Bruschetta, My Way

OK, so I'll admit, I'm not really a fresh tomato kinda gal - sorry to all my family that just loves eating a good tomato like it's an apple!

ANYWAY, there is a way that I just LOVE tomatoes!

Roasted Tomatoes:
Enough sliced tomatoes to cover a large jelly roll pan.
(use whatever tomatoes you like)
3-4 garlic cloves
enough EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) to cover the pan and a little to drizzle on top of tomatoes
coarse/kosher salt and pepper sprinkled over the top

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours. Flip some time in the middle. They are done when they are carmelized around the edges of the pan. But you can do it as long as you like till you get your desired crispness or lack of crispness. At this point I eat some of the yummy bits on the edges of the pan and then scrape as much of it as you can and store it in the fridge for sandwiches (really good!) or pasta, or my bruschetta recipe.

OK, the bruschetta recipe:
baguette, sliced and toasted on both sides
pesto (I use America's Test Kitchen recipe)
roasted tomato mixture, chopped
fresh mozzarella, cubed
basil, roll leaves together, lengthwise and chop into thin strips

Stir up tomatoes, mozzarella and basil (can add a little EVOO if dry)

Spread pesto on baguette toasts, then mound on tomato mixture

And you've got yourself a tasty appetizer (or dinner if you feel like eating it mostly yourself!)

The Recipe I Promised . . .

Mediteranean Cavatappi and Green Beans

(GREAT time to go to the Farmer's Market and get some beans and red onion!)

1 lb. cavatappi pasta (or any other you choose)
3ish boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped in small bite-size pieces
handful of fresh green beans, chopped into inch lengths
1/2 to 1 red onion, chopped small but not minced
Juice of 1-2 lemons
3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano, finely chopped/minced
2-4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped/minced
1/2-1 cup feta
s & p
extra virgin olive oil (or as Rachael Ray says, EVOO)
Reserved pasta cooking water

Cook pasta according to al dente directions. Make sure you salt the water when it comes to a boil and reserve 1-2 cups/ladle fulls of the pasta cooking water. In the meantime . . . Heat up a large skillet add 1-2 turns of the pan of EVOO. Cook chicken till mostly cooked and remove from pan and set aside. Add some more evoo if needed and then saute onion till almost soft and add garlic, s&p, then green beans. Green beans take a little while to saute. May need to cover the pan and add a little water to steam for 4 or so minutes. This is a little tricking cause you want a little bite left to them. Uncover to cook off most the water.

Then when pasta is done add drained pasta, chicken, oregano, s & p (to taste) and some pasta cooking water, squeeze one lemon at a time (to taste). Stir up till all flavors combine and right before serving stir in the feta. It starts to melt into the sauce and coats the pasta nicely, but make sure there are still a few chunks to bite into, YUMM!

Sorry the recipe isn't more scientific and specific, but it really depends on your tasting and how strong you like your flavors.

Did I miss anything?

ENJOY! Let me know if you try it and if you changed it a bit. Curious to see what you would do to change it . . . maybe add some red pepper flakes, olives, or another veggie?

DIE SQUIRRELS, DIE!

THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!!!! I need to find a way to kill these squirrels. They left all 7 of my heirloom tomato plants bare - it's basically a tomato graveyard and they nibble on my zucchini and cucumbers AND now my ONE-AND-ONLY pepper. AND they don't even bother to eat it, just chew some holes in it and leave it to rot! I am so peeved. ANYONE have ANY ideas for next year? How can I wage war on these annoying squirrels?

PROMISE, the recipe for the mediterranean cavatappi with green beans is COMING SOON! I've just had some things come up that require more attention than blogging. Our sister-in-law's mother passed away this week and went to be with Jesus. So I've been cooking for them and planning for our weekend at the cabin (and trip back to the northern suburbs for a memorial service AND back to the cabin, Phew!). So, next week, hopefully more blogging.

Taste of Summer

YUMMM! You know you want some . . . my recipe for Mediteranean Cavatappi with Green Beans

I'll post it soon . . . promise!

Just one more photo . . . their favorite "afternoon snack" (Stoneyfield Yogurt-frozen-mmm) - especially good on a hot day
(which has been every day for a while, until this weekend : )

Really want to blog . . .

BUT I need to find my way out of this pit first. Well, clean it up anyway. AND deal with crabby kids (as you can see in the corner of the top photo). SO, hopefully today . . . at some point (maybe at midnight) . . . I'll have some sort of blog posted. I see story telling about the rain last night and maybe a scone recipe in (near?) future blogging. Stay tuned! In the mean time enjoy a dose of real life in my constant mess -that is the dining room and kitchen (where we live most our life). : )

Something that may inspire more creativity . . .

TheCreativeConnectionEvent.com  (to visit - click on title of this blog)

I really, REALLY want to go to this event just to be inspired more.  I've always had this deep desire to be creative and a confidence that God desires for me to create for His glory.  It's only been in the last 6 months that my creative juices have really started to flow and I believe it's because I've been exposed to so many awesome blogs.  Seeing other's creativity really helps me to come up with my own ideas for cooking, organizing, decorating, sewing, baking, refinishing-furniture, etc.  So, does anyone else want to go with me?