Pan Fried Tomatoes

I've been craving fried tomatoes for the past few days. I'm guessing it's because I printed out a Fall Festival Munchie Map, and those were one of the things I decided I had to get (for those of you who don't know, the Fall Festival is a huge street festival in my hometown; there's over a hundred food booths that serve pretty much anything you can imagine: fried candy bars, brain sandwiches, lollipops with crickets in them, etc).

I had two heirloom tomatoes on hand, so I used those. But I'm sure this would work with any tomato you prefer. I sliced up those tomatoes, mixed up a simple batter and went to town.

Fried Red Tomatoes

2 heirloom tomatoes (sliced, patted dry)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

milk (I didn't really measure this)

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup parm cheese

salt & pepper

cooking oil of your choice (I used vegetable)

1. Slice up those tomatoes. Pat them dry (this will help the batter adhere to them better)

2. Wisk the flour, baking powder, milk and egg. You're going to want a thicker batter so that it doesn't slide off the tomatoes, so use your own judgement on how much milk to add. Remember: you can always add more but you can never take anyway (although I suppose you can just add some more flour).

3. Mix the bread crumbs, parm cheese and salt & pepper together in a separate bowl.

4. Dredge the tomato slices in the batter, then pat both sides with bread crumb mixture.

5. Add to hot oil (be careful not to splash any of the oil on you!) Cook until golden brown.

6. Remove from oil and place on a plate that is covered with paper towels. Let cool and enjoy :)

Easy Dinner Idea: Stuffed Tomatoes

I don't know about you, but I love tomatoes. They're one of my favorite things about summer (along with fresh Indiana sweet corn, BBQ chicken and strawberries). This is a quick, easy idea for a really delicious side dish (or main entree if you're not looking for a huge meal). I've been craving a stuffed tomato for a while, so I decided to make something up. Here's what I came up with...

Stuffed Tomatoes

4 tomatoes

1 box of parmesan couscous

1/4 cup fresh spinach

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 stick of melted butter

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

salt & pepper

1. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and remove the insides (seeds, guts, all of it but leave enough of the outside to stuff it without it breaking if that makes sense). Prepare the couscous according to the directions on the box. Set aside.

2. Add olive oil and garlic to a frying pan and infuse the oil with the garlic (be sure to not burn the garlic!). Add the spinach and cook it down. Remove from heat and toss the couscous in the mixture. Mix well to get that garlic taste all throughout the couscous.

3. Mix the bread crumbs, parm cheese and butter with a fork. Set aside.

4. Stuff couscous mixture into the tomatoes. Top with the bread crumb mixture (be generous!) and mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in a 450 degree oven until the mozzarella is melted and beginning to brown. The outsides of the tomatoes should be soft.

6. Let cool a bit and enjoy :)

New Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I've been trying to find a recipe for a cakey chocolate chip cookie... I have a favorite Amish restaurant that I get some from and they're so amazing... so if anyone knows a great, cake-like chocolate chip cookie recipe, please let me know!

While trying to come up with this recipe, I made a batch that I really loved. They're spongey, not quite the cake texture I was going for, but they are soft and delicious and I hope you enjoy them!

2 sticks of butter (preferably at room temp)

3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

4 eggs (at room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

3/4 bag of mini chocolate chips

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate (large) bowl, cream the butter and sugars (beat until smooth). Add eggs one at a time, beat until smooth then add vanilla.

2. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet mixture (I usually do about a half of a cup at a time). Beat until smooth.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes.

5. Enjoy :)

Sometime I'm going to post my Grandma's recipe for chocolate chip cookies... they're amazinggg! I just have to be sure that my family doesn't mind me giving away her little secret ;)

Peace&&Love.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parm (here with Parmesan Couscous)

Simple and so delicious

Chicken cutlets

Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Bread crumbs

Flour

Eggs

Vegetable Oil

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Mix the cheese, bread crumbs and flour on a large plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Crack the egg in a bowl and whisk it.

2. Dredge the chicken in the egg, then roll it in the flour mixture. Press the flour mixture into the chicken.

3. Place chicken into skillet and fry until golden brown.

Serve with spaghetti (or some other pasta) with red sauce or parm couscous like I did (I just prepared a box of parm flavored couscous)

Warm Weather = Caprese Salad

One of my favorite things from when I was in Italy was caprese salad. Simple, but delicious.

All you need are tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, olive oil and if you like balsamic vinegar like me, go for it. Perfect for this hot weather.

I also made an iced coffee drink. Just some espresso blend coffee, skim milk, sugar-free chocolate sauce and Truvia. Mmmmmm!

ALSO --I'm looking for a good bruschetta recipe, so if anyone has one PLEASE send it my way :)

Stir Fry! Yum!

I love me some stir fry! So I made some the other night, sans any meat. I used red peppers, white onions, broccoli, snap peas, garlic powder, soy sauce and brown rice.

OMG YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Today's Delish)

Talk about the most neglected blog of all time. What can I say? I've been way too busy to actually cook... which is really unfortunately :(

HOWEVER, today I was at Sahara Mart getting my dad his gluten-free waffles (he has celiacs) and I found this chocolate that I had when I was in Italy that I was obsessed with. I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been able to find it anywhere!!!!!!! It's milk chocolate with white chocolate in the center. So delicious (yes, it's no Newman's, but it's still European which makes it 3298423984723974 times better than Hershey or Dove)....