Tomato and Zucchini Tart with Garlic

I originally planned for this tart to be a quick, plain tomato-style to use up some of my garden tomatoes. Instead, I just kept adding things and it turned into an awesome tart with zucchini and garlic. Those combinations are so amazing together!

Grown Up Grilled Cheese: A Meaty Brie

I had a little fascination with Brie not too long ago. I felt the need to broaden my love for cheese so I thought I'd grab some at the grocery store and make whatever my mind could create. What did I come up with? Grilled cheese, of course! Well, also a quesadilla but that's another story... Anyways, if you've been following my posts, you know that I like to make 'grown up' grilled cheese sandwiches every now and then that aren't part of the normal 'american cheese' variety. It's a little ongoing project of mine...

Melt In Your Mouth Quiche Lorraine

There are few foods in this world that are as good as quiche. I'm not sure what my fascination is, but it's here to stay. My dad used to make quiche quite a lot so I probably just love it because I was started on it early. It isn't something I have very often, so when I do make it, it has to be good. And I mean real good.

The Avocado Topping Experiment #1

I recently came across an avocado recipe on Pinterest that I just knew I had to try. Well, it's not so much a recipe as it is an idea of what to do with an avocado. This particular idea had an egg being cooked in an avocado half. Yum, right? (You can find the Pinterest blog post here: http://foodbeast.com/content/2012/01/13/idea-baked-avocado-and-egg/ and the original post here: http://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/oettz/baked_avocado_and_egg/) 

When I looked at this picture (to the left) that was pinned on pinterest, I was in love. How could you not be? Avocados are one of the best tasting foods out there and even though they are a fatty food, it's the good fat. How can there be good fat you ask? Well, there is a certain kind of fat that actually lowers cholesterol and is good for your body. I swear. And as long as you eat them in moderation, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Don't believe me? Check this out: http://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/oettz/baked_avocado_and_egg/. There are also plenty of other sources out there that will tell you the same.

Back to the dish at hand...

Fantastic Fish Cakes

Here's a little secret: I'm allergic to shellfish. It breaks my heart considering it only happened about eight years ago. Before that, it was crab legs and shrimp and all that other fun stuff that I miss so much. I'm not sure why it happened, but it came out of nowhere.

It all started with itchy hands. I was preparing shrimp one day and after I was done cleaning the raw shrimp, my hands started itching like crazy! I could still eat them at that point, but a few months later, my shellfish days were over. I ate some crab another night and my stomach felt like it was on fire. I thought (hoped?) it was a fluke, so like the seafood lover that I was, I ate shrimp again a few months later. Let's just say that a trip to the hospital was almost on our to-do list that night.

Kid's Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup

Okay, I know the weather this week was pretty much like summer and it might have been a little too warm for it, but I just couldn't wait to post this recipe for some homemade chicken soup. Well, it's not just chicken soup, it's the kind of chicken soup that we all know and love. You know what I'm talking about, right? It's that simple soup that has those awesome noodles and makes you feel like a kid again when you eat it. Yep, that one. But better.

Warm Chick Pea and Artichoke Salad

Man, have I been missing out! If you remember from my Black Bean and Corn Salad post, I vowed to start cooking with beans more. That means all kinds of beans. So far I've only used black bean, Northern white beans, and as of today, garbonzo beans. Now, I've had garbonzo beans (chick peas) prepared in other ways before, but none of those times have been with the whole bean. They've always been pureed or smashed into a hummus or burger or something like that.

Three Potato Chowder with Beans and Sage

I'm always trying out new and interesting soup ideas. Because it's winter, my need to create yummy, comfort foods is heightened and soup is usually on the top of that comfort food list. We're big fans of stick-to-your-ribs kinds of soups and chowders in the winter because they make such a great meal and they taste so good and they make you feel so warm and fuzzy inside and...well, you get the idea.

Super Simple Chicken Salad

I'm a big fan of chicken salad. I mean, a really big fan. It's just so good! It's creamy, it's full of so many different flavors and it can be made in so many different ways. I always hope that there's leftovers when I make dinner so I can chop it up the next day for a quick, yummy sandwich. If there isn't any, I'll just cook up a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts to get my fix.

French Onion Soup

Ahhh...French Onion Soup. You either love it or hate it - there's no middle ground when it comes to this onion-y concoction. I happened to be one of those people that adores onions so this soup is right up my alley.   Plus, the fact that I grew up on it kind of helps. I remember my dad used to make this soup when I was younger and it was always a treat. I've since gone on to make my own version and it's just as good. It takes some time to make because you have to carmelize the onions for optimal flavor, but it's definitely worth it.

Ham Salad

Have you had your fill of ham from the holidays? We sure have! There were plenty of leftovers though (and you can only reheat it so many times) so I was struck with the idea of making some ham salad. I whipped up this ham salad with my sister in mind. I know, that sounds strange...but she was my inspiration because she loves the stuff. I like it, but not nearly as much as she does so I'll be giving her the rest of this batch. I tried to make it similar to the store-bought variety she normally buys but I think it turned out even better! I'm pretty sure she'll like it.

