Rigatoni with Fresh Tomato, Sausage & Peppers with Navy Beans over Greens

1/2 lb pasta (short rigatoni used here)
2-3 chicken and apple (or other favorite) sausages, thinly sliced
About 2 cups yellow, orange and red peppers, diced
2 fresh, ripe tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced through press
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/4 lemon, about 1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp white Balsamic vinegar or cider vinegar
1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup dry white wine
About 6 cups mixed fresh greens

Bring 6 cups of water in a pot for the pasta to a boil. 

Heat a skillet and sauté the sausage and peppers in a bit of olive oil for about 8-10 minutes.  Allow the sausage and peppers to brown and and caramelize a bit.  Add the navy beans and the wine, and cook through about 6-8 minutes, until the alcohol in the wine evaporates and the sauce thickens a bit.

Meanwhile, salt the pasta water generously, and cook the pasta until al dente, stirring often.  While the pasta cooks, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and vinegar.   When the pasta is cooked, drain and gently fold together with the tomatoes, sausage, peppers and beans.  Lay greens out on a serving platter.  Top with the warm pasta and bean mixture.

Serves 4.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Chicken Sausage and Summer Squash

 Another fine pasta dish with fresh summer tomatoes.














1/2 lb pasta (ziti used here)
2-3 chicken and apple (or other favorite) sausages, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
2 fresh, ripe tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced through press
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/4 lemon, about 1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup black olives

Bring 6 cups of water in a pot for the pasta to a boil. 

Heat a skillet and sauté the sausage and squash in a bit of olive oil for about 8-10 minutes.  Allow the sausages and squash to brown and and caramelize a bit.

Meanwhile, salt the pasta water generously, and cook the pasta until al dente, stirring often.  While the pasta cooks, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and gently fold together with the tomatoes, sausage and squash.  Pour into a serving dish and top with the Parmesan cheese and olives.
Serves 4.

Ziti with Fresh Tomatoes and Grilled Eggplant

Another recipe with fresh summer tomatoes - with even more to come.
















1/2 lb pasta
1 eggplant
2 fresh, ripe tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced through press
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/4 lemon, about 1 Tbsp
2 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

Heat the grill.  Bring 6 cups of water in a pot for the pasta to a boil. 

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices.  Spray generously with olive or canola oil and grill over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes per side.  Lay grilled eggplant slices out on a large cookie sheet to cool enough to handle.  Slice into 1/2-inch slices.

Meanwhile, salt the pasta water generously, and cook the pasta until al dente, stirring often.  While the pasta cooks, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and gently fold together with the tomatoes and the eggplant.  Pour into a serving dish and top with the feta cheese.

Cheddar Horseradish Pub Cheese Dip

This is a great birthday dish :-)) and you can use whatever chips/crackers you favor. I love blue corn chips, even with non-Mexican dips!1 green onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 oz cream cheese
1/3 lb Cheddar cheese, grated
1-2 Tbsp horseradish, drained of liquid, to taste
1-2 tsp hot pepper sauce, to taste
1/4 cup sour cream

Pulse onion and garlic in small food processor, just until chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until finely mixed. Stir sides down with a spatula to mix well and re-process to assure a homogeneous dip. Tip into a serving bowl and serve with favorite crackers or chips.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups dip.

Grilled Snapper on Summer Fresh Mushroom Ratatouille

We rode our bikes last weekend up to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, to unexpectedly find the Annual Mushroom Festival. On bikes, unprepared and unequipped to carry mushrooms back, we had to pass on the opportunity that time. But honestly, we enjoy the fresh, inexpensive mushrooms we have available in the area! Combine the bounty of mushrooms with summer's fresh tomatoes (a theme you will hear still for quite a while here!) and zucchini and basil - well only good things can happen.


8 oz  whole mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic
Dash dried red pepper flakes
4 red snapper fillets
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
6 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and toss in the mushrooms.  Sizzle and sear the mushrooms for about five minutes, shaking often, until they release their water and begin to dry again.  Transfer mushrooms to a bowl.  In same skillet, melt butter and oil and add onion and zucchini.  Sauté for about five minutes until just beginning to soften.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook another minute or two.  Remove onion and zucchini to the bowl with the mushrooms. 

Reheat skillet to medium-high.  Add tomatoes to the skillet and keep heat at medium-high to caramelize the tomatoes a bit.  Add a bit of oil oil if necessary and cook until the veggies are soft and sweet, about ten  minutes total.  Stir in basil and toss to heat through.  Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Return mushrooms and zucchini to skillet and mix well with tomatoes. Pour wine into veggies and stir.   Place fish fillets on top of veggies, sprinkle parsley on top of fillets, and cover skillet.  Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook about five or so minutes or so, until the fillets are just cooked through.  Serve fish on e bed of the veggies, with sliced lemon or lime.  Serves four.

Beef Stir Fry with Plum Sauce

This stir fry would also work well with pork, chicken or tofu.1 lb beef, thinly sliced - good tender cuts like Rib Eye or Sirloin Tips work well
3 broccoli crowns, chopped, about 2-3 cups
1/4 cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red pepper, coarsely diced
1 small onion, sliced into half moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

Sauce:
1/2 cup plum sauce
1 Tbsp black bean sauce, or soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili paste with garlic
1/4 cup pale dry sherry

Get all your ingredients read to go - 'mise-en-place'. Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a large wok and add a few tablespoons canola or peanut oil. Stir fry the broccoli, cabbage, pepper and onion for about 6-8 minutes, stirring almost continuously. When the veggies are just beginning to soften, add the garlic and ginger, and stir fry another 2 minutes. Set veggies aside in a bowl.

Add another tablespoon oil to the wok and heat to just smoking hot. Add the beef and stir fry until the beef is just cooked. Return the veggies to the wok and add the sauce. Heat everything through. Serve over steamed rice, topped with sesame seeds.

Portabello Cobb Salad

Besides being wonderful to eat, salads are great because they are flexible - a great use of many leftovers! Here I combine leftover potato and pea salad and grilled portabello mushroom caps from the previous night's dinner. I add fantastic summer-fresh tomatoes and some hard boiled egg, atop a bed of mixed baby romaine dressed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. And viola, a take on Cobb Salad. Don't let leftovers go to waste - make a salad!6 cups baby romaine or spinach leaves
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 large fresh ripe tomato, sliced
2 Grilled Portabello Mushroom Caps
leftover potato and pea salad, or other potatoes or potato salad
2-3 inches English cucumber, sliced

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the Balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a bit of salt and fresly-ground pepper to taste. Distribute greens on two large plates. Top greens with a portabello mushroom, and surround with the egg, tomato and potatoes.

Makes two dinner salads.

Cook's note: You can top salad with many things such as green onions, cooked chopped bacon, or sunflower seeds. Whatever you have and you like.

Southern Blueberry Nectarine Cobbler

I love the idea of adding just a bit of cornmeal to the cobbler topping; a bit southwestern, an idea I got from reading Texas recipes. You could use flour instead, but give this a try for a warm, rounder cobbler crust.4 cups fresh blueberries
1 ripe nectarine, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Grated nutmeg

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp cold butter
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, mix the fruit With the sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Let the fruit macerate for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

In another bowl, mix together the flour and cornmeal with the baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter with a dough mixer, knives or your fingers, to make a fine meal. Stir the vanilla into the milk and turn the milk into the flour. Mix just until incorporated.

Oil a 9x13-inch casserole and pour in the fruit mixture. Top with dollops of the batter, spreading a bit into islands. Top with the sugars. bake for about 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.