Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, Black Olives and Mozzarella

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, Black Olives and Mozzarella

2 lbs ripe, vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 handful fresh basil leaves, washed and chopped
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cup fresh salted mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, at room temperature
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb thin spaghetti

Start a big pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil, olives and mozzarella.  Toss with vinegar, salt and pepper and set aside.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions until al dente.  In the meantime, heat the oil in a small skillet and saute the minced garlic for 1 minute.

When the pasta is done, drain it and toss with the olive oil and garlic and then add the tomato mixture and toss again.  

Serve hot or at room temperature.

I found this at cooking.com and it is quite tasty!  Next time, I'll saute some chopped onion before I cook the garlic...just 'cause I think it needs some!  Maybe a sprinkle of Parmesan?

BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.  Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving 1-inch of foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of the pan.  You'll need this extra foil to lift the cheesecake out of the pan when you're ready to 
cut it into bars.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.  

Crust:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp butter, melted

Place the almonds in a food processor (I love my Magic Bullet for things like this!) and pulse until the almonds are mostly all ground up.  Combine them in a small bowl with the graham crumbs, sugar cinnamon and butter and stir until the crumbs look sort of like wet sand.  Spread them in the foil lined pan and press firmly into the bottom of the pan.  Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes then remove the pan but don't turn the oven off yet!

Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
3 (8-oz) packages of Philadelphia Brand cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup seedless blackberry jam
Fresh blackberries and mint leaves to garnish, if desired

In a large bowl, beat the cram cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla on medium speed until smooth.  On low speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until blended.  Pour into the crust. Spoon small dollops of blackberry jam over the 
filling and then swirl them with a knife to create a marbled effect.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour.  Cover pan with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or overnight).  

When you're ready to serve, use the overhanging foil to lift the cheesecake carefully out of the pan.  Cut into bars and top each with a fresh blackberry and a mint leaf to garnish.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

I found this recipe at bettycrocker.com  They are called Blackberry Cheesecake Bites on that site and call for cutting them into 36 bars.  Personally, that's just too small and too much work.  And my husband would laugh at me if I servedhim a piece of cheesecake that small!  So I cut this into 12 pieces and that seems just about right to me.  These bars taste SO good!  You can't really go wrong with cheesecake for dessert.  However, they took about 1 hour to completely bake and the top cracked so they didn't look as pretty as I would have liked.  But they definitely tasted good!

Li'l Slice of Heaven Cornbread

Li'l Slice of Heaven Cornbread

3 strips of bacon, finely chopped
1/4 sweet onion, finely minced
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
8 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup honey
1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until crispy and browned.  Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Drain off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings and add the minced onion.  Reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and cook the onions until caramelized.  They should be very soft, sweet and a golden brown color.  Set aside.

Cut the butter into slices and place in an 8-inch iron skillet (or an 8x8x2-inch baking pan) and place in the oven to melt while you mix the cornbread batter.  Don't put this in the oven too soon...you just want to melt the butter and get the skillet good and hot.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the buttermilk, eggs and honey and stir until well mixed.  Fold in the crumbled bacon, the onions and half the shredded cheese.   Remove the skillet from the oven and carefully swirl the melted butter around the skillet sides and then pour it into the batter and stir until it's all mixed in.  Pour the batter into the still hot skillet and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Return the skillet to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving.

I adapted this recipe from the one found at thecozyapron.com and it is awesome!  This recipe is in my top 3 of all time for cornbread!  It's moist and tastes absolutely delicious with that caramelized onion flavor teasing your taste buds after each bite.  Excellent recipe!

Grilled Ham and Marmalade Sandwich

Grilled Ham and Marmalade Sandwich

2 thin slices honey wheat bread
Cream Cheese with Chives
Orange Marmalade
2 thin slices Boar's Head Low Sodium Ham
2 thin slices Swiss cheese
Butter

Spread one slice of bread with a thin layer of cream cheese and chives.  Add 1 slice of Swiss cheese, the ham and then the remaining slice of Swiss.  Spread orange marmalade on the remaining slice of bread and lay it (marmalade side down) on the sandwich.

Melt a bit of butter on a hot griddle (or skillet) and cook the sandwich until browned on the bottom.  Flip it and brown the other side.  Remove from the pan and cut into triangles.

Yummy!

Caramel Apple Cider

Caramel Apple Cider

1/6 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/6 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups apple juice, or apple cider
Pinch of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick to garnish

Stir together the brown sugar and whipping cream in a small saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it starts to bubble.  Stir in vanilla and apple juice.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring often.  Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or pop a cinnamon stick into each cup.

Serves 2.

This is a seriously delicious treat!  Tastes like apple pie in a mug!  I found the recipe at justapinch.com and I am so glad I tried it.  :-)

Quick and Easy Mexican Stroganoff

Quick and Easy Mexican Stroganoff

1 lb ground chuck

1/2 lb Jimmy Dean sausage

1 tsp minced dehydrated onions

Garlic Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1 pkt taco seasoning mix

1.5 cups water

1 can mushroom soup

1/2 carton cream cheese with chives

1/2 jar medium salsa

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

Hot cooked Egg Noodles

Brown and crumble the ground chuck and sausage in a large skillet with the dehydrated onion flakes.  Season with garlic salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  Add the taco seasoning mix, water, and mushroom soup and stir to blend well.  Simmer a few minutes then stir in the cream cheese with chives, salsa, cumin and oregano.  Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes and then stir in the cooked noodles.  

This was very tasty!  I saw a similar recipe somewhere but couldn't find it so I just threw this together one night and really liked it.  

Gingerbread Pancakes

Gingerbread Pancakes

2 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
3/4 cup apple butter
1 cup milk
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended.  Spoon by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot, buttered griddle and cook until bubbles appear on top and the edges are dry.  Turn and cook until browned.  Serve with butter, warm maple syrup and crispy bacon.

These are mildly spicy but taste nothing like gingerbread to me.  However, they are quite tasty and I'd definitely make them again.