Nothing suave, or sophisticated, just PASTAAAAHHH!!

Desserts / July 7, 2014

The last two weeks have been, as my girlfriend calls it, “action packed.” I returned from a long long visit with family for a niece’s wedding, which also serves as a well deserved hiatus from the care taking of my mother in law. Living out of a suitcase and eating mostly restaurant food is not my idea of culinary fulfillment, but it did allow me to cover a lot of ground and check a lot of relatives off the, “gotta see them while I’m here..” list. Although the fact that I’m a food blogger insures lots of free take-home treats, I just fell out of the rhythm of cooking/photographing…cooking/photographing and my recent repertoire of food creations has waned.

To make sure my family knows I haven’t forgotten how to boil an egg, I cooked on the last day of my vacation. It was a huge surprise to me that I didn’t cook every day! But that’s what happens when you’re on the family decorating committee. Thank goodness my sister and husband have an over-the-top garden because it inspired a yummy BACON AND MARINARA OVER LINGUINI PASTA, a PURPLE KALE AND ROMAINE SALAD WITH GARDEN ONIONS AND PLUM BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE, and a APPLE CINNAMON GALETTE for dessert that rocked rafters.

Without further adieu, and because you’d most likely rather see the finished product that hear me rant about it, take a look and enjoy…

Apple Cinnamon Galette

INGREDIENTS:

1 package prepared pie crust mix rolled out to a 12 inch circle

3 T soft salted butter

4 large Gala apples sliced very thin

1 1/2 C Sugar

2 T fresh lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

2 t vanilla

2 t cinnamon

3 T heavy cream

METHOD:

In a large bowl add the apple, sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Roll out the pie crust pieces and slather with the butter.
Ladle the apple mixture on the crust leaving a 2 inch edge and fold the edges inside to create a basket, with the middle open.
Brush with cream and a bit more of the sugar. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 – 50 minutes until golden brown!

Romaine, Purple Kale, and Radish Salad

with Plum Balsamic Dressing

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 C fresh garden romaine, washed, dried and torn
6 C purple kale trimmed of stems, washed dried and torn
3 large organic radishes, sliced thin Handful fresh chives chopped
2 handfuls fresh basil chopped 1 small red onion from garden, washed and chopped into thin slices

Dressing:

2 T plum jam
1 T balsamic vinegar 2
T red wine vinegar
3 T EVOO
1 T sugar
1 T lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Toss dressing right before serving. Serve with crusty bread and a joyful heart!