Wordless Wednesday in the Garden!

ruby red stems of swiss chard in my garden

simply beautiful!

che bella!

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Bucatini with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

Roasting red peppers freshly picked from the garden is just one of the easiest things that you can do to preserve your bountiful harvest of peppers.  And here's a good recipe to use some of those roasted red pepper that you want to enjoy right now!  Now if you've never roasted red pepper before, here is a tutorial on my blog:  Just click on this link to find some easy instructions for roasting red peppers.  This is a vegetarian, red marinara sauce for pepper lovers!  It is also pretty intensely flavored with the natural sweetness of red peppers.  For a more pungent flavor, use Asiago cheese instead of the every day, over-used Parmigiana-Regiano cheese.  But if you prefer a more mild cheese, than use the Parmesan instead.

My husband thinks that this is an "outstanding" marinara sauce, but he was frustrated with the bucatini noodles since he couldn't 'suck' the noodles into his mouth as he does with spaghetti noodles . . . bucatini noodles resemble long, thin tubes with a hole through the entire length of the noodle.  So twirling this noodle is essential to getting it into your mouth!  The name 'bucatini' originates from the Italian word 'buco' which means "hole", and 'bucato' means "pierced".

Bucatini noodles are particularly common in Rome and throughout the Italian provence of Lazio.  These have a fun and different pasta noodle shape, and not easily found in American grocery stores.  You can find them on-line from Italian food merchants or in Italian specialty food stores in larger cities.  But you can use any pasta shape that you prefer.

This recipe is similar to the infamously popular "Bucatini all'Amatriciana" in that a tomato-based sauce is used with the heat of red pepper flakes (pepperoncino), but it differs in that roasted red peppers are incorporated instead of pancetta and the use of asiago instead of pecorino romano cheese.  Both are delicioso!

please click on the link below for this delicious recipe!

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Almost Wordless Wednesday in the Gardens!

When all else fails to bloom in late summer, 

in the South there's always the prolific blooms of Crepe Myrtles!

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Cheese ~ Stuffed Fried Zucchini Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Basil Pesto

Oh zucchini!  "A joy in July or a joke in September!"  

Truth is, what would summer be without zucchini and tomatoes fresh from the garden?  Zucchini simply capture the green colors and flavors of summer.  When fried alone, or stuffed and fried, they are marvelous as appetizers or for a mid-morning treat!  A platter of fried or baked stuffed zucchini/squash blossoms is an everyday delight on Italian tables.

And with zucchini comes those beautiful buttery, yellow, golden blossoms that attract bees humming in bliss while stuffing themselves with pollen that blesses them from the interiors of each blossom!

To prepare garden-fresh zucchini/squash blossoms in a delicate veil of crispy batter is comparable to nothing on earth.

Fresh-picked squash blossoms from my garden this morning, ready to prepare in the kitchen!

squash/zucchini/pumpkin blossoms are pretty enough for a delicate bouquet (they won't last longer than a few hours though!)

just a shots (above and below) of how profusely they are growing in just one portion of my garden…. you have to look very closely, because often they grown hidden underneath very large green leaves 

and yes, the plants have outgrown the garden and are well into our backyard now!

Zucchini/squash plants are similar to tomatoes . . . they have blossoms first!  

Let's just call it vegetable garden 'flower power'!  

The difference is that these lovely yellow blossoms are BIG!  Big enough to cut, open, lay flat, stuff, and FRY!  Zucchini blossoms, squash blossoms, pumpkin blossoms . . . whatever you choose to grow and/or call them, are the little beauty delicacies that for years Italians have known that they are completely edible, delicious, and very hard to come by.  Why?  They bloom only in the morning hours of your garden, and they wilt within hours.  The window of time to harvest any squash blossom, to stuff them, and to fry them is very, very small.   

Thus the reason why you'll be hard-pressed to ever find fried zucchini/squash blossoms on menus in the U.S.  Few people know of these outside of the culinary and Italian world.  

Nothing poisonous, OK?  Actually, I don't think there's even a major taste to these blossoms.  They are just the "envelope" or "pouch" in which to stuff and fry.  What you end up tasting is the fried element of the dish as well as the stuffing.  So please don't fear . . . try this . . . it's fun, and so yummy!

