From Scratch: Roasted Tomatoes ( Plus my favorite way to eat them)

From Scratch: A new series here on the blog! Ever since I got married and had my own kitchen to cook in, I've been interested in making things from scratch, that I would ordinarily buy. Don't get me wrong, I didn't grow up in an overly processed foods family, in fact, my Mom would refuse to buy certain things I begged for at the grocery store on Saturdays, saying oh I can make that for us. And she did! I've been trying to take that a step or two or three farther over the years and I now have an ever growing arsenal of my favorite recipes for things I would have normally bought before. So I'd like to share some of those here from time to time.

It's that time a year when cherry tomatoes are about to come in and take over our lives. I kid, well kinda. I actually made roasted tomatoes in the winter for the first time because cherry tomatoes are really the only edible looking/tasting tomatoes in the grocery store during the cooler months and this brought some cheer to my winter meals. But now that my tomato plant is full of little green cherry tomatoes it reminded me to share my favorite way to use them up!

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes ( spread over ricotta toast)

cherry tomatoes or other small varieties
oil
rosemary
salt + pepper

Toss these together on a rimmed cookie sheet or oven safe bake-ware. Roast at 425 for 20-30 minutes until they begin to pop and "deflate"! That's it! Now you can puree them into a lovely fresh tomato sauce, add them to a store bought tomato sauce for some added flavor, or spread them onto crusty bread with ricotta and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Ricotta Toast

Good crusty bread
whole milk ricotta ( it's the best, I'll never go back to part skim)
garlic
olive oil

Slice bread and arrange on a baking sheet. Slice a clove of garlic and rub on each toast. Bake until slightly crispy. Spread a generous spoonful of ricotta, topped with some slightly cooled roasted tomatoes and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. YUM!

21 days without sugar

^^ clockwise: cottage cheese and applesuace + salad in a jar, cauliflower crust pizza, basil cream artichoke baked chicken + asparagus, "apple muffins"-grain free, sweet potato and chicken burrito bowl, tuna salad in a jar, baked spaghetti squash bake, egg muffins, spinach and artichoke stuffed chicken with asparagus.

I know your thinking this blog is about cakes, happy home endeavors and my adorable little boy... and it is, but it's also a about our day to day life as well. So hear me out on this one.

Jason and I have been feeling so tired, sluggish and unhappy with the way our bodies just don't seem to get us through the day very easily. Hopped up on caffeine and sugar, these were our coping mechanisms to working long shifts, staying up too late, running a small business, renovating our house and caring for our son. We both decided things really needed to change, so we decided to cut out sugar for 21 days. We based it loosely off of the 21 day sugar detox. We did eat dairy and some beans, however. Those just felt like sacrifices we couldn't make. Other than that we didn't eat any sugar ( other than what was in our fruit of the day) or carbs. Spaghetti squash, cauliflower and sweet potatoes became my new best friends!

Let's just say the first couple of days were hard. We both had major headaches, irritability and some mild hunger. After 4-5 days, eating our whole foods became routine. It's not like we haven't eaten fairly healthy in our lives and have a taste for whole foods, we do, we just got off course these last few years. Our biggest obstacles to overcome were soda, feeling like I needed something sweet and mindless snacking. I packed breakfast and lunch for each of us each night before bed , so we didn't have to think about what to eat in the morning. We enjoyed a lot of new salad creations and dinners, thanks to some fabulous recipes found on instagram from @wholesome_goodness  @lesleywgraham @jennaskitchen @marcicooks @eating_whole 

We finished up last week and we both feel good. Really good!  So good that we think we are going to try and keep up this eating lifestyle, with the occasional sweet treat ( and taste-testing new recipes of course! I am a baker after all) We have energy again, so much so that I actually look forward to working out! We lost some weight and have a better idea of what our bodies need on a daily basis, instead of just shoveling in whatever we feel like and paying for it later.

So, that what's been going on around here this last month. Just thought I'd share, to inspire you if you are in a rut, like we were, crazy busy and overwhelmed. If you take just a little extra time per day and planning per week to make thoughtful healthy meals, you really can see and feel a difference in your health ( body + mind) in a short amount of time.

From Scratch: Salsa Verde

From Scratch: I'm going to start a new series on the blog! Ever since I got married and had my own kitchen to cook in, I've been interested in making things from scratch, that I would ordinarily buy. Don't get me wrong, I didn't grow up in an overly processed foods family, in fact, my Mom would refuse to buy certain things I begged for at the grocery store on Saturdays, saying oh I can make that for us. And she did! I've been trying to take that a step or two or three farther over the years and I now have an ever growing arsenal of my favorite recipes for things I would have normally bought before. So I'd like to share some of those here from time to time.

