Caprese Pasta Salad

So, I don't know if you'd noticed or not, but...it's still hot outside!  Summer is in full-swing, and between cook-outs and bonfires, potlucks and camping trips, baseball games and pool parties, there are plenty of opportunities for mindless eating.  However, that means equal opportunities for conscious eating!

(Most) People naturally gravitate towards fresher options in summertime, since they abound between gardens, farmer's markets, and roadside stands.  It's hard to resist the allure of a rainbow, no matter what form it shows up in.

A great way to get that beneficial rainbow into your system is by adding fresh vegetables to your meals, alongside (and in) your usual dishes.  Think eggs, rice, grains, pasta, and the like.  Speaking of pasta, pasta salad shows up at summertime functions all the time...and a fantastic way to "healthify" those offerings are by adding those fresh fruits and veggies, as well as switching up plain white pasta for a whole wheat variety such as Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat pasta.

One of everybody's favorite summertime salads is a Caprese Salad.  Am I right?  I know it's one of mine.  Well, I wanted to take the flavors of Caprese and combine them with the whole wheat pasta for a simple, fresh take on a pasta salad.  By turning bright green basil into a pesto, which is perfectly cupped by the whole wheat bow ties, this takes the place of a heavy mayonnaise-based sauce.  The mozzarella component comes in the form of those irresistible little "pearls" of cheese.  The tomatoes?  The bright, sunny taste is concentrated by slow-roasting some juicy vine-ripened cherry or grape tomatoes.  Now, not everybody likes the addition of Balsamic vinegar, but if you do, drizzle a  bit on right before serving up this salad.

What's that?  Did you say something?  I thought I heard somebody scream SUMMER!

Oh wait, that was just the Caprese Pasta Salad...

Caprese Pasta Salad

This recipe for Caprese Pasta Salad is a welcome twist on everybody's favorite summer salad containing tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes (active) | 30 mi

Cook Time: 7-9 minutes

Keywords: simmer side entree salad vegetarian sugar-free soy-free basil cheese pasta tomatoes July 4th Labor Day Memorial Day summer

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1 (10 ounce) box Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Bow Ties
• 1/2 cup Basil Pesto, storebought or homemade (recipe follows)
• 1 cup Slow-Roasted Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, storebought or homemade
• 8 ounces Mozzarella Pearls or Bocconcini
• Aged Balsamic Vinegar, optional
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling, salted water, 7-9 minutes. Drain pasta, shaking to remove excess water, and then place the pasta into a medium-sized bowl. Add the basil pesto, and toss until the pesto coats each and every piece of pasta. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature, 30-40 minutes (you don't want to melt the mozzarella).

Once the pasta has come to room temperature, add the slow-roasted tomatoes and mozzarella pearls. Toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

You can serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (it's good cold or at room temperature). If you like, drizzle the salad (or the edges of the plate) with a little Balsamic vinegar to taste, just before serving.

notes:

I recommend using a good, aged Balsamic Vinegar here. Balsamic that has been aged for at least 8 years will be thicker and sweeter (and pricier, but you only need a tiny bit). If you don't want to buy the expensive stuff, you can take a little shortcut by reducing a young Balsamic on the stove top.

Add at least double the amount of Balsamic that you want to use to a small pan over medium-high heat. Once it starts to bubble, adjust heat to keep a steady simmer going. Let simmer until reduced by at least half, it should be thick enough to sit on top of the pasta salad when you drizzle it (as opposed to seeping in). You really want to babysit the vinegar, because the reduction process happens pretty fast, especially when you're just doing a small batch. Let cool completely before using.

equipment needed:

large pot (for cooking pasta)

colander or strainer

medium bowl

large spoon

food processor, any size (if making your own pesto)

baking sheet (if slow-roasting your own tomatoes)

making Homemade Basil Pesto (about the amount you'll need for this recipe):

4 ounces fresh basil leaved, rinsed gently and patted dry

2 tablespoons (or so) extra virgin olive oil

1 fat cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

few grinds of black pepper

scant 1/2 cup (scant 1 ounce) finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons lightly toasted, unsalted pine nuts

Combine basil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Turn on low speed while drizzling in the olive oil. Process until everything has come together, stopping to scrape down the bowl once, if needed.

