REALLY Rockin' and some No Recipe Cooking

After all this time, we have yet to have a story about music. Well friends..... we are going to change all that right now. Those of you who know me understand my crazy love of heavy metal, death metal, dark and looming lyrics of hellfire and damnation, gruesome topics, war and disease, the hardest of the hard stuff, and amazingly enough, Lady Gaga. Yes, I am a Little Monster, and I am proud of it. The obsession took hold when she first came on the music scene. I had not yet heard a single song but I saw article after article about her in the London Daily Mail. The more I read about her, the more the fascination grew. Her crazy clothing. Her hair bow made of hair. Shoes that are mile high. I was so curious about her and eventually heard the song Poker Face. My bestie Ronda and I fell in love with the catchy songs on her first album and played them daily, usually accompanied by a round or four of Jager bombs in the townhouse we shared. 

The first album, The Fame, was firmly committed to memory when The Fame Monster came out and a whole new round of songs had to be learned, and learn them we did. Mastered the Bad Romance dance. Slayed it, and slurred it. Born This Way came along next, and by that time Ronda had moved away and The Chef and I had moved to the Little Lake House. Born This Way was filled with songs I just couldn't get enough of. The title track was a favorite, and I'd often belt it out at the top of my voice driving to work. Scheibe- loved it. Bloody Mary- crazy obsessed. It was after this album that I had my first opportunity to see Mother Monster in concert. My daughter Laurie, her friend Jim and I made the drive to Minneapolis on a pilgrimage to see our Mother in the Born This Way Ball. My life was complete that day. I cried when Highway Unicorn began and she rode onto the stage riding upon a giant mechanical unicorn. I died. I truly died, and went to heaven.

Artpop was the next album and once again, became part of me. Every song on that album was fun to sing and I learned every word. This time around when she came to the midwest my other daughter Debbee and I made the drive to Minneapolis to experience ArtRave. The stage was incredible- acrylic floors and waves and Lady Gaga walked all over during the show, singing and dancing over the heads of her screaming Little Monsters. Amazing. The costumes, pure amazing. Again, the songs filled my heart, Venus, ArtPop, Mary Jane Holland, Gypsy, every one was great and made me want to dance and sing, and I did so right there in the arena, with full abandon and not a care in the world.

Lady Gaga's most recent album Joanne is a collection of a totally different kind of songs. These songs are very personal to Lady Gaga and tell the story of her life and different times of pain and happiness, of struggle and triumph. Joanne is named for her late aunt Joanne, who is also her namesake. While the album has a raw, funky almost country vibe, the World Tour lives up to everything her fans expect. This time Laurie, Debbee, Jim and I made the trip again to Minnesota to bask in the presence of our Mother Monster. This show featured no opening act, we were plunged right into the heart of Joanne from the opening notes of Diamond Heart to the classics Bad Romance, Telephone and Poker Face, Lady Gaga just astounds me with her energy and stage presence. Again I cried as she took the stage, and screamed and danced and raised my paws when she asked me to. The show was over in a flash, and I felt so sad walking out of the arena. I do know that I will be back to see her again.

Because the Twin Cities are just three hours away, we didn't grab a hotel for the night. We hit the road and headed home. With good weather, and only a couple stops along the way, we rolled back into Des Moines around 3 a.m. annnnnnd crashed. The next day was a lazy day for me, The Chef's day off, so we lazed around and did very little. I needed to recoup from all the walking, dancing, and driving. So we eventually got to the time of day when tummies are grumbling but neither one of us really wants to cook, and we certainly have no game plan for the meal- what we do have is a package of chicken tenders and a package of frozen gnocchi. These things need to become a meal!

The gnocchi is a no brainer. Trader Joe's has again made it easy, and delicious, for me to get a side on the table in just a few minutes, less than five minutes to be exact. Having already fallen in love with the sweet potato gnocchi, I still had a bag of Gorgonzola gnocchi in the freezer waiting for me to try. I thought this would be perfect with a juicy steak on the side but chicken is what's available today. Following the directions on the package, all you do is pour the contents into a bowl or saucepan and heat. You don't add anything, not even water. Frozen cubes of the creamy sauce and the delicate little potato dumplings heat up in a snap to creamy tender perfection. I wish I had thought ahead and grabbed some fresh parsley from the garden- while these were ridiculously delicious and I will absolutely buy them again, they were pretty rich and needed an herbal note to cut the richness a bit, and could have used a pop of color. Flavor-wise they were awesome, perfectly tender and the sauce was creamy and had the right amount of cheese so that it wasn't an overpowering Gorgonzola taste.

