Earlier in the day I went to the local market and got a nice loaf of Garlic Ciabatta Bread!  The bread was baked with whole gloves of garlic right inside – can it get any better than this?

When looking at the ingredients for homemade salsa and Bruschetta one can see that they are relatively similar.  Both use tomatoes and fresh herbs as well as onions, garlic, and kosher salt.  One may even add jalapeno peppers to both dishes to give it the extra kick!  With Bruschetta, most people will add in fresh pieces of mozzarella which isn’t an ingredient in salsa!  Also with salsa, most of the time this is getting served with tortilla chips while Bruschetta is getting served on grilled breads.  What it really comes down to is Bruschetta is all about the bread and tomatoes you use!
 
So to the good stuff; the ingredients I used for this Bruschetta:
*Please note that since I was only using a portion of the loaf I used less tomatoes and other ingredients that one would use if they were serving it for friends or family.  I recommend tripling the ingredients if you are serving it for a few people….as you can always save the Bruschetta and serve it up again the next day!
 
Loaf of Ciabatta Bread – since I was only eating it I only used a quarter of the loaf.
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
2 large tomatoes diced and chopped up
¼ of red onion
¼ yellow onion
Fresh Herbs – I didn’t have any oregano or basil on hand, so I used some cilantro.  I used about 3 tablespoons of fresh herbs
¼ cup fresh mozzarella
 
Directions:
 
1.        Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.       Cut the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and place on cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil; enough to cover bread and sprinkle some kosher salt and garlic powder over.  Place in oven and bake until slightly brown.  Once done, remove from oven and set aside. *I didn’t toast the bread, only because I was feeling lazy!  I prefer it to be toasted, but as you can see you can eat it both way!
3.       In medium size mixing bowl, add tomatoes, red and yellow onions, fresh herbs, and mozzarella.  Mix well.  Add enough olive oil to coat topping.  Add some additional garlic powder and kosher salt to toping.  After thoroughly mixed, let stand for 5 minutes as the flavors marinate together.
4.       Top the tomato mixture over the toasted Ciabatta bread and serve!
 
If you wanted to, you could also add some parmigiano-reggiano on top!
 
Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

2 packages of pizza dough – we cut each package in half and made a total of 4 mini pizzas

Olive oil and cooking spray

 Your favorite toppings – For these pizzas I used:

1. 1.  Bacon (cooked ahead of time) and Shredded Mozzarella with San Marzano Tomatoes for Daniel’s 2 pizzas.
2.   “Pepe’s Summer Pie – Marinated tomatoes in olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh basil, and a light amount of shredded mozzarella with your favorite seasonings.  I added garlic powder, kosher salt, and some Italian seasonings.
3. Classic Margherita – Fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, and some fresh basil.

Prior to turning on the grill, we oiled down the grates.

The grill was then pre-heated to 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, we took one half of the pizza dough and rubbed the bottom side down with olive oil.  We then placed on grill and added some additional oil on the top side.

After 3 minutes, the pizza dough had risen and we flipped it.  Once flipped, we added some extra oil and then put on our toppings.

Close grill, turn heat down to 400 and cook for 5-7 minutes.  We like our pizza on the crispy side so ours even baked longer.

Depending on how you like it, leave it on for longer.

Ingredients:

1 pound of Cavatelli or your favorite kind of pasta

Hot Sausages – I used 5 to ensure we had some for the leftovers

Package of Fresh Spinach or Broccoli Rabe – freshly washed

Fresh Garlic – the more the better!

Your favorite seasonings – I used hot pepper flakes, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and Italian Seasonings

Olive Oil

Directions:

 Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add Cavatelli and kosher salt to water. *keep close eye on pasta, as it cooks quickly and you don’t want it to be mushy!  

 While Cavatelli is cooking, cook sausages over medium high heat until browned on all sides; about 10 minutes.  Once done, set aside and cut into small pieces.

 In large pot over medium heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Add fresh garlic…and add some more…and some more!  I am telling you, I eat this stuff alone!  Add the right amount of garlic for you!  Keep stirring so the sautéed garlic doesn’t stick.  Once the garlic is nice and brown, remove from heat.