  

zucchini/squash blossoms play a little game of 'find me' every morning under the huge plant leaves

 just another shot of a platter of blossoms below showing you how they will CLOSE up within a few hours of harvest.  you have very little time to prepare them to eat.  sure, you can still dunk these in the batter, but they will be round instead of flat . . . the flavor alone will not be changed.

please click on the link below for this delicious recipe!

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A Beautifully Simple Beet Salad

Beets just seem to make salads more beautiful!  Personally, I'm just crazy about beets!  They are just so good for us and so sweet and yummy!  (And if you're trying to reduce your weight, you know how beets naturally assist your body in doing so!)  After a drought of beets in the market, I finally found some beets that suited my standards.

Realizing that they aren't cheap in price, I then headed straight for the local farm co-op to purchase my beet seeds for planting our fall garden now that our tomatoes are all harvested and cleaned out of the beds this week.

Beets can be roasted or boiled and personally, I just haven't been able to taste a huge difference in taste between the two cooking methods, so being a creature of habit and not wanting to make my A/C work harder to cool down an oven-heated kitchen, I just plopped them into a pot of boiling water for this salad.  It's really your choice on how you want to cook your beets.

Usually all I do to prepare beets is to revert to tradition and Italian simplicity . . . and that is to do as little as possible to them:   just chop up some onion, cut up the cooked beets into slices or chunks, and then toss them into a simple Italian vinaigrette.  However, if that's too dull for you, and you prefer a bucket-load of ingredients in your beet salad, there is a plethora of recipes 'out there' in cookbooks and on the Web to select from.  I'll be sharing 4 more recipes soon for you to select from and be your own judge.

I have even explored more elaborate and 'loaded' beet salad recipes and posted them on this blog.  Truth is, they were no more delicious than this recipe.  You can find that recipe at the following link:   Beets With Avocados and Manchego Cheese.

So for this simple, yet classic spring and summertime beet salad recipe, I went beyond my own family cookbooks and referred to fresh cooking guru author and owner of Chez Panisse, Alice Waters and her 2007 "The Art of SImple Food:  Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution".

This woman validates my philosophy for cooking:   simplicity is best!

In her new cookbook, Ms. Waters includes one and ONLY one recipe for a beet salad and it is as follows:


Marinated Beet Salad
adapted from "The Art of Simple Food"

1 pound beets (red, Chioggia, golden, or white)
Freshly cracked sea salt
1 tsp. vinegar (red wine, sherry, or white wine)
Freshly cracked sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1  -  2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 of a sweet Vidalia onion, chopped into chunks (my family's addition)
Good Seasons Italian herbs packet prepared according to directions (my family's addition)
a teaspoon or two of sugar (my family's addition in the event that the beets may not be sweet enough . . . taste, taste, taste)

Wash beets thoroughly.
Place them in a baking dish with a little water to a depth of 1/8".
Sprinkle with salt.
Cover tightly and roast the beets in a 350 degree oven until they can easily be pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on their size.
Remove from oven.
OR:
Boil for the same amount of time as above in a tall pot of boiling water.
Drain when a fork can easily be inserted.
Cut off both ends and remove the skins.
Cut the peeled beets into 1/4" slices or 1/2" cube/chunks.
Add vinegar and olive oil (or in my family's case we use Good Seasons Italian dressing herbs prepared according to the package directions).
At this point, my family recipe adds the chopped onions too.
Salt and pepper to taste.
If beets are not sweet enough, add about a teaspoon of sugar until your preference is satisfied.
Let the beets stand to marinate and absorb the ingredients.
To plate, place the beets on a layer of your favorite variety of fresh lettuce such as arugula and romaine.

AND THAT'S IT!

This is truly the art of simple food, which is what Italian cooking is known for.

The only thing that my family ever added to the recipe above is chopped onions, some Italian herbs, and a little bit of sugar if needed.
It's a preference thing.


Mangia!

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Happy 100th Birthday Julia . . . Steak Diane

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In honor of Julia Child's birthday (would have been 100 years old today), I am reposting for my newest readers, this post about the first recipe that I ever made from Ms. Child, originally posted in the earlier days of this blog on in September, 2009.  This post has been read over 8,500 times via Google!  It's a super-winner classic in my family that never ever fails to please.  Bon Appetit!

