Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook. The Italians created it to use up their old bread. I'm a major crouton lover, and bread lover for that matter, and this is wonderful if it sits a little so the croutons can soak up the dressing. Great way to use up all that great summer produce coming in! (Picture courtesy of Kahakai Kitchen)

3 T olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained (not a must unless you totally love 'em)

Vinaigrette:
1 t finely minced garlic
1/2 t Dijon mustard
3 T Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

-For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

-In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

-Serves 12

Chicken with Plum Chutney

This week is plum week at our house. We picked them from our tree! I have made jam, this dish and plum kuken (put that on your list to make, it's delish!) Everyone loved this chicken! It reminds me that fall is coming! It's really easy, too! From Everyday Food.com

4 bonless skinless chicken breast halves

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 T olive oil

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

1/2 jalapeno (ribs and seeds removedfor less heat, if desired), chopped (my pepper was small so I used most of it)

4 red plums, (about 1#) halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-in pieces

1/3 c packed light brown sugar

2 T cider vinegar

3/4 t curry powder

1/4 t ground ginger

1 Season chicken with salt and pepper. (I cut my chicken into smaller pieces to help with kid size portions) In large skillet, heat 1T oil over medium. Add chicken and cook until opaque throughout, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.

2 Make chutney: To skillet, add remaining 1 T oil, onion and jalapeno; cook until softened, about 3 mins. Increase heat to medium-high; add plums, sugar, vinegar, curry, ginger, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until plums are softened and liquid is slightly syrupy, about 8 minutes.

3 Add chicken and any juices that have accumulated on plate; simmer until heated through, about 4 mins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with chutney spooned on top. Serves 4. (it fed my whole family with leftovers)

Creamy Fusilli with squash and bacon

8 oz fusilli (or any kind)
4-6 slices bacon
4 med zucchini or/and yellow squash (crook-necks are fabulous in this) halved lenghwise and sliced thin
2-3 garlic cloves sliced thin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4-1/2 cup fresh parmesan
salt and pepper
reserved pasta water
Boil pasta in salted water. Save at least a cup of the water. Drain. While cooking pasta, fry bacon and drain on paper towel. With the bacon grease still in the hot pan, add zucchini and garlic and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring often, 5-7 mins till softened. Uncover and cook 2 mins till any liquid evaporates. Add cream and pasta to the pan. Cook till cream thickens slightly, 2-3 mins them remove from heat. Add parmesan and enough pasta water to make a creamy sauce that coats pasta. Serve, topped with more parmesan and crumbled bacon.
Serves 4. I left the bacon off my serving and did'nt even miss it! You could leave it out and just use butter or olive oil to sautee your squash in. I did'nt dare leave it out with a bacon-loving household! I can't wait to have the left overs for lunch today!!!!

Orzo Salad with Shrimp

This recipe came from my sister-in-law, Pam. She made this for "Girl's Weekend" and everyone absolutely loved it! It is a great entree for summer.

3/4 lb. orzo
1 large cucumber- seeded, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 C chopped fresh dill
1/4 C white wine vinegar
3 T Dijon mustard
1/2 C olive oil
3/4 lb. feta, crumbled
16 med. shrimp

Combine cooked orzo, cucumber, onions and tomatoes in large bowl. Blend dill, vinegar, and mustard until smooth. With motor running on low, add olive oil slowly until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Gently fold in feta and shrimp. Mix well.

More Zucchini! (Farmer's Market Squash Saute)

Here's another great zucchini recipe! I've made it twice this week, it's that good! My kids love the cheese in it!

2 zucchini, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. fresh parmesan cheese

-Cook zucchini and squash in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 3 min., stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook an additional 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

-Remove from heat; stir in mozzarella cheese and basil.

-Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

-Serves 4-6

Peach Tart

Crust:

1- 1/4 C Flour
1/2 C butter-soft
2 T sour cream

Filling:

6 peaches or nectarines-pealed and sliced
3 egg yolks
3/4 C sour cream
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C flour

Glaze:

1/2 C peach preserves
1 T frozen orange juice concentrate
mint for garnish

Mix crust ingredients in food processor. Roll out and place in 10 inch tart pan. Poke with fork, bake 375 for 15 min. or until light golden. Take out and cool. Turn oven down to 350. Place peaches in an overlapping ring around crust until the entire crust is covered. Pour the filling over the top of peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Set tart pan on cookie sheet. Bake 1 hour or until golden brown and set. Take out and let cool slightly. Paint with glaze mixture.

Chicken Caesar Salad in a Shell

This is so delicious and the perfect dinner for a hot summer night! I got the recipe off of inmykitchen.blogspot.com. For the shell part you use Azteca shells that are pre-made in a package and raw, and all you do is bake them. Wal-mart carries them-in our store they had them in the refrigerated section over by the yogurt and dairy products. They are really good, and the nice thing about them is you can bake them ahead of time and they will keep for a couple of days. The recipe is for 2 full size salads, but I doubled it and then adjusted a couple ingredients to my liking.

1 large chicken breast, cooked & diced (I used Tyson's chicken breast strips in the bag that are already grilled and cooked!)
4 bacon strips, cooked and broken up
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into small pieces
4 c leafy greens
1/2 c shredded swiss cheese
Caesar Salad Dressing (I prefer Bernstein's-it's excellent!!)
Fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Salad shells (cooked according to package directions)

-Prepare salad shells and set aside. Layer greens, chicken, bacon, cucumber, and swiss in the shell. Drizzle dressing over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.
-I actually mixed all ingredients in a big bowl and served that way, and it was perfect!
-You can also have this without the shells and just add croutons.

Speaking of Zucchini...

I have discovered a new taste sensation and can't believe I've never thought of it before! It's so simple-all you do is slice up some zucchini, toss it in a skillet with butter and garlic salt, and simply add dried dill weed! Add to your liking, but I'm telling you, it's scrumptious! I'm never doing oregano or anything else again in my zucchini! Dill it is!!

Eggplant Bolognese

This was really good! In an effort to use more zucchini (and appease my husband) I left out the eggplant. I used 3 zucchini and 1 summer squash. The kids loved it. No complaints of squash. I think it's because it is chopped up so small. And, call me uncultured, I just used hamburger instead of ground chuck. This is from Every Day Food magazine.

8 T olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced
1 lrg eggplant (about 1#) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped
1 zucchini (about 8 oz), quartered lengthwise, sliced 1/4 inch thick crosswise
1 garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 # ground beef chuck
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 T dried oregano
1 # rigatoni or other short tube pasta
Parmesan cheese, shaved

1 In saucepan with lid, heat 6 T oil over medium-high. Add eggplant; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 min. Transfer to bowl; set aside.
2 Add remaining oil to pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, til veggies have softened. 7-10 min.
3 Add beef; cook stirring and breaking up meat with spoon til cooked, 5 min.
4 Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, add tomatoes, oregano and eggplant to beef-vegetable mixture; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and eggplant is tender, about 25 min. (doesn't take that long without eggplant). Season with salt and pepper.
5 Meanwhile, cook pasta til al dente, according to package directions. Drain; serve topped with sauce and parmesan cheese.

Zucchini and yellow squash gratin

2T butter
2 med zucchini sliced
2 med yellow squash sliced
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan
Heat oven to 450. In large skillet, heat butter and add zucchini, yellow squash, shallots and garlic. Sautee over med heat 4-6 mins till crisp-tender. Add cream and cook till thickened, about 5 mins. Remove from heat, add half of Panko and half of parmesan. Stir. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle top with remaining Panko and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Bake8-10 mins. till golden and serve. I like to add more salt and pepper when eating!

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

I love chicken parmesan. It is one of those satisfying, comforting dishes. I found this excellent recipe from Cooking Light that my family really enjoyed! I know that when Ryan comes to me later after dinner and says "you really need to make that dish again" that it had to have been really good! I changed a couple things to my liking, but one thing I LOVE is the Newman's sauce with the balsamic vinegar in it. The vinegar makes it so delicious! CL recommends you serve this over orzo pasta, but I couldn't find any so I served it over angel hair pasta. This is great served with a Caesar salad (the salad kits are great!).