For my chicken, I just went on a whim with a few ingredients from the fridge and pantry. I used a 1 to 1 1/2 lb package boneless skinless chicken tenders, but you could use breasts if you had them, or even cut breasts into strips or nuggets. Drain them well, place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, then add 2 tablespoons mustard to the bowl. Use Dijon or a spicy deli style mustard- grainy, I don't recommend regular yellow mustard but hey, if that's your thing, go for it. Use your hand to distribute the mustard evenly over all the chicken pieces and  set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine half a cup or so of flour with salt, pepper, your favorite herbs and seasonings. I used a good tablespoon of Penzey's Bouquet Garni and a generous tablespoon of Emeril's Essence. Mix those together well. 

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add a tablespoon or two of oil. Dip the chicken into the flour, coating lightly and add the the hot skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through and golden brown. Don't crowd the skillet or you will have soggy nasty chicken goo. After I had browned all the chicken, I added a tablespoon f butter to the skillet and a couple glugs of Riesling- I had an open bottle I needed to use up. A quick sprinkle of bouquet garni in the sauce and dinner was served, drizzle the sauce over the chicken if you like. The mustard added a nice flavor to the chicken and the flour brought that crispy texture. Quick, easy, and on the table in under 20 minutes.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Foodie Field Trip- Culinary Food Fight 2017

Once again, it's all about who you know!! Or in this case- who you are related to! Once again I got to enjoy the fun and excitement of culinary competition as a spectator, not a frazzled contestant, at the most recent installment of Culinary Fight Night, Des Moines. How? Well, let me explain. See.....I have told you guys before about my younger daughter, Laurie- the restaurant general manager. As is often the case when you know someone "in the scene" she would often invite me to different food events and a couple years ago she invited me to a Culinary Fight Night, the first of it's kind in Des Moines. You can get all the details by clicking HERE, but briefly- boxing rink, two chefs, six course, loads of great food, one winner. This time around, she is not only in the scene, her chef is one of the competitors, and she is helping in the kitchen! Talk about exciting! Since Laurie would be in the kitchen for this event, my other daughter Debbee joined me for this fun evening of sampling some of the best dishes Des Moines has to offer. Laurie's restaurant, Magnolia Wine Kitchen, was represented by their very own Chef Nico Ebtinger.

Chef Nico comes to Magnolia Wine Kitchen with a pretty impressive resume. Before joining Magnolia as a chef he was the executive chef at Prime Land and Sea in West Des Moines, the sous chef at Pricci and chef de partie at Cherokee Town and Country Club, and cooked at Bistro Nikki in Atlanta, GA. He attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. Chef Hailey Dixon is the chef at the new West Des Moines brunch spot, Eggs and Jam Brunch Cafe. The restaurant boasts a fun hp hp theme and creative dishes with clever names such as Slim Shady, Flava Flav Flatbread, Rumpshaker, and Ludabiscuits. It's brand new on the culinary scene and lots of people are talking about it.

Of course, I would be a terrible mother if I didn't boast about my daughter, Laurie. She, as you know, is the general manager of Magnolia Wine Kitchen, the fantastic downtown restaurant and wine bar that provides the total girlie dining experience and even lets you bring the guys if you must. The restaurant is gorgeous, the menu very chick-centric. Beautiful ingredients and interesting combinations dominate the menu. Charcuterie and cheese plates are all the rage and Magnolia features some wonderful selections. The salad combinations are some of the most creative I have seen in years, the lobster roll- oh man, HUGE chunks of lobster, and the dinner menu is just stunning. Anyway, Chef Nico is in the ring and Laurie is supporting him in the kitchen, prepping foods, preparing sauces, and plating the courses. Laurie made the lemon picatta sauce for the salmon entree and it was heavenly- you better believe she is going to be teaching Mom how to make that sauce at home!