If you're looking for a fast, but impressive dinner for either you and your sweetie or for your guests, Steak Diane is a real winner.  It is so good AND so easy that my kids made it (with some supervision) for their dates before they would go to a school dance in high school. One of the beauties of Steak Diane is that you can do all of the prepping before guests come to your house, have appetizers and cocktails with them (instead of being stuck in the kitchen), and THEN quickly saute the steaks and SERVE!

The only changes I made to Ms. Julia's respected recipe is:  I added more garlic! Sometimes, I'll also saute sliced mushrooms in butter and throw those in the sauce, but this time, I didn't want another trip to the store to get the mushrooms! So you decide. Some recipes even add a little bit of cream, which sounds wonderful to me, although I've never added it.....just kept to Julia's recipe plus my addition of garlic.

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So in honor of the book and movie about her life, I prepared Steak Diane, the first recipe of hers that I ever made and from her Julia Child & Company cookbook series.

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You can still see all of the spill stains and notes on my cookbook below!

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Steak Diane
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Here's what you need to make the dish:

4 .8-oz steaks, cut 1/2" thick (use filet mignon/tenderloin, New York strip or rib-eyes)

1-1/2 Tbsp. capers OR green peppercorns packed in water, drained

a couple drops of soy sauce

olive oil

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Ahead of time: For placing on the side of the stove area, put all of the following on a tray or platter; place them in the refrigerator and when ready to begin cooking, take this tray/platter of ingredients directly to the stove area:

1 Tbsp. canola or olive oil (if you use olive oil, do not heat too high or you'll burn it)

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup minced scallions

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh, chopped garlic

a small bowl containing a blend of: 1 Tbsp. cornstarch blended with 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard and 1 cup of fragrant beef bouillon

parsley for garnish

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Also ahead of time, place on the side of the stove:

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A bottle of Worcestershire sauce

Half of a lemon

Cognac

Port or Madeira

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Also have ready by the stove:
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12" frying pan

2 large forks for turning and rolling up the steaks

2 large spoons (one for the sauce stirring, and one for tasting only -- no double dipping)

a butter knife

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Here's what you need to do to prepare the steaks:
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Ahead of time:

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Trim all of the steaks of fat and gristle.

With a meat mallet, pound steaks to slightly enlarge and tenderize them; don't make very thin.

Crush the drained peppercorns with the back of a spoon.

Spread a little on one side of each steak.

Add one drop of soy sauce and olive oil on that same side of the steak.

With the forks, roll up each steak and place on a platter.

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Cover and refrigerate until cooking time.

These only take a few minutes to cook, not hours!

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So just when you're ready to cook the steaks:

Make sure that the side of the stove has everything set up and ready within easy reach.

Preheat the frying pan to a reasonably hot temperature.

Pour 1 Tbsp. of oil into the pan with 2 Tbsp of butter.

Butter will foam up and then subside.

Just as the butter begins to brown, unroll 2 steaks and immediately place in the pan.

Saute' for 30 - 40 SECONDS on one side.

With the forks, flip and saute' the other sides of the 2 steaks.

The steaks will barely have a color and will become slightly springy to the tough -- for RARE. Don't overcook these little things!

Quickly roll the steaks back up with the forks and replace on the platter (or a warm platter, since the original platter was chilled).

Continue to saute the remaining steaks, 2 at a time, with the same amount of oil and butter as before.

Continue to roll them back up and place on the platter.

When finished sauteing the steaks, add 2 large spoonfuls of butter into the pan.

When butter foams, stir in a 1/4 cups of scallions and parsley.

Cook for one minute.

Add the garlic.

Stir in the bouillon.
Stir for one minute.

Add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.

Squeeze a small amount of juice from the 1/2 lemon.

Add one drop of cognac.

Add one drop of Port or Madeira.

Throw in about another Tbsp or two of capers or green peppercorns to float around in the sauce.
With the forks, one by one, unroll each steak and bathe them in the bubbling sauce for about one minute, turning and dipping with your forks.

Place immediately on warm dinner plates.

Spoon sauce over them.

Garnish with parsley.

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Serve with your favorite vegetable. I prefer asparagus and Dauphinous Potatoes (type the recipe name in the search box on this blog and it will appear).
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Don 't let all of these ingredients scare you! Seriously, my kids made this in high school for their dates. It's all about having everything done ahead of time and placed right next to the stove when you're ready to cook. These steaks are literally on your table in less then 5 minutes!

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So there you have it!  Straight from the French Chef, Julia Child with a little extra garlic from me!

Mangia!

