Bruschetta

This delicious and easy to make brushetta recipe will put your fresh tomatoes to good use. This tomato bruschetta (broo-SKET-uh) is the most wonderful appetizer during fresh tomato season. Easy to prepare and bursting with summer flavors, these bruschetta make a great snack, appetizer, or side dish.  Try it and you’ll be hooked. Ingredients 10 plum tomatoes, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional) 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt …

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins that Sue made for us! They are a perfect treat to bring to all your holiday gatherings and a great way to show off your homemade pumpkin purée! Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins 1 15oz can or homemade pumpkin 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 …

The Great Pumpkin – Homemade Pumpkin Purée

In the fall, pumpkin dominates a lot of recipes. For ease, I often turn to easy-to-find canned pumpkin. I always thought it was super complicated to make my own pumpkin purée. Well, thanks to our resident baker of “all things delicious”, Sue Sarters, I now know differently.  Recently, Sue purchased some of our pie pumpkins and took them home to make her own homemade pumpkin purée.  She then took that homemade pumpkin purée and used some in a recipe for pumpkin …

Basil Lemonade

A great go-to summer lemonade recipe — the basil adds a delicious twist. The recipe is perfect for a party as you can make non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions. Basil Lemonade 2 cups basil lemon syrup 2 cups cold water 2 cups ice cubes 1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice Garnish: fresh basil sprigs; lemon zest strips Preparation Stir together all ingredients in a large pitcher, then pour into tall glasses half filled with ice.   Basil Lemon Syrup 4 cups packed …

Watermelon Strawberry Mint Salsa

Easy to make and perfect when served with seasoned meat just off the grill. Ingredients 1 c Diced Watermelon (Seeds removed) 3⁄4 c Diced Strawberries 1⁄4 c Diced Red Onion 2 T Chopped fresh mint leaves 2 T Diced Seeded Jalapeno Chile 1 T Lime Juice 1 t Sugar (Optional, to taste) Instructions Gently stir together all ingredients in bowl. Let stand to blend flavors, about 1 hour. For a dynamite combination, serve salsa with Caribbean or jerk seasoned grilled …

Fresh Tomato Salsa

This is a great way to use all those fresh tomatoes from your garden. Serve with tortilla chips. INGREDIENTS: 3 cups chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup onion, diced 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (including seeds) 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper DIRECTIONS: Stir the tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, cumin, salt, and …

Fried Green Tomatoes

Even though the 1991 chick flick with the same name leads us to believe that Fried Green Tomatoes originated in the south, the history of this “either love ’em or hate ’em”  side dish is forever one of my favorites.  Matter of fact, it would be something I would request as part of my last meal. It seems this delicious dish did not originate in the south! According to food historian and writer, Robert Moss, it appears that fried green …

Easy Strawberry Pie

As strawberries are ripe for the picking, this is a timely and delicious recipe! Easy and refreshing! This would be a beautiful dessert on any table – especially at your next family gathering. Ingredients: 3T cornstarch 1 c sugar 1 ½ c. water 3 oz box strawberry jello 2 c sliced strawberries 1 10” pre baked pie shell Combine cornstartch, sugar, and water. Brint to boil and then simmer til thickened.  Add jello and stir until dissolved.  Pour over berries then chill …

Toasted Parmesan Tomato Bread

Soon it will be THAT time of year…the time of year when I have an abundance of tomatoes from my garden. I LOVE tomatoes and this Tomato and Parmesan Toasted Bread is the perfect way to use them up. 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 large sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt Ground black pepper 4 large, thick slices sourdough bread 4 large tomatoes 3 ounces Parmesan cheese   Heat the oven to broil. …

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fresh Mint

This recipe has everything you could want in a cookie…Chocolate√ Mint √ Deliciousness√  I wanted to pass along this wonderful recipe that showed up in my inbox last month from Kevin at A Garden for the House. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: about 2 dozen 2-inch diameter cookies Ingredients 1 1/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/3 cup granulated white sugar 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 to 1 cup fresh, …