Add the cheese and pine nuts, process again until everything is just combined. Taste, and adjust lemon juice and seasoning, if needed.

I was provided with 6 boxes of Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Pasta. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions stated here are 100% my own.

Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches

This sandwich won't win any beauty pageants, but a plate stacked high with wedges of them will be the first thing your kids make a beeline for when they walk in the door after a "hard" day at school.  In fact, it's pretty hard for kids of any age to resist melty cheese in a crispy-fried crust, isn't it?  It is. 

I'm gonna admit...they're pretty messy to make.  My hands were covered in egg and bread crumbs from trying to hold them together and get everything to adhere before frying.  But it was totally worth it.  Totally.

That's it for today...a totally satisfying quickie.  Nothing like a good quickie.  That's what I always say.  Okay.  It's not.  I don't always say that.  But I'm saying it now.

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Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: fry appetizer entree sandwich snack cheese bacon

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 2 eggs
• salt
• all-purpose flour
• dry bread crumbs, regular or panko
• 2-4 thin slices cooked bacon (or ham), optional
• ~3 oz. thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
• 4 slices white bread, crusts removed
• olive oil, for frying

Instructions

Whip the eggs with a bit of salt in a flattish bowl. Sprinkle some flour over one plate and te breadcrumbs over another plate.

Make two sandwiches by dividing the bacon or ham (if using) and mozzarella between two pieces of bread and topping with the last two slices. Pinch the outsides of the bread together a bit.

Heat about 1/2" of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Carefully (seriously, this is tricky) grab a sandwich and dip in flour on all four sides. Dip into eggwash and then into bread crumbs. Lower carefully into oil and fry until golden on both sides.

Lift out onto a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess oil and repeat with other sandwich. Slice on the diagonal, if you wish. Serve immediately.

note:

Change it up by layering in a few fresh leaves of basil or some paper-thin slices of juicy tomato.

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

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I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: February Potluck

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes + Ham with Apple Cherry Maple Glaze

Val told me that her "ideal Easter menu would be ham and scalloped potatoes."  (I'm going to have to agree with you, BBFF.)  Since we just stayed home and had a quiet Easter meal this year, I wound up simplifying the menu a bit more than I'd originally planned. What resulted was the perfect balance and a meal that made everybody happy and content.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

makes ~6-8 svgs.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small bits + more for pan

1/3 cup sharp Cheddar, shredded

1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup garlic & fines herb Boursin, crumbled

2 pounds Idaho Russet Potatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 teaspoons ground white pepper

2 cups heavy cream

 freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

4 fresh bay leaves

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 425° F.  Use a bit of softened butter to coat the inside of a 12" cast-iron (or other nonstick, oven-proof) skillet lightly.  Combine cheddar, mozzarella, and boursin in a bowl; toss and set aside.  

Set the prepared skillet over medium heat while you peel & thinly slice (~⅛"-¼" slices) the potatoes.  Do not rinse the potatoes once they have been sliced because you want to keep the natural starch on them.  Working quickly, layer half of the potatoes on the bottom of the skillet.

Sprinkle with half of the salt, half of the pepper, half of the butter, and half of the cheese mixture.  Layer the other half of the potatoes on top of that, then sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper.  Pour the cream evenly over this layer.  Grate a bit of fresh nutmeg evenly over the top, dot with remaining butter and set the bay leaves in.  Bring to a simmer for ~3 minutes.

Once this has simmered for ~3 minutes, sprinkle with the remaining cheese blend and top with the parmesan. 

Slide into the oven and bake for ~25 minutes, until top is golden and a bit bubbly.  Let sit a bit before serving.  I think the bay leaves make for a gorgeous presentation, and you can serve them, but just be sure to tell everybody to pick them off before eating.  That's one favorite bonus of mine...grabbing the bay leaf and carefully peeling the melty, chewy, salty, thin layer of cheese from the top and popping that in my mouth.  I'm such a cheeseslut.

As far as I'm concerned, if this were the only thing on my plate at any given meal, I'd be happier than a pig in mud.  You may even hear the leftover calling your name from the fridge...so give in and try some cold.  I'm actually sitting here wishing that they were not long gone already.

