Cucumber & Red Onion Salad

My mom used to make a yummy cucumber salad when I was little. I tried to recreate it here...It was good, but not like mom's.

The ingredients are simple: cucumbers, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, sugar. I think mine wasn't quite like mom's because I used balsamic vinegar instead of white wine or rice vinegar. I'll have to experiment with a different vinegar and see if it comes out better...or I guess I could just call mom.

refreshingly delicious

simple ingredients for a quick and easy salad

my favorite balsamic vinegar...next time I'll probably go with
white wine vinegar though

slice the cucumbers as thinly as you can

toss with a little lemon juice

add the thinly sliced onions

add the remaining ingredients:
vinegar, olive oil, salt, and a pinch of sugar

voila! ready to enjoy

Bye for now...

Homemade Baked French Fries

served simply, with some ketchup

I love making my own french fires. I cook them in the oven with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt. Simple and delicious.

I'm not too picky about the type of potato, I just slice them - skin on - into thin sticks and pour over some olive oil (a few tablespoons, but enough to fully coat them and leave a little on the pan bottom) and some balsamic vinegar (about 2 teaspoons or to taste). Toss the fries - I just use my hands - then spread out on a sheet pan into a single layer, or as close to that as you can. Depending on how many potatoes you used you may need to use a second sheet pan - they will come out much better if they are not crowded. Finally, sprinkle some sea salt over the potatoes before you put them in the oven.

Bake in a 450-475 degree preheated oven. Check them after about 15 minutes or so; use tongs to flip them if you need to. Keep cooking until they are golden brown or you just can't wait any longer.

The olive oil helps them to get really crispy and crunchy on the outside and the balsamic vinegar caramelizes a bit and gives the french fries a lovely flavor. Serve with ketchup. YUM!

baked in a single(ish) layer on a sheet pan

a delicious close up!

Bye for now...

A Light Supper: Insalata Caprese and a Mushroom, Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

During my Christmas Cookie Decorating party I served a light supper of a delicious Insalata Caprese and a Mushroom, Onion and Goat Cheese Tart. I wanted something light but tasty to help everyone try to avoid a complete and utter sugar overload.

I got the tart recipe from Martha Stewart and added some thyme to add a little bit of flavor. It was delicious! It was very easy to make and was something that you could do several hours or even a day in advance (make the filling ahead and then assemble and bake the day of).

The Caprese salad was also incredible and the presentation is so pretty. The combination of flavors with the fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato just can't be beat. Add some crusty bread, red wine and that's my idea of a perfect meal. Yum!

mise en place for the Mushroom, Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

for the salad: tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella cheese

then add some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and voila

the finished insalata caprese...Delizioso!

mushrooms, spinach and onions cooked and ready to be layered onto the prepared puff pastry

hot out of the oven

the finished tart...delicious!

Bye for now...

Happy Birthday to me!

It was my birthday earlier this month and I felt like baking for it (what else is new?!) so we had a small family dinner party which turned into a bit of a potluck/takeout party because the heat was just too much to have the oven on all day. I did, however, manage to make a few things and of course a birthday cake (well, cupcakes)...24-Karat Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Icing from Flo Braker's Baking for All Occasions (page 239). These cupcakes were wonderful! They were moist and flavorful and topped with a delicious citrusy cream cheese frosting.

The roasted carrots pictures are actually from a few months ago but I stumbled on them when sorting through some pictures and thought they were so pretty that I wanted to share. I get a vegetable/fruit delivery from Boston Organics every other week but for a while was doing all vegetables on a weekly basis and was getting a TON of carrots, so roasted carrots and onions became my "thing." I love Boston Organics - a shot of the inside of my 2/3 vegetable, 1/3 fruit box is below. They deliver right to my door and I can even add on items like organic strawberries (fav!), other fruit/veg, fresh bread, coffee beans or chocolate bars. Love!

my cats showing their party spirit...I guess it's too hot for them too.

my delivery...oh, yum

carrots and rosemary

chopped and into the pan

salt, pepper, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar go over the top and get stirred in

I roast them at a pretty high temp to get some good caramelizing action going on

yum!

this is my new favorite rice - 6 different grains! I get it from the Japanese grocery store

all the different grains

I usually mix in some white sushi rice (1/4-1/3 of the total amount)

my wonderful rice cooker - perfect rice every time!

rinse, add water to the line corresponding to the number of cups of rice, let soak for several hours...
and then the rice cooker does the rest

now on to my birthday cupcakes!

everything mixed together except the carrots and nuts

fold in the carrots and nuts

into their little paper cups and...

...voila, cute little carrot cupcakes

the cream cheese frosting has both lemon and orange zest...it was amazing!

frosted and ready to enjoy

moist and delicious!

Bye for now...