Now, let's get down to business- the fight and the food. The appetizer round always starts off the event and this time we sampled two dishes that were somewhat similar in flavor, but totally different presentations. Chef Nico prepared a beautiful panzanella salad with big chunks of chewy focaccia, lovely baby lettuces, heirloom tomatoes, bright red sweet pepper, cucumbers finished with a cherry vinaigrette and balsamic. The salad was a gorgeous plate. The colors of the vegetables were so vibrant, tip top freshness, and not overly dressed. The cubes of bread were dense and chewy, not like rock hard croutons, and were perfect for sopping up that delicious sweet and tangy vinaigrette.

Chef Hailey's appetizer was a favorite at our table, and a quick glance around the room, was a favorite of most people. She featured charred baby tomatoes, with the perfect kiss of flame and just perfect char marks, not enough to cook the tomatoes, just enough to give that hint of charred flavor, nestled alongside a scoop of creamy burrata, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic syrup. Perfectly crispy croustades alongside made this the perfect bite- a little smear of the cheese, a chunk of tomato, and that crispy crunchy toasted baguette. So delicious. My daughter Debbee has never had burrata before- she was sold! This was a very delicious and creative take on caprese salad and something I'd love to eat every day.

In between the courses our host and organizer of the event, Walt Henderson,  brought members of the audience up to the ring for some fun and games and prizes. He held a blind tasting, a Name The Celebrity Chef, and Identify the Herb contests, and drew for cash and gift card too.

The entree round was even better. This time the chefs went in very opposite directions. Chef Hailey created a Pistachio and Ricotta Raviolo, with Sauteed Shrimp, Golden Raisins and Brown Butter Cream Sauce. For me, Hailey won in creativity but fell down a little bit in execution. The flavors were fantastic. This dish was a textural masterpiece. The creamy ricotta filling was peppered with bits of crunchy pistachio and herbs. More pistachios adorned the top along with the surprise of golden raisins and sauteed shrimp, with a healthy drizzle of the browned butter sauce. The filling was delicious. It was not sweet, definitely savory, and the pistachios added a much needed texture. The pasta was a little too thick in spots, especially the edges, so it wasn't evenly cooked, and had some tougher spots. The butter sauce and raisins were an interesting addition but the shrimp seemed out of place. They were simply sauteed- nothing more, and perched atop the raviolo with a little garnish of micro greens. Stunning presentation though.

Everyone who knows me knows I HATE salmon. Hate it. Detest it. Except for raw in sushi, to me salmon looks, smells and tastes like cat food. Gross. I dreaded the salmon entree but Chef Nico totally changed my opinion with his entree- Roasted Faroe Island Salmon with jasmine rice, Haricot Verts and Lemon Caper Picatta. Was it the roasting that made the difference? Was it the type of salmon? I don't know what, or why, but I was in love at first bite. The salmon was perfectly cooked, flaky and tender. The haricots verts were roasted and some of them had crispy ends and those little touches make me so happy. The jasmine rice could have been a little more elevated but it was absolutely delicious, and my tablemates raved about it. I just could not get over that salmon! Nor could I put my fork down! We were served a very generous portion and we were getting full but I could not stop!!! Yes, it was THAT good. I really want to talk about the lemon sauce. It was phenomenal. Creamy and lemony and sprinkled with capers it was the perfect accent for that gorgeous piece of fish, and for dragging a forkful of rice through. Amazing, and so simple- nothing but freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Lots of butter. You can bet I'll be getting this chef's secret recipe and making this at home.

In spite of all that salmon and me being unable to stop eating it, we had to save room for dessert. Chef Nico's dessert, Bourbon Apple Crepe Flambe with Jack Daniels Chantilly Cream and Honeycrisp Apple Compote was the ultimate autumn dessert. The apple compote was amazing. The apples were bathed in bourbon, you could taste it without any icky boozy taste- just the woody warm bourbon and a kiss of honey. The chantilly cream again, the essence of Jack Daniels but not a whiff of harsh boozy edge. But that crepe though! It was thin and light and perfectly cooked, just perfect. I have made more than my fair share of crepes and this one was flawless.

Chef Hailey present us with a crispy Lemon Shortbread cookie with White Chocolate Mousse and Blueberry Compote. Everyone at our table raved about the mousse. It was very good. Not perfect, but very good considering it was made for a crowd. Kudos to Chef Hailey for that. The blueberry compote was a much needed touch but not truly special. Could have been kicked up with some limoncello or Gran Marnier or something. The lemon shortbread was delicious and lemony and buttery. The ladies at our table went crazy over the cookie. Hailey's dessert was good but it didn't have the wow factor for me or Debbee like Chef Nico's did.

