Ricotta Bruschetta

I have this list....

It's a list of the dishes I have made and are awaiting their turn in the spotlight. You know...they are waiting their turn to be blogged about.

Yes, my dishes feel as though they are famous when I post about them.

Don't yours???

Either way...

I digress.

Back to the list.

When I don't feel as though I have to post something this. very. instant! I consult the list to see what I am going to share with you next. Basically...who gets their 15 minutes of fame.

Yesterday, I couldn't decide what I wanted to share....so I went to twitter.

I asked the people on twitter if they wanted sweet or savory.

The response I received from Jessica was perfect. She said:

"YES to both. And salty, sweet, savory, spicy, and salty."

Don't you love that response???

Do you think there is possibly a dish on my list that could meet all these criteria?

Well...as soon as I read that, I knew just the thing!

This ricotta bruschetta encompasses all these tastes (though maybe not the spicy, but I'll bet you can get creative and fix that!).

This dish is perfectly well rounded. The tomatoes and mint give it the right amount of sweetness. The ciabatta is drizzled with olive oil, grilled and enlivened by the tangy lemon juice and bold oregano flavors. And the ricotta cheese, perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper, rounds out the brightness of the dish just beautifully.

This dish is truly the most amazing combination of sweet, savory, salty, hearty, fresh and light...all at the same time.

Though the recipe calls for fresh mint, I find that a mixture of fresh mint and basil just adds another layer bursting with flavor.

And what's more...this dish is perfect for Spring!

Not too heavy for an evening appetizer...and not too heavy for an afternoon snack.

Serve this on a warm day with a fresh breeze. As you take your first juicy, crispy bite you will feel the world around you come to life with the promises of Spring beauty.

So what are you waiting for...let's get into the kitchen.

Grab up your ingredients: ciabatta (this is supposed to be a loaf, but when you send The Hubble to the store you get ciabatta rolls. Oh well...it's workable), extra virgin olive oil, skim milk ricotta cheese, fresh mint (and basil, if desired), tomatoes, lemon, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.

Start by preparing the bread. Slice the loaf into 1/2 inch thick slices. Drizzle them with the olive oil.

Grab either a grill pan, indoor, gas or charcoal grill and heat it to medium high heat. Grill the ciabatta until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon juice over  the bread slices. Sprinkle with the dried oregano, salt and pepper.

Now for the topping. Core, seed and dice the tomatoes.

Toss them in a medium bowl with the tomatoes, fresh herbs, salt and pepper.

Gently stir it all up until it is well mixed.

Top the bread with a generous helping of the ricotta topping. Serve and enjoy!!

Ricotta Bruschetta
Slightly adapted from The Food Network

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Ingredients:

For the bread

• 1 pound ciabatta bread loaf, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the topping

• 1 (15 ounce) container skim milk ricotta cheese
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint; plus more for garnish (can sub 1 1/2 Tablespoon basil, if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the bread

1. Turn a grill of your choice (grill pan, indoor, gas or charcoal grill) onto medium-high heat.
2. Drizzle the bread slices with olive oil.
3. Grill the bread until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Remove the bread. Squeeze the lemon juice over the bread slices.
5. Sprinkle the oregano, salt and pepper over the bread slices.

For the topping

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, diced tomato, chopped herbs, salt and pepper.
2. Gently stir to combine well.
3. Top the bread with a generous amount of the cheese topping and garnish with excess mint.
4. Serve and enjoy!!

Rustic Tomato Tart

I have a confession to make.

Okay....breathe...you can do this...

Here goes....

I love garlic.

There! I said it! And you heard me!

I.

Love.

Garlic.

I can't help myself. I don't care how many dates I may have ruined in the past. And anyway, I done caught my man so I can eat as much garlic as I want to and there's nothing he can do about it. He has to love me anyway.

Phew. I feel so much better that I got that off my chest.

You are probably wondering where all this came from. And if you aren't? I'm going to tell you anyway.

See...I've been trying to play catch up in my Google Reader. I have been so busy this past week that I just didn't have time to read anything. I barely eked out the posts for this blog, let alone my other one.

And let me tell you, when way behind on your friend's posts, it may not be a good idea to add more blogs to your already too long list. But sometimes, I run across a great new find and I have to stick around!

That's what has happened with Baking and Creating with Avril. This blog is new to me and I'm so glad I found it. Especially since I read her recent post about this dish I'm about to share with you. I literally ran out that day to get the finishing ingredients so I could make this meal that very night.

All I needed was the cheese so I'm telling you now...you probably already have most of the ingredients for this dish in your kitchen. It was easy and SO delicious.