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Salsa Canning Mania!

I have been canning homemade salsa every summer with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro from our gardens since 1994.  But as a result, I've also created somewhat of a monster situation in my family . . . meeting the demand by family members for this salsa!  Bill and I usually can three times per summer, at 20 pints per large batch.  Whenever we return to the Midwest for our annual summer visits we had better include a bushel of S.C. peaches and a box of canned salsa or we're read the Italian riot act of disappointment by the family!

Canning salsa is an event, baby!  I mean if you haven't canned yet, just let me warn you, it's time-consuming, steamy-hot, and often back-breaking work . . . but oh so worth it in terms of the rewarding pleasure given in return.  Plus you know that you are continuing on an age-old tradition of food preservation!  My husband and I can together (isn't that romantic?) . . . it's a bonding thing!  And yesterday we just finished a second batch of our family's favorite salsa.  Because it really requires a lot of time and energy, we decided that two large batches was enough for this summer since Bill is returning to teaching classes for fall semester this week and my back isn't ready yet to handle this arduous job without him.

For those of you who have been reading my blog since 2008, you may have noticed that I never prepare Mexican food . . . simply because we'd rather go to our favorite Mexican eatery in town to enjoy it where they do such a superb job of preparing the food.  I don't even bother to try and replicate Mexican cuisine at home.  Canning salsa, on the other hand, is the one and only exception.

this is about 1/3rd of the jars that we canned; the other jars were already in the pantry and we were too tired to pull them back out again just for a photo!

Since we started canning salsa, we've never purchased another commercially produced jar of salsa EVER!  The flavor of super fresh summer tomatoes simply cannot be topped!  Plus it's really healthy!  As far as a recipe, we don't have one, cooking by instinct the way that my mother taught me.  But we include the typical basics that everyone loves in salsa:  garden-fresh tomatoes (and we use all varieties for a more complex flavor), green peppers, onions, jalapeño peppers, and little personal twists here and there.  We also make a variety of different spiced versions depending on the type of chili peppers used:  serranos, jalapeños, chipotles, etc.  The final acceptability of flavor is simply achieved by tasting, tasting, tasting until it is just right!  Some of my family prefers this salsa as plain and simple as possible, others like it spiced up, and others like it as hot as the sun itself.

Another thing about our salsa, we don't use a food processor as some people do to save time.  We like ours 'salsa crude' or chunky.  This means that you need to set aside a nice amount of time to sit and chop all the ingredients.  Honestly, this is one of my favorite things involved in cooking.  I just love the process of being with the ingredients, smelling, touching, and tasting as I go.  Even the chopping sound on the cutting boards is like a welcome song to me.

Sort of a zen-state in cooking! :-D

we like our salsa on the thicker side, so this requires a good hour of simmering on the stove.  you can see how chunky we also make our salsa.

when cooking large batches of anything, we make quite a mess on the stove!

Here is a link for a good tutorial on canning salsa if you need one:  canning salsa instructions.  We can numerous sizes since we give so many jars away as gifts.  We've started to use more 1/2 pint jars simply because we give so much of this salsa away and it's getting pretty expensive.  The pint size jar is our most popular requested size.  The larger quart sizes, although used the least, are great to use to serve at parties and get-togethers such as this summer's family reunion.  When people stop by with unexpected goodies, we always have a jar of salsa on hand to give to friends in return.  I mail tons of this stuff to my sister in Iowa, our son in Chicago, and our daughter and hubby in Tennessee.

It's just darn good stuff with absolutely no preservatives, completely organically grown in our garden (that's right, no spraying any stuff on our garden allowed!).  Our veggies are also watered completely with natural well water.  I'm not sure what the caloric content is, but since it's all veggies, it can't be that high!

And now that I've made myself completely hungry, I think I'll go have some chips and salsa!


Mangia!


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Wordless Wednesday ~ ~ It's a Rough Life!

Buckeye and Mowee on Bill's "man-chair" (pronounced "Maui" since he arrived on our doorstep before a trip to Maui last year).

Buckeye and Mowee chillin' on the cool wood floor while I'm in the kitchen

Abby and Mowee nap together too!

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A Fresh Thai Salad and Two Thai Dressings

Many of us with gardens have oodles of fresh veggies to harvest and use in recipes right now  . . . cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, green, red, yellow, orange, and even purple peppers and more!  And even if you don't have a vegetable garden, your local farmers' markets and roadside produce stands are brimming with summer's bounty.  Plus the heat of summer may be compelling you to prepare something without turning on the oven.

