September Re-Make Recap

How is it the end of September already? I swear time goes by faster now that I'm an adult (well, I've been an adult for quite awhile now but you know what I mean). September really seemed to fly by. Tomorrow is October, a very big month in our little family. Baby Girl will turn 4 (I can't believe that either) and SP and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Pretty crazy, if you ask me. September was a delicious month in our house. I've really been making an effort to revisit old favorites from my blog and this month was no exception.

I can't believe it's been 2 years since I made this cheesy zucchini rice. That's a real shame because it's so delicious and I love that it's a veggie and starch in one side dish. Brilliant.

I try to make one Tex-Mex meal a week. It had been awhile since I made these chicken tostadas and I needed to rectify that. These are so perfect every single time.

This broccoli pesto pasta is another dish I love because it's got everything mixed together. Not that we have trouble eating our veggies in this house but I love keeping things simple and this dish definitely fits the bill.

I made these flatbread pizzas every Friday for two months straight. They're just that good. Now that the weather is changing I'm planning to get some pizza dough and use the same roasted tomato method for our weekly pizza. I can't wait.

When I first made Lidia's meat sauce bolognese I froze 2-cup portions for easy weeknight meals. I pulled the first batch out this month and boy was it tasty.

We've brought back Sunday dinners at my parent's house and my mom requested something on the healthier side. I decided Cobb salad would be a nice, simple meal. I prepped everything at home, used a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make it even easier and we all enjoyed our meal.

I wanted an easy meal one night and turned to these sweet ham and Swiss sliders. This time I actually made the savory version of these (basically you leave out the brown sugar and use fresh onion rather than dried powder) and we preferred that version. If you haven't tried these yet you need to change that ASAP.

I may not be much of a soup person but this chicken gnocchi soup has always been one of my favorites. I served it with the ham and Swiss sliders so I left out the chicken and swapped the gnocchi for elbow macaroni. It was still delicious.

I'm kicking myself for not remaking these black bean patties with corn relish and avocado cream sooner. Seriously, this is an incredible meal. Baby Girl loved it the first time but this time she was practically swooning, telling me what a great cook I am and devouring her dinner. I said it before but this is a restaurant-quality meal that's so simple to make. And the flavors are fantastic. I can't let another year go by before I remake this again.

I had a hankering for bacon, brie, lettuce, tomato, avocado sandwiches one day so I immediately put them on the following week's menu. I really love these sandwiches because they're an upscale twist on the classic BLT.

This taco rice is a great way to satisfy a taco craving. It's always a favorite in our house.

Ever since I made these Bang Bang chicken skewers for a recipe swap I've been obsessed with them. We're getting to the end of grilling season as the weather gets cooler so I wanted to make them again before I had to take my grilling indoors. This time I doubled the sauce recipe so we'd have plenty for the chicken and the veggies. It's so good over rice or couscous.

Nothing goes better with the Bang Bang chicken skewers than this grilled sriracha broccoli. I love the glaze.

I wanted to remake these IHOP-style pancakes, with an eye to freezing most of them, but unfortunately the word buttermilk got separated into butter and milk on the shopping list and SP thought I'd gone crazy since those two things appeared further down on the list. I subbed regular milk, which was fine, but they lacked the zing from the buttermilk. I guess I'll just have to make these again.

I was skeptical the first time I made this cheese tortellini with pumpkin alfredo but it ended up being delicious. Now that fall is here and pumpkin is all the rage I thought I'd revisit it, with sliced Italian sausage on the side. Perfection.

This Texas roadhouse knockoff salad has become my go-to side salad. There's just something about the combination of lettuce, tomato, hard boiled egg, cheddar cheese, croutons and ranch dressing.

For the last Sunday dinner of the month SP spent hours in the kitchen making Lidia's sugo with sausage meatballs. This is a killer meal I wish we could make more often. Thankfully I was able to freeze three meatballs and some sauce for another time.