I made this on a night that The Hubble had class because his usual response for things like this is "where's the meat??" However, I forgot that the meat was missing from this meal...it was THAT good.

I enjoyed this meal on my own with a glass of merlot and it was heaven.

However, as I said...I love garlic, so I often change the "salt and pepper" to "garlic salt and pepper." Why am I mentioning this now? Because I realized my obsession was a problem when I was making this dish. I realized that almost every time a recipe calls for "salt and pepper" I will change it to "garlic salt and pepper." See what I'm saying? It's a problem. And not everyone may share this love with me...but I don't care. It's GEWD!

Okay. Enough talking. Let's get cooking.

First, we start by making the crust. Grab some flour, salt, butter (cold) and an egg. I actually used salted butter for this but you can do either. I did not find it too salty either. And no...I did not change this one to garlic salt...silly!

Take a pastry cutter (or two knives) and work the butter and flour together until it resembles a cornmeal type substance.

At this point you are supposed to take a separate bowl and dump in the egg and water, beat it lightly, make a well in the flour and butter mixture, then gently work it all together. Unfortunately, I didn't do that. I cracked the egg into the flour mix then dumped in the water. THEN I read the directions and realized my mistake. So I took the pastry cutter and kind of blended the egg and water in the center of the flour...it was salvaged.

See??? You mix the egg into the flour then I ended up kneading a bit with my hands to make a ball of dough.

I then rolled the ball into a 14 inch "circle" onto a piece of parchment paper. When the dough was rolled out I transferred the whole thing (parchment and all) onto a baking sheet.

Now for the innards! You will need 2-3 large tomatoes (I used 2 1/2), some olive oil, mozzarella cheese (the good kind), stone ground and dijon mustards (sorry the dijon isn't in the picture), some basil (or other herbs of your choosing), pepper and...you guessed it! Garlic salt!

For this part I was planning on just using the stone ground mustard but I found out I didn't have enough. So I made a mix of dijon and stone ground mustard. Spread the mustard onto the unbaked tart shell.

Now slice the tomato and pile it up in the center of the shell.

At this point I decided I wanted to add a little balsamic vinegar because it's SO good with basil and tomato.

So you drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes.

Then sprinkle on some garlic salt, pepper and basil.

Slice up the cheese and place it on top of the tomatoes.

Add a bit more garlic salt, pepper and basil.

Fold up the edges of the crust over the sides of the tomatoes and cheese. At this point I considered using an egg wash because I was worried about the crust. But, I followed the directions and just left it like this.

Toss it in the oven for 30 minutes. The crust becomes golden brown and the cheese gets all gooey, brown and bubbly. Oh my!

Let it cool for a bit, then slice it with a pizza cutter. Serve and enjoy!

Please, please, please go out and get the stuff to make this tonight. I promise you will hear the angels sing upon your first bite and you will find yourself exclaiming "who needs meat!!!". I know I did! Yum!

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Rustic Tomato Tart
Slightly adapted from Baking and Creating with Avril

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Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 Tablespoons cold water

For the Filling:

• 3 Tablespoons stone ground or dijon mustard (use a mix of both if desired)
• 2-3 large fresh tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 8 ounces good quality mozzarella cheese
• garlic salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

For crust:

1. Mix salt and flour in medium bowl. With pastry cutter (or using two knives) cut in chilled butter until mixture has a cornmeal consistency.
2. In separate bowl, lightly beat egg; add 2 Tablespoons water.
3. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour egg mixture in the well; mix until well incorporated and a non-sticky dough forms. (During this process, if dough is still too dry, add third Tablespoon of water).
4. Knead dough into a ball, transfer to parchment paper; roll out into a 14 inch circle. Transfer parchment paper and dough to a baking sheet.

For Filling:

1. Spread mustard over the unbaked crust until well covered.
2. Slice tomato and arrange in center of crust circle.
3. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper and basil.
4. Top with sliced mozzarella; sprinkle with a bit more garlic salt, pepper and basil.
5. Bring edges of crust up over the edges of tomato and cheese.
6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is brown and bubbly.
7. Allow to cool about 10 minutes, slice with pizza cutter.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Santa Fe Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Do you know what I find to be completely ridiculous?? The fact that it's the end of September and it's still 90 degrees outside! I mean...does that happen? Really?? Well, obviously!

The problem is that I spent the last 5 or so years in Upstate New York. It is a different country up there for sure. Up there they have four seasons like the rest of the world except the seasons are different. Upstate New York's four seasons are: winter, deep winter, still winter and construction.

So being in a new state that has a lengthy summer is incredible to me. But I will make do with what I have and continue to enjoy yummy summer foods.

