Fried Green Tomatoes

I have always been intrigued by the dish Fried Green Tomatoes (where exactly do you find green tomatoes... are they unripe ones, or are they a special variety, and why on earth would you mess up a perfectly good tomato by frying it). And little scared of it (after eating Green Tomato Pie once as a child). On Saturday at the vegetable market I found Green Tomatoes (they are unripe, and they sell them down here as Green Tomatoes). Since Mark and I are now living in the southern states, I thought it was appropriate to try this dish. I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, but sliced my tomatoes about 1/4" thick. I served them with a side of Ranch dressing. Oh, my... very tasty! Mark and I give Fried Green Tomatoes a "thumbs up"!

Tale of two cucumber salads

Today I went to my little heaven on earth - Froberg's Market. It's a vegetable market not to far from my house. Frankly, besides fresh home grown tomatoes, I do not know what is better than home grown cucumbers. And... guess what??? It's cucumber season at Froberg's Farm!!! In my excitement, I bought way too many cucumbers... so, decided to make cucumber salads. The first one is one my mom always made, the second just a creation from the kitchen.

Cucumbers in Sour Cream Dressing
3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, slivered
1 cup sour cream
2 TBS lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until serving.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad
3 cucumbers - peeled, cut in 1/2 and seeds scooped out and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes - chopped
1/2 red onion - thinly sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese
vinaigrette dressing - enough to coat

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until serving.

More salad...

As I posted previously... I totally believe that the ultimate summer food is salad. Today I made another of my pasta salads.

Awesome Pasta Salad II
1/2 pound whole wheat rotini pasta - cooked
1 lb shrimp - peeled and deveined, sauteed in Greek salad dressing
15 kalamata olives - pitted and shopped
3 small cucumbers - peeled, seeded and chopped
10 cherry tomatoes - quartered
1/2 red onion - quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese - crumbled
1/3 cup roasted red peppers - chopped
1 Tbs oregano
1 jar pepperocinis
Greek salad dressing - enough to coat

Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

The Cause of My Headache

This morning I woke up with the most terrible headache. Most likely it was from celebrating the 4th too much. We had a great time visiting with our neighbors, watching fireworks, drinking jello shots and eating guacamole and chips. (What a combo!) This was my first time making jello shots, they are a lot easier to make than I ever imagined.

Tropical Jello Shots
16 ounces (2 cups) boiling water
6 oz. jello fusion - pineapple, cherry, orange flavor
6 ounces cold water (3/4 cup)
10 ounces chilled coconut rum (1 1/4 cup) - we used Palms

Bring water to a rolling boil. Stir together boiling water and powdered gelatin in a mixing bowl. Stir constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in cold water and rum. Pour mixture into individual shot-size (1oz-2oz) plastic cups

Summer's Bounty in a Bowl

I just can't write more about my favorite time of the year also coincides with when the freshest locally grown produce is available. Last night I made a salad that I found in the Everyday Food magazine, with my own twists.

Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad
2 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed
2 avocados, diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
4 green onions, sliced thinly on diagonal
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
4 TBS fresh lime juice
2 TBS vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and serve.

Monster Sketti

Last night I made Mark's favorite dish... spaghetti. I make one batch of sauce and then split it 1/2 veggie and 1/2 Italian sausage. It is really good and almost as easy as opening a jar. For dessert I served Strawberry Whipped Sensation, very cool and refreshing on a warm spring night.

Vic's Spaghetti
olive oil - for pan
1 onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
18 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped very thick
dried oregano (about 1 tsp)
fennel seed (about 1 tsp)
crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
1/4 cup red wine
2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz), mushed up with your hands
salt, pepper, oregano, basil, to taste
green olives - about 1 1/2 cups

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion becomes tender and translucent. Add the oregano and fennel, and crushed red pepper, cook for 1 more minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until the juices have reduced to practically nothing. Add the red wine and saute until it has reduced to 2 TBS. Add the tomatoes. Taste, re season if necessary. (this is the point that i separate the sauce). Add the green olives. Cook another 10-15 minutes and it is ready to serve over spaghetti noodles.

Mark's Birthday

Sunday is Mark's birthday. He likes to celebrate it for at least a month. Last night we had a little soiree in the garage for the occassion. To kick the Houston heat, I made mojitos. Our neighbor proclaimed it was the best drink she had ever had.

Mojito
10 mint leaves, muddled
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 Tbs Bacardi limon rum
1/4 cup simple syrup
ice
soda water

Combine mint, lime juice, rum and syrup in a cocktail shaker and shake to combine. Pour into a pint glass filled with ice. Fill glass the rest of the way with soda water. Stir and enjoy!