Pomodori Al Forno

image and recipe via bon appetit

I found myself dipping bread into the oil while the tomatoes cooked, and no tomatoes made it through the full standing time, but I did make the mistake of halving the recipe! This is amazing. Anni I devoured it.

*err on the side of extra spice and seasoning!

Ingredients

• 1 cups (or more) olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded. (Canned or fresh, depending on the season and convenience. Canned works beautifully.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used fresh and doubled this)
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• Aged goat cheese (such as Bûcheron)
• 1 baguette, thinly sliced crosswise, toasted

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 250°F. Pour 1/2 cup oil into 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange tomatoes in dish, cut side up. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar, and salt. Bake 1 hour. Using tongs, turn tomatoes over. Bake 1 hour longer. Turn tomatoes over again. Bake until deep red and very tender, transferring tomatoes to plate when soft (time will vary, depending on ripeness of tomatoes), about 15 to 45 minutes longer.
• Layer tomatoes in medium bowl, sprinkling garlic and parsley over each layer; reserve oil in baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with reserved oil, adding more if necessary to cover. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. DO AHEAD Cover; chill up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Serve with aged goat cheese and toasted baguette slices.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I got this recipe straight from Cook's Illustrated's website and it is wonderful! You can leave the spinach out if you want, and dried herbs work fine, just halve the amount.

Yes, the food "styling" is a little cheesy, but Trev and I had been discussing all the things you could do with the risotto (we are weird like that), especially when it was leftover for the next day, and I decided to have fun.

Infusing the chicken broth with the squash's seeds and fibers helps to reinforce the earthy squash flavor. We found that a 2-pound squash consistently yields a cup or so more than the 3 1/2 cups in step 1; this can be added to the skillet along with the squash scrapings in step 2. To make this dish vegetarian, vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth, but the resulting risotto will have more pronounced sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

2	tablespoons olive oil , plus 1 teaspoon
1	butternut squash (medium, about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded (fibers and seeds reserved), and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
3/4	teaspoon table salt
3/4	teaspoon ground black pepper
4	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1	cup water
4	ounces baby spinach
4	tablespoons unsalted butter
2	small onions , chopped very fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
2	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2	cups Arborio rice
1 1/2	cups dry white wine
1 1/2	ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)
2	tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
1/4	teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4	cup pine nuts , toasted in small, dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add about 3 1/2 cups squash in even layer and cook without stirring until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer squash to bowl and set aside.2. Return skillet to medium heat; add reserved squash fibers and seeds and any leftover diced squash. Cook, stirring frequently to break up fibers, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to large saucepan and add chicken broth and water; cover saucepan and bring mixture to simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain bare simmer.3. While broth mixture is simmering, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to now-empty skillet and swirl to coat. Add 4 ounces baby spinach and cook, covered, over medium heat, until leaves begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until fully wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer spinach to mesh strainer; set aside. 4. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add onions, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, strain hot broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan and discard solids in strainer; cover saucepan and set over low heat to keep broth hot. 6. When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth and half of reserved squash to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.7. Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times, until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, Parmesan, sage, and nutmeg; drain excess liquid from spinach and gently fold in spinach and remaining cooked squash. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Top individual servings of risotto with toasted pine nuts; serve immediately.

Easy Homemade French Fries

Please excuse any cheesy wording - I wrote this for tutus and turtles, but figured I might as well post it here too!

It's not much a recipe, but we love these, and they are really easy.




Most kids love French fries, and you can easily make a healthier version at home. One twist we love is using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. You can use both for a colorful combination or to help introduce the new look. Place a large baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Slice a few potatoes and/or sweet potatoes into long fry-shapes and place in a bowl. Toss with approx. 1/2 -1 tsp. olive oil and 1/2 tsp. salt or seasoned salt for a little kick. When the oven is heated, pull the baking sheet out, spray with a non-stick cooking spray and spread potatoes onto baking tray (Careful, it's hot!). Bake for approx. 45 minutes (This is based on whether you like your fries soft or crispy), flipping fries with a spatula a few times to prevent over-browning in spots. Taste and toss with a little more salt if needed. Serve with your favorite dip!

Zuchini and Corn

This is one of my favorite dishes this summer. It is quick and easy, I usually prep as I saute. It is a very good way to use up excessive amounts of zucchini without groaning, I actually look forward to making this. It is one of those "throw in a little of this and a little of that" recipes, no strict guidelines. I've only made this with fresh ingredients because I have easy access to all of it. I'm sure it would still be good with dried herbs, just add them earlier.

2 zucchini (smaller taste better), sliced thin. If it is a larger zucchini, cut in half before slicing
3 ears corn, kernels cut off
1 tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
oregano and thyme (fresh), minced. Roughly a tablespoon of each
olive oil
salt

Pour 2 tsp of olive oil into large saute pan and heat. When warm, add zucchini and some salt. A minute or so later add 2/3 of the corn. After a couple of minutes add 1/2 of the garlic, half of the herbs, and the tomato and toss together. When all the veggies look cooked add remaining corn, garlic, and herbs. Salt to taste.

Green Beans, potatoes, and bacon

This isn't much of a recipe, but it is one of my favorite things to eat this time of year. This is a very flexible and forgiving dish as long as you don't overcook it. I use more green beans than potatoes, and much more veggies than bacon. I use turkey bacon so there isn't much bacon grease left. If you use real bacon you might want to pour out some of the grease before adding anything to it. We'll eat this by itself for lunch. The bacon encourages Max to eat lots of green beans!

Ingredients:
fresh green beans
new red potatoes
bacon
red wine vinegar
salt

Cut potatoes into large bite size pieces and steam.
While potatoes are steaming, cook bacon in large pan. Crisper is better. When the bacon is done, tear into small pieces. Leave leftover bacon grease in pan.
When the potatoes are almost tender throw in the green beans. Steam till potatoes are tender and green beans are cooked, but still crisp.
Heat bacon pan over medium-low heat. Add some vinegar to deglaze pan. Add potatoes and green beans, toss, and salt to taste. Be sure to salt before adding bacon. Add bacon pieces and another splash of vinegar and enjoy.

Grilled New Potato Packet

1/2 lb. each red and white baby new potatoes
2 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. oil
3 Tbsp. Kraft Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tbsp. Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat grill to medium heat. Place potatoes in center of 18-inch long piece of heavy-duty foil. (or use double layer of regular foil.) Drizzle with water and oil. Bring up foil sides, Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room fro heat circulation inside.
Grill 18 to 20 min. or until potatoes are tender.
Cut slits in foil to release steam. Open packet. Drizzle potatoes with dressing; sprinkle with cheese and parsley.
Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cup each.

Garden Vegetable Stacker

2 large tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices
6 oz. Kraft low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese, cut into 6 slices
1/3 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
6 slices red onion
12 seedless cucumber slices
6 fresh basil leaves

Place 6 of the tomato slices on platter; top each with 1 cheese slice. Drizzle with half of the dressing.
Top each with 1 onion slice, 2 cucumber slices and second tomato slice
Drizzle with remaining dressing; top with basil
Makes 6 servings