Fabulous Tomatoes Just Got Even Better!!  So many lovely tomatoes around now in Farmers Markets that I have made one too many Tomato Tarts, Tomato Pies, and Feta and Tomato Salads. I need to save some of those lovely little guys for another time.

So, this is a really good way though not new or unique. If you already do this, consider this a reminder. Little cherry tomatoes are best for this but I also use Roma if they are not too big. Simply (I love recipes that start with that word!) slice the tomatoes in half and toss with some good olive oil and spices you like. I use Basil, Oregano, and garlic salt. Use as many as you like. Let this rest a bit then arrange on a rack with foil underneath and bake at 300 degrees until they are all dried out. Place in a jar and cover with your favorite olive oil and put in the fridge. These keep quite a while, but always check to be sure they are fresh-I use the sniff test. The oil should smell fresh and you should be able to smell the tomato scent and the spices.

Use these in pasta, salads, and my special favorite, pasta salads.  Enjoy!

PS-If you are using Roma tomatoes, slice them into rounds.

Have you got out the grill yet? We have, and one of my very favorites in the whole grilling  universe is  roasted veggies. The new Dr. Oz weight loss plan actually suggests roasting a huge amount to last a week and has several different uses for them as the week goes by. He suggests setting aside a couple of hours on a Sunday to prep for the week so your food items are there at the ready. The plan as a whole is excellent and it is in the latest edition of his new magazine. Look in the grocery store rack.

Anyway, this is my take on that very special grilling dish. 

Potatoes, both russet and sweet potatoes

Celery

Carrots and I mean both regular orange carrots and the colored carrots as well. I recently bought a bag of carrots that were purple, white and yellow. They taste different and add color.

Asparagus

Turnip-Yes, my dear friend Susan Welty, the roasted veggie queen, introduced me to the added turnip. They are hard to cut but well worth the trouble. They add a unique flavor.

I prep the veggies in advance and precook the ones that take a longer time on the grill. I put everything in a big wooden bowl and add olive oil, dried parsley flakes, salt, pepper and garlic salt. When the time comes, I use a vegetable tray to put on the actual grill. I add a piece of salmon and my husband puts on a piece of steak.

Spring is here-Get out the grill!!

Grandma’s Classic Trifle
This is an easy recipe and it looks spectacular. The ingredients:
• Large Pound Cake – store bought is ok
• 16 oz. Blackberries
• Sherry – Preferable a quality cream sherry – about 1/3 cup
• 1 1/4 pint Bird’s Custard – get the powder from a British Store, or grocery store that carry British food products.
• Cool Whip

Cook the blackberries on high heat stirring constantly until they are almost a mush. You may need to add water if the berries do not contain sufficient.

Cut the Pound Cake into slices and layer into a glass bowl (or trifle bowl if you have one). Pour sherry over pound cake and then pour cooked blackberries over both. Use a pointed knife and cut vents to insure that berries and sherry reach the lower layers of the cake ( it should be moist). Blackberry juice down the sides of the cake make a great decorator touch.

Follow the directions to make a pint and a quarter of Bird’s custard. This is very different from American custards, so do not substitute. When making the custard be careful to heat slowly and do not bring the milk to the boil until the final heating. If you have used too much heat during the initial heating of the milk a quick wipe out of the pot in cold water normally removes any built up skin on the bottom. Do not burn the custard (too much heat – go slowly).

Pour the custard over the cake and repeat the use of the knife to ensure that the custard fills all air spaces in between the cake (and normally just coats the top layers).

Allow to cool in a fridge – top with Cool Whip ( add cherries and walnuts as a sprinkled topping if you like) when you serve. It looks spectacular and, apart from the custard, is easy to make.

You don’t see this very often, but my darling husband Bill was making his famous “TRIFLE.” He had his favorite BACH on Pandora while he was at it. Trifle is a British dessert that requires special prep and special ingredients. He is holding a box of Bird’s Custard which is a key ingredient. Stay tuned for the complete recipe. It really creates a showy and fabulous dessert that is honestly not that hard and pretty lo-cal.

It is snowing here this morning so I decided to make a hearty vegetable soup for lunch. I went into my deep freeze and retrieved some half used bags of frozen vegetables and cooked them in the microwave. I had partial bags of peas, green beans, and broccoli. I cooked them in my plastic colander and added a little salt, pepper, and just a tiny sprinkle of garlic salt. You can flavor this with whatever you like. I took the cooked veg. and put it into my blender with a little water and pulsed until it was a course blend. I put this in a 2 qt. pan with 4 cups of Swanson Organic Vegetable Broth and simmered gently for about 20 minutes.

At this stage you have options: My husband likes a hearty soup so for him I would add some leftover chicken or some chopped pieces of the deli beef he keeps in the fridge for sandwiches.

Now I put the whole thing in a tupperware container and put it in the fridge. At lunch time i just heat it in the microwave. This is great to take to work for lunch with some crackers, put on for a quick dinner when you get home late, or even a late night quick tummy warmer.

PS-Husband says this is souper-pun intended.

Love, Judith

I love smoothies and I make one nearly every day. Smoothies serve many purposes.

First you can use fruit or veg that are marginally past their best days in kitchen life. A soft banana or a slightly mushy zucchini is still worthy of inclusion in a smoothie.

Second, you can make a smoothie out of ANYTHINK YOULIKE!  What a concept-Absolute smoothie freedom! Here are two of my favorites:

Fruit Smoothie Heaven

1 banana                   1 cup of any berries you like

1 carton of Greek yogurt-I recommend Dannon Light and Fit 80 calorie (Mmmm!)

5 ice cubes or 1/2 cup vanilla fat free frozen yogurt

a small can of pineapple bits with juice

For liquid I like Diet Cranberry Juice by Ocean Spray  (5 calories per 8 oz)

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As you can see, you can substitute any juice, fruit or liquid. Any suggestions from other smoothie people?

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Veggie Lovers Smoothie

I start with 8 oz of V8 juice. I use the reduced sodium.

I add some chopped celery, chopped zucchini, and some broccoli. I have a friend who adds a small can of green beans, juice and all, to this but I think that is a bit much.

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Both of these recipes are only the beginning. Take off from here with your smoothies. By the way, all of this goes into the bowl of a blender and you can pulse til you reach the thickness you like. Good health in a glass, for sure.

The Uphill Skater

As a new part of this Blog I will start to feature some recipes that are not only good for you but really taste good too. That is often rare in the world of Yum Yum.  As a vegetarian of over 25 years and the mom of a vegan, and wife of a big time carnivore I can honestly say that I have run the gamut of feeding friends and family. By the way, there is also a very cute but picky DOG in the food profile around here.  I can also say that I have enjoyed every minute of it. I love to cook and I love to eat. Do You??