The judges completed their scoring, the audience filled out their People's Choice ballots and the winner...... by the tiniest of margins....... was Chef Hailey. Our host Walt presented her with the Culinary Fight Night Championship belt as the crowd cheered. It was a great food fight, and we, the audience, got the real prize- all those delicious courses. The food fighting doesn't end here. November will host another round of courses with two different chefs, and the two winners, Chef Hailey and whoever wins the next bout will compete in the third Culinary Food Fight for a grand prize. I am looking forward to these events- and you should too. Keep watching my blog and social media for a chance to grab your tickets!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Eat the World- Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

One of my favorite of all foodie events in Des Moines is happening this coming weekend- the World Food Festival. If you aren't from Des Moines and you think you might like to visit the city, THIS is the weekend to do so. The World Food Festival is an annual event held downtown, this year in Western Gateway Park, and it's an awesome opportunity to try some foods you might normally not have an opportunity to try. The festival was usually an event for Nephew and Aunt time with my nephew Jeremy but he has moved to Texas so I'll have to find a new partner to taste test the wonderful foods on offer.

"Eat the World" is a theme I have come to really embrace over the last few years, challenging myself to learn techniques and flavors from all over the world. What a fun and delicious way to experiment. Many of the European cooking styles aren't too different from what I'm used to cooking here at home, but when it comes to Asian foods it's a whole new world. A trip to the Asian grocery store can leave you so confused about flavors and spices and sauces and..........everything. If you're like me, and love Chinese food, you try to replicate some of those dishes at home and they're just not the same. That umami component is just not there unless you have the right combination of flavors. But how do you get that? A good Asian cookbook is a start, and so is hooking up with a great Asian cook. Get in there, learn about the ingredients, experiment with fish sauce and oyster sauce and strange looking vegetables. Buy a wok. Buy a really good santoku knife. Be fearless! It's only food and if you don't like it you never have to eat it again, right?

I added several dashes to get the heat level up there.

The recipe we are making today is a bit of a stretch. In all honesty this is absolutely NOT authentic Korean food. It's Korean influenced. The flavors of bulgogi are there, with some modern and healthier twists- like eating the meat from rolled up lettuce leaves- no carbs, no fat, almost no calories in those lettuce leaves. My version features a healthy dose of mushrooms to add protein but no fat, and quite honestly, if you prefer a meat-free recipe, leave it out altogether and use a ton of mushrooms. You'd probably need about 3 pounds of mushrooms for the same yield. Using mushrooms also means your dinner is vegan as well, and if you have gluten or soy problems- just switch to liquid aminos instead of soy sauce. It's so versatile. 

Speaking of versatile, halfway through my cooking, I realized I did not have enough Sriracha so quickly subbed sweet chili sauce. It was a great substitute but had less heat, so a few dashes of Jason's Fire Infusions Spontaneous Combustion sauce did the trick. Just the right heat!

The beef rolls are beautiful rolled up in the lettuce leaves but you can bring more eye appeal by adding some tiny julienned red bell pepper or shredded carrot to sneak some vitamins into your kiddos. Not into rolling your food up in a leaf? That's ok too. Prepare a batch of rice and serve as Korean Beef Bowls. Sticky rice is the best for this use. Let's get cooking!

Easy Korean Style Lettuce Wraps

2 lbs lean ground beef
8 oz package mushrooms

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 tb brown sugar, packed

1-2 tablespoons Sriracha or sweet chili sauce

6 cloves garlic, grated

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon sesame seeds 
hot sauce to taste, if desired

sesame oil
cooking oil

small bunch scallions, sliced, white and green parts

1 head Bibb or butter lettuce, separated into leaves

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant. WATCH CLOSELY! They will go from pale to burned in seconds. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Dice the mushrooms into 1/4 inch dice. In the same skillet, heat a couple tablespoons cooking oil. Add the mushrooms and half of the sliced scallions and cook over medium high heat, stirring often until the mushrooms are golden browned and all liquid has evaporated. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same skillet, add a couple teaspoons sesame oil. Crumble in the ground beef and cook, breaking up any large chunks, until cooked through. Drain off any fat. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha, garlic, ginger, the mushrooms, and half the sesame seeds. Cook for about 3-4 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly.