This week I'd like to share a new favorite of mine! Salsa Verde! I'm pretty sure I had this for the first time when I was living in California, right after I graduated from high school. I decided to commit myself to a year of living in the inner city of Oakland, CA and volunteering there. It was a year that I will never forget and a year that I was introduced to a whole new world of food! Thai, Indian, Cambodian, real Mexican and Vegetarian fare were all new to me. I jumped at the chance to try any new flavors that my small town in PA couldn't offer me at that time. This green salsa was new for me and I loved it!

Fast forward 9 years to last summer when we were getting tomatillos in our weekly CSA share. We would regularly buy salsa verde at Trader Joe's, so I was pretty excited to find this simple recipe to make my own at home. It was delicious! I can't wait to make more this summer!

We enjoy our salsa with tacos, tamales, eggs, chicken and pretty much anything else you think needs a little kick of this awesome sauce!

 Salsa Verde: recipe from pretty simple great

• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 18 tomatillos, washed, husked, and quartered
• 4 serrano chiles, seeded and halved
• 5 whole cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 white onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 jalapeno, seeded (optional) 
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt

 Bring the water to a boil (cover with the lid to decrease the waiting time)

Remove the husk from them tomatillos, and discard. Wash gently under cold running water. Cut in quarters
Rough chop garlic, onion, and chiles
when water reaches a rolling boil add tomatillos, garlic, onion, and chiles. Boil on
high for 30-45 minutes

 Sift out tomatillos, garlic, onion, and chiles and set aside to cool. Reserve water for later

 Once cooled add tomatillos, garlic, onion, cilantro, salt and chiles to a food processor or blender and process. I add water until I reach my desired consistency. I like it to have small chunks of chiles and onions and not to runny. By slowly adding the reserved water, you'll have more control of the end result.

Weekending

It's been a long time since I felt like we had a real weekend around here. One where I got to go out on a double date with my husband and some friends. Then we also got to have sushi with other dear friends who were in town from D.C. I got to sleep in on a Sunday morning with my boys and be lazy + a  little bit productive ( filed our taxes, wrote a lot of emails, etc.) and even find time to just sit with Jason and talk, laugh and be silly. These moment were truly a gift. Unfortunately there is usually a whole lot more work going on at our many jobs and my baking business, a lot of running out the door and talking briefly in passing. So I am especially grateful for all the moments we got to share as a family this weekend. I even got to make us a nice Sunday supper. The recipe above is from my grandmother. It's a classic favorite in our family! One that reminds me of a Sunday supper back in her day. While I did make chicken tonight that was delicious, this Chicken Alabama is still probably my favorite! I hope you had moments this weekend that remind you what it's like to take a step back from your daily routine and savor some quality time with those you hold most dear.

CSA's + Salsa Verde

This year we decided to be a part of a local CSA. We are fortunate enough for that to mean about 2 miles away from where we live! So every other Friday I go to the farm to pick up our produce and usually pick something out in the fields like strawberries, tomatoes, herbs  and most recently tomatillos! We are big fans of salsa verde in this house, so I was pretty excited about the possibility of making it ourselves. As it turns out, it's actually a lot easier than regular salsa. You husk the tomatillos, quarter them and throw them in a pot of water, along with a few other ingredients. They simmer away for 40 minutes and then you just pulse it in the food processor. I used this receipe and loved it!

Refrigerator dill pickles. SO EASY!

 Since our backyard isn't quite ready to put a garden in yet, we decided to be a part of csa this year. It's  really local and we love what they stand for.

 So this week I got about 3lbs of little cucumbers in our share and thought they would be perfect for pickling. I'd been wanting to try this recipe I found for a while now. It turned out to be so simple ( once I found and purchased all the spices). They turned out even better than expected. Crunchy with a nice garlic bite! It's really the perfect pickle! Go make some!

Refrigerator Dill Pickles...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bobby Flay

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1) Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds in a heatproof bowl. Add hot water and stir until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Cool to room temperature.
2) Place cucumbers, garlic and dill in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour brine over all and turn to coat cucumbers. Cover them with a plate to weigh them down and keep them covered in brine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 quart.

fish tacos + mojitos + the best salsa

Recently we celebrated the warm weather and sealing up our wooden porch furniture with our first meal outside for the season.

On the Menu:

fish tacos

chips + salsa

mojitos

I pan cooked some white fish. Recipe can be found here.

Also made some really fresh tasting, super quick salsa. You really should try it. It's the best I've ever had. Can't wait to make it again this summer but with just picked tomatoes from the garden!