Overnight Baked French Toast

Have you ever seen that episode of King of the Hill where Peg says to Hank, "Remember that time we had breakfast for dinner?" and he says, "Never again." I feel like we've inadvertently fallen into that mindset. The problem with breakfast for dinner is that it rarely lends itself to leftovers. And leftovers are pretty much all we eat for lunch during the week.

With me working from home and a few dinners on the meal plan that made more leftovers than we needed I figured I may be able to get away with breakfast for dinner during the week. When I asked SP what he might want he immediately said French toast. Rather than standing over the stove I decided to go with an Overnight Baked French Toast. You assemble the whole thing the night before and just bake it when you're ready to eat. Perfect.

When I told Baby Girl we were having breakfast for dinner she was so psyched. I don't think she's ever had breakfast for dinner so this blew her little mind. I was pretty proud of my fancy bread arranging in the casserole dish.

I served the French toast with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. The only issue I had with the French toast was the top of the bread didn't absorb the milk and egg mixture so it was crunchy rather than soft. Next time I think I need a bigger casserole dish so I can lay the slices flat. But the flavor was spot on. I halved the original recipe (printed below) because we didn't need that much food and it was perfect for the three of us.

Overnight Baked French Toast
As seen on Our Best Bites

8 eggs
2 cups half and half (one pint)
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lb loaf of french bread
softened butter for greasing baking dish (2-3 tablespoons)

Topping
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cold butter

For Serving
melted butter
maple syrup
powdered sugar
berries
whipped cream

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add half and half and milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

Cut bread into 1 inch chunks or into thin slices. Butter bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish. Place the bread in the dish. Whisk egg mixture then pour evenly over bread. Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss bread. Spread out evenly, cover dish, and refrigerate overnight.

Add brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine. Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add to bowl. Break up butter and combine mixture until crumbly. Cover and place in fridge until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle topping evenly over top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares. Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

Mini Apple Pies

How adorable are these Mini Apple Pies? My friend asked me to make apple pie for our Southern dinner. I remembered that Lishie had made mini apple pies for a recipe swap awhile back so I went in search of the recipe.

These were so awesome and really easy to make. You all know I don't really bake so just stirring a few things together was right up my alley. I loved that these made individual servings rather than a big pie. We served these with some vanilla ice cream for a delicious treat after a tasty Southern meal.

Mini Apple Pies
As seen on DeLish Lishie

2 large honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
Juice of 2 lemons, plus the zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 sheets refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium bowl, combine apples, lemon juice & zest, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss gently then set aside.

Unroll pie crust onto a work surface. Using a 4"-wide biscuit cutter, cut out six circles from each sheet, reserving scraps. Press each circle inside spaces of a muffin tin.

Evenly divide apple mixture into each prepared muffin cup. Cut reserved dough scraps into strips 1/4-inch. Top each pie with strips in a basket weave pattern or with cut shapes.

Bake until the crust is browned, about 18-20 minutes. Let pies cool in muffin tin, then remove.

Rather Rich Corn Muffins

It's been awhile since I made cornbread so when I needed a great recipe for the Southern dinner I was making with a friend I asked the ladies on my cooking board for suggestions. These Rather Rich Corn Muffins sounded awesome.

This recipe made a ton of batter - I got 36 muffins from it - which was a good thing because these were a big hit with the adults and kids alike. Mine didn't get golden brown, but they were baked in my friend's oven on the convection setting so that may have been the reason. Regardless, the flavor was amazing. I'll definitely be making these again.

Rather Rich Corn Muffins
As seen on Fake Ginger, from The Pastry Queen

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarse cornmeal plus extra to sprinkle over
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh corn kernels or canned corn, drained (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease 36 standard muffin cups or line them with disposable muffin wrappers.

Pour the butter, cream, and eggs into the large bowl. Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt on top. Stir until the ingredients are combined and not lumpy. Stir the corn into the batter, if using.

Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full with the batter. Sprinkle cornmeal over the tops of the muffins. Bake the muffins for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly brown; they should spring back when you touch the tops lightly with your fingertips.

They are best served warm, and are equally delicious toasted and buttered.

Recipe Swap: IHOP-style Pancakes

The Blogger's Choice recipe swap is back and I received Kate's blog. I had a tough time deciding which recipe to pick before I landed on these IHOP-style Pancakes. I've been searching forever for a fluffy, thick pancake recipe and couldn't wait to try these.

These were absolutely perfect - light, fluffy and a little tangy from the buttermilk. The recipe made enough that I could freeze what we didn't eat for breakfast. They reheated beautifully. I microwaved them for a few seconds to thaw and then toasted them in the toaster oven. They tasted just like the day I made them. I can't wait to make another batch. I've finally found my go-to pancake recipe. Thank you so much Kate!

IHOP-style Pancakes
As seen on Kate’s Recipe Box, from Cookin Up North

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter and sugar.

Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter onto the cooking surface for each pancake. Allow to cook until bubbles begin to form on the top. Lift the edge of each pancake to see if the bottom is golden brown. Once it is, use a large spatula to carefully flip the pancake. Cook the other side until light golden. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

To freeze: place cooked pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with cling wrap. Cover with more cling wrap and freeze the baking sheet until the pancakes are frozen. Place frozen pancakes in a freezer bag. Store for up to 6 months.

To see what else was made in the swap click the links below.

Collard Greens

We got together with some friends recently and the theme was Southern cooking. One of the dishes I was tasked with making was collard greens. I love collards at our favorite BBQ place so I looked for a similar recipe.

These had awesome flavor but were incredibly salty, so much so that they were basically inedible. As a result I modified the recipe below, omitting the salt in Paula's house seasoning. I'll definitely be making these again with the modification. They really were delicious, even if the picture doesn't do them justice.

Collard Greens
Recipe modified from Paula Deen

1/2 pound smoked meat (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon hot red pepper sauce
1 large bunch collard greens
1 tablespoon butter


In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, black pepper, garlic powder, seasoned salt and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.

Wash the collard greens thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-ince thick slices.

Place greens in pot with meat and add butter. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the meat from the ham hock, etc. and add to the collards.

Tropical Chicken Kabobs

As summer winds down I've been thinking back to some of my favorite summer meals. One thing I loved this summer were skewers. My favorite was definitely the Bang Bang Chicken Skewers, but really you can thread some meat and veggies on skewers, grill them up and my family will devour them. These Tropical Pork Kabobs were no exception.

I rarely cook pork so the first thing I did was swap it out for chicken. I also prefer to keep each ingredient on its own skewer(s) since they have different cooking times. I goofed and forgot to defrost the chicken early enough to marinate it overnight, something I highly recommend so the flavors have time to really seep into the meat.

We all enjoyed this with couscous. There really is nothing like grilled meat and veggies in the summer.

Tropical Chicken Kabobs
As seen on The Barbee Housewife, from So Tasty, So Yummy

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch cubes
1 pineapple or 1 20 oz. can, cut in 1 inch cubes
1 onion, cut in 1 inch cubes
1 zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 lb. whole button mushrooms

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, garlic, chili garlic sauce, and brown sugar. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the marinade. Place the chicken and the marinade, in a plastic bag, keeping the reserved aside. Marinate overnight.

Pre-heat the grill. Skewer the chicken, pineapple, onion, zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms. Place the skewers on the grill, baste with the reserved marinade every time you turn the skewers. Cook until the chicken is done, about 6 minutes per side. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

I was so in love with this meal I pushed it to the front of my queue so I could share it with you guys right away.

Chicken nuggets are usually thought of as kid food, but who doesn't love crispy, crunchy chicken? I can tell you it's always a hit in this house. And to toot my own horn a bit, I'm really good at frying chicken, at least boneless chicken. Juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside. I've been wanting to make homemade chicken nuggets and I searched for a good recipe for awhile before Our Best Bites published this one.