Serve the beef mixture in the lettuce leaves, adding rice if desired. Sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and sliced scallions. 

Leftovers make tasty Korean Beef Rice Bowls for lunch
the next day. Delicious!

The wraps make a great low carb entree when you skip the rice and you can use any ground meat you like- chicken or turkey are really delicious in this recipe and so is lean pork! It's a fun Asian twist on the same old "taco night" meal and even if it isn't truly authentic Korean food, it's pretty darn tasty.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Annnnnd just like that, it's Autumn again

Just like that....poof.....summer is gone. Leaves are turning. Sweaters and hoodies are getting pulled out. Pumpkin spice everything is all around us. It's autumn, without a doubt my favorite time of year. It's my favorite for lots of reasons- my birthday is in the autumn, so is my oldest daughter's, the food we start to prepare, and bake, are homey and spicy and comforting, and best of all, my wedding anniversary will forever be a happy autumn day for me. As soon as September hits I get that urge to start baking again. The air conditioner is off for the season and the warm oven will keep us cozy for the time being, with the delicious aromas of baking- bread, cookies for The Chef, cinnamon and spice, roast turkey and pork. It's all so delicious and wonderful.

Buckeye Brownies, left, and Katie's Pumpkin Bars

Katie and I love to spend evenings and weekends baking and often do so together. Sometimes we can get her sons interested and they lend a helping hand, other times they are more interested in the end product. Both of our chef hubbies just want the baked goodies. We spend a lot of time hunting for good new recipes, changing things up, creating. We have old favorites and new discoveries every year. Today we are going to make two easy desserts to kick off our baking season. First is a pan of Buckeye Brownies, a super easy brownie recipe that's great for pot lucks and holiday get togethers. Chances are if you're a Midwesterner you've had Buckeyes on holiday cookie trays before- creamy peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. This brownie recipe makes it easy with no messy dipping. The second is a revival of a craze that swept the internet and Pinterest right off their feet a couple years ago- cake balls, with easy to make Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. Are you ready ?? Let's hit the pumpkin patch. No seriously, we are not really hitting the pumpkin patch. I mean, you totally can if you want to but we'll be using some cheater packaged cake mixes that are going to bail us out!!!

Katie's Buckeye Brownies

1 package brownie mix (9x13 pan size)
ingredients as directed on box
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Following the package directions, prepare the brownie mix. Spread into prepared pan and bake as directed on package. Let brownies cool completely.

In a large bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter together until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.  Spread the peanut butter filling evenly over the cooled brownies.

Place chocolate chips in a medium boil. Heat the cream until almost boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips. After a couple minutes, whisk the mixture until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour evenly over the peanut butter filling. Spread evenly. Pop in the fridge to set. Cut into small squares to serve- these guys are RICH.

For our cake balls we are using Katie's recipe for the easiest pumpkin bars in the world. Again, it starts with a cake mix but uses no eggs or oil. Of course, we trash the healthy stuff with all the frosting and melted chocolate but hey, one cake ball never killed anyone, right? These are fun to make with kids if you can get them to decorate FAST. The chocolate sets up very quickly. For delicious pumpkin bars, use the frosting to top the bars and sprinkle with chopped nuts. I think this is a recipe you will use again and again.

Katie's Pumpkin Bars Cake Balls

1 package spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin  NOT pumpkin pie mix
4 tablespoons water
1 can cream cheese frosting
2 packages orange candy melts
sprinkles and decorations

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine the cake mix, pumpkin and water, whisk together. Spread into 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes until tests done with toothpick. Cool completely.

Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Stir in the frosting, starting with half the container, adding more as needed until a firm dough forms. Scoop into truffle size balls. Freeze two hours or longer.

Melt the candy melts as package directs. Dip the cake balls in the melted chocolate, and decorate immediately with sprinkles, candies, nuts, whatever you like. Store in the fridge.

Both of our families love these cake balls. It's a holiday request every year, every holiday. You can use any baked cake you like if pumpkin isn't your thing. Just follow the directions on the package to make a 9x13 cake.

Summer Tomato Salad

My friend Janet has a tomato problem. Luckily
she has friends like me to help her out!

