Shrimp Tomato Basil Pasta!! Bellissima!

This is a super tasty dish that is very, very easy to make. Serve up with some crusty french bread slathered with some garlic butter, and you'll be the talk of the dinner table!!

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Lbs Shrimp

3-4 tbsp Minced garlic (I use the jar kind)

7-8 firm tomatoes, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups worth or so)

1/4 cup fresh basil (or more to taste, and more for garnish)

salt and pepper

10-15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Season shrimp with salt and pepper in a bowl. Spray a pan over medium low heat and toss in the oil and get warm. Add the shrimp and cook 3 or so minutes. Add the garlic, half the basil and the shrimp. Cook on lower medium heat for 12 minutes or so, and then add the last of the basil for another three or so minutes. Pull the pan from the heat and add the cherry tomatoes.

Boil some whole wheat pasta and serve. Enjoy.

French Bread!! Oui Oui Mon Cheri!!!

So not my recipe at all, but something I wanted to give a try. It was time consuming, but the results were nice. I think I used the wrong kind of yeast, making my bread alot less fluffy, but covered in garlic butter, it's all good :)

http://yvonneandmason.galganov.net/recipes/frenchbread.html

Tasty Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

It's that time of year again, when the garden's are overrun with ripe bounties of fresh veggies. My favorite of all is the tomato. Good in sandwiches, salads, sasla and sauces or just sliced up, nothing beats tomatoes. But if you find yourself with too many all at once, you may need a speedy way to get rid of a pile of them. And here it is.

15-20 Ripe, firm tomatoes (Whattever kind) chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 tsp jarred garlic (or more if you like)

2 tbsp fresh basil or 1 tbsp dried

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp Olive Oil

fresh ground pepper and salt, to taste

**Note** The measurements for the herbs are approximate, as I never measure anything. Test the sauce often and add more as you need**

Spray a little cooking spray in a large sauce pain on medium low heat. Add the olive oil, herbs (do not burn) onions and garlic. Cook the onion for a few minutes, and then add the tomatoes reducing the heat to lowish. Cook, stirring often and making sure it doesn't burn, for about 15-20 minutes or so.

Serve hot with pasta, or cooled with bagel chips or use it as a bruschetta.

Snack Attack!!! Homeade Chips & Parmesan Dip

I like snacks, but then again, who doesn't?? I'm a fan of the crunchy munchies like chips, crackers and the like. Of course I realize they are no good at all for a person. Between the high bad-for-you fats, and all the sodium, I should be doing crunches while munching!! What is a Niblet to do??

So, off to the kitchen I go to make something tasty, crunchy and way better for you than bagged chippies and high fat dip. (And you can brag when you serve your friends and they'll look at you like you're lying. But we'll know the truth :)

Chips:

4-5 medium sized red potatoes (peel or don't, I don't)

1 tbsp Olive Oil (Cause it's good for you :)

Sea Salt

If you have a mandolin for slicing vegetables, this is the time to break it out. If not, slice them medium thin (less than 1/4") with a knife. Toss them in a bowl with a tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle a little salt on them and mix them until everything is coated. (You can omit the salt if you want, it doesn't need to be on there)

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and give a spray of cooking spray on it. Lay the chips out so they're not touching and toss into a 400F oven for 6-8 minutes, depending on your oven. Take them out and carefully flip each one over and place back in the oven for another 6 or so minutes. Watch them so they get almost golden to golden, but don't let them burn.

Take them out and let them cool on the pan. They're good warm or cooled off. Now go brag to your friends!!

Dip:

Super simple dip, but tastes like it came from a restaurant

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonaise

1/2 tsp garlic, jarred & minced(or more if you like garlic)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Mix all together and refrigerate until needed. Serve with the chips and look like a domestic god/goddess

A Honey of a Dressing!!

Having fresh honey on hand this time of year is a luxary that I relish. Being a beekeeper by day (and a super hero by night ;) I love this time of year with it's yields of golden honey. So, naturally I try to eat it on everything.

My mother was over this afternoon and gave me some wonderful looking greens from her garden. Self, I said to me, we need to make a honey dressing to go with said lettuce. And so I did.

2 tbsp Fresh Honey (Or melted cooled honey)

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp Vinegar

Mix it up and enjoy. It's enough for a salad for one, but can be multiplied.

No Yeast Focaccia Bread!!

This is a little bit different in texture compared with the types made with yeast, but it's tasty, quick and makes enough to add to any meal without having to eat a pile of baking for the next week.

2 cups white flour (you can use wheat, but it's a little tougher texture)

1 cup water

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic (chopped jar kind)

chopped or dried herbs (basil, chives, oregano)

Herbs, spices or seasonings for the top

Mix all the ingredients together but the oil. Make the dough into a ball, and place in a large greased or sprayed pan or baking sheet. Flatten it so it's uniform at 1/2" using the oil on your fingers. Now, top with whattever you want. Rosemary, chives, olives, really its up to you.

Bake in a 425 F oven for 20m minutes or so (oven depending) take out and add cheese to the top (if desired) and pop back in for another 5 minutes. (Or leave it in there to finish) Serve warm

Lemon Balm Tea Cookies!! Come have a Lookie!!

All right, I'll admit it. I've developed an addiction to Lemon Balm. I love it as a tea, and now these citrusy little tea cookies are so superb, they make me want to shout Hip Hip Herb-ray!!

Lemon Balm is a wonderful citrusy herb that's related to mint. It boasts many health properties including a soothing sleep inducer, a calming relaxant and a purifier. It is simple to grow in your back yard, and thrives in sun with a little afternoon shade.

http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/lemon_balm_fs.htm

Steep a tea ball of it to go with these cookies.

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1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup margerine **

1 tsp white vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp grated orange or lemon rind

1 tbsp chopped lemon balm

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Cream sugar, margerine, egg and vanilla and mix. Add in juice, rind and balm. Add powder and flour and mix. Drop by teaspoon onto airbake pan and bake 350 F for 10-14 minutes (oven depending.) Use 375 F for crisper cookies, but watch your heat. Let cool on pan and then transfer to plate (or mouth :)

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** I used light Becel for these and they worked. For those of you who have tried to bake with light margerine, you can understand my shock here :)