Basil Pasta Salad

Basil Pasta Salad

• 1 package of bow tie pasta
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Black pepper to taste
• Cherry tomatoes for garnish

Cook and drain pasta according to package instructions, cool.
In a blender  or food processor combine vinegar, basil, garlic, salt. sugar, cheese and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Toss with pasta.

Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors.
Sprinkle with pepper and garnish with cherry tomatoes before serving.

Buon Appetito!
Lisa

French Breaded Asparagus

French Breaded Asparagus

• 1lb. fresh asparagus, cooked
• 1 tbsp. cold water
• 1/2 cup fine dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 egg

Beat egg and mix with cold water. Mix crumbs, salt , cheese and paprika together. Dip asparagus in bread crumb mixture, then in egg mixture again. Chill 1 hour. Fry in hot fat until golden brown.

Lisa

Image adapted from google may or may not reflect the above recipe.

Souper Cauliflower

Souper Cauliflower

Serves: 4
Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen cauliflower
• 1 ( 1o ounce) can cream of celery soup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place cauliflower in 2- quart greased baking dish. In saucepan, combine soup, milk and cheese; heat and mix well. Pour over cauliflower. Bake and 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes and serve.

Lisa

Image adapted by google and doesn't represent the actual recipe but it is considered similar to.

Apple Pork Chops

Apple Pork Chops

Serves: 4
Ingredients

• 4 butterflied pork chops
• 2 apples. peeled, cored, halved
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Salt and Pepper ( to season)

• Place pork chops in non stick sprayed shallow baking dish. Season with Salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Place apple halves on top of pork chops. Add a little butter and a little brown sugar on each apple. Bake for another 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven
• Let stand for a few minutes and serve.
• Serve with side vegetables of your choice.

Image adapted from google.

Lisa

Polenta with Fresh Basil and Garlic

Polenta with Fresh Basil and Garlic


Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups finely ground oatmeal
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Bring 8 1/2 cups of water to boil in a large heavy boiler. Add olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Slowly add cornmeal ( polenta) and stir contiguously. After all cornmeal has been added, cook and stir over low heat until polenta pulls away from sides of boiler. This should only take a few minutes as the water is absorbed quickly. Polenta should be thick, smooth, and creamy. Stir in basil, butter and cheese.

Quick tip: Top polenta with marinara sauce or even better with meat sauce and serve!! Polenta can be served as a side dish to poultry or served as a main course.

What is Polenta?

Polenta is a dish made from cornmeal and is popular in many European cuisines, especially northern Italian foods. Making polenta is easy and it tastes great. Cooked polenta can be shaped into balls, sticks, or patties and fried in oil.

Image doesn't represent the actual recipe but represents the quick note about cooked polenta

shaped into sticks and fried.
Lisa

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup

Serves 8
Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 chopped carrot ( optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, stems removed, finely chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 32 ounce cans great Northern beans with juice or cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup ham or 1 ham bone
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a large -quart boiler over medium heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook for 8 minutes. Add rosemary, broth, beans and ham ( or ham bone) and or optional chopped carrots. Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve and drizzle remaining olive oil over individual servings for extra flavor.

Image adapted from google and doesn't necessarily represent the above recipe but is similar.

Lisa

Caramelized Pears with Brown Sugar and Almonds

Caramelized Pears with Brown Sugar and Almonds

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 pears, ripe but still firm
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
• 2 tablespoons almonds, whole or chopped
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

• 1. Preheat broiler. Fan the pear slices in shallow ovenproof dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar over the pears. Broil until the sugar is caramelized but not burned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle the almonds on top and broil for 1 more minute, until golden brown.

• 2. To serve, divide the pears among 4 serving plates. Top each with equal parts of the yogurt and garnish with the remaining sugar.

Optional serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

* caramelizing sugar means to lightly brown the sugar. Pay attention when broiling, as the sugar can burn quickly.

Lisa

Image adapted from google and doesn't reflect the recipe but it is similar.