Tomato Salad

Tomato Salad

The farmer's market had some great looking tomatoes on Saturday, so I picked up some to take to the lake.  They disappeared!  David said they may have been his favorite food that he ate at the dinner!

I made a vinaigrette by whisking together olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and fresh basil. I added a little sea salt and pepper.

 

I cut red, orange, and yellow tomatoes into 8 wedges in and tossed with the vinaigrette.

I let it chill until we were ready to eat.



 

Once we were ready to eat, I tossed the tomatoes again, drained off the excess vinaigrette, and added some more fresh basil and parsley.

 

Then I topped it off with feta cheese crumbles, and we served it with dinner.

 

(no need to drain the excess vinaigrette if not adding feta)

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Enjoy!

 

Tortellini Caprese Bites

Southern Living

Tortellini Caprese Bites

I saw this recipe for skewered caprese with tortellini in the December 2011 Southern Living and I promptly ripped it out. 

I made it for my birthday get together last weekend and it was the 3rd party since Christmas that I'd been to and seen this recipe! 

Very popular, easy to make, and yummy.

Note:

The only ingredient that I didn't pick up was white Balsamic vinegar.

If you don't have white then I would just drizzle the olive oil on top instead of marinating the assembled skewers in the vinaigrette. 

The dark Balsamic turns the mozzarella brown, as you'll see.

The taste is still great, but you'll probably prefer the mozzarella to remain white.

I started by cooking a package of cheese tortellini according to the package directions and then draining it and letting it cool.

Then I sliced grape tomatoes in half, drained the mozzarella balls and was ready to assemble.

The recipe calls for 6 inch skewers so I cut the ones I had in half and they worked great.

You can skewer the tortellini, mozzarella balls, and grape tomatoes in any order.

You make a quick Basil Vinaigrette by whisking together Balsamic, kosher salt, olive oil, and chopped basil.

I then laid the skewers in a baking dish and coated them with the Basil Vinaigrette.

Again, next time I'll either find white Balsamic vinegar or I'll just sprinkle the vinaigrette on top.

Either way, they were delicious!

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Enjoy!



Warm Cranberry Brie

Mississippi Magazine

Warm Cranberry Brie

I found this delicious recipe in the November/December 2011 edition of Mississippi Magazine. 

My friend Ginger had the girls over right before we all left for the holidays.

I decided this dish would be perfect to take to a girls night.

It's very easy and is great served with green apple slices and Triscuits.

You mix whole berry cranberry sauce, nutmeg, and brown sugar.

Remove the top from a Brie round and place it on a baking dish.

Top with the cranberry mixture and chopped pecans.

Bake at 475* for 5 minutes and serve.

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Bon Appetit!



Feta Dip

Clover Lane's Feta Dip

I saw this delicious appetizer on Sarah's cooking blog and had to try it out.

We went to a neighborhood Christmas party yesterday afternoon and I wanted to take something that didn't involve cooking.  This looked delicious.

You start by pouring a generous amount of olive oil on your platter.

Then you chop tomatoes, green onions, and a block of feta cheese and add it to the platter.

Top with Greek seasoning and mix it up.

Serve with baguette slices.

I could have eaten it with a spoon :)

It was a big hit!

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Kalí óreksi!

(Greek for Bon Appetit!)



Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Short Stop's Crock Pot Mac & Cheese

Sarah from the blog Short Stop has some of the best recipes.

I've shared her Spicy Shredded Beef and have bookmarked many other recipes from her site.

We tried this one last week and I absolutely loved it!

In fact, I am not making it again for awhile because it's just too good, and mac and cheese is my downfall.

It's a special treat dish for me!

This is one of the best homemade mac and cheese recipes and it is super simple.

It makes plenty for a crowd or for 2 meals at home.

I boiled the macaroni then layered the noodles, cheeses & butter in the crock pot, ending with a third of the macaroni on top.

Pour in the milk and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring once half-way through.

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Mmmmmm!