And while I said that they were fantastic all alone, and I'd be satisfied with just a big plate full...you may want to serve them along side a gorgeous ham.  If you do, might I recommend using a fantastic Apple-Cherry-Maple Glaze?

Apple-Cherry-Maple Glazed Ham

makes one 8 lb. ham

8 lb. smoked (fully-cooked) Ham, shank end

whole cloves

1/2 cup apple cherry juice concentrate

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup chunky apple preserves

1/4 cup chunky cherry preserves

1/4 cup Belgian mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

freshly ground nutmeg, to taste

Preheat oven to 325° F.  Cut the skin off of the ham and score the fat in diamond shapes.  Stud the intersection of each cut with a clove.  Place ham on a rack inside of a roasting pan that has been lined with foil (or not...your choice...just makes for easier clean-up), cut side down.  Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan (a few tablespoons).  Roast for ~2 hours (~15 minutes/lb.). 

While the ham is cooking, bring the juice concentrate, maple syrup and both preserves to a bowl, lower and simmer for about a minute or so.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.  Set aside.

After 2 hours, crank the heat up to 425° F.  Brush about half of the glaze all over the ham and shut the oven door.  Cook for ~45 minutes more, brushing with the remaining glaze every fifteen minutes.  The skin should be shiny and browned when finished.

While these were our "perfect" meal this Easter, don't wait a whole 'nother year if you want to try them. These potatoes will make regular appearances at our table...and the flavors on the ham are brilliant.  Every once in a while, I'll make my own ham and slice it thin for sandwiches (or dice/shred it for salads or casseroles, etc.) throughout the next couple of weeks.  You can also use a butt end ham for this purpose to make for more useable meat (the shank is just slightly easier for presentation/slicing).

Cheesy Garlic Bread for World Bread Day!

Today is World Bread Day!! My plan was to conquer my yeast-fear and bake up a beautiful loaf of warm, yeasty bread...or die trying. I was going to show it off...smile for the paparazzo. I was going to put it in a sling around my body and parade it around the neighborhood...why yes! Yes, I did bake this sweet little thing from scratch, thank you for asking. Autograph!? But alas, I was foiled by that run of sickness that is still refusing to remove itself entirely from our house. I promise, it's not just another cop-out. I am going to bake yeast bread, and I'm going to do it soon. Fortunately, actually baking bread is not a requirement for celebrating World Bread Day...sure, it would have been nice, but instead...I can just celebrate a glorious loaf baked by some other skilled baker. BUT, I did doll it up a little...adapting it a bit from a recipe by Mary from Deep South Dish. Cheesy Garlic Bread slightly adapted from this recipe at Deep South Dish 1 loaf of French bread Fresh Mozzarella balls, sliced although next time, I'll shred it ~3 Tbs. butter, softened to room temperature ~2 cloves garlic, minced fine ~2 Tbs. parsley, chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut slits in bread, diagonally across top, stopping with ~1/2" of bread left. Shove the mozzarella in the slits; go ahead...pack it in (Mary also suggests using white American...which I bet would be amazing). I think next time I'll use shredded mozzarella, because my fresh didn't get as melty, gooey as I would have liked. Mix the softened butter, garlic and parsley together. Smear the outsides of the loaf with the mixture, tucking some inside the slits as well. Wrap the whole loaf tightly in foil and bake ~15 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted. Open the foil, but leave the loaf on top and put it back into the oven for another 10 minutes or so to crisp up the outsides and brown the butter a bit, if you wish. I wished. Slice the rest of the way through the bread and try to share. It's a big loaf. It's not to late to bake a quick loaf...it can be a yeast bread or a quick bread...or hit up your favorite bakery or baker and share it with everybody for World Bread Day!

Lasagna Roll-Ups for Presto Pasta Nights!