Add the freshly washed spinach or Broccoli Rabe to the pot of olive oil and garlic.  Give a good stir to get the olive oil and garlic infused with the greens.  You may also add a bit more olive oil if you think the greens will stick.

Once all stirred together, place pot back on stove over medium heat and cover.  After 3 minutes, open lid and stir.  Once the greens begin to wilt and reduce they are just about done!  Total time to cook in pot is probably 6 minutes.

 Remove the greens and garlic from the pan and combine with the cut up sausages.  Stir together and add some red pepper flakes and Kosher Salt to the top.  If the greens are to bitter for your taste, you can add a bit of lemon too!

 By now the Cavatelli should be fully cooked.  After you have drained it, place back in pot and combine with the sausage and spinach.  Feel free to add desired amount of seasonings.  You may even want to add a dollop of Ricotta Cheese!

You cant forget the bread!!  This is just as important as the main part of the meal!!  Our new favorite is this nice loaf of Italian from our small market in town.

 Enjoy!!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten *I used 2 whole eggs when making these rather than just the egg whites.  Original recipe doesn’t call for milk either, but to ensure the breading stuck, I added a 1/3 cup of skim milk to my mixture.
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed corn flakes
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
Cooking spray
1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fat-free ranch dressing
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/4 x 3-inch sticks
4 carrots, cut into 1/4 x 3-inch sticks

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Place eggs in a shallow dish. Place corn flakes in a shallow dish. Working with 1 chicken strip at a time, dredge in flour mixture. Dip in eggs and *milk; dredge in corn flakes. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken strips, flour mixture, eggs/milk, and corn flakes.

Lightly coat chicken strips with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until done, turning once.

Combine hot sauce, pepper sauce, and Worcestershire in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Drizzle hot sauce mixture over chicken. Serve with ranch dressing, celery, and carrots.

www.cookinglight.com  http://amberskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/crunchy-little-devils.html

I probably have hundreds upon hundreds of recipes saved – some in binders, some bookmarked on the internet; this is on top of the many cookbooks I already own! (there are a few cookbooks I have been eyeing to buy as well!) When I begin coming up with ideas, I will browse the recipes I have saved and pick something we havent had for a while or something that we just love!  Besides browsing the recipes I have saved, I also take time to look at the local grocery stores to see what they have on sale for the upcoming week.  If they have a special cut of meat on sale, then I may buy some and make a meal out of it.  There are really so many ways to create your perfect menu!

So here is our menu:

* I will post full reviews during the upcoming week!

 Saturday – Homemade Chicken Strips made with corn flakes and some seasoned curly fries!

http://amberskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/crunchy-little-devils.html

 Sunday – Sunday’s are always Italian Day!  Ravioli or Cavatelli with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage and some Italian Bread.

 Monday – Stuffed Clams and Salad.

 Tuesday – Mashed Potato Quesadillas for Megan and Cheese/Chicken Quesadillas for Daniel.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mashed-Potato-Quesadilla/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=27563314&prop26=WhatsCooking&prop27=2009-11-26&prop28=Intro&prop29=Link_1&me=1

http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/01/garlic-parmesan-oven-fries.html

 Wednesday – Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken Cutlets with grilled corn and garlic parmesan oven fries.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/brown-sugar-bbq-chicken-drumettes

Thursday – Spicy Beef and Salsa Burritos, Soup for me.

Friday – Grill Your Own Pizza’s!

Dessert for the week – Homemade Chocolate Ice-cream and Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/strawberry-shortcake-cookies?lnc=5a79cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&xsc=eml_cod_2009_06_07

As most of you know, I am a very picky eater!  But I will make almost anything for my husband!  We picked up some salmon that I needed to use last night.  I sprinkled the salmon with some salt&pepper, fish seasoning I had, and some adobo.  I kept the salmon in the refrigerator for the day with all the spices on so they could add some flavor!

The salmon was quite easy to make and cooks very fast!

