One of the things that happens the night before Basket Day is using up the remnants of whatever is left in the veggie drawer in the fridge. One of the easiest things to do (and currently one of our favorites) is to go Indian – with a veggie tikka masala.
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I wanted to use my Italian pack items and my beefsteak tomatoes but I also needed a quick, easy dinner while life is so busy! I felt like challenging myself today cause lets face it…Life has been busy and I have let my kitchen inspirations fall to the waste side lately. I was hoping my instincts hadn’t left me when I started this meal out. We can let you be the judge of it 
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The challenge was on. What can you do with an acorn squash that is different and tasty? At our house, we love quesadillas! A quesadilla is a flour tortilla filled with a savory mixture containing cheese, vegetables, chicken, beef, or even, tofu. It is a basic tortilla “grilled cheese sandwich” but with a spicy kick! I cooked the acorn squash in the oven until tender and mashed it. I added lots of jalapeno chiles and onions to the squash. I made the quesadilla by layering the squash mixture in the tortilla with cheese and heating it. It was a great new way to use acorn squash! (more…)
Corn and Tomato Tart
I have been loving my heirloom tomatoes from Bountiful Baskets- and so has everyone else in my family. We have all enjoyed discovering the different flavors that come with each different color and pointing out the best ways to use all the colors to create “the perfect bite”. The best quote of the night came from my 13 year old while enjoying the little dish I’m about to share with you. She said “You know what’s great about these tomatoes? They taste like tomatoes. A lot of the time tomatoes don’t really taste like anything. But these are full of tomatoey goodness”. Yes my dear, yes they are. And since these little gems have the guts to actually have a flavor, I thought they deserved a dish that showcased it. (more…)
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Pizza Calzone
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Mozzarella Stick Stackers
As a little kid (and a college kid, and a newly married kid) one of my favorite junk food treats was a crispy, fried mozzarella stick. There is just nothing better than biting into a crunchy layer of browned bread crumbs followed by the oooey- goooey- goodness of cheese. Well, maybe even better is giving that a dip into some spicy marinara sauce. But after my second baby I started to feel my metabolism slowing down and by baby number four it was quite apparent that an indulgent mozzarella stick would hang around (in the form of hips and tummy) for far longer than I wanted. It was clear I had to avoid one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Until now! (more…)
I have been exploring uses for my bag of wheat berries that is living in my pantry. I had a major risotto craving so I thought I would try to sub the wheat berries in for the rice. This recipe turned out really comforting and rich like traditional risotto. I really liked how the wheat berries made it a little chewy. (more…)
Kale, the trendy “superfood” pops up in my basket quite a bit. I don’t love it, but it gives me an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. This dish is inspired by sausage, kale, and white bean soup and will take you halfway across the world to a trattoria in the Tuscan Countryside. (more…)
I really need a protein rich breakfast to get my day started. One of the easiest and healthiest protein breakfasts is for me to scramble up some eggs. This is a great recipe to use up a variety of vegetables and it is fast so it is perfect for weekday mornings. I will pretty much use whatever I have on hand but some of my favorites are tomatoes, spinach, kale, onion, broccoli, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, herbs, leeks, and potatoes. (more…)
A few weeks ago I wrote about freezing tomatoes. While that remains my go-to trick to keeping tomatoes out of my trash, today I tried something new — slow roasting tomatoes.
Not quite a sun-dried tomato, these tender, juicy ruby-colored gems are full of flavor and have endless possibilities. Personally I like eating them right out of the roasting pan.
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