I am a big...slash that (I would do it myself, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that on here)...huge lasagna lover! Meaty, veggie, white, seafood, spinach, eggplant, super-cheesy (oh yeah)...throw any of them at me and I can pretty much guarantee I'll eat it; eat it with gusto! I did come across a mighty tasty looking recipe for Lasagna Roll-Ups over at Cooking Tip of the Day a while ago and knew that this recipe and I would become fast friends. The nice thing about it is that (like the big pan of lasagna), there are so many ways to change it around and make it into a whole new meal. I've adapted it to fit my tastes for the evening (and my fridge & pantry supplies). Go on over to visit Linda and see how she made it, too! Lasagna Roll-Ups 

 from girlichef's kitchen (adapted from a recipe by Linda of Cooking Tip of the Day) 

yield: 10 roll-ups

 

Meat Sauce:

1 lb. ground beef

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed (or minced if you don't like biting into those big bites of garlic like I do)

~1/4 c. Italian Seasoning (or to taste)

1 (28 oz) can Whole Tomatoes w/ their juices

1 (8 oz) can Tomato Sauce

1 Bay Leaf

Sea Salt & Black Pepper- to taste

 

Remaining Ingredients:

10 Lasagna Noodles (the old-fashioned, wavy-edged kind)

1 (15 oz.) container Ricotta cheese (or homemade)

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. Italian Seasoning

1 (8 oz) ball fresh Mozzarella (put in freezer, then grated) ...or pre-shredded

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

First, get your meat sauce going. Brown ground beef; drain off fat. To the ground beef in the pan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir until slightly softened. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce & bay leaf. Mix well. Once the sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer until ready to use in the recipe (~20 minutes or so). Season w/ salt & pepper to taste.

Cook noodles according to package direction (al dente). Drain and lay them out to dry (on a cookie rack or just on the cutting board).

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, garlic powder and Italian seasoning; mix well.

Lightly spray a large cutting board (or counter surface) with cooking spray. Lay out your noodles. Spoon ~2 heaping Tbs of cheese mixture onto each noodle. Spread the mixture down the center of the noodle, staying off of the wavy edges.

Next, spread a scant 1/4 c. of meat sauce over the cheese.

Pick an end and gently roll the noodle up, carefully holding edges to keep it straight and keep the filling inside. It's a bit messy, but you can always lick your fingers...and the counter...when you're done.

Place rolls side by side into the prepared pan, seam side down.

Spread remaining meat sauce evenly over the top of the roll-ups, taking care to cover up most of the exposed noodle, so that it won't dry out. If you're anything like me though, you'll purposely leave a few edges exposed to get some of those yummy, crispy noodle edges! Sprinkle cheese over top. Cover with foil that is SPRAYED WITH PAN SPRAY on the inside!!! This will keep the cheese from sticking and coming off (tragic!) when you remove the foil.

Bake for ~30 minutes or until it is bubbly and cheese is melted! Remove foil and place back in oven to brown cheese (or if you are hungry and impatient like we were...just take it out and dish it up!).

Let it sit to cool for ~5 minutes or so, then scoop out one (or two) Roll-Ups per person. Sprinkle with some parsley to garnish. Isn't this what the Olive Garden called Rollatini???I am also submitting to to Joanne of Eats Well With Others, the host of this weeks Presto Pasta Nights

(#122)! It is my first time entering PPN, though I've been telling myself I would do it numerous times over the past 3 months or so. I don't know why, but every time I made a noodle of some sort, I always forgot about it. But not this time brain! Must be that Ginkgo tree I parked under at the library earlier today ;).

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*Update 12/29/10:I am sharing this w/ the 12 Days of Bloggie-mas!

Gorgeous Summer Pasta (Barefoot Style), thank you's and HOORAY for working computers!

MY COMPUTER IS CURED! A little hands-on action is all it took. Whew...hopefully I don't have to go through that again anytime soon. I suppose it's just time for me to admit that I have an addiction. I was definitely feeling symptoms of withdrawal. Think it's time to reevaluate...limit my computer time, if you will...take a step back and pick and choose a bit more...think I can do it? I'm not so sure. Surely my butt (and anyone walking behind it) will thank me. But I'm not going away...nope...not getting rid of me that easily. Just practicing moderation is all. I may take a few days and schedule a few posts to run automatically...that should help. But, I digress. I have my computer back, and for that I am extremely happy! Today is another Barefoot Bloggers day! This week's dish was chosen by Delta Whiskey...and it was a perfect choice for this steamy summer weather we've got going on around here. (One of those digital signs at the library said 105 degrees today. Yuck.) This lovely pasta (salad. I'm calling it pasta salad. I ate it all cold, so I say pasta salad.) combined tomatoes in two forms, fresh basil, olives and mozzarella. Yay! Another opportunity for me to use homemade mozzarella. I have to say I've become quite the mozzarella maven. I cannot stop making it! It's so easy and I LOVE it!!

Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

serves: 6-8

1/2 lb. fusilli

salt

olive oil

1 lb. fresh tomatoes, medium-dice

3/4 c. black olives, such as kalamata, pitted & diced

1 lb. fresh mozzarella, diced

6 sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drain & chop I used plain, not oil packed

DRESSING:

5 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained again, I used plain

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

6 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. capers, drained

2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

plus:

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 c. basil julienned

Cook pasta until al dente, drain. Put all of your diced ingredients in bowl. Put all dressing ingredients in food processor and blend until almost smooth.

Combine pasta and other ingredients in bowl. Pour dressing over.

Toss to combine.

Next, julienne (or chiffonade) your basil. (Chiffonading Basil, quick tutorial: Stack basil leaves. Roll lengthwise, like rolling a cigarette, cigar, silly cig, you get the point. Slice thinly across the roll while holding it. Sorry, I can't cut and take picture at same time, so I had to stop to show you progress. Fluff out the shreds and voila! You have just chiffonaded your basil!)

Place basil and freshly grated Parmesan in bowl with rest of ingredients.

Toss everything until combined. Serve!

Good, huh?! Be sure to head over to see what the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this recipe (click on link above)! I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank a few awesome ladies who have recently passed some awards on to me. First off, the lovely Krista from Krista's Kitchen awarded me with this You're an Extraordinary & Awesome Blogger Award. Awwwww, shucks. Thanks Krista...I think you rock, too :) And many, many thanks to both Rachel from Rachel vs. "the Kitchen" and Katherine from Smokey Mountain Cafe for passing this Kreativ Blogger award to me. How cool! I get joy and inspiration for reading both of your blogs and am very grateful to have received this award from the both of you! Now go visit these 3 ladies and see their amazing blogs!

***ALSO REMEMBER....Saturday the 11th is the last day to enter my CupCakey giveaway***

Good Morning Pizza

Whew! Today was a crazy day...it started out fairly normal, though. I was really in the mood for pizza. Homemade pizza. For breakfast. My favorite way to make a pizza is just grab anything good...everything good that's laying around and slice & dice...and bake into bliss! The pizza turned out beautifully. The day seemed "regular" enough. Then I decided that I needed to take a road trip. Things were feeling stale. So, we hopped in the car and headed to my mom's house (just a couple of hours away). We hit the beach...we drank some wine...we raided a taqueria...and we watched fireworks. And now, here I sit at a little past 1 o'clock in the morning writing this post. I don't sleep well when I'm not at home, so I figured I may as well use my time wisely (as opposed to tossing and turning). Plus, I really wanted to enter this pizza into this week's BSI (Blogger Secret Ingredient): Potato assignment; which is being held at Chez What? this week by Christo (aka DoggyBloggy). So, here's to fun weekends and spontaneity and pizza for breakfast!

Good Morning Pizza

by girlichef ...ingredients used in bold

Using 1 portion of pizza dough (homemade, store bought, whatever...I used one of those mixes..just add H20)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Prepare your dough...get it rolled out onto your pizza stone or baking sheet. Drizzle with Olive Oil. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, Crushed Red Pepper and then grate some fresh Parmesan over it.

Have your chosen toppings sliced, diced & ready to go. I decided to use onion, garlic, plum tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, ham and this weeks BSI...potatoes (b-sized reds to be exact...sliced paper thin!)Pile all of your toppings onto the pizza. Next, add some sliced homemade Mozzarella (yup, here's one application of that mozzarella I so recently made), crack a couple of eggs on top, drizzle with a bit more olive oil, sprinkle with some more crushed red pepper and freshly grated Parmesan and pop into the preheated oven for ~15 minutes.

Let sit for a few minutes so you don't burn the top layer of skin from that little section between your two front teeth.

Slice and serve.

MMMMMMMM.....BREAKFAST! Good morning, pizza.

Okay, you can eat this anytime you like. But look at all of those yummy ingredients that may normally make their way onto your breakfast plate anyway! **Don't forget to enter my giveaway celebrating the 101 post mark!** Happy 4th of July to those celebrating today!!...and everybody else, too...