Summer Vegetable Torta

(Isn't it pretty!?)

I loved, loved, LOVED this Summer Vegetable Torta. A LOT!  It turned out so pretty and so very tasty! It looked quite impressive in my opinion and it was super easy to toss together!  I ate it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.  No, I'm not kidding.  I'm anxiously awaiting for a brunch or potluck that I can prepare this for.  I think it'll be a hit!

INGREDIENTS:

3 TBSP olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
8oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 red peppers, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
8oz. cream cheese, softened
6 large eggs
1/4 C heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
3  TBSP fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray.  Line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray with additional cooking spray. Then wrap the outside with aluminum foil.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and fresh peppers and saute until vegetables just start to become tender (10 minutes or so). 

Then, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Next beat in the eggs until combined.  Now beat in the cream. Stir in the garlic, basil, salt and pepper.

Now, using a slotted spoon, drain off liquid from the vegetables and add them to the egg mixture.  Add shredded cheddar cheese and stir with a rubber spatula to combine.

Spread mixture into the prepared pan and set the pan on a baking sheet.

Bake for 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 hours, until top is golden brown and the center is firm when shaken. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in pan, then run a sharp knife around edges to loosen. Gently remove the pan sides. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. ENJOY!

recipe adapted from: alldayidreamaboutfood.com

Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Italian food is my favorite and for me, creamy sauces like this one are the ultimate comfort food!! This is a very easy and super quick recipe for Garlic Alfredo Sauce. All of the needed ingredients are things I normally have in the kitchen already, so this recipe has quickly become one of my favorite go to quick dinner recipes. There are multiple possibilities with a sauce like garlic alfredo, but for last nights dinner I served it with linguini, grilled chicken breasts, and a mix of sliced baby bellas and sweet peas. Delish!

 

INGREDIENTS:

4 TBSP Butter (unsalted)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
4 oz.Cream Cheese, Softened And Cut Into Cubes
1 C Milk
3 oz. Parmesan Cheese, Grated
½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 pinch Kosher Salt (To Taste)

DIRECTIONS:

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the cream cheese and stir with a whisk until smooth. Then add the milk, pouring slowly incorporating a little at a time. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the parmesan and pepper. If needed season with kosher salt (I'd say it's needed!) Remove from the heat when your sauce reaches desired consistency. The sauce will thicken quickly. Enjoy!

Mushroom Garlic Marinara Sauce

Today's harvest! 19 of these beauties are waiting to be transformed into something magnificent!! I'm thinking a fresh tomato & garlic pasta sauce?!?

TOMATOES: From the garden to pasta sauce.

 

 

 PEELING AND SEEDING:

Wash the tomatoes. Cut off the stems and use a serrated knife to remove the core. Use the knife to score an "x" on the bottom of the tomato. Place your tomatoes into a pot of boiling water and let them simmer for just a few minutes. The goal here is to loosen the skin, but not to cook them.





Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and place them in an ice bath. Let them sit for just a minute, long enough for them to cool for handling. At this point the skins should slip right off when giving the fruit a little squeeze (this is the reason for the "x"). Using your fingers, carefully peel the tomato open over a sieve placed on top of a bowl. The goal is to remove as many seeds as possible while reserving the juice that drains into the bowl beneath. Discard the skins and seeds and add the reserved juice to the meats of the tomatoes. At this point you can either leave the tomatoes as is for a chunkier sauce or you can break down the tomatoes a bit using an immersion blender. I chose to give my tomatoes a quick whirl with the immersion blender leaving them semi-chunky.


My apologies for not getting a better picture, I try not to act like a food loving weirdo when we have company over... So I snuck into the kitchen to snap this quick photo when nobody was looking! :)

 

Once in awhile we all impress ourselves in the kitchen. This sauce gave me one of those very proud moments. :) All listed measurements are only an approximation since nothing was actually measured out.

