2 summer delights....

Hey everyone...hope you had a great weekend!  I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE. that it's the LAST week in August.  NOT that I'M complaining!  I couldn't be MORE excited that Saturday is SEPTEMBER 1st! (even if the forecast is "hot & humid"...bleh!)  But I thought I'd show you 2 dinners we had where I actually EMBRACED the beauties of summer....

Starting with last Saturday where we piled into the car and took Miss Katie on her first ever annual beach picnic...

And like last time, we make a quick stop to Jersey Mike's subs along the way.  Although this time we had someone to guard the bagJ 

This year I went with the grilled veggie wrap, which was made with grilled peppers & onions, along with provolone cheese, shredded lettuce & ranch dressing on a wheat wrap...  

This thing was SO. DAMN. GOOD!  I was pleasantly surprised since I felt like branching out from my usual tuna fish.  I will definitely get this one again!

So after out dinner and introducing Katie to the Atlantic...

....we made a quick stop before heading home.  One that is so very necessary, it's a crime not to goJ 

Hoffman's ice cream in Point Pleasant is TRULY some of the best ON. THE. PLANET!  On our car ride home, Scott & I tried to rack our brains to think of anyplace better and really couldn't come up with one.  (although Lake Champlain in Vermont, Flamingo Crossing in Key West & Berthillon in Paris rank right up there.  And no, for the record, Italian gelato is just in a category unto itselfJ)

Again, we gathered up our tickets.  (At least this time they were already on 37 when we got there!)

And I got my VERY favorite from there:  Chocolate Chip...and a scoop of a now NEW favorite: BROWNIE ALA MODE! 

For the love that is all good & holy, if you are in NJ...GET. TO. HOFFMAN'S!  The chip ice cream tastes like pure whipped CREAM, dotted with chocolate CHUNKS....while the Brownie, oh my the brownie, had chunks of brownie bites & swirls of fudge.  Just too die for!!

Even if SOMEONE was NOT impressed...J

Last night's dinner was another definite embrace of 'summer delights,' if I do say so myself...

It all started with these beautiful zebra tomatoes I found at the farmer's market on Saturday.  The end of August is certainly the peak of tomato harvest season in Jersey and I knew I had to give a new variety a try.. 

So while at the market, I also gathered up some fresh mozzarella... 

....a nice loaf of Italian bread... 

...and PLENTY of fresh basil. 

(and don't forget the sea salt & good quality olive oil to bring out all of the great flavors!!)

A quick roast of the sweet zebra tomatoes...

...and a chip chop of the rest of the ingredients and dinner was served!  (oh yeah...I tossed some sliced prosciutto on there for good measure tooJ) 

Load everything up on a slice of baguette and you have the perfect summer bites! 

I was so happy I had tried the SUPER SWEET zebra tomatoes even though they were not the ones I usually pick out.  The market is the GREAT place to find & try out produce you might not be familiar with.  And even better yet, you have plenty of farmers & workers there who will give you the 'insider tips' on what are great for different types of dishes.  (comes especially handy in the fall when you have 87 varieties of apples and someone there to tell you what's great to eat vs. great to bake!)

Alrighty...well after 2 summer-y posts, I better get back to this super gloomy day we're having today.  I only wish it was 65 and chilly hoodie weather rather than UBER humid.  SOOOOOOOOOOO ready for THAT!  hehehehehhehee...

Have a great Monday!J

Start with a warning...

OK...so before I start this blog, I gotta warn you:  the 'final' dish was none too pretty and I really couldn't see myself posting the photo on the blog.  THAT BEING SAID, the dinner was still SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good that I had to post for you the process to try for yourself.

This was a GREAT recipe to use up any remaining vegetables you have hanging out in your fridge.  I called it my GRILLED VEGGIE PLATE...

For our dish, I used:

• 3 ear of corn
• 2 zucchini
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion

I gave everything (except the corn) a quick slice & dice (I use a cheese slicer to create evenly thin zucchini slices....)

And loaded up all of the veggies onto our grill pan.  Give everything a quick coat of olive oil & salt and tossed them onto the grill until cooked.

Or burned as some of our veggies (ahem *zucchini*) would turn out...bummer!  Make sure you stay close to the grill and keep an eye on the prize or you'll risk burned vegetables and a lack of ability to post a final photo on your blog.

Or maybe that's just me.

ANYWAYYYYYY....I diced up the zucchini, red onion & red pepper and shucked the 3 ears of corn...

As well as 2 other ingredients that complimented the great grill taste:  Crumbled goat cheese & sliced prosciutto....

I topped all of the veggies with a quick dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt & pepper

Give everything a whisk and pour over the veggies...

OK...so NOT photogenic, BUT SOOOOOOOO damn tasty and VERY healthy!  The flavor combo of the grilled veggies with the fresh garlic honey mustard dressing, tangy goat cheese & chewy salty prosciutto were SUPERB!  Try using ANY veggies you have on hand and whip up a quick no-lettuce 'salad.'  Who know...maybe yours will come out more photogenic then mineJ hehehehhehehehee...