This salad is so fresh and healthy, and if you're into the 'raw food' movement, this couldn't be more perfect.  There's not a single moment of cooking with any source of heat for this salad making it spot-on for summer!  The colors in this salad are so pretty and inviting as well.  When tomatoes are so red and peppers are so bright green, it's just such a beautiful sight to see in front of you on the table.

I've provided two Thai dressings to select from for your salad.  I make both dressings because my husband just loves Thai peanut sauces.  Although I enjoy the Thai peanut dressing, I really prefer the the sweet, tart, spicy option that (in my opinion) pairs better with the cucumbers.  But I like to make everyone's tummies happy!  Last year, I developed a dressing for a classic Thai cucumber salad that is quite delightful that you may want to click on this link to check out.

The peanut dressing is adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook, in which Molly Katzen describes it as a "tart, sweet, spicy, peanuty, surprisingly exotic and very much fun to eat" dressing.  Now that's quite a description!

you can also use small romaine leaves to scoop up the salad!

this photo shows the Thai Peanut Dressing drizzled all over.

Fresh Thai Salad

2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced, seeds removed
2 medium garden-fresh tomatoes, sliced and halved
1 green pepper, cored, insides removed, sliced thin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced thin
1 tsp. minced hot red chili (Thai pepper if you have one and can handle the heat)
1 head Romaine lettuce
2 cups fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and clean
1 cup cilantro or Thai basil, chopped
1 - 2 cups unsalted peanuts, crushed (and if you're like me, use much more)

On salad or dinner plates, place the lettuce leaves in an appealing and attractive manner.
Continue to pile up the remaining vegetables, topping off with the bean sprouts, cilantro/Thai basil, and finishing up with a generous sprinkling of the crushed peanuts.
Pass the dressings around to your guests to select which they prefer to drizzle on salads.

Thai Peanut Dressing

4 Tbsp. rice vinegar (apple cider vinegar is also fine)
6 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. sugar

Blend all ingredients together and serve.
If you want it more 'peanut buttery', then just add more peanut butter until you reach your preference.

Traditional Thai Cucumber Sweet and Spicy Dressing

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. fish oil (nam pla)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (this is NOT spicy)
3 Tbsp. minced onion
3 Tbsp. lime juice
3 Tbsp. garden-fresh cilantro/Thai basil, chopped

Blend all ingredients together and serve.
As with the other Thai dressing, play with these ingredients and add more of what you prefer (i.e:  lime juice, or cilantro, or red pepper flakes).

above the salad is dressed with the traditional Thai peanut oil/rice vinegar, lime, sugar, red pepper flake dressing

Mangia!

To plate this lovely salad, I used my Baan Celadon pottery from Chiang Mai, Thailand where I visited for a research project in 2001.  If you like the design and color (I'm crazy about it), you can google it and order it on-line (be prepared for tremendous shipping prices because it is hefty pottery).  The exchange rate for the Thai baht is still excellent for the American dollar, but your savings will even out once you see how much it costs to ship it over here to the States.  For me, it was worth it and because they package it so well, not one piece arrived broken.  I bought a 4-piece place setting set with lots of serving pieces, both large and small.


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Grilled Basil Buttered Chicken and California Culinary Memories

Once upon a time I lived in the beautiful state of California.

It was in the 80's, with no recession, and lots of good living in a wonderful year-round temperate climate (although very smog-filled) with endless, ENDLESS things to do.  Although we were living day-to-day financially struggling as a result of the sky-high, off-the-charts cost of real estate with an all-time high 18% interest rate on our home mortgage, I found myself immersed in an up-and-coming culinary mecca.  Luckily, my job had a lot of entertaining and dining perks which contributed to my culinary adventure on the west coast.  I'll share a few of those experiences here.

Now when thinking of California, you can't help but think Wolfgang Puck and Spago.  Or Alice Waters and her farm-to-table revolution and Chez Panisse.  Don't forget Mollie Katzen and Moosewood Restaurant.  And of course, think wine country and Napa Valley.  Think fresh food year round.



Even our beloved South Carolina son and celebrity chef, Tyler Florence, moved to California for a little more of that culinary action.

Hey Mr. Dreamy chef, come back to Carolina!