And lastly mojitos! I made a whole pitcher of them this time. Usually we just make them by the glass.This was pretty simple and great for parties or when you want more than one! Yes please.

Mint Mojitos by the Pitcher

1/2 c. mint leaves

6 oz. simple syrup

8 oz. lime juice

8 oz. white rum

1 bottle seltzer

In a glass pitcher add mint, simple syrup and lime juice. Muddle together. Add the rum! This can be made ahead. When ready to serve pour in the seltzer and garnish with a lime!

What life looks like right now

'round here this winter:

1. Bringing spring to the inside while we wait for it arrival outside

2. Most mornings look something like this. A light powdery dusting.

3. Doing a little rearranging in the kitchen

4. One of the yummy dinners I've managed to photograph. Herb crusted salmon with, roasted cauliflower and green salad!

5. This boy has his hand in his mouth most of the time because he's  been working on 3 new teeth!

what we ate for dinner ( and drank)

Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 8 or 10 serving pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup water and rosemary to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let steep 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender. Add oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth; let cool.
2. Combine chicken and rosemary oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, and turn to coat. Cover, and let marinate at least 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning chicken occasionally.
3. Remove chicken from marinade; place on grill. Discard marinade. Cook, basting frequently with lemon juice and turning as needed to prevent burning, until cooked throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with Grilled Zucchini and Squash.

from: martha stewart!


i also made cantaloupe aqua frescas! a delicious summer drink! it's pretty simple. place any sliced up melon into a blender, add some water, some sweetener ( i used honey), 1/4 cup lime juice and a pinch of fresh thyme. blend. serve over ice and enjoy. we also added a splash of rum!

baked corn on the cob! who knew?

i have to share with you our dinner the other night! i must, because it revolutionized the way i make corn on the cob!

i, like my mother and her mother and probably her mother have always shucked the corn, then brushed it and then boiled it. it's a little labor intensive,but we do it because we love corn and it must be eaten every august when it's perfectly ripe.

well upon  some investigation into grilled corn and baked corn, i found a simple " recipe" ( not exactly a recipe when it only has 2 instructions) that says this:

baked corn:

heat oven to 350

put the whole cob( husk and all) straight onto the oven racks and bake for 20 minutes.

done!

once you've done this all you have to do is peel back the husk, and  the hair comes right off too! no tedious brushing and picking to make sure you got off enough hair that it won't stick in you teeth. it literally comes right off the cob. cut off the husk and the knob on the end and enjoy!

 we enjoyed ours with some compound butter! compound butter is butter mixed in with other ingredients to enhance the flavor of your dish. for corn on the cob i always make some kind of compound.

spicy lime and smoked sea salt compound butter:

mix 1/2 stick of really well softened butter ( you can always pop it back in the fridge if it gets too soft)

1/8 c. finely chopped chives

dash of chili powder

dash of cayenne pepper

1t. lime juice

1/2 t. smoked sea salt*

* the sea salt was found on a whim at a local home goods store, terrain. it really made the butter special! i hope i never run out of it!

no pictures i'm afraid. there is a babe to look after  now and dinner time is still a little hectic.

nectarine + blue cheese salad

this is the best salad ever! really it is. if you like fruit in your salad, that is. great for summer with it's seasonal fruit and vinaigrette.

nectarine + blue cheese salad

( adapted from rachel ray)

1 nectarine

1 apricot

1/4 c. walnuts

crumbled blue cheese

baby greens

vinaigrette:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1t. honey

2t. champagne vinegar ( i used orange muscat, found at trader joe's)

whisk dressing first.

add greens, fruit and nuts. toss. 

sprinkle with blue cheese!

italian week

we love italian food around these parts! what's not to love. cheese, tomatoes, basil, homemade dough! recently i made the best  baked eggplant parmesan! recipe can be found here. it was  really simple, it just took a little bit of extra prep time to crisp the eggplant first before you bake it with the sauce and cheese! the eggplant came from the farmers market and with the addition of fresh herbs from the garden it was incredible!

the other is a calzone ( although it was more stromboli* like if you ask me) the dough recipe was from a calzone recipe. i just added my own filling. mozarella, parmesan, hot italian turkey sausage and tomato sauce. baked it on a pizza stone to crisp it up nicely! it worked great! i'm starting to get the hang of this pizza dough thing. i try a new recipe almost every time... but for calzones this is the one i'm sticking with. found here.