Maybe next time we won't 'char' half of the plateJ

Here's to a more photogenic dinner tonightJ hehehehehhehe... 

A summer grilled cheese & soup combo...

Soooooo grilled cheese & tomato soup are BFF to the end, no?  But doesn't that combo remind you of cold & wintery days?

Well, here's a little spin for the PERFECT summer sandwich & soup combo that uses up some great seasonal produce:

CAPRESE BITES AND SKINNY ZUCCHINI SOUP!

Seasonal tomato, zucchini and basil paired with some farmer's market fresh mozzarella?  Lovely, no?J

For the 'caprese bites,'  I started by toasting up a few split English muffins and rubbing them with a peeled garlic clove...

Next, I got the rest of my ingredients ready for some layering...

• Fresh basil
• Fresh mozzarella
• Cherry tomatoes (roasted)

And I thought I'd add one more layer in there for some extra flavvvooorrrr...

I mixed a couple handfuls of arugula with some grated cheese and Scott & my current obsession..

LOVEEEEE capers!  I added a couple tablespoons of the capers AND some of the brine to bring everything together.

Then it was assembly time!

Tomatoes, basil, arugula salad and a topper of mozzarella!  A few more minutes under the broiler and WALLAH!

Cheesy, tangy, sweet & salty caprese bites!  A PERFECT use for all of the fresh tomatoes around this time of yearJ

And the soup could NOT be easier or more flavorful.  You will SWEAR there is cream & butter in this soup, but there is NOT ONE DROP!
Into a pot coated with non-stick cooking spray, I sauteed a red onion until it was soft...

Then into the pot went the zucchini & vegetable (or chicken) broth.  I let them boil together until the zucchini was soft and then hit it with an immersion blender to create a smoooooth soup...

And the secret ingredient for making this soup creamy without the calories??

BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

I added the squash & 1% milk and let it all warm up together for a few minutes and it was done.  How easy was that???

And the results are AWESOME!  You'd be AMAZED how much flavor is in this soup from just the onions, zucchini & squash.  Totally awesome, totally healthy and totally enough for lunch leftovers the next day!  Perfecto!

Skinny Zucchini Soup

Based on this recipe

Serves 2

• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Nonstick cooking spray (preferably one with an olive oil base and propellant free!)
• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 6 oz. frozen butternut squash, defrosted
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• Salt & Pepper

1. Saute the red onion in a pot covered with nonstick cooking spray until soft.
2. Add in the zucchini and vegetable broth (be sure the broth covers the zucchini) and boil until the zucchini is soft.
3. Use an immersion blender to create a silky soup.
4. Mix in the butternut squash, milk & salt and pepper (to taste) and heat until warmed through.

Try this one out ASAP, especially while zucchini are so CHEAP now!  It was especially great since it was a cloudy & rainy day yesterday...and 90 degrees or not, it still felt like a great preview for the weather aheadJ

ANYONE ELSE READY FOR FALL???????  Or do I have some summer-lovers out there?

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

You had me at...

So this recipe for Fresh Summer Corn Cakes HAD me at "corn cakes"...but it was the part that followed that REALLLLLLLY sold me.  And it was awesome!

But first, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.  Let's start with the cakes, shall we?

I shucked 3 ears of corn directly into a bowl (letting all of the juices collect right along with the kernels)...

Take two-thirds of the corn and toss it in a blender or a food process for a quick blend...

I mixed the 'creamed' corn back in the bowl with the whole kernels and added:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 of a diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons diced chives
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• SALT & pepper  (make sure you salt these well...I did NOT and noticed it quickly!)

Mix until JUST blended.  Do not over mix or the batter will get tough.

Heat a pan with a couple tablespoons of canola oil before dropping the mix by rounded tablespoon into the oil...

The batter will be sticky, so it's easier to flatten the cakes once their flipped.  Just be sure that all the edges are cooked & lightly browned.

Once both sides of the 'cakes are browned, let them hang out for a few minutes on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil and then pop in the toaster oven to keep warm.

Once the cakes are cooked, it's time to work on the BEST PART!!!!

THE AVOCADO SALSA!!

And you know how I LOVE me some avocado!

In a bowl mix in:

• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (roasted and cooled if you're like me J)
• 1/4 cup diced chives
• 1/4 of a diced red onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• Drizzle of olive oil & red wine vinegar
• salt & pepper

And lastly, fold in the beauteous diced avocado!

DO. NOT. SKIP this stuff!!!  The corn cakes were tasty and flavorful....but the salsa???

Oh my God...the salsa.  It just put it OVER. THE. TOP!

I keep trying to think of more things to 'top with it!  Hell, I think my SHOE would taste good topped with avocado salsaJ  

And if you didn't catch my subtle hints, I'll repeat again:  DON'T SKIP THE SALSA!!!

Alright, well I think I've used my quota of the word salsa for the dayJ  Hope you guys have a great TuesdayJ