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup soy sauce
2. 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger * I didn’t have any ginger on hand, so I just added a bit more soy sauce for flavor.
3. 1 teaspoon honey
4. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5. 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
7. Freshly ground pepper
8. Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce and ginger and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the honey and mustard.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet. Season the salmon with pepper and add it to the skillet, skinned side up. Cook over high heat until golden and crusty, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the salmon and spoon the ginger-soy glaze on top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the salmon for 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the salmon fillets to plates, garnish with the cilantro and serve.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pan-roasted-salmon-with-soy-ginger-glaze

I came across this recipe browsing on the internet.  It was very easy to make.  I combined all the ingredients and let everything marinate together for 4 hours.  Once ready to grill, the rub turned into a liquid marinade!  DH and the other guys raved about them!  Said they were very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar – I used about 3/4 of a cup because I wanted them to be on the sweeter side.
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder  – I used about 3 tablespoons because I love garlic!
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 slabs baby back ribs (about 6 pounds), cut into 3- to 4-rib pieces
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne, oregano and thyme. Rub the spice mixture on the meaty side of the ribs and arrange, seasoned side up, in a large roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place on the grill and cook until the meat is fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours. *I kept the meat in the refrigerator for about 4 hours and let the flavors settle into the ribs.  We cooked the ribs for about 45 minutes on medium heat.  Since we used boneless, they cooked faster than the baby back ones.
2. Increase the heat to medium. Combine the olive oil and vinegar in a cup and baste the ribs with the mixture. Transfer the ribs directly to the grill grate, cover and cook, turning, until lightly charred, 5 to 10 minutes.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Barbecue-Ribs-2

I love macaroni and cheese!  Whether it’s in the blue box, velveeta, or homemade….I can eat this stuff all the time!  I stumbled upon this recipe on a cooking board I belong too and knew I would have to try it!  We had some family over this weekend from Nevada.  They had been traveling for a few days and were looking forward to a nice home cooked meal!  I accompanied this macaroni and cheese with country homestyle ribs, corn bread, corn on the cob, and some salad.  It couldn’t have turned out better!  I didn’t expect for us to finish it all…needless to say, I didn’t get a picture of it prepared!  The picture here is of the leftovers!

There were 8 of us and the ¾ of a pound was just enough for a side.  If you are cooking this for a smaller group you could easily reduce the recipe or just enjoy the leftovers!!

Ingredients:

 For the Topping:

¼ stick unsalted butter, melted

2 cups panko or coarse style breadcrumbs

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

For the Cheese Sauce and Macaroni:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter *I used 5 tablespoons to ensure macaroni wouldn’t dry out

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes *I didn’t measure, but probably ended up with close to 1.5 tablespoons…we love anything spicy and with great flavor!

2 ¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup heavy cream

4 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¾ pound elbow macaroni

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease pan with butter or cooking spray.

For the topping:

Mix together panko, butter and cheese in a medium bowl. Set aside.

 FOR THE SAUCE
Melt butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Whisk in flour and red pepper flakes, whisking constantly, for about 3 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in milk in a slow steady stream. Increase heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Simmer for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened. Stir in cream, cheese, mustard, salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

COOK THE MACARONI AND ASSEMBLE THE DISH
Cook macaroni according to package directions, making sure to add plenty of the salt to the cooking water. (At least 1 tablespoon for every 4 quarts.) undercook macaroni about 3-4 minutes so that it is al dente. This ensures the pasta won’t get mushy when cooking.

Stir together macaroni and sauce in a large bowl or in your sauce pot if it’s big enough. Transfer to prepared baking dish, mixture will be loose.

Sprinkle topping evenly over mixture and bake for about 25-35 minutes. Top should be golden and bubbling.

http://bakinandeggs.com/2009/11/19/68-days-of-gourmet-macaroni-and-cheese/

Simple Chocolate Ice Cream:

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1.  Place the cocoa powder and sugars in a medium size bowl and stir well.  Add the whole milk and use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine until the cocoa and sugars are dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. *I used a whisk and while it did mix everything fairly well, I think a hand mixer would have been better to get the bottom of the bowl!  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.  If not freezing immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Turn ice cream machine on, pour mixture into frozen freezer bowl and let mixture thicken; about 20-25 minutes.  *I poured a bit more liquid into the machine than I should have, so when I made this it took about 40 minutes for it to thicken the way we like.  The cream ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture.  If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.  Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

 For packing or gift ideas, CVS sells some great containers that will ensure the ice cream freezes and stays nice and fresh!

Amazon.com has some great ideas as well:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ice+cream+container

www.cuisinart.com