It's no secret that I adore farmers markets. The colorful fruits, veggies and flowers. The fresh food being cooked for the many hungry bellies. The local bakers, producers, growers, and artists all hanging by their stands offering samples and eager to talk to patrons. Everyone there seems happy to taste, happy to pay a bit more for the high quality foods being offered, happy to just be there. I love the vibe of farmers markets. Nothing screams weekend morning more than walking around at a nearby market, getting excited at the heirloom tomatoes and juicy nectarines as only a real food lover like me does. The last time I lived in SoCal, I used to go to the Little Italy farmers market all the time, and it's amazing there, but it's a bit of a hike from where I live now. So a few ... [Read More]
tomatoes
Plum Tomato & Goat Cheese Quiche
I love to experiment in the kitchen, but sometimes life gets just too hectic to spend a lot of time playing around creating meals. This was certainly the case the past couple of weeks with preparing to move, and now, getting all unpacked. When you're not sure where your plates are or have to go digging through boxes to find a knife to work with, meals tend to be pretty simple. That's why lately my dinners have included some quick, staple meals - including brown rice with veggie quesadillas, salad with pasta, and grilled cheese & homemade sweet potato fries. I can't wait to get all settled in so that I have the tools and energy to be more creative in the kitchen again. Just another day or two and I'll be there! Even when I don't have a big life happening going on like a move, some ... [Read More]
Risotto Caprese
A bunch of years ago when my hubby and I had just started dating, we went on a dinner date to a restaurant called The Risotto House. I remember that neither one of us were sure what risotto was and had to ask the waiter, who as I recall, looked at us like we were complete morons. Fast forward to now, and I get why the server thought the idea of us not being familiar with risotto was slightly ridiculous. I've since eaten it out at restaurants many times in Italy and also here in the states, and have made some awesome meals centering around it, including my recent dinner of sun-dried tomato risotto balls. Risotto is an Italian rice dish, that, when cooked the right way patiently standing over the stovetop continuously stirring it, comes out creamy and bursting with flavor. The other ... [Read More]
Heirloom Tomato Three Cheese Pizza
Did you know that it's National Pizza Week? Here are some favorite pizza recipes of mine: Veggie Mozzarella Pie Greek Pizza White Broccoli Pizza South of the Border Pizza As you may know, I am a big fan of pizza. Since I usually whip one up every few weeks anyways, I couldn't miss out on celebrating by making a pizza this Friday evening! Tonight I went with a bit of a different combo, pairing fontina, mozzarella, and asiago cheeses with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. I went to Trader Joe's to pick up my usual whole wheat dough, but unfortunately they only had plain left. Since I'm used to eating whole wheat bread/pasta/rice/etc., it's funny when I eat white versions of those things. I think that whole wheat tastes so much more flavorful, but the pizza was still delish: See ... [Read More]