I am a lover of salsa. I have my go to salsa recipe for every day use. But sometimes there are occasions that call for something a bit more special. Enter in this Santa Fe Corn and Black Bean salsa. My mother in law found this recipe a while back and shared it with me. I believe it came from a Costco magazine. I'm sure many people have their own recipe but this is the one I use. So let's make some.

Ingredients: 1 can black beans, 1 can whole kernel corn, 1 can diced tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and not pictured here: garlic salt.

First up! Drain and rinse your black beans...

And toss them in a bowl.

Drain the corn...

Toss it in the bowl with the black beans.

Drain the diced tomatoes...

And toss those in the bowl as well.

Dice the onion...

And toss it in the bowl with the rest.

Chop up the cilantro.

And, you guessed it! Toss it in the bowl!

Dice up your bell pepper.

Toss that into the bowl as well.

Now it's time to prepare the jalapeno, if you're into that kind of thing. Chop off both ends of that bad boy and slice it in half.

Take a spoon and scrape out the seeds and membranes from inside the jalapeno.

Now dice up the jalapeno...

And throw it in the bowl! Opa!!!!

Cut the limes in half...

And squeeze the bajeebus out of them and let all that juice rain down on the veggie mixture.

And finally! Take a spoon and mix it all together. Right before serving, add the garlic salt to taste.

Taste you say?? I don't mind if I do. Enjoy!

Santa Fe Corn and Black Bean Salsa

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Ingredients:

• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained.
• 1 (15 ¼-oz) can whole kernel corn, drained.
• 1 (14 ½-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained.
• Juice of 2 limes.
• 1/4 cup diced red onions.
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced.
• 1-2 Tablespoons minced jalapeno (to taste).
• Garlic salt (to taste).

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, salt to taste.

Easy Party Pasta Salad

Today I realized something crazy. I realized...it's August! Can you believe it??? Yeah...me neither.

Seriously, where has this year gone? It's already halfway over. We are on the downhill slide.

However, Summer is still in full swing. And it is HOT.

So what goes best with Summer? Cook outs of course! And we all know that no cook out is complete without at least ONE pasta salad right??

It's actually kind of funny because my pasta salad has been made and requested at least 3 times in the last couple of weeks (that I can remember).

I first learned about this pasta salad from a friend back in my former life as a bookseller. Over the years I've adapted it and made it mine. I even had to teach my sisters how to make it because my family loves it so.

I think most everyone has a version of this pasta salad, but I'm going to share mine with you. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients: tri-color rotini (because it's pretty), Monterey Jack cheese, cherry tomatoes, diced pepperoni, black olives, Italian dressing seasoning and Italian dressing (zesty Italian if you prefer). You will also need a bit of extra virgin olive oil but I didn't take a picture of it.

Start by bringing some water to a boil.

Toss in your pasta and cook as per the directions on the package.

When the pasta is finished, drain it...

And rinse thoroughly with cold water. The point is to cool the noodles here.

Once the pasta is cool, toss it into a bowl (I chose one with a lid that I would serve the salad from later).

Pour just a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil on the pasta so as to lightly coat them. This will help them to not stick together.

Toss in the Italian dressing seasoning.

And stir the pasta until well coated with the olive oil and seasoning. Now put the lid on and toss this in the fridge to chill the noodles completely and let the seasoning stick to the pasta and make it nice and flavorful.

After a couple hours (right before serving) drain the olives and throw them in the bowl with the pasta...

Then dump in the pepperoni...

And tomatoes.

And stir it all up.

Cut your cheese into chunks...

Toss them in the bowl...

And mix it up again.

Finally...dump in the Italian dressing...

Stir it all up...

Serve and enjoy! This is best eaten with your favorite cook out foods or even by itself. It's way yummy!

Easy Party Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb tri-color rotini
• 1 packet Italian dressing seasoning
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can whole black olives; drained
• 1 package diced pepperoni (if you can't find diced you can use sliced and just quarter the slices)
• 1 package cherry tomatoes
• 1 block Monterey jack cheese; cubed
• 1 bottle Italian dressing (regular or zesty)

Directions:

1. Cook rotini as per directions on package, drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Toss pasta with a bit of extra virgin olive oil so noodles don't stick together. Add Italian dressing seasoning packet and mix until rotini is evenly coated with oil and seasoning; refrigerate until rotini is completely chilled (about 1 hour or more).
3. Add black olives, pepperoni and tomatoes; stir until well combined.
4. Immediately before serving add cubed cheese and Italian dressing; stir until well combined and fully coated.
5. Serve and enjoy!