My son was also born in California, in Fullerton.  Located right next to Anaheim, I knew it was bed-time for the kids when I could hear the fireworks of Disneyland every evening at 9:00 PM on the dot!  My home wasn't air-conditioned so the windows were open a lot and I could hear those popping sounds of the fireworks easily.  I was even able to see part of the Olympic torch run by just one block . . . that's right . . . one block from my house!  With a toddler in hand and an infant in a stroller, the three of us waved our little American flags for that one moment in time.

9:00 PM sharp:  the sound of Disney fireworks every evening marked bed-time for my kids

actual photo of Olympic torch run by my house in Fullerton, California, 1984

(photo courtesy of Bosco Fullerton blog)

My love affair with all things culinary continued from it's beginnings in St. Louis after college and actually exploded in California.  I was even asked by Neiman-Marcus (my former employer) to manage the "Epicure" department in L.A. (I turned it down to stay home, raise my newborn son and toddler daughter, and run an in-home daycare business so I could be with my little ones).  I'd stand in line at Williams-Sonoma to acquire the infamous James Beard's signature on one of his cookbooks that I'd purchased.  I'd write to Bon Appetit magazine religiously to hopefully get my hands on the recipes of dishes served to me in California eateries.  I'd brave the southern California freeways with my kids in their car seats to take them to visit the famous open-air Grand Central Market in downtown L.A. and the age-old Mexican/Hispanic Olvera Street Market for true-to-the-core made-from-scratch tortillas and Mexican cuisine!  I'd gaze at the celebrities in superb restaurants . . . when Fred Astaire walked in while I took my first bite of rack of lamb with mint, I almost choked.

Grand Central Market, downtown Los Angeles

Historic Olvera Street Market

Breakfasting in Laguna Beach, dining in San Francisco, eating in Beverly Hills at my former employer's home . . . just down the street from O.J. Simpson (then a popular athlete) and the deceased Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.  Staying in my boss's private home next to John Houston's home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where the house staff took us diving for fresh shrimp to indulge in ceviche (and when I passed out and saw death before me, it was at that moment that I realized my deathly allergy to shrimp and all things shellfish).  Sadly, I haven't touched shellfish since.

In San Francisco, I ventured to the famous Fisherman's Wharf and endulged in authentic S.F. sour dough bread and rich chocolate freshly made from the Italian chocolatier, Ghiradelli's in Ghiradelli Square.

Sourdough bread from the streets of San Francisco

Ghiradelli's famous hot fudge sundae from the Chocolate Shop in San Francisco on Fisherman's Wharf

In California I discovered fresh strawberries the size of my palm, avocados as creamy as butter, fresh chunky guacamole, enormous chimichangas and REAL Mexican food (other than tacos) served in restaurants you'd normally think to avoid from the looks of the buildings' exterior.  At the exclusive "The Cellar" restaurant I discovered forward-thinking and creative ways to enjoy after-dinner coffee filled with unusual liquor combinations that I'd never heard of before (they kindly shared the recipe with me too).

The Cellar in Fullerton since 1970, is still extraordinary 52 years later.

Order their signature liquor-laced after-dinner coffee . . . you'll thank me.

I bit into my very first Veal Saltimbocca.  I embarked on the 'new' California pizzas.  The "golden state" is also where I first tasted "Mu Shu Pork" and authentic Chinese food made table-side in San Francisco's Chinatown instead of the old stand by of chop suey from a can.  I even dined in (what I miss terribly) old-fashioned steak houses where a REAL Caesar salad was made table-side while sitting in leather booths with velvet wall-papered walls in darkly lit, smokey rooms with old Italian crooner music being played from the piano bars (think Sinatra, etc).  Back then even I smoked and no one seemed to mind the aroma in restaurants . . . how far we've come!

The food just seemed to be incredible everywhere in California!

Mu Shu Pork with plum sauce and wraps from Chinatown, San Francisco

my favorite Chinese dish ever since my first bite!

You get the picture, I'm sure!

Yes, California was fun when it came to the foodie scene and played a big part of my cooking evolution.  But that life ended, I moved on to Scottsdale, Arizona and the California food memories are with me to this day.

