Toma-toe, Ta-mato

Lately, we've been eating a lot of these for dinner (caprese salads...literally fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh sliced basil, salt, pepper, EVOO)

And tonight some of this (courtesy of Bobby Flay)

That's right, our tomato garden is exploding with red, ripe, juicy tomatoes. I'm delighted, and yet scrambling for recipes to use up these beauties.

So I thought I'd share some of what I've been cooking lately

Heirloom Tomato Salad on Grilled Bruschetta

by Bobby Flay

2 lbs assorted heirloom tomatoes, diced

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 Tbsp red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup packed basil leaves, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

4 1/2-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread  (I used French bread)

1) Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, 1/4 c olive oil, and the basil in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

2) Heat a grill pan over high heat (or a grill to high). Grill the bread on each side until slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side. Remove from the grill and brush the tops with the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil.  Mound the bread with the tomato mixture and some of the juices and serve immediately.  

(Note: I just put my bread in the oven and broiled for a few minutes until lightly browned)

 Enjoying momma's homemade spaghetti for the first time and upset that it's "all gone"

(I'd post the recipe, think I got it from allrecipes.com, but I'm not the most wild about it. Still searching for the best homemade spaghetti sauce, so pass ideas my way!)

Freezer Burritos

Freezer Burritos


Recipe here.  For my burritos, I pulled some diced orange bell peppers out of the freezer and sauteed those with a fresh green bell pepper from our garden.  I added some salsa rice (leftovers from tacos earlier in the week), along with some black beans.  And of course a good healthy topping of taco-seasoned shredded cheese on top, but I couldn't take a picture of the added cheese or it would cover up the above picture of my veggies.

Taco Soup

Recipe here.   Thank you Sarah Barry for my cooking inspiration lately!  And I think it's funny I've been on a big Mexican kick in cooking this past week.  When I was pregnant with Jackson, Mexican food did not sound very appetizing.  Or maybe it's the spiciness that I tend to repulse in both of my pregnancies.  Anyways, Andy liked this taco soup that I made tonight, and I'm glad to have some to freeze as well.

Can you tell I finally have bursts of energy now that I'm in my 2nd trimester!  Thank goodness, and literally, praise the Lord!  I feel like a new woman!

Up next, trying to save all of our cucumbers to make these dill pickles.  Just might be getting Andy to help me with this one :)