1/2 c fresh parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 c dry bread crumbs
1 T minced fresh parsley
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t salt
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 lb. chicken breast tenders (I especially like the size for kids)
2 T butter
1-24 oz. jar Newman's Own Tomato & Basil Bombolina Sauce (this is a lot, but we like a lot of sauce on ours. It's the perfect amount if you double the rest of the recipe)
3 t balsamic vinegar
1/4 t black pepper
1 c shredded provolone cheese

-Combine 1/4 c of parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.

-Combine tomato sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Cook till heated through. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/4 c parmesan and the provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and put under broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

-Serve over angel hair pasta. (I tossed mine with a little butter and salt).
-Serves 4. (I doubled the recipe and it made plenty for leftovers the next night!)

Raspberry-Yogart Ice Pops

2 c plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c frozen raspberries (or any other fruit)

In medium bowl, whisk yogurt and sugar to combine. In a blender, place 1 cup yogurt-sugar mixture (reserve the rest) with raspberries; puree until well blended. Press raspberry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl (discard solids).

Dividing evenly, layer yogurt mixtures in six 3 ounce ice-pop molds. Insert sticks, and freeze til solid, 4-5 hours. To unmold ice pops, run warm water briefly over the molds.

I let the kids help me because it was so easy. They loved it! And these are sooo good!
from Every Day Food magazine

The Best Veggie Sandwich

These puppies are absolutely scrumptious! So full of flavor, and you don't feel guilty eating them. They're not super kid-friendly, although most of my kids ate them with no problem. I love the toasted sesame seeds-a must!

4 Whole-Grain English muffins, split and toasted
2 avocados, mashed
1 c alfalfa sprouts
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 c Ranch dressing-Hidden Valley from mix if possible-it's so much better!
4 T toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

-To toast sesame seeds, put in skillet and turn on med-high heat and stir for a couple minutes. Remove from heat once they start to turn golden. Don't let get too dark.
-Preheat oven to broil. Place each muffin open-faced on a cookie sheet. Put under broiler for a couple minutes to toast slightly.
-Place halves close together. Distributing ingredients evenly, cover each half in this order with ranch, avocado, tomato, onion, salt and peppper, sesame seeds, alfalfa sprouts, cheese.
-Place under broiler for another 1-2 minutes or so, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
-Serves 4-6

Coconut Banana Bread With Lime Glaze

We love banana bread at our house, along with coconut and anything with lime! So I think this is my favorite banana bread recipe by far! The glaze is soooo yummy!It's from Heather's ward cookbook, but I tweaked it just a tad.

2 c flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c apple juice
1/4 c sour cream
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 c flaked sweetened coconut
2 T flaked sweetened coconut

LIME GLAZE
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 T FRESH lime juice

-Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Set aside. In your mixer bowl beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, sour cream, apple juice and vanilla. Beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Fold in 1/2 c coconut. Pour batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan; sprinkle with 2 T coconut. Bake at 350 for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
-Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lime juice, stirring with whisk. Drizzle over warm bread. This is extra moist if you let it sit and eat the next day! Freezes well.

Balsamic Pasta Salad

Here's a great recipe for all that fresh basil coming on in the garden! I got this salad idea from Plates & Palates in Bountiful. It looked so good I had to recreate it, and yummy it is!

12-16 oz. Any kind of pasta (Penne preferably)-Target has cool pasta-I used their Spinach Garganelli-awesome!
Balsamic vinaigrette-I used Newman's, and then added some balsamic vinegar & olive oil for more flavor
Grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
Fresh parmesan cheese
Pine nuts
Salt to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water until cool. Toss pasta with the rest of ingredients in a large bowl to your taste. Salad is best if it sits in fridge a while or overnight. You may want to leave out pine nuts and cheese if sitting overnight to prevent sogginess, but mine is just fine the next day with everything in it. Serves 8-10. I love this-one of my new favs!