Among those memories, are the cookbooks that I collected from California, many of them out of print and grabbing very expensive prices among collectors.  Take for example, Vincent Price's "A Treasury of Great Recipes" (you remember him, don't ya?  All of those cheap Edgar Allen Poe scary midnight movies and from Michael Jackson's "Thriller").  Yea, believe it or not, he was a highly respected culinary chef extraordinaire!  The cookbook cost $75 back in the 80's . . . who knows what it would go for today if you can get your hands on a copy.  Other cookbooks that I cherish today include:  "The L.A. Times California Cookbook", "The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook", "California Sizzles", "Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook", "Moosewood Cookbook", and "The California Heritage Cookbook".  And although she's not from California, it is where I bought and delved into my Julia Child and Company cookbooks to learn more about the art of French cooking techniques and at that time prepared my very first Steak Diane.  This recipe was one of the first that I taught my kids and that propelled them into their joyous love of cooking.

From those cookbooks I found inspiration for this incredible grilled chicken recipe.

It's so easy, it's stupid.

And it always leaves you happy, happy!


Grilled Basil Buttered Chicken 

Grilled Chicken

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/2 cup melted butter
2 - 3 Tbsp. garden-fresh basil, chopped
Sprinkle of my favorite go-to 'trinity' seasonings:  Mrs. Dash (for chicken), Nature's Seasons, and Accent

Basil-Butter Sauce

3/4 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp. garden-fresh basil, chopped
2 - 3 Tbsp. Parmigiano-Regiano, finely grated
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground sea salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Sprinkle the chicken with your favorite chicken seasonings (mine is listed above:  my go-to 'trinity' for everything I grill).
Melt butter.
Blend in basil.
Brush the chicken breasts with basil-butter mixture.
Grill chicken breasts about 8 minutes on each side depending on how large they are (we select large sized chicken breasts) and how well-done you like your chicken (we like our moist and not dry).
Continually baste chicken with any remaining mixture while grilling to keep them ultra-moist and super flavorful.
Prepare Basil-Butter Sauce by combining all ingredients.
Serve grilled chicken breasts with the basil-butter sauce at the table for guests to top on their own.

Serve with fresh, thickly-cut Italian bread to dip into the basil-butter sauce and/or mop up what is on the plate.

lather the first basil-butter sauce on the chicken breasts, using the pool of sauce left over to continually baste during the grilling process to keep the chicken moist and flavorful

prepare the second velvety butter sauce with basil, garlic, and parmigiano cheese.  
drizzle this sauce on top of the grilled chicken and pass around to your guests
also great for dipping some fresh, thick-cut Italian bread

after a bite the juices of this super-moist grilled chicken drip onto the plate

Mangia!

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Italian Cheesy Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust!!

With fresh, home-grown tomato season in full gear, we've been harvesting tomatoes by the bushel on a daily basis (that is my husband has done it all lately).  OK, I admit, I do over-plant!  Because you just never know how many plants will make it this far into the summer in these intensely hot last few months.

Sadly I haven't been in my beloved gardens for 3 weeks now since my back surgery . . . and I'm agonizing over it!  My husband just finished canning 21 half pints of salsa (I held the jars for him), plus we've enjoyed oodles of BLT's (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) sammies, and Caprese salad appetizers.  I even tried an Italian Rustic Pie last month (that I saved the extras to re-heat for some alfresco lunches this fall) that was very tasty.

So what's next with all of these tomatoes?

Gazpacho?  Nah, made that last summer for my mom, and although it was quite good, it's not my favorite soup and my husband won't even touch it.

Tomato Basil Bisque?  Sure, I'll make another batch of this incredible soup for those days when we need a good soup to warm the bones.

Marinara sauce?  Maybe, not sure, since we prefer Bolognese over marinara sauce.

It's not a big deal because the amount of recipes to use these gorgeous red orbs are as endless as my harvest of tomatoes.  So today I ultimately decided to create my own ooey, gooey, cheesy version of an Italian flavored tomato pie.

Instead of a store-bought pie crust, I used a 'buttermilk biscuit' pie crust.  And yes, my husband prepared the crust for me which he kindly requested that he be recognized for his contributions.  Recognition given sweetie!  The crust was perfect, light, and flaky!   All I did to amp up the crust a bit was to add a teaspoon of dried Italian seasonings.  Mmmm, it made a nice difference!

This recipe is so fabulous that it's the only tomato pie that I'll ever make again.  And that's a serious statement!