MUSHROOM GARLIC MARINARA SAUCE:

2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 C chopped onion
4-5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (crushed)
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 C sherry
1 1/4 C sliced baby Bella or cremini mushrooms
30 Roma tomatoes peeled and seeded
Salt

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over Med. heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and dried herbs. Cook for a few more minutes. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, add the mushrooms and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Add the prepared tomatoes and season with salt. Allow to simmer for at least one hour. enjoy! :)

Spinach Alfredo (with a TON of garlic) Thin Crust Pizza

I love love LOVE to create new recipes using things that I have on hand (my husband is going to cringe when he reads that.  For some weird reason he hates when I say "on hand"!)  The two ingredients I wanted to use up were fresh spinach  leaves and some mozzarella cheese.  Mozzarella and pizza just make sense, so thats exactly what I did!

YEAST-FREE PIZZA DOUGH:
1 1/2 C flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C water
2 TBSP olive oil
Mix the three dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Create a well in the center and add in the water and olive oil.  Combine gradually incorporating the dry and the wet ingredients.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for five minutes.  Once you have kneaded, the dough is ready to be rolled out.

INGREDIENTS
a ball of yeast-free pizza dough
olive oil
1/2-1 C alfredo sauce (depends on how saucy you like it)
4 cloves of garlic; minced
1/2 ball of mozzarella; grated
garlic salt
Italian seasoning
1 1/2 C lightly packed fresh spinach leaves that have been blanched for 3 minutes
1/4 red onion; sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 F.  Roll out the pizza dough and lay it out on a pizza stone or cookie sheet. Brush with a small amount of olive oil.  Top with alfredo sauce.  Sprinkle with the minced garlic.  Add the cheese and sprinkle with as much or little garlic salt and italian seasonings as you wish.  Top with the blanched spinach leaves and sliced red onion.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.  Enjoy!

This is a signature dish of THE DAILY GARLIC

Baked Portobello Parmesan

This dish was extremely flavorful and rich!!! If your a mushroom lover, this is a MUST try recipe! I served this with a side of creamy polenta which complimented the Baked Portobello Parmesan very well.  I earned a "resturant quality" high five at the dinner table last night :) and the hubby didn't even realize that I served two meatless dinners in a row! (thats usually a big no-no in our house!)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 C Italian-style bread crumbs
1 C (3 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 C fresh minced parsley, divided use
2 tsp kosher salt, divided use
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp marjoram leaves
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano leaves
4 large (5-6 inches wide) stemmed portobello mushrooms, brushed clean
1 1/2 C (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C tomato sauce (I used spaghetti sauce)
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
1) Position a baking rack in the upper third of oven.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lina a 17-1/2 x 11-3/4 baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place a 16-1/2 x 11-1/2 inch wire cooking rack inside the baking sheet.  Mist rack with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2) Combine bread crumbs, 1/2 C parmesan cheese, 3 TBSP parsley, paprika and 1 tsp salt in a shallow pan.  Mix well. Set aside.
3) In a seperate bowl, combine eggs, remaining 1 tsp salt, pepper, marjoram, garlic powder and oregeno.  Mix well.
4) Dip both sides of mushrooms into egg mixture.  Dredge in crumb mixture until both sides are completely coated.  Transfer, stem side down, to prepared wire rack.  Spray tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.  Remove pan from oven.
5) Reset oven thermostat to 450 degrees F.  Meanwhile, carefully turn mushrooms stem side up.  Cover each mushroom with 2 TBSP of remaining parmesan cheese, 1/4 of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 C tomato sauce.  Spray tops lightly.  Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and mushrooms are warmed through, about 10 minutes.  Use a wide spatula to transfer mushrooms to a dish.  Sprinkle with reserved 1 TBSP parsley.

This recipe was found on oneperfectbite.blogspot.com

Pizza Dough II

Although the possibilities with pizza toppings are endless, I went with a simple half cheese half pepperoni approach tonight since the hubster and I were out numbered by kids.  I've already  thought up a few other goodies on what I can make with this dough recipe and hope to get those out to you all soon!

PIZZA DOUGH III
1 (.25 OZ) package of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
1 C warm water (110degrees F)
2 C bread flour
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp white sugar
Directions:
1) In a small bowl dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2) In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.  Beat well until a stiff dough has formed.  Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3) Turn dough out onto a well floured surface.  Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape.  Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
 *allrecipes.com*

rolled out and fork punctures to prevent bubbling

ready to go in the oven!

all done!

tonights dinner. Mmmmm!