Recipes

Blog Slackers and Tomatoes.

Sometimes I’m a blog slacker… like this past week, I slacked so hard. But I have some pretty pictures of what I’ve been working on to prove that I was doing more than just catching up on my Netflix (but PS: I’ve been watching lots of Netflix too — Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, people — watch it!). I spent the whole weekend prepping and the last few days working on a really fun project with Backyard Farms styling some of their tomato-packed recipes. It was tons of fun and I’m feeling so ready for some warm-weather cooking after being inspired by the bright colors and flavors. Now my next task: what to make with all of my leftover tomatoes?

Backyard Farms

Recipes

Roasted Tomato Eggplant Pasta.

After what feels like dozens of hot nights in our apartment, it finally cooled down enough this week that turning on the oven was an option. Getting back into the kitchen was such a good re-charge for me this week, especially with all of the amazing seasonal produce available to play with! I needed some comfort food after a long weekend of partying it up at a friend’s wedding so I went with a pasta dish — something quick and simple. I roasted a small eggplant, a container of quartered grape tomatoes, and two heads of garlic with some EVOO and salt and pepper at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. While that cooked, I made angel hair pasta and tossed it with half a lemon’s juice, torn basil leaves, about a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter, and some parmesan cheese. Once the vegetable mixture was well roasted, I pulled the cloves out of the garlic heads and smash them up with the tomatoes and eggplant, and tossed all of the ingredients together with the pasta and a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water. It totally hit the spot — the roasted garlic infused the eggplant and tomatoes with so much flavor, and all of the ingredients came together for a fresh but hearty meal. 20140729-075547-28547218.jpg20140729-075543-28543386.jpg20140729-075545-28545209.jpg20140729-075544-28544309.jpg20140729-075546-28546026.jpg20140729-075548-28548272.jpg

 

 

Recipes

3-Ingredient Appetizers.

I was brainstorming some new appetizer ideas that were easy to make in advance and came up with a simple formula for a snack that has some variety, without requiring tons of grocery shopping or dirty dishes. I purchased some frozen puff pastry dough, thawed, rolled and cut it into 2″ circles. Then I experimented with a few combinations of filling: herb goat cheese and rosemary sea salt, blue cheese crumbles and a drizzle of organic honey, and my favorite combination, slices of heirloom tomatoes sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese. All three combinations got some fresh cracked black pepper on top as well before I rolled up the sides to resemble bite-sized -tarts.  After following the baking directions on the puff pasty box (375 degrees for 10-15 minutes), they came out of the oven golden brown. These lasted about 3 minutes from plate to table at a family party I brought them to, which I think means they were pretty good? I’d love to hear what combinations of fillings you might try!
3 Ingredient Appetizers_A 3 Ingredient Appetizers_B 3 Ingredient Appetizers_C 3 Ingredient Appetizers_D

Recipes

Farmer’s Market Pasta.

This weekend, I let the Farmer’s Market be the inspiration for Sunday dinner and decided to make whatever looked good — and a pretty little container of colorful tomatoes caught my eye. We scooped some up and then hit the fresh pasta tent for some lemon basil linguine and we were on our way to making a tasty meal. While the water was heating for the pasta, I cooked the tomatoes over high heat with a little EVOO and a tablespoon of butter, salt, and pepper. After the tomatoes cooked down and started to burst, I lowered the temperature and sauteed in three cloves of chopped garlic and a handful of pine nuts. Then after a minute, I added in a quarter of a cup of white wine, and three tablespoons of pesto, plus a few spoonfuls of the pasta water. Then I drained the pasta when it was just about cooked and finished cooking it in the pan with the tomato mixture. We served it with freshly chopped basil leaves and a little Parmesan cheese — perfection!

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Home

Caught My Eye.

Just a little round up today of a few things have caught my eye recently. I have that preppy striped vest on my fall wishlist, and was eyeing that fabulous pair of sunglasses and chunky statement necklace when I popped into the mall this weekend. I’ve also been doing a little home decor day dreaming on Pinterest lately and love those ticking striped chairs from Serena and Lily and a bold door knocker for my hypothetical future front door.  Plus that tomato red desk lamp? Perfection.

WishlistClickwise from top left: Striped Chair, Brass Door Knocker, Sunglasses, Necklace, Desk Lamp, Striped Vest

 
 
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