Herbed Buttermilk Biscuit Pie Crust

2 cups flour, plus more for covering the surface to roll dough and also for kneading the crust
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. dried Italian seasonings
6 Tbsp. of butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 cup buttermilk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Italian seasonings, and sea salt.
Cut butter into the flour mixture.
With a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and small pieces of butter remain.
Pour in the buttermilk and stir until incorporated.
On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, put the ball of dough on the lightly floured surface and sprinkle with a little more flour.
The dough will be quite sticky!
Knead a few times until dough comes together and is not so sticky.
Flatten dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
Place in the refrigerator for 1 - 24 hours before rolling out.
After the dough has chilled, place the disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into an 11" circle.
Carefully pick up the dough and place in a 9 or 9-1/2" deep dish pie plate.
Trim any excess dough and blend in when folding and crimping the edges.
Place in a 350 degree oven and par bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.

Italian Cheese and Tomato Pie Filling

1 Tbsp. cornmeal
6 garden fresh tomatoes, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise (we prefer Miracle Whip)
1 cup sweet onion (Vidalia), chopped finely
2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced (or 2 extra large garlic cloves should do it)
2 tsp. dried oregano
10 - 12 leaves of garden fresh basil
1/2 tsp. Frank's hot sauce
4 strips thick-cut bacon or Italian pancetta, browned, and crumbled
1 cup grated 5 - 6 Italian cheese blend
1/2 cup Parmiggiano Regiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup grated or crumbled fresh Mozzarella di Buffalo
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Gruyere cheese
Garden-fresh basil for garnish

Place a double layer of paper towels on a cookie sheet and layer the sliced and cored tomatoes in a single layer.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
Place another double layer of paper towels over the tomato slices and repeat on another cookie sheet with any remaining sliced tomatoes.
Sprinkle with another 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
Cover with double layer of paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP NOT TO ELIMINATE:  The salt draws the moisture out of the tomatoes and helps prevent the tomato pie from being a soggy mess (which many tomato pies are!).
Prepare and bake the buttermilk biscuit pie crust according to directions above.
Sprinkle cornmeal on top of baked buttermilk pie crust.
Mix all grated cheeses together in a bowl.
Remove 1 cup of blended cheeses and set aside for later for final topping.
Layer 1 cup of cheese blend on top of crust.
Layer half of the sliced tomatoes.
With the remaining cheeses, in a large bowl, blend cheese with mayonnaise, chopped onions, minced garlic, hot sauce, oregano and basil, and some salt and pepper.
Layer this cheese-mayo-herb mixture over the first layer of tomato slices, leaving one inch open from the edge of pie so that tomatoes can peek out.
Next place a second layer of tomato slices over the cheese-mayo-herb mixture.
Sprinkle crumbled pancetta or bacon on next.
Sprinkle the saved cheese blend on top that was set aside previously, for the third and last layer of cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until the cheeses are bubbly and golden brown!
For the last 10 minutes, I cover the edges with aluminum foil and turn the oven on broil.
Keep a very close eye on the oven when broiling so the golden brown color is achieved on the cheese, yet does not burn and turn brown/black.
Let the tomato pie set for about 15 - 20 minutes so the cheeses harden a bit; but it's also great all ooey and gooey when served hot!

Serve with garlic-butter bread.

Herb buttermilk biscuit pie crust; I like a more rustic look rather than perfect crimping of the edges

It's imperative to allow the juice to drain out of the tomatoes!

Two layers of beautiful summer colors:  ruby red tomatoes with brilliant green basil

Lots of crumbled, browned pancetta or thick-cut bacon scattered before the last layer of cheese

Three layers of cheesy goodness!

Layering on the Italian cheese love in a wonderfully thick amount

Leaving an inch from the edge without cheese allows the pretty red tomatoes to peek out to tempt the tastebuds!

 If there is any liquid still coming from the tomatoes after you cut into the pie, take a paper towel and soak it up while setting the pie pan on a slight angle so the liquid pools easily for you to soak up.

You must do this so that the biscuit crust does not get soggy.

This slice was cut one day later, so you can see how the cheese sets firmly.

Just look at that thick buttermilk biscuit pie crust  . . . and perfectly flakey from pre-baking!

Three layers of flavorful cheese with two layers of thickly cut tomatoes!
Garnish with crumbled bacon and minced basil leaves.

Jump in and enjoy!

Now that's an Italian Cheese Tomato Pie!

Mangia!

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