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Red Pepper, Onion and Spinach with Spicy Garlic Mayo

The latest in my grilled cheese series is a trio of veggies that are layered with tangy cheese and a spicy mayo. This one was so gooey and good that it seemed almost sinful! I cooked the onion and red pepper for awhile to caramelize them and bring out their natural sugars, but you can just cook them until they're soft.

This sandwich can also be loaded up with a medley of other veggies, too. Give it a try with some mushrooms cooked with the onion and peppers or add a few ribbons of zucchini. Just make sure to cook the vegetables enough to bring out their maximum flavors.

Lemon Rice Revisited

I'm revisiting my very first post. It was a story about feel good soup and the past few days definitely called for one of those feel good moments. My little guy came down with the flu the other day and he was just miserable. When he finally got to a point of wanting to eat, I made him his favorite soup: Chicken Lemon Rice. I always forget how much he loves it until it's made and he pretty much inhales it. This past time was no different considering how sick he was.

Simple Tomato Soup

Have you ever had one of those meals that just makes you say, "Wow!"? I don't get them that often. Now, don't get me wrong, I love everything I cook/bake/prepare/whatever (and wouldn't share them if I didn't), but some things are just plain better than others. Some are, in fact, awesome. The tomato soup I made this evening happens to be one of those awesome things.

Not Your Typical Cheese Quesadilla

Fair Oaks Farms Emmentaler Cheese

Since I still had a bunch of cheese in my fridge from our Fair Oaks Farms visit, I decided to try some in a quesadilla. I had Asiago which I thought would give a good flavor and I threw on some of that Emmentaler. Some sauteed mushrooms and onions rounded it out with a good, hearty, fall flair. I, unfortunately, don't have a picture of this yummy concoction because it was accidentally deleted off my camera, but I'm sure I'll be making it again soon so you can see how good it looked. In the meantime, trust me that it was one good looking (and tasting) quesadilla!

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Cuban Style

Our visit to Fair Oaks Farms a couple weeks ago inspired this Cuban Grilled Cheese sandwich. They have a Cuban sandwich that is sub-par as well as a grilled cheese that is far from living up to my standards. I thought I could combine both ideas into one and come up with something super tasty that is actually not too bad for you. 

Grown Up Grilled Cheese: Tangy and Tart Turkey

I'm always on my quest for new and interesting grilled cheese sandwiches. This one isn't some crazy concoction made of weird ingredients, but it is really good. I took some regular lunchmeat and topped it off with some Swiss cheese and some tart cranberry sauce. The saltiness of the cheese complimented the sweetness of the cranberries so perfectly that I think I might just have to make it again with upcoming Thanksgiving leftovers.

Turkey in a Tortilla

I was at Costco the other day and saw some turkey roll-ups in their pre-made refrigerated section. They were calling to me. I had them once before, and it was awhile ago, but I remember they were pretty good. I thought I'd make up my own version instead of buying them this time though. I stopped at the grocery store on my way back home to pick up some essentials for the roll-ups. I already had the cream cheese, tortillas and turkey, so I just needed lettuce, tomato and cranberry sauce. I got home, went to work and I'm glad I did. It was a nice change of pace and it's perfect finger food for those times when you want something different than the standard meat and cheese roll-ups. I bet it will also be a great way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers!

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese: Avocado, Tomato and Bacon

I might be developing an avocado obsession. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

In searching the fridge for something for dinner, cheese stood out. I'm not sure why, but a grilled cheese sandwich just sounded so good. I still have some avocados left so I was trying to come up with a way to combine that with a grilled cheese sandwich. The classic with american cheese wouldn't do so I jazzed it up a bit with some mozzarella. It was still missing something though. It needed a little color so I thought tomatoes would be the perfect addition. And why not add some bacon? The salty, crunchiness would be a nice compliment to the smooth avocado. I threw it all on some multi-grain bread and grilled it up. End result = yum.

One of Life's Simple, Cheesy Pleasures

Grilled Cheese Sandwich - it's the perfect comfort food. It's subtle, buttery flavor brings you back to those childhood times of your mom making you lunch. It was an added bonus to get the tomato soup with it. That is one of my favorite meals of all time and I still eat it for lunch (or dinner) to this day. I do tend to jazz it up a bit these days when I'm in the mood though. Today was one of those days.

Grilled cheese sandwiches can be made with pretty much anything to make it your own or to add a bit of flair. I prefer to call these creations 'Grown-Up Grilled Cheese' because not many kids would eat them any other way but the classic. I've been known to make them with tomato and spinach with a touch of balsamic vinegar, loaded up with veggies, or with just a hint of another flavor like I did today. The added ingredient: apricot butter. I know you're probably thinking that sounds a little weird, but it adds a bit of sweetness that makes it a definite treat. And it's just so simple to put together! I'm always on the hunt for new and unusual food combinations that taste good and I'm happy to have found another one.

Apricot-Laced Grilled Cheese


2 slices wheat bread
1 slice american cheese
1 slice mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp apricot butter


1. Spread a thin layer of apricot butter on one slice of bread.
2. Layer on the cheeses and top with the other slice.
3. Cook in a pan sprayed with non-stick spray until cheese is melted and bread is toasty and golden.