Tomato Garlic Crustini

Best summer food of 2015, courtesy of our trip to the Mediterranean back in June – Tomato Garlic Crustini.

What’s even better, we found it by chance, thanks to Fred looking up reviews on TripAdvisor for someplace to eat on our last night in Barcelona.  Not too far from the AirBNB we rented in the El Born section of Barcelona, we walked over to Melic del Gotic.  It was one of the best meals we had on our trip!  It was a small restaurant, with such a happy, fun atmosphere.  The staff and the food were amazing!

We were met outside with shots of sangria and a liqueur, Santa Fe Grosella – no idea what was in it, but YUM.  This was definitely the right place for our crew.

Our first course was this amazing food, which I could totally eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner forever.  So fresh, so good… I even absconded with the rogue piece of garlic that hadn’t been used and left on our table – a nice souvenir to use when I made it when we first got home.

The rest of the meal was fantabulous... but I'll have to write up more about this for our TripAdvisor review.

• Ciabatta bread
• Garlic cloves
• Ripe tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice the ciabatta bread, about ¼” to ½” thickness
2. Toast or grill the slices
3. Peel a whole clove of garlic and lightly rub over the toasted bread
   (a little goes a LONG way)
4. Slice the tomato in half and rub, cut side down, over the toasted bread, letting the juices absorb into the bread; discard the outer skin of the tomato
   (depending on the size of the tomato, a half-slice may be used on more than one slice of bread)
5. Repeat with as many garlic cloves and tomatoes as you need.
6. Try to only eat one slice!

More deliciousness from our trip:

Greek Cucumber Pasta Salad

So I think I said something about a week ago about the New Year and trying to hop on the healthy bandwagon.  I wouldn’t say I would get an “A” so far, but I have been making the effort.  I saw this recipe online, either on Pinterest or Facebook, and pinned it to come back to.  I bought the ingredients over the weekend and decided to make it for lunch today.  I will admit that I’m not sure how much of a fan I am of garbanzo beans.  I love hummus, but that’s because they are mashed up along with lots of garlic and other things.  In this salad, I will say that I certainly didn’t NOT like them, but I wasn’t bowled over by them either.  But, trying to be on that healthier kick, I know they are good for me, so I will add them, but I will probably take my brother-in-law Joey’s advice (see, I gave you credit bro!) and maybe put half the can, instead of the whole can.  Each bite definitely tasted better to me when there is a heaping ratio of cucumbers and tomatoes with just a couple of the beans.  I will say that I’m a big fan of the rest – I love feta, I love how it coats to the pasta and the veggies, and I love the flavors.  Now, to figure out how healthy my lunch really was…

• 2 cups dry pasta of choice, cooked to al dente and drained
  (I used casserole elbows)
• 2 large seedless cucumbers, quartered and thinly sliced 
• 20 grape tomatoes cut in quarters 
• 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained 
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese 
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt 
• ¼ tsp. garlic salt 
• Optional:  1 cup pitted kalamata olives

Creamy Feta Yogurt Dressing

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
  (I used powdered buttermilk and water) 
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped shallots
  (I didn’t have shallots, so I sliced thin and diced 2 Tbsp. onion) 
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp. dried dill
• ¼ tsp. dried thyme
• ¼ tsp. garlic salt 
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place cucumbers, tomatoes, cooked pasta, garbanzo beans, Feta, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir to combine. 
2. To prepare dressing, place yogurt, buttermilk, Feta, shallots, olive oil, dill, thyme, garlic salt and black pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth and combined. 
3. Pour over salad then stir to combine.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 10-12 Servings

Adapted from Picky Palate blog

Nutritional Information from MyFitnessPal -- VERDICT == HEALTHY!!  :

Grilled Potato Wedges

I had taken out ground beef from the freezer yesterday to thaw out and everyone voted on hamburgers to have for dinner tonight.  I wanted to make something as a side dish, but all we had were russet potatoes.  When I think about russet potatoes, I think of baked potatoes, but considering we hit almost 80 degrees today, I wasn't in the mood to turn on the oven.  I searched through Pinterest and found a recipe and I pinned it.  If you see it on my Pinterest board, you'll notice it's a little different than what I am posting here (the recipe was in the actual pin, with no valid link, so I can't post it here).  Let's just say I "adapted" this more because of not reading the directions correctly, than looking to change it.  But they still came out pretty dang good -- cooked through, crispy on the outside, and flavorful (although I have been requested to not "eyeball" the red pepper flakes next time -- I may have shaken more than what the recipe called for.  Oops :-)  But yummy for me!)

