Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, Feta & Lemon Basil Dressing

This was so delicious I can't even tell you.  It is so light, summery and flavorful.  I mixed a few recipes into one.

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups orzo
1 large cucumber, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Lemon Basil Dressing

 3/4 cup basil leaves, packed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
A large splash of white balsamic vinegar

Cook and drain orzo pasta and run cold water over the top to stop the cooking, while in colander.  Transfer to a large serving bowl. 

Make the lemon basil dressing by throwing all ingredients into a blender and blending well.

Toss cucumber, tomato, feta, lemon basil dressing and salt and pepper with the orzo.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

This was a real crowd pleaser!

One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta

This turned out way better than I expected it to.  It was super easy and was really quite good.  I omitted the onion since we don't like them.  Great for a weeknight!

Basil Balsamic

I made this basil balsamic last night.  I think I've found the secret to GREAT dressing - WHITE balsamic vinegar instead of just balsamic vinegar.  It's so yummy.  This took minutes to throw together and was the best dressing I've had in a long time.  I'm obsessed with it.  I used fresh basil from my garden and I halved this recipe to make a smaller batch.  I put it over a salad with cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden, too.  Yay for harvest season! Here's the recipe.

Blistered Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Pasta

This is a new favorite pasta recipe... it is SERIOUSLY easy, so flavorful and delicious.  I love it!!!  Here is the recipe:  YUM!

PW's Bruschetta

I had some leftover pasta for dinner but not a ton of it, so I wanted to supplement it with something extra.  I made PW's bruschetta and it was fast/easy/yummy/summery/buttery.  I only used red tomatoes because I made a half recipe.  Which is why mine isn't as pretty as hers.  Among other reasons.

Caprese Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

I love caprese-anything and we have a lot of tomatoes and basil in our garden still to use.  So I made this caprese chicken with a balsamic reduction.  It was really yummy.  I served it with a crusty French bread.  This is a  great worknight recipe. 

 

P.S. I love you, fresh mozzarella.

Creamy Caprese Pasta

This recipe allowed me to use some of the basil and tomatoes I have growing out of control in my garden, which is always nice.  I love baked pastas, they are delightful.  I used shredded asiago instead of parmesan and shredded mozzarella instead of rounds of fresh mozzarella because that's what I had at home.  It worked just fine!  I served mine with a crusty french bread.  Beside it being WAY too hot to have had my oven on last night, this was wonderful and easy.  Here is the original recipe.

Pioneer Woman's Creamy Lemon Basil Potato Salad

We were having friends over for a BBQ and I had a whole bunch of red potatoes I needed to use so I went to PW's website to search for "potatoes".  This recipe came up and it sounded right up my alley.  It is so easy to throw together.  The only time-consuming part is boiling the potatoes.  I made it the night before the BBQ though so I wasn't rushing for them to finish and that way the flavors could meld overnight.  It turned out so, so yummy.  I like it much better than normal potato salad.  I will definitely make this for a potluck sometime.  YUM!  Here's the simple recipe.

Orzo with Basil, Tomatoes and Feta

I just threw this together with things I had at home for a barbeque yesterday.  I love all the ingredients so throwing them together couldn't be wrong. 

Orzo with Basil, Tomatoes and Feta

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta
15-20 basil leaves, chopped
About 3-4 Tablespoons (as much or as little as you prefer, really) basil-flavored olive oil (or regular if that's all you have)

Cook the orzo pasta, drain and let cool slightly.  Add halved tomatoes, basil leaves, feta and olive oil and mix.  I served mine cold. 

Fresh & yummy.

Baked Lemon Pasta with Mushrooms and Basil

I love Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta.  It is so easy to make and delicious in every way.  I decided I'd add some mushrooms this time and use basil instead of parsley because basil is the best herb there is, and I have a ton in my garden.  I loved the addition of mushrooms - very yummy.

Here is the recipe.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I made THIS for the 4th and it was easy & delicious.  It's definitely a good BBQ food.  I hear it's better the second day after the flavors have melded more.  I hope so, since we have leftovers!

Use all of the sauce... do not skimp.

a favorite.

I made this mozzarella, tomato, basil pasta al forno again.  I love it.  Use only 2 Ts of Italian seasoning, though. YUMMY!

Pioneer Woman's Tomato Cream Pasta

I made this delicious pasta from Pioneer Woman over the weekend.  It is extremely easy to throw together & is quite yummy.

HERE is the recipe link.  I served it with French bread.  It would be really good with steak.

Happy spring & summer cooking!

Caprese Chicken Sandwich

My favorite sandwich in the world!

