Transfer cooled pasta to a large bowl and stir in oil. OOPS didn't read that and put oil in base of bowl--see the pretty picture!! Add vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts...

Nope I am not !! Kate's friend Jessie talked about these and then made then and post them on her blog http://www.themessiekitchen.com/   Now she is a fabulous cook and of course made the dough from scratch--but are you kidding me--of course I didn't !! Sorry Jessie I just pulled out my handy tub of cookie dough from Costco and a package of Oreo's  Now I am sure these would be even better with homemade cookie dough but they were awesome !!  Just a few simple steps ..... On Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper --take a large walnut size ball of cookie dough flatten Place oreo on top like in the middle -- shape dough up side of oreo Top quarter size flattened cookie dough and seal edges like on the left side of picture Bake at 350 about 15 minutes until golden brown and cool --then YUMMY!!!!!

This recipe is from Bon Appetit April 2011  "This easy, no-cook dish starts with rich, creamy burrata—fresh curd filled with cream and pieces of mozzarella. Serve as a first course or after dinner as the cheese course. A platter of charcuterie (and bread or crackers) would be good alongside." What I loved about it was how pretty it was and a different twist on Fresh Moz and Tomatoes! It was absolutely yummy!!! You just wanted to dig in with a spoon!! 1 8-ounce ball fresh burrata cheese 1 7- to 8-ounce container fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered, if large 2 tablespoons small fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted walnuts 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Fine sea salt 2 tablespoons balsamic syrup ** **Balsamic syrup can be found at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores. If unavailable, simmer 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Cool. Place burrata in center of ...

This recipe hails back from my Minnesota days--it is so yummy and great hot out of the oven or at room temp! Now that we are entering zucchini bat season--you know when they get soooo big its like a baseball bat in your garden!! I have also made the mixture ahead and then Ziploc it and dumped it into the shell the day of serving to bake. The mustard is a great touch so don't skip it! 4 cups zucchini 1 cup onion -- sliced 1/4" thick 1/2 cup margarine -- or olive oil 2 tablespoons parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 Teaspoon basil 1/4 teaspoon oregano 2 eggs 8 ounces mozzarella cheese 1 package crescent rolls mustard -- guldens saute zucchini onion and EVOO  til soft meanwhile mix parsley/ salt/ pepper/ garlic powder/basil/oregano and eggs and cheese  --then pour over sauteed zucchini mixture place crescent rolls in pie plate and spread mustard over raw crescent then spread zucchini mixture over bake 375 for 1...

This recipe was highlighted as a weekend breakfast in Rachael Rays Magazine . It look yummy different and easy to make. So for Fathers Day weekend we were at the lake and made it for Uncle Kevin and my husband Kevin for breakfast. (My Dad will be surprised this weekend when he gets this for breakfast as well--right Dad ??) 1 cup Ricotta (used skim) 4 slices toasted thick cut country bread (used a nice sturdy whole grain) salt and pepper 1/2 lb steamed asparagus (4 spears to toast) 4 poached eggs 4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (used turkey bacon)  Look all the steps in one photo...Spread ricotta on toast; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next layer with asparagus spears; top with eggs. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.  Happy Fathers Day Kevin and Uncle Kevin! This is the life!!

Oh come now did you really think I would post a recipe for Liver and Onions!! I know of no one that would make it...but since it is a favorite of my father-in-law Andrew and he requested it for dinner--here is the picture of the completed meal. Beef Liver, Onions, Bacon (turkey) and Mashed Potatoes. Dont you wish you could have joined us....also below is a recent picture of Grampy with Ryan at his high school grad in PA --Grampy is sporting Ryans college choice of PENN.

We were at Wolftrap last weekend to see Beatles RAIN with Kevin's Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Kevin from Boston. The joke was on us--we had no idea that it would REALLY RAIN hard for the first 30 minutes of the concert. Anyhow we needed a yummy sweet treat for after our picnic dinner --these are delicious and easy to make. I apologize again for the after photo was taken discovered it is blurry and yellow--unfortunately there was not any leftovers to retake the photo. (As some people and they know who they are ate them for breakfast!) Just 2 easy things to have on hand--a package of brownie mix and 2 Symphony bars.  Mix brownies per package instructions - pour half the batter into an 8x8 pan then top with Symphony bars  Pour and smooth the other half of brownie mix over the bars -Bake per package instructions and cool.  Oops cut and ready to go--again sorry about blurry photo--but you get the jist of it--YUMMY!!  Toasting at Wolftrap-- our motto is "This is ...

Saw this recipe on Rachael Ray show and it really looked good--and it was yummo! Made my life easy with by buying fresh precut spears of pineapple, bag of precooked jasmine as well! 2 3/4 cups chicken stock ( I used a bag precooked jasmine-just followed heating instructions) 2 tbsp. butter 1 1/2 cups jasmine or other white rice Peanut or vegetable oil, for stir-frying 1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh meat chopped into bite-size pieces Finely ground white or black pepper 1/4 pineapple, trimmed and sliced into thin, bite-size pieces (1 cup) 1 bell pepper—seeded, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced 1 red fresno (milder) or thai (hotter) chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced or finely chopped 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, grated or minced 3–4 large cloves garlic, chopped About 2 tbsp. kecap manis (an Indonesian condiment), or substitute 2 tbsp. tamari plus 1 tsp. sugar (this is what I used) 1 1/2 tbsp. fish sauce -no its not fishy--use i...

From Myrecipes.com recipe of the day - originally printed Cooking Light  DECEMBER 2006 Daniel was coming out to eat for dinner --I had told him what we were having and he arrived with his own jar of Spicy Sauce to top his with! This was really easy to throw together on a work night--made it easy by buying the preshredded cabbage. Also used Tilapia rather than Red Snapper as that is what I had on hand. Crema: 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream 1 teaspoon grated lime rind 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 garlic clove, minced Tacos: 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets  Cooking spray 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas 2 cups shredded cabbage   Preheat oven to 425°. To prepare crema, c...