• 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat
2. Cook the potatoes until tender, but still firm, about 30-40 minutes
3. The potatoes should be cooked through and fork tender, but still holding their shape without losing the skins
4. Drain and put on a cutting board to cool
5. Let cool, then slowly and carefully cut each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges
6. Heat grill to medium-high
7. In a small saucepan, heat on high the canola oil, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley and cheese, stirring constantly until just boiling and then remove from heat
8. Carefully place potato wedges in a medium sized bowl, pouring in the oil and herb mixture, gently turning until the wedges are coated
9. Place each potato wedge on the grill, reserving the remaining oil and herb mixture in the bowl
10. Cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side
11. When thoroughly grilled, carefully transfer back to the bowl and gently toss the wedges in the remaining oil and herb mixture
12. Transfer to a serving bowl

Rice Pilaf

You have no idea how many times I have meant to post this recipe; how many times I have lost this recipe, to find it, to lose it again, and then find it.  Every time I'm looking for it, I say "I posted it last time I found it, didn't I?"... ummmmm... yeah... NOPE!  Grrrrrr.  Tonight, I really wanted this to go along with the chicken we were grilling out and I looked everywhere -- my old recipe box, a binder having oodles of recipes I have saved, in my recipe folder on my computer.  I couldn't find it.  I even tried Google, because I was pretty sure it originated from an old Campbell's soup recipe.  For giggles, I did a search in my e-mail and found that back in 2007, I had e-mailed it as an entry to "The New England Newlywed Cookbook".  THANK GOODNESS!  But, I obviously can't take credit for the recipe.  Although it may have come from some place like Campbell's, I got it from my former mother-in-law (Catherine's grandmother), probably at least 20 years ago.  She would make it all the time, especially to go with grilled steak tips, and the memories of how good it is have always stayed with me.  This rice pilaf is such a "good home cookin" kind of side dish.  It's something that I know both Catherine and I could just eat an entire bowl of for that yummy in our tummy feeling.

So finally... at long last... I'M FINALLY POSTING IT HERE ...

• ½ cup egg noodles
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
• 1/3 cup water
• ½ cup regular rice

DIRECTIONS 

1. In a saucepan, brown the noodles in butter, stirring continuously
   (browned... so they almost seem like they are overdone)
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
3. Stir and cover, reducing heat to low.
4. Cook for 20-30 minutes.

Baked Mashed Potatoes

I was watching Food Network's "The Pioneer Woman" and saw Ree Drummond make these.  She calls them Crash Hot Potatoes, but I knew I would never find them in my own blog again by that name so I renamed it as I tried to explain it to my family as we sat down to dinner -- "you know... those mashed potatoes that are baked -- yeah, baked mashed potatoes."  Hey, after eating these, I don't care what they are called... the are SCRUMDILLYISHOUS!

• 12 small potatoes (with skins)(I have used both a Yukon gold and red potatoes -- the picture above was made with the red potatoes)
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil(really just eyeball to drizzle)
• 6 Tbsp. butter, divided
• Kosher salt 
• Fresh ground black pepper 

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. 
2. Preheat the oven to 475F. 
3. Place the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet, with a drizzle of olive oil on the foil.
4. Using a potato masher, gently press down to mash each one. The tops of the potatoes should be really textured.
5. Drizzle the tops of the potatoes with the remaining olive oil.
6. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and about a ½ Tbsp. butter on top of each smashed potato.
7. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15-25 minutes -- the crispier the better!

Adapted from Food Network, Ree Drumond - The Pioneer Woman 

Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

 

I was planning to make the Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken tonight -- I wanted something quick and easy since I wasn't really in the mood to cook, but knew we shouldn't do take out.  Mother Hubbard's cupboard was pretty bare for a side -- no rice and no potatoes.  I went over to Pinterest and one of my friends had pinned this recipe, and thankfully, I actually had all of the ingredients.  It gave me the starchy side I was craving, but also added broccoli, which I love.  I'm going to have to make it again this week for Catherine because she is going to LOVE IT!