Yes, this isn't a healthy meal but there's just nothing like fried chicken, is there? You just don't get that same result with baking. Everything in moderation is my motto. The buttermilk and pickle juice marinade is key here. It imparted a delicious, subtly briny tang. I served the nuggets with cheesy zucchini rice, a side dish I always forget I love and kick myself for not making more often.

The homemade honey mustard was the perfect sauce for dipping. SP threw it together while I was finishing up the last batch of chicken and we all loved it. The original recipe calls for lemon juice but we didn't have any so we left it out and it was perfect as-is.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets
As seen on Our Best Bites

1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup dill pickle juice
3/4 cup buttermilk
Tabasco sauce (I didn't have any)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 cups panko
Canola, vegetable or peanut oil

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. In a gallon-sized food storage bag, combine pickle juice, buttermilk, and about 10 dashes of Tabasco sauce (if using, I didn't have any so I didn't use it and these were still amazing). Add the chicken and seal the bag, then refrigerate it for 1-4 hours.

When ready to cook, whisk together 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the flour, baking soda, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a large plastic food storage bag. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and water. Add the panko to a third shallow bowl. Begin heating about 2 inches of the oil in a heavy pot.

Place the chicken pieces into the flour and shake to coat. Roll the chicken in the egg, then roll to coat in the Panko. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

When the oil reaches 350 degrees, place 1/3 of the coated chicken pieces in the pan and cook, stirring gently and frequently, until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). Drain the cooked chicken on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve immediately.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Modified from All Recipes

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey

Mix together in a bowl. Serve immediately or cover and chill.

August Re-Make Recap

I feel like a broken record but I can't believe we're at the end of August already. It makes me so sad - I love summer and I always feel like it flies by. Fall is nice and all but then comes winter, my least favorite month, and I find myself anxious for spring. I can't help it - I'm not a fan of ice and snow but it's more about food. I hate not being able to cook the things I want. I'm going to miss fresh summer produce in the coming months.

As you can see, it was a delicious month.

Ever since I made the first batch of this baked oatmeal SP's been asking for it weekly. I always try some and still don't particularly like it, but I did give some to Baby Girl (not heated, just straight from the pan as I'm packing it up) and she's a big fan. I'll have to try giving her some heated to see what she thinks.

I brought this American macaroni salad to my friend Mary Ellen's house when she invited our family over for a cookout. It was a big hit.

I may not be a big fan of chili but this chili cornbread skillet is a family favorite. I love that the cornbread is baked right on top. I love having a bit of both chili and cornbread in each bite.

After making these Bang Bang chicken skewers for a recipe swap I fell in love. Hard. I made them again a few weeks later, making sure I had a bit more chicken, and SP and I still fought over the leftovers. I may need to completely double the recipe. It's just that good.

Every once in awhile I think back to some of the recipes we love that I haven't made in awhile. I can't believe how long it had been since I made these Cuban sandwiches. They're so easy and so delicious. Baby Girl was a big fan.

I've said it before, these refried beans are a must whenever I make Mexican food. If you like refried beans you need to try this recipe. It's incredibly easy and so tasty.

I've been making these flatbread pizzas once a week since I posted them. They're just so, so good. I've experimented with toppings, always using the same base of roasted tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. One week I added bacon for BLT flatbread pizzas. Another week I added mushrooms for SP. And another week I added crumbled Italian sausage. They were all fantastic.

When we go on vacation I like to make a few different things for breakfast before we leave so we can just heat something up in the morning. I made a batch of this sausage and spinach egg bake, as well as the baked oatmeal. I love this recipe - simple and delicious.

We pulled the rest of these chicken flautas out of the freezer and I fried them up for dinner. Even better this time since we got to enjoy all the deliciousness without any of the effort.