Funny things happen during tomato season in Iowa. Weird, unexplained things. Like UFO sightings, only more delicious. Perhaps you have experienced this bizarre phenomenon. You walk into your office or workplace, just like any other Monday, or Thursday. You drop off your computer bag, maybe a handbag, at your desk and head to the break room to tuck your lunch in the fridge or grab a cup of coffee when you are startled by something on the counter, or tabletop. Red. Round. Lurking. They might even be trying to hide in a bag. They watch you suspiciously as you casually saunter over to these strange objects to see what this is all about. It's tomato season, and lucky for you, your colleague has an over-producing garden! Sharing tomatoes is an annual summer tradition in Iowa, and probably a lot of other places. Today I was pleasantly surprised by the gift of some Iowa homegrown tomatoes from my friend Lia. I had those tomatoes sitting on my desk all day and I daydreamed about eating them. Not in any recipe either. Ohhh no. These first Iowa-grown tomatoes are going to be eaten just as is, sliced. That's it, and it was heaven.

Guess what magically appeared on my desk? Yep!

No summer garden would be complete without an herb patch and an herb patch would never be complete without fresh basil.There are soooo many different kinds of basil, it's crazy! Italian basils, red basil, ruffled basil, giant lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil, lemon, lime and other citrusy flavored basils- it wouldn't be hard to have an entire garden comprised solely of basil! The Chef and I like to grow a couple different types. We like a larger leafy Italian basil, the leaves are substantial but not as big as lettuce leaf basil, and they have a great licorice like flavor, and we always grow a red basil too.

These beautiful ingredients combine with some fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic to create the most delectable summer salad, Caprese Salad. The history of the salad is pretty hard to pin down. some say it originated in the Campania region. while others call "insalata de caprese" the Salad of Capri, and hails from an island off the coast of Naples. The recipe was found on a menu dating back to 1920 after WWI and was thought to represent the colors of the Italian flag, and came back into favor in the 1950s. In the U.S. the salad started gaining popularity in the 1980s and had remained popular ever since. In Italy ingredients vary by region- some use pesto, others use arugula or other greens. tomatoes and fresh mozz are the constants. In the U.S. chefs and home cooks like to use heirloom tomatoes of different kinds to add beauty and a variety of flavors to add interest to the salad. No matter where in the world you are enjoying the salad, a hefty drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil is drizzled over and ties all the flavors together.

Homegrown Iowa heirloom tomatoes

Summer Tomato Salad

variety of heirloom tomatoes

fresh mozzarella

fresh basil

freshly ground black pepper

good quality extra virgin olive oil
good quality balsamic vinegar*

salt

* I have come to love purchased "balsamic drizzle"- I don't have to make my own reduction and the flavor is pretty darn good. Feel free to substitute this if you like, or reduce your own, or just use vinegar as is. It's delicious any way to use it.

Prepare the tomatoes- slice larger tomatoes, quarter or halve small bite sized tomatoes or grape/cherry tomatoes.

Slice the fresh mozzarella.

On a large serving platter or board, lay out a base of sliced tomatoes. Tuck slices of mozzarella in and around the sliced tomatoes, lifting to overlap in places. Scatter the smaller tomatoes around the board.

Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the basil leaves over. You can tear the basil leaves if they are really large. Drizzle the whole platter with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately with lots of fresh crusty bread.

Plan on a couple slices of fresh mozzarella per person and at least one to one and a half tomatoes per person for each serving, and build your salad whatever size you need. Throw on as much or as little basil as you like and be generous with that olive oil! Freshly ground black pepper is key for great flavor so if you have a pepper mill, use it.

As for the 15 lbs of tomatoes from Janet, they were roasted
and frozen for use all winter long. I've offered to help her
dispose of even more, if she can spare a few.

I can't tell you how many times each summer I will have this, and sometimes only this, as my entire dinner- twice just this week! The tomatoes are so delicious, and nothing at all like the pasty mealy dry grocery store tomatoes. They are so fresh and juicy and even better if still warm from the sun. If you get a good mix of types of tomatoes, you'll have a great mix of flavors too- some sweeter, some more acidic, some firmer. The fresh mozzarella brings some protein to the plate, the olive oil is so healthy and delicious, and who doesn't love freshly harvested basil leaves, torn and scattered just moments before devouring them? Delicious stuff here, folks.