Recipe of the Week July 27th.

Don't look twice! While this week's recipe is very similar to last weeks Chicken recipe as it contains several of the same main ingredients...mozarella, sage and prosciutto, it is in fact different. This makes a yummy snack or works as a quick appetizer for a meal. Tonight I served it along with James' version of Giada's Quick and Spicy Tomato soup. I buy my cheese and prosciutto at Trader Joes to save cost on this delicious "treat" as I have been calling it and I love using the fresh sage from my garden.


Crostini Alla Romana
From Giada DeLaurentis
FoodNetwork.com
12 1/2-inch thick slices ciabatta bread
Note:(I have used other breads that I had on hand including baguette)
12 slices thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 ounces)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
3 tablespoons butter
6 sage leaves
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the slices of ciabatta on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden around the edges, about 8 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven. Place the prosciutto slices and mozzarella on the crostini toast and return to the oven to melt the cheese, about 8 more minutes.

Meanwhile combine the butter and the sage leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and starting to brown in spots and the sage leaves are crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the crostini to a serving plate. Drizzle the crostini with the sage butter and serve immediately.

Recipe of the Week July 21

Recipe of the Week July 21

This week's recipe is going to be our entree at supper tonight. I found this recipe in a Williams Sonoma Chicken Cookbook earlier this year one day when I was trying to find something to make for a Sunday lunch. It combines two of our favorites prosciutto and fresh mozarella. I will also be using some fresh sage from our garden!

Chicken Saltimbocca

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Chicken, by Rick Rodgers (Simon & Schuster, 2001).
Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,
each about 6 oz., lightly pounded to an even
thickness

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp. dried sage,
plus 4 sage leaves for garnish (optional)

2 large slices prosciutto, not paper-thin,
trimmed to fit chicken breasts

1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and
trimmed to fit chicken breasts

3/4 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or
Sauvignon Blanc
Directions:

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread the flour on a plate and dredge each breast, coating evenly and shaking off the excess. Set aside.

In a large fry pan or sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter with the olive oil until very hot. Add the chicken breasts and cook until the undersides are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and continue to cook until they feel firm when pressed in the centers, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Reduce the heat to very low. Sprinkle the breasts evenly with the chopped or dried sage. Top each breast with a piece of prosciutto, then divide the cheese slices evenly among the breasts. Cover the pan tightly and cook until the cheese is melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil, being careful not to allow the foil to touch the cheese.

Increase the heat to high. When the pan is sizzling, add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits stuck on the pan bottom. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 Tbs. butter.

Spoon an equal amount of the sauce over each breast, then garnish with a sage leaf. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

First Tomatoes of the Season!

Here is a photo of our harvest today. One of Taylor's zucchinis, some bell peppers and our precious Roma tomatoes! Tomatoes Finally! We have been waiting for these guys to ripen for what seems like forever. We got our tomato plant started a little later than most so we have been hearing about the tomato sandwiches and fresh tomatoes from others for weeks now. Now it's our turn!

I am so glad we grew tomatoes this year with the current salmonella scare. I was recently sick from some suspected salmonella from some bad chicken (not cooked in my kitchen!) so I am not risking it with any store bought 'maters.

Recipe of the Week Returns!

This is a feature I used to do on the old blog. Nothing fancy just a tried and true recipe of mine that I like to share. The children and I planted a container garden this year and it has been a lot of fun. Nothing like the work I did in Grandmama's garden as a child, but fun for all of us. Our garden has been abundant so far in Jamie's squash and especially Taylor's zuchinnis. This week I needed to use up several of those lovely squash so I made a recipe I have been saving for over a year to try! This recipe is also a copy cat recipe which I enjoying trying although they do always turn out like the original. I got this recipe from the Southern Living Boards. The recipe makes a lot and is good reheated. I am not sure it tastes just like the original since I have not been to Boston Market in ages.

CopyCat Boston Market Squash Casserole

4.5c zucchini, diced
4.5c yellow squash, diced
1.5c yellow onion, chopped
1 box of jiffy corn muffin mix, prepared as on box
1.5 sticks of butter or margarine (I used bluebonnet)
8oz cheddar cheese, cubed
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2tsp thyme
1Tbsp parsley, chopped
1tsp garlic, minced
1/2tsp ground black pepper
1tsp salt

Prepare Jiffy mix as directed on the box, set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350.
Place zucchini and yellow squash in a large saucepan and add water to cover.
Cook on med-lo heat until tender, remove from heat.
Drain squash, reserve one cup of water for casserole.
In large sauce pan on med-low place the butter and saute the onions until the onions turn clear.
Add salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley.
Add bouillion cubes and garlic to onions, stir and saute another minute.
Add drained squash and diced cheese, stir.
Crumble prepared corn bread in squash and pour the reserved cup of water and mix well.
Place squash mixture in a 13"x11" baking pan that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray.
Cover casserole. Bake for 50-60 min.

First Day of Kindergarten

I can hardly believe it. Miss Taylor started her first day of kindergarten on Monday. They go one day this week so the teachers can get acquainted with the students then the whole class starts full time next week.

She was such a big girl, who wanted to ride the school bus and eat in the cafeteria! She got right on that bus and went all the way to the very back seat waving and smiling at us! Little brother and Mama were crying while Daddy snapped the photos.