* so apparently the stromboli is a more native food to the east coast, specifically the philadelphia area. it's debatable of course, but interesting to hear about for the first time for this east coast girl.

a day at the beach + our picnic loaf

 ever since our rainy, cold weekend in montauk, i've been dreaming about a good day at the beach. one that's hot enough to love the water and windy enough to cool off. we had planned to go earlier in the week with my sister's family, but the threat of rain had us all a little bit unsure... so we ended up not going that day. later in the week the weather looked up and we headed to ocean city for the day. it really was perfect. we got a leisurely start, didn't hit much traffic, found a good spot before it got crowded and bummed it up. reading and chatting till it got too hot. playing in the ocean until it got too cold. repeat!

we had a great picnic lunch. the picnic loaf was a new sandwich that i'm definitely going to make again.  basically it was a petite french loaf that i cut the top off of and scooped out some of the inside bread to make room for the fixings. you could put anything inside really... it's a rather fun way of keeping everything contained, instead of falling out the sides. this particular combo was tuna with balsamic vinegar, sea salt and olive oil. pesto spread onto the bread, tomato, mozzarella, roasted red pepper and fresh basil. so good.

what we ate for dinner

lately i've been diving into the cookbook apples for jam. simple, hearty recipes that really appeal to me these winter months. like this tomato risotto and pasta with tuna, tomatoes and olives. hopefully i'll be sharing more of what we ate for dinner here. this meal consisted of  tomato risotto. with the addition of basil  it felt a bit like summer in the kitchen. even if it was hydroponic basil. it did wonders for my spirit! rounded out dinner with chicken cutlets and a salad. so good!

hello november + creamy yam and sage pasta

 the leaves continue to be brilliant these days. the chill in the air has increased. and cooking in these parts has been a more frequent thing! not working four nights a week has revived my passion for making a little more labor intensive meals. i wouldn't have it any other way. my newest little dinner adventure was:

 yam pasta sauce:
 perfectly fall.
i had some left over from another meal, so i pureed the rest of the yams, heated it up, added cream, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper and topped with parmesan cheese. so good!

our fall table

foods i like

 the other evening i had some peppers that i wanted to eat before they got too old, so i thought of stuffed peppers. digging around in the cupboards and fridge i started thinking of reinventing the stuffed pepper, so i made a greek version. turkey sausage, olives, hummus, feta, rice and roasted tomatoes... they turned out terrific.

 just a pretty still of our fall table the other night.  breaking out even more candles for these days that are getting shorter.

lastly, a new recipe tried! caramel stuffed apple cider cookies. and that is exactly what they taste like. best right out of the oven or heated again. whats not to love about a gooey caramel stuffed in a cookie? not to much. the recipe can be found at the cooking photographer! a little more work to stuff a cookie but oh so worth it!

autumn salad

rhubarb spritzer!

 I LOVE RHUBARB!

 when i stumbled upon a recipe for rhubarb soda, i just couldn't wait to give it a try!

if you like rhubarb, or if you don't... i'm pretty sure you'll like this!

 Rhubarb Spritzer

	1½	cups rhubarb, roughly chopped
	1	cup sugar
	1½	cups water
	~	Sparkling water + *
	~	Ice

Place rhubarb, sugar, and 1½ cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup is bright pink.
Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain syrup into a large jar.
To make each soda, measure ¼ cup rhubarb syrup into a glass. Add enough sparkling water to fill the glass ⅔ full. Stir to mix, then add ice. 
* i also added a splash of lemonade, which helps take away some of the tart flavor of the rhubarb. i love that tartness, but some do not. it blends well with the rhubarb as well as limeade would i'm sure.

                                                                        

mother's day brunch

 this year for mother's day jason and i hosted brunch at our house! we were blessed with a beautiful day in which we could eat outside on the porch and later going biking on the trail! for brunch i made mini fritattas and challah bread, baked in terra cotta flower pots. there was also fruit and cake brought by the lovely mothers of the day!

here is the fritatta  recipe. it couldn't be easier!

Basic Fritatta

6 eggs

1c. milk

2T. butter, melted

1 c. cheese

salt, pepper

* next you can add any kind of fixings you'd like*

yesterday we enjoyed:

tomato, cheddar, turkey sausage and chive

potato, white cheddar, yellow pepper and chive

makes 12 muffins size fritattas

grease baking pan

bake at 350

for 25-30 minutes

winter cozies

 we live in an old, poorly insulated home. staying cozy and warm has been a bit of a challenge this winter...  we hope to have some help from a wood stove by next winter. we've persevered though. there are little things that have warmed our spirits, hands and hearts.  fluffy duvet covers, thick wool socks and sweaters, kerosene heat, soups + stews, coffee + tea and blanket tents. today i made roasted tomatoes with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and rosemary, spread that on thick toast with ricotta cheese and drizzled with olive oil. warm, delicious food. on the stove for tomorrow is a thick, creamy potato leek soup. oh the wonders a little comfort food can achieve.