East Side Insalata Caprese

My husband drinks tomato juice like other people drink water. It makes a glug-glug-glug sound when he's pouring it out of the can. I can't leave the house without him saying, "I'm almost out of tomato juice." He also loves all kinds of tomato-based foods, especially Swiss steak, which I made for supper tonight.

So.. you'd think that he'd love fresh tomatoes, right? No, he won't touch them. He even makes a face when he's looking at them, and I've seen him fling a tomato slice off a burger faster than a magician could make one disappear. Two of my kids, however, LOVE fresh tomatoes, and last week, we were given some beauties from the Pearson garden in Mound, Minnesota {{thank you again}}. I have two left and they are going to disappear like a rabbit under a top hat tomorrow. 

Our house has been torn apart from one end to the other for the past two weeks and that made me forget about food and blogs, so I apologize to my 3 followers. My youngest finally got her grown up bedroom remodel, it's pink on pink on white. Of course that led to another thing that needed to be changed/fixed/cleaned, and another and another. My favorite new thing is carpeting on the stairs. If I had a laptop, I would be sitting on the new carpeted stairs writing this. I still am not iPad savvy for writing beyond a sentence or two.

Aldi is now stocking fresh mozzarella cheese. I don't know about you, but nothing excites me more than a ball of cheese in an open cooler. I don't know who is making this cheese for them, but it slices perfectly and tastes heavenly.

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East Side Insalata Caprese

• fresh mozzarella cheese ball(s), sliced 1/4"
• tomatoes (same size as cheese if possible), sliced 1/4"
• fresh basil (or you can use this stuff but it won't be as good)
• olive oil
• coarse ground salt
• coarse ground black pepper

Stack cheese slices on top of tomato slices and arrange on a plate.

Tear up pieces of fresh basil and scatter over the top.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Drizzle with olive oil.

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.

Mexican Fruit Salad

I had a stare-down with a bird in my backyard today. She thinks she is going to build a nest in the light fixture in the gazebo above the table. It probably is a good place for a nest, but I don't like twigs and dried grass falling in our food all summer.

We live on our deck for almost 3 seasons. This borders on semi-crazy in Minnesota, but it is the greatest deck on earth. Building it was another story, I don't ever want to see that side of my husband again. Thankfully it's made from wood engineered with recycled plastic bits or something and it can't rot and it doesn't need staining and by the time it needs replacing, someone else will have to do it.

I am in trouble with my husband. I told him to use vinegar to kill the dandelions in the yard. He got out his heavy-duty sprayer and woke up to a spotted lawn. It did kill the dandelions, but it also killed a 6" circle of grass around each one too. Oops.  

I don't have a plan for the leftover jalapenos in this recipe, but they are really cheap at Aldi, there are about 10 in package. You could always chop up the entire package and freeze what you don't use. I often do this with onions too.

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Mexican Fruit Salad

• 1 bag of frozen mixed fruit
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, minced (remove seeds)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Let the frozen bag of fruit thaw in the refrigerator until it's still just a bit frozen. Drain the liquid from the bag and place in a large chilled bowl.

Combine honey, jalapenos, orange juice and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well.

Coat fruit with the dressing mixture by tossing carefully and serve.

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.

Pasta/Macaroni Salad

My oldest son is coming over for supper tonight. He's going to take his bike back to his apartment. My husband is unnaturally excited about the bike leaving. 

If you are in our house or garage at 6 pm, you are going to eat supper here or make up an excuse why you have to leave. That's just how it is. 

Whenever I plunk down a bowl of pasta/macaroni salad (when guests are here), someone asks, "where did you get this?" I'm not kidding, I have heard that many times. I cannot imagine going to a store and paying for some salad in a deli. Ick. I'm lying, I have bought salad in a deli.

No skill is required to make this (as with every recipe on this blog), you start with the basics and make the rest up as you go along.  

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Pasta/Macaroni Salad

• Pasta (any type/shape)
• Olive oil
• Mayonnaise
• Sugar
• Milk
• Some kind of fresh chopped/cut vegetables (such as bell pepper, broccoli, onion)
• Spices (dill weed, pepper, paprika - whatever you like)

Cook pasta according to directions, but do not overcook, use the shortest cooking time.

Immediately drain pasta and cool down with cold water. Shake off excess water and pat dry with a paper towel or clean towel. Transfer to a big bowl and sprinkle with a little olive oil and stir. Put in refrigerator.

Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and spices. I usually start with almost a cup of mayonnaise and about 2 tbsp. of sugar, and sometimes I add more. Once mixed, add a little bit of milk to thin it to about the consistency of salad dressing. If it's too thin, add more mayonnaise. You can add any kind of salad dressing you have on hand to add extra flavor or replace spices that you don't have. You might not need all the dressing, you'll just know - save what is leftover because you might want to add to any leftover salad.

Pour the mixture over the pasta and mix. Add fresh vegetables and mix again. 

Optional add-ins (this list could be endless):

• shredded cheese or cubes of cheese
• grapes or other fruit
• nuts
• bacon bits
• thawed grilled chicken breast strips

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.