Bruschetta

Another produce post? Shocking indeed...but check out these heirloom beauties...

Tomatoes, how I love thee. And after seeing a Julie and Julia this past weekend, I've been fixating on a certain scene from the movie that looked a little like this...

Tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. So simple and yet so perfect. It could rival some of the most gourmet meals if you ask me.

Real Food?

A coworker asked me last week if I ever ate "real food." Not sure how to take that--"something other than produce" I believe were his next words. What else is there? Take these gems from yesterday's farmers market in Golden...

A drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper and a bit of goat cheese and it's the perfect Sunday light lunch. Who needs cookbooks? Fresh produce = happiness.

Greek Yogurt and Cherries, Two Ways

With my cherry purchasing gone mad over the past couple of months, I needed to up the eating quotient from merely one pound per day to at least two. There's always some greek yogurt to be found in my fridge as well. Two fabulous ingredients and two fabulously different ways to serve them....

The first recipe using these two ingredients was courtesy of my BFFs over at Food Network. This magazine just brings so much joy to this house.

While not the most difficult recipe out there, the combination of tangy greek yogurt with sweet black cherries is perfect for hot summer days. The best part is that while this feels decadent, it's pretty much the same thing I eat for breakfast half the time--just in frozen form.

For this cherry frozen yogurt, you just take 2 cups of greek yogurt (or regular yogurt strained in a cheesecloth overnight) add a bit of vanilla extract and honey to taste and process per your ice cream maker's instructions. In the last couple of minutes, add one cup pitted and chopped cherries and churn until mixed in. Freeze for additional 2 hours.

The second recipe had an almost identical ingredient list, with the addition of some red wine. Take two cups of pitted cherries, throw in one cup of red or white wine, add a drizzle of honey and a splash of vanilla and cook it all for about 20 minutes or until the wine cooks down to a syrup. Ta-da--you have a cherry compote. Perfect for drizzling on a bit of greek yogurt.

Picnic at Red Rocks

Last week, some of us headed out to Red Rocks for Film on the Rocks. The normal and sane person would probably pack a sandwich, grab some chips and call it good. Far be it from me to make something as simple as a picnic dinner after work easy. I found myself attempting to make pesto at 11:00pm the night before.

Of course, last minute pesto only works if you have a magic garden and well stocked fridge. I had spinach which is technically green like basil...good to go in my eyes. I toasted some walnuts and grabbed the mortar and pestle.

I often watch Rick Steves and think he's the luckiest man ever. In the episode where he was in Genoa, he visited a restuarant where they made pesto in a mortar and pestle. I can say that this is absolutely the most fun way ever to make pesto. For my neighbor's sake though, all future efforts will be before 7 pm.


The "recipe" is just 1 garlic clove pounded with some salt. After that, you just start adding some spinach, nuts, parmesan and olive oil to taste. I used about 1/3 a cup of walnuts, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup of parmesan and about 3 cups of spinach.

Red Rocks is the coolest venue for movies. The view is amazing, the atmosphere is fun and really, what could be better than being snug under a blanket while watching the best 80s cult favorites? Last week we watched Mr. Indiana Jones doing some archeological stuff somewhere and somehow. That's just the small stuff leading up to the piece de resistance. August 18th, Red Rocks, the best 80s movie of all time...(cue music)...On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN.

I Wasn't Lying

I do love Bobby Flay's Grill It! cookbook. So much so, that I made another couple of recipes, (an entire meal actually) straight from this book. In a world where I've tried to spread the love amongst all of my cookbooks, that's saying a lot.

When you head to the farmer's market and walk away with freshly picked corn, how do you not dream of a fabulous corn salsa? Though not really that unique of a recipe, I trust Bobby to make it perfect. He didn't disappoint. As a topping for grilled fish, it was Throwdown worthy.

The recipe that did seem rather unique to me was his potato and chevre napolean. I have a Costco addiction to goat cheese that I can't explain. I had a roommate once who would buy avocados like crazy every single time she went to the grocery store. She would come home with these perfect new avocados and place them right next to the last avocados she'd purchased, and never eaten. I used to give her grief for it until she pointed out I did the same thing with goat cheese at Costco. Though I tried to protest, she went to the refrigerator and pulled out many packages, and then opened the freezer and pointed out a couple more. What can I say except I adore goat cheese?

As always, I've adapted the recipe slightly. I substituted a sweet potato and will say that this may be one of my new favorite side dishes. The dressing and goat cheese are tangy, the grilling of the potatoes imparts a bit of smoky flavor and the basil adds that perfect sweetness.

Grilled Sweet Potato and Chevre Napolean

adapted from Grill It!

2 large sweet potatoes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup fresh basil plus additional leaves for garnish

1/2 cup olive oil

salt

freshly ground pepper

goat cheese

1. Microwave potatoes until mostly tender; let cool slightly

2. Combine vinegar, garlic, dijon, basil and olive oil in mini processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch round slices. Brush with olive oil.

4. Grill on medium grill for about 2 minutes each side.

5. Make stacks by layering potato slice, 1 tbsp goat cheese, and another potato slice.

6. Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with basil garnish.