Caprese pasta is like summer in a bowl for me. Caprese is my absolute favorite flavor combination. I use it all summer long, usually for breakfast - egg salad made with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil, fried eggs on top of sliced tomatoes layered with basil and fresh mozzarella or a caprese omelet. I love it all.

Green Chile Chicken Tacos

People usually think of tacos as an easy weeknight meal. Not me. The filling might be easy but as I'm chopping up all the various toppings, filling bowl after bowl to put in the center of the dining room table, I find myself thinking "this is most certainly not an easy weeknight meal." Am I alone in this?

These Green Chile Chicken Tacos are worth it, though. The filling is certainly easy to put together - you're just chopping chicken, mixing with seasonings and cooking in a skillet before adding the green chiles. Simple. The toppings might take a bit more time to get together but they're all worth it. Even the lime wedges. I squeezed a bit of fresh lime juice over each of my tacos and it really brightens them up.

We all loved these. I increased the chicken to 1 1/2 pounds and it made enough for five tacos at dinner (although SP did overfill both of his tacos) and there was only enough leftover for two more tacos the next day. Baby Girl was, as she likes to say, a member of the clean plate club.

I can't wait to make this again, I'll just allow myself some more time for those pesky toppings.

Green Chile Chicken Tacos
As seen on So Tasty, So Yummy

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
4 ounce can chopped green chilies

taco shells/tortillas
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
guacamole
lime wedges

Whisk together the oil, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Toss the chicken in the mixture to coat. Can be done in advance and refrigerated until ready to cook.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chilies and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve.

Warm the taco shells and fill each with cheese, then top with hot chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and a squeeze of lime juice.

Meat Sauce Bolognese

The other night I was planning to make Weeknight Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner. But, as always seems to be the case before vacation, work was crazy and I didn't have an opportunity to make the meatballs in advance. By the time I was done with work the thought of rolling all those meatballs was daunting.

Thankfully SP suggested meat sauce instead. I turned to my go-to Italian cookbook - Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen - and found her recipe for Meat Sauce Bolognese.

I had all the ingredients on hand, but not the 2-3 hours to cook it. Never fear - this was incredible after only an hour, so don't be dissuaded by the proposed cook time. It was easy to throw together and let simmer on the stove while I cooked the angel hair, my current favorite pasta shape, and chopped the ingredients for this salad.

Meat Sauce Bolognese
Slightly modified from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely shredded (about 1/2 cup)
2 ribs celery, minced (about 1/2 cup)
Salt
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup dry red wine (or broth)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
28oz can crushed tomatoes
3 bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 cups hot water, or as needed

Heat the olive oil in a wide, 3 to 4-quart pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery, season with salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef and pork and continue cooking, stirring to break up the meat, until the meat is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat or remove the pan from the heat and use a crumpled paper towel to drain off any extra fat.

Add the wine (or broth) and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the wine is evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, toss in the bay leaves and season lightly with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is dense but juicy and a rich, dark red color. (Most likely, a noticeable layer of oil will float to the top toward the end of cooking.) This will take about 2 to 3 hours - the longer you cook it, the better it will become - but an hour is also fine.

While the sauce is cooking, add hot water as necessary to keep the meats and vegetables covered. The oil can be removed with a spoon or reincorporated in the sauce.

Serve over pasta.

Recipe Swap: Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil and Chevre

The theme for this recipe swap was Summer Salads and I lucked out with this delicious Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil and Chevre from Coleen at The Redhead Baker. I'd been drooling after this recipe since she posted it, so I wasted no time making it for dinner.

We all loved this salad. A few months ago Baby Girl finally decided she loves tomatoes, so this was right up her alley, especially with the goat cheese. She'd eat a whole log of that stuff, if I let her. I loved the dressing, especially, with the bright tang of the vinegar mixing with the sweet goodness of the tomatoes.