Ciabatta Bread Slices
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Basil Leaves
Thin Chicken Cutlets, Baked
Roma Tomatoes, Sliced
Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced

Pour olive oil and balsamic vinegar on one side of sliced Ciabatta bread.  Put in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes, until the edges are crispy.  Put on fresh mozzarella, tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and baked chicken cutlet.

The best thing, ever.

Pizza Crust & Caprese Pizza

Last night I made homemade pizza. I started with Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust.


CRUST
Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST (MAKES TWO CRUSTS):
1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It's best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

Then I put on:

Pizza sauce

Fresh mozzarella slices

tomatoes

fresh basil leaves

It was yummy!  I can't seem to make the crust bake in the middle though.  It was really dough-y.  If anyone reads this and knows a trick, will you let me know?  It happens every time I bake pizza.

Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta

I made Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta for dinner.  Instead of parsley I used basil.  Instead of white spaghetti I used whole wheat.  It was extremely easy to make, quick to throw together and DEEEE-LISH!  I will use this recipe again and again.  I want to try it cold next time -- in the summer.

I served it with hard crusted garlic bread.  YUM!!!

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Goat Cheese

I have made the original version by Pioneer Woman once before and loved it.  This time I wanted to make it with basil instead of parsley and goat cheese instead of feta.  So here's the recipe the way I made it (with very minimal changes from the original):


12 ounces Farfalle (bowtie) Pasta
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 whole Lemons (more To Taste)
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 whole Zucchini, Cut Into Small Wedges Or Diced
10 ounces Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1/3 cup Minced Fresh Basil
6 ounces Crumbled Goat Cheese


Cook pasta until done. Drain and rinse in cold water until completely cool. Add olive oil and lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt). Toss to combine. Add zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese, and toss to combine. Add more of what you think it needs. Squeeze in a little more lemon juice/drizzle more olive oil if it needs more moisture.


Cover in plastic wrap for at least a couple of hours to chill.

I used a fresh zucchini, fresh cherry tomatoes and basil all picked straight from my garden.  WONDERFUL!  I love, love, love this pasta salad.  It's so lemony and cheesy and fresh.  

Goat Cheese, Chicken & Tomato/Basil Quesadillas

Last night I wanted to make something fast, easy, and with ingredients I already had at home.  The result was:

Goat Cheese, Chicken, Tomato and Basil Quesadillas


Burrito size tortillas
Goat cheese
Canned chicken
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Butter

Mix one can of chicken with the garlic salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet to medium high.  Butter one side of a tortilla.  Smear as much goat cheese as you'd like on the other side of the tortilla.  Add chicken on top of goat cheese.  Add as many thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh basil as you'd like.  Put in skillet butter side down and cook until the butter turns the tortilla nice and golden brown.  Fold in half and enjoy!  You could obviously butter two tortillas and put one on top and flip the quesadilla so both sides get brown and delicious - but the tortillas I used were 200 calories per one and I didn't really want to eat 400 calories worth of tortillas last night because lately my booty is jiggling a lot and I'm saving my calorie frenzy for fried food at the State Fair (which is really going to help with the booty issue).

My husband said this was "amazing".  I am beginning to think he just says that every time he eats though.  These were definitely nice to just throw together and they incorporate some of my favorite things in life... tortillas, basil, goat cheese, tomatoes.  Delicioso!

Spicy Pasta Salad with Smoked Gouda, Tomatoes and Basil

I made this pasta salad back in July and my sister has been requesting another batch so I made it for a BBQ yesterday.  It's very simple to make (I think I say this in every post) and is really fresh-tasting.  The spiciness can be almost non-existent (like the batch I made yesterday) or as intense as you want it - just add more adobo sauce or a chipotle pepper.  The first batch I made had more of a kick to it and I think I like it better like that.

I used fresh cherry tomatoes and basil from our garden - yum!

It is yet another Pioneer Woman recipe - and not the last for the week.  Click Me for the recipe!

My sister says it's one of her favorite pasta salads ever... so give it a try! Especially if you like smoked gouda.

Tomato Basil & Cheddar Bites

Obviously, no recipe is needed for these because every ingredient is listed in the name.  I was having friends over and wanted something to serve while we waited for the actual meal.  I just picked some fresh basil and cherry tomatoes from our garden, chopped cheddar into bite sized bits and put them on toothpicks.  They were easy to eat and deliciously fresh.  A nice little addition to a summer bbq.

Oh, and, I realize these would be delicious little caprese bites with the use of fresh mozzarella - but I didn't have any and used what was available to me.

I'm feeling that strong urge to cook + bake, but have been too busy so far this week.  Tomorrow night I'm squeezing in the time to make a dessert, that's all there is to it.