• 1 cup orzo 
• 1½ cups chopped broccoli florets
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. butter 
• ¼ - ½ cup milk 
• Salt
• Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Add orzo to a large pot of salted boiling water.
2. Cook for 5 minutes then add chopped broccoli and cook for 4 more minutes, or until orzo is tender.
3. Drain well (broccoli florets are notorious for holding onto water) then return to the pot.
4. Add cheeses, butter, and ¼ cup milk then stir well; add more milk if needed.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yields 3-4 Servings


Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats blog 

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

I was searching for a vegetable side dish to go along with the Beast for Feast of Christmas Eve.  I knew I could have gone with something like steamed green beans or broccoli, but I wanted to try something new, and something with a little pizazz.  I had looked on Pinterest a couple times, but it wasn't until about noon today when I was forced to make a decision.  After looking at the actual recipes of several broccoli casseroles, most of which involved using cream of mushroom soup, which I don't love.  I'm not a mushroom fan.  I would go so far as saying I hate mushrooms.  Sure, I could have gone with cream of something-else soup (broccoli, cheddar, celery, or even chicken); but I didn't want to use that.  Then Catherine and I found this recipe -- no cream of anything soup needed AND it called for bacon.  Everything is better with bacon!  We had our winner!  This was a delicious side dish that was well worth the wading through recipes to find!

• 2 pounds broccoli, cut into large florets, yielding about 8 cups of broccoli florets
• Salt for blanching water
• ½ pound of thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 5 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2-3 tsp. of freshly cracked black pepper (1-2 tsp. fine ground black pepper)
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup (or more to taste) Panko bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the broccoli florets and boil for 3-5 minutes or until just tender enough so that a fork can easily pierce the floret, but still firm.
3. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
4. While the water in step one is coming to a boil, cook the bacon pieces on medium heat in a frying pan until lightly browned, but not crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Set aside. (I cooked the bacon as I now tend to make it for any type of cooking – I take a barely thawed pound of frozen bacon and slice vertically so that it is cut into natural diced segments.  I then take a non-stick saucepan and preheat on high, adding the bacon, cooking until crisp, and then draining.  Such an easy way with very little prep or mess.)
5. Preheat oven to 425°F.
6. Butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. (I used a 9x13” Pyrex dish)
7. In a bowl, whisk the eggs into the flour, then whisk in the cream and milk, and adding the black pepper (more or less to taste), salt, and mustard.
8. Mix in about a third of the cheese.
9. Place the parboiled broccoli florets in the casserole dish, sprinkling about a third of the cheese over the broccoli florets as you lay them down.
10. Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the broccoli.
11. Pour the egg, cream, milk, cheese mixture over the broccoli, moving the broccoli pieces a bit so that the mixture gets into all the nooks and crannies.
12. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining cheese plus the panko bread crumbs.
13. Bake for 25-40 minutes, or until set. Once the top has browned, you may want to tent with aluminum foil to keep from burning. (Since I was making this along with the Beast for our Feast of Christmas Eve, I actually had to start with an oven temperature of 325°F; when the Beast came out, I covered the casserole with aluminum foil, but kept the temperature low, just cooking it for 40+ minutes to ensure it was fully set and cooked.)

Yield: 10-15 as a side dish.

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Broccoli with Roasted Garlic Butter

Wanting a side dish for Thanksgiving Part 2 that was green, but different than the traditional green beans, I headed to the Pinterest boards and found this recipe.  It's really just a basic broccoli recipe, but with a delicious garlic butter.  I could have eaten this whole bowl all by myself!  If only butter wasn't a no-no for my daily healthier living, but hey, it was great for my diet holiday!

• 2 large plump heads garlic
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• About 3 lbs. broccoli

DIRECTIONS
To make the roasted garlic butter: 

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
2. Cut each garlic head in half crosswise.
3. Drizzle the cut surfaces with oil, then season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
4. Put the halves back together to re-form into heads.
5. Wrap each head in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.
6. Bake until the garlic is tender when squeezed and the cut surfaces are deep beige (open up the foil to check), about 35 minutes.
7. Cool completely.
8. Squeeze the soft garlic flesh out the hulls into a small bowl, adding the butter, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper.
   (I put into the mixing bowl of a Kitchen Aid Mixer)
9. Using a rubber spatula, mash the garlic and butter until well combined.
   (I mixed with my Kitchen Aid Mixer)
10. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.
    
    The garlic can be prepared up to 3 days ahead.  Bring to room temperatures before using.

To make the broccoli:  

1. To prepare the broccoli, cut off the tops and separate into florets.
   (I actually used frozen pre-cut broccoli florets)
2. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.
3. Add the florets and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain quickly and return to the warm cooking pot. Do not drain the broccoli completely dry — leave some water clinging to the broccoli.
5. Add the garlic butter to the broccoli and mix gently, allowing the butter to melt and combine with the small amount of water in the pot to form a light sauce. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.

Adapted from TasteSpotting the Blog