When a Tomato Isn't Just a Tomato

My Aunt recently e-mailed a tomato recipe and since I had a lot of tomatoes, I decided to create the dish for lunch.

It was fairly simple - Cut the top off a tomato, scoop out the insides and saute them with garlic, olive oil, basil and breadcrumbs.
Then scoop back into the tomato.















I threw some mozzarella chesse on top and put it in the toaster oven to brown the cheese. And then served it over whole wheat pasta!




Really easy, but so good!

Dining Out

I love food - I think that's obvious. And I love dining out. As I mentioned in my profile, I carry a camera with me everywhere and take pictures of meals. My husband is accustomed to this and waits patiently as I take a picture of his food before he digs in.

We went out this week and the food was wonderful! It was a cafe-type restaurant that we pass all the time on our way home, but we had never eaten there.

Hubby had the Ono Fajitas which were delicious

and I had the Grilled Ahi Burrito. Yum!

The reason I take pictures is two fold. One, because if it is a good meal, I want to remember it. And two, I get ideas for future meals I will cook. For example, look at the Ono fajitas. I love how they folded the tortilla over and secured it with a toothpick so the V shape remains. I'm a sucker for attention to detail :)

French Bread

In my last post, I mentioned that I made Bruschetta on my homemade French Bread. Never in my life did I think I would make bread. Ever.

But a few weeks ago I decided to try, and well, life will never be the same. :)

I've made this particular French Bread recipe four times now, and each time, I am thrilled at the whole process. I almost want to clap when I see its golden brown crust as it comes out of the oven. It's exciting to create something so "fancy" from simple ingredients!

When I made some this week, I took pictures of the whole process. I love seeing the before and after pictures of the bread rising. Yeast is so fun!

The French Bread has to rise twice, first in the bowl, and then on the pan right before baking.

And after baking, voila!!

A Seven Course Meal? Why not!

Yes, I cooked a seven course meal. Why? Because I watch too much Top Chef and five just didn't seem enough. I was a little apprehensive, but my husband said it was the best meal he had ever had!

Here is the menu (plus pictures) for the seven course meal.

1 Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Bruschetta on homemade French bread.









2 Leafy greens from our garden topped with a sliced tomato and pine nuts, drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.







3 Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Soup garnished with fresh cilantro.






4 Eggplant Parmesan with homemade tomato sauce and eggplant grown on the property.







5 Homemade gnocchi with pesto, topped with pine nuts and a small trail of balsamic vinegar.








Palate cleanser: Sorbet made with Calamondin oranges from the yard, topped with a mint leaf.







6 Chicken Picatta served with capers and sun-dried tomatoes.






7 Heart shaped chocolate cake made from scratch, drizzled with chocolate raspberry sauce from Gainey Winery.






Tom Colicchio eat your heart out! ☺