But, in all honesty, I don't think heirloom tomatoes are necessary for this recipe. I did buy them - as luck would have it a rep from the farm that supplies a lot of produce to my supermarket was in the store handing out free samples of their heirloom tomatoes that day - but they were twice the price of regular tomatoes. And we honestly couldn't tell the difference. Yes, they look gorgeous, but since tomatoes tend to be pretty awesome this time of year I'd just substitute a good ol' beefsteak tomato and save yourself a few bucks.

Check out the other summer salads from this swap by clicking on the thumbnail pics below.

Heirloom Tomato Salad
As seen on The Redhead Baker, barely adapted from Cooking Light

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 lbs heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Grate the garlic into the mixture using a microplane, and add the kosher salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
Add the basil and tomatoes; toss to coat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

Divide into bowls, top each bowl with some of the goat cheese and serve.

Weekend in Philly

We spent the night in Philadelphia this past weekend and had such amazing food I wanted to do a post just to show off the deliciousness. I'm going to start at the end of our trip since I'm still drooling over our meal at Shake Shack. I've been making a knock-off version of these burgers for awhile now but trying the real thing was a revelation. So, so, so amazingly good. I can't wait to go back. We'll definitely be trying a milkshake next time.

We each got a double ShackBurger - cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce. Double was the way to go. It was the perfect bread to meat ratio. The toppings were fresh and delicious but my favorite part was the crispy crust. Words really cannot describe how good this was.

We'd been told to get the cheese fries - crispy fries coated in a sauce made with American and cheddar cheeses.

One thing to note - for as long as anyone can remember (my mom will vouch for this) I've been disappointed by the real deal vs. the food-styled versions of food. Apparently I'd pitch a fit in fast food restaurants when I was a kid because the food I was served looked nothing like the pictures I'd seen on TV or even the menu in the store. But Shake Shack doesn't suffer from this problem. Our burgers, our whole order actually, looked exactly like every single photo I've ever seen of Shake Shack food. This is a very big deal to me and I was thrilled that I was given exactly what I was expecting.

I apologize for these photos not being better - the lighting in the restaurant was low and romantic, which wasn't good for taking pictures. Saturday night we went to the Oyster House for dinner. It had come highly recommended and we weren't disappointed. SP started with a gin and tonic made with royal dock gin and fever tree tonic, while I had the French fox - champagne, gin, campari, and lemon. I really enjoyed this but my favorite of my two cocktails (which I didn't get a picture of) was a concoction the bartender had just come up with - cantaloupe puree, alcohol and cucumber were involved. It was light and refreshing and dangerously addictive.

I started with a half-dozen oysters. I like them nice and briny and our waitress (she was incredibly attentive and helpful with oyster and cocktail recommendations) thought I'd enjoy the Naked Cowboy and East Beach Blondes. She also gave me a free oyster to try - a Wellfleet. They were all fantastic; I couldn't decide which were my favorite.

As soon as I saw whole belly Ipswich clams on the menu I knew we had to order them. They were perfectly fried and delicious.

I ordered the lobster roll, served with fresh hand-cut fries. Per our waitress's recommendation I opted for the chilled New England version - a little mayo and celery - to let the lobster meat shine. This was, hands down, the best lobster roll I've ever had. I've been searching for years for a good version that's mostly lobster meat and I finally found it. Simple perfection. Just look at those huge chunks of meat.

SP got the scallops, which were served with bulgar, sliced peaches, pistachios, tomatoes and an herb-yogurt sauce. I was a bit wary of how everything would come together but this was positively divine. The herb-yogurt sauce really made it for me. SP was gracious enough to give me a whole scallop and I made sure each bite had a little bit of everything on it.

We walked around a bit after dinner, went back to our hotel to watch an episode of Sherlock (have you seen this show? If not, find the time to watch it) and then we ventured back out for gelato at Capogiro. I love that you can sample any flavor you want before ordering. I ended up with the Thai coconut milk and peanut butter, SP got the mocha and Thai coconut milk. We were in heaven.