Spring-ish Recipes....when will the fresh tomatoes be here?

Winter has passed....not that there was much of one down here.  I guess for Oklahoma it was quite a severe winter- we did have two fairly big blizzards within a couple of weeks of one another, and they did dump multiple feet of snow (our malamute was thankful)...but most of the winter was in the 50's and 60's, with occasional forays to the lower temps.  I read on facebook today that Red Lodge MT got 17 inches of snow yesterday...hee hee hee.  It was 74 here.


So warmer temps have me wanting spring foods, summer foods...but of course it's too early for any real gardens ...but a gal can long for fresh locally grown tomatoes, can't she?  The sun ripened ones, not those hot house monstrosities, or the ones that come from far off lands where we have no idea what conditions they're raised in, and what ..err...they are fertilized with.


I am wanting to put in a garden, but we have to wait until final things are done with the Church and we're where the Archbishop wants us to be.  So I might do some raised beds this year, or container gardening....I know I have to marshal my energies, so whatever I grow has to be easy to take care of.  That leaves me tomatoes, herbs, peppers, that sort of thing.  (And lots and lots and lots of flowers, I love flower gardens, especially since I plant in the English cottage style- i.e., throw everything together as close as possible, so no weeds can grow in between them, and give me lots of pretty flowers.)

This was one of my flower beds a few years ago, in late spring, as flowers were starting to grow into each other, but before all the cosmos really bloomed....

The above is the kind of garden I'd like to have (it's out of some English Cottage calender or some such thing) but don't know if I'll ever have the energy to do....it's lovely though, isn't it?

So back to cooking....I'm the cook in our home (my husband is great about taking me out to eat, or bringing home pizza, but he does not cook.  Twice in 11 years.  Just not his thing.) so I get to decide menus, shopping trips, etc. 

I try and do this with a couple of things in mind: 

               1- my husband's tastes- he loves good food, North American or European in cuisine mainly, though is open to trying new stuff as long as the recipe contains at least some flavors he enjoys. 

               2- I should be able to make most, if not all, the menu from scratch- it's healthier that way, and with my heart and other conditions, healthier is better.  That does not mean I leave out butter, or we don't eat red meat, we do....I just happen to believe eating the preservatives in pre-packaged dinners and other foods are far worse for you than butter.  And I love steak, and a good burger...so just back off there, friend.

               3- Things should be cost effective.  Clergy traditionally don't get paid a huge sum (unless you run a prosperity church, but that's a whole 'nother blog)...and I was raised by a Mother who taught me to watch where and how I spent money.  (Thanks Mom, that has come in handy!)  Most of our dinners cost around 5 to 7 dollars a night.  Some less, some more- as I do splurge at least once a week on expensive sea food or really good steak.  But I watch sales, buy in bulk (and if you can buy a half to whole steer from a butcher- what a way to save money...yes, it's a big chunk up front, but hey...rib eyes for $2.25 a lb? Ox tails...$2.25 a lb, roast $2.25 a lb....you've got the idea. ) and just shop carefully.  And even with shopping this way, we eat pretty well.  Smothered Italian Steak- $5 for both of us, with sides included.  BBQ chicken breasts, with sides came out to around $4.  That's not bad, friend.  Last night we had one of my very favorite things- good burgers.  And with sides, it probably came out to around $3, maybe $4 for both of us...I didn't really do the math.  I'm putting together a value cookbook, and I'll let you all know when the e-book is done.

One way to be really cost effective is to grow a garden.  Even if you just grow a couple of containers of veggies or herbs...you get really fresh produce (that you know how it was grown) at a great cost.  And if you have the space and time and energy to do more....plant a big garden.  Fresh melons, peppers, corn, potatoes, carrots....oh...makes me happy just thinking about it :)

So by now, I'm sure you're going...where are the blankey blank recipes already?  Here are some I love, and that I hope you will enjoy :)

Tomato Tart with Three Cheeses Recipe

ngredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
• 4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Additional minced fresh basil

Directions

• Unfold pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12-in. square; transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Prick with a fork.
• Combine the mozzarella, provolone and basil; sprinkle over the pastry to within 1 in. of edges. Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Remove tart from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with additional basil. Cut into slices. Serve hot or at room temperature. Yield: 4 servings.

Shaker Scalloped Tomatoes

4 tbsp. melted butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1  28-oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place 1 tbsp. of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and parsley and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, lightly butter a baking dish. Drain tomatoes. Squeeze tomatoes very gently to release a little of their liquid, then arrange in prepared baking dish and sprinkle with sugar.

3. Scatter onions and parsley over tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss bread crumbs with remaining 3 tbsp. of butter in a small bowl and sprinkle over tomatoes. Bake until browned and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Deconstructed Italian Potato Salad
Serves 2 [can be doubled or tripled or...]

For garlic-infused olive oil [makes 1/2 cup]:
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil [see Kitchen Notes]
1 large clove garlic
freshly ground black pepper

For potato salad:
4 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
1 large russet potato
1 cup chopped tomatoes [see Kitchen Notes]
2 tablespoons chopped red onions
4 teaspoons capers [chopped if large]
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make garlic-infused olive oil. Peel garlic clove and bash it with the side of a knife to break it up, but not pulverize it. You want big chunks. Combine with olive oil in a jar. Grind in several generous grinds of black pepper. Seal jar and shake to combine flavors. Make at least 2 hours to up to a day or more ahead. The longer you let it sit, the more garlicky it will become. If using the same day, leave it on the counter and give it an occasional shake. If making it a day or more in advance, refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.

Make potato salad. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Peel and slice the potato into generous 1/4-inch slices, discarding ends. When water is rapidly boiling, salt it generously and add potato slices. Cook until they just lose that raw potato taste, but are still firm, no more than 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer potato slices to bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. After potatoes have cooled transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Combine tomatoes, onions, capers and half the basil in a bowl. When you’re ready to assemble the potato salad, dress the tomato mixture with 1 tablespoon of the garlic-infused olive oil [shake the jar first to get some of the ground pepper in the mix]. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the oil into the center of a serving plate. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer in the pool of oil. Scatter the tomato mix evenly over the potato slices. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of basil over everything and season the salad with salt and pepper. Serve.

After you finish the salad, there will still be olive oil on the plate. If you have some crusty bread to sop it up with, you will be really, really happy.

Notes from me now...I did not write these recipes....I found them on the net, or they were emailed to me, etc....so I am not claiming authorship.  They are all wonderful.  I play with the herbs in all of them, change them to our tastes...but they're each like spring placed on the table....and aren't we all ready for that?

So get ready for spring, get your plantings going and your mind geared up towards fresh recipes (and hey, plant some flowers too, they're good for the soul!)...

Take care of yourselves, friends....be good to you and those around you!

(I didn't take the above photo, but it screams Spring at me :)  and it always reminds me of a trip my parents and I took while I was in high school.  We had just found out at Shriners that I didn't have cancer in my foot, and spent the weekend at the coast to celebrate. On the way home, driving through the coastal foothills to the Valley, we saw hill sides like this...they were breathtaking...it was like another gift from God to us.  Anyway, just wanted to share that.)