It’s that time of year. When tomatoes are at their peak, mouth-watering juiciness, it’s time to make the Caprese salad. So simple yet flavors so perfectly matched. I would never even consider making this salad without vine-ripe garden tomatoes and sweet summer basil. Get yourself some fresh mozzarella and a high quality extra virgin olive…
Category: Garden to Table
Fresh vegetables from our backyard garden
Baked Eggplant with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce
Here’s an easier, lighter version of eggplant Parmesan. Using fresh from the garden eggplant, tomatoes and basil, you’ve got the beginnings of eggplant parm. The fat and calorie heft of traditional eggplant Parmesan comes from the breading and frying of the eggplant and the pounds of cheese that is layered between the slices. For my…
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I found this recipe while searching for beet recipes (because that’s what I do in my spare time). The natural sweetness of the beets goes well with the slight bitterness of the dark cocoa and I love the natural pink color of the icing. The recipe is from eatingwell but I made some modifications. I used…
Rhubarb Oat Shortcakes
Delicious. One word to sum up this delightful summer dessert from Melissa Clark, food columnist for the New York Times. Fresh rhubarb is ready to harvest in late spring (my husband picked some beautiful rhubarb from our garden, featured below) and you’ll find it at produce markets throughout most of the summer. The colors in rhubarb are lovely…
Fresh Herb and Veggie Frittata
Eggs and herbs, could there be a better pairing? At the end of the week when I’m not sure what to cook, I’ll gather some eggs (I literally “gather” eggs because we have 3 chickens living in our backyard), odds and ends of vegetables in the fridge, fresh herbs from the garden (thanks to my…
Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette
Make a pledge to never buy bottled salad dressing again. Salad dressing is SO easy to make. It’s as simple as combining an acid (vinegar) and an oil (extra virgin olive oil is my preference). You can add some flavor boosters like Dijon mustard, chopped scallions or shallots and herbs. Play around with the type…
The Rosemarie
The Rosemarie is a favorite drink on the menu of a newly established distillery and tasting room in Bellfonte, Pennsylvania called Big Spring Spirits. It’s a frequent destination for my husband and I when we are vacationing at our cabin in central Pennsylvania. Although I don’t have the exact recipe from the distillery, my husband…
Garden Lasagna (without the noodles)
Who needs lasagna noodles to make vegetable lasagna. Here’s a gluten-free option, using only vegetables, cheese and tomato sauce for each layer. Grill or roast sliced eggplant, zucchini and red peppers. Saute chopped kale in olive oil. Layer the vegetables with tomato sauce (homemade or your favorite jarred sauce), and a cheese mixture of part-skim…