Israeli Salad

One of my first jobs was working in an Israeli Restaurant in the Valley. I learned a lot that summer. Not only did I waitress, but I cooked and learned how to prepare so many amazing Israeli dishes. This was a Mom and Pop restaurant and Mom and Pop didn't speak very much English. So we did a lot of communicating through our love of food. One of my favorite dishes that I ate every day was Israeli Salad. It is such an easy delicious addition to any meal. All you need are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, preferably red, lemon juice, Olive Oil and I added grilled corn for fun. I am so lucky to have so many nice friends who are growing abundant amounts of veggies in their garden, I am able to make my favorite Israeli Salad.

 

Dice Cucumbers

Dice Tomatoes

Dice onions

 

Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon

Israeli Salad

Ingredients

• 6 cucumbers, diced
• 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• Grilled Corn on the Cob (corn cut off cob)
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and corn together in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to serve.I have linked up with these fabulous recipes!
   
   

MOORE Pasta Puccini Salad and a Garden Party

This is my favorite Cold Pasta Salad to make for a Garden Party, BBQ, or any warm day. The ingredients are fresh and flavorful. I use a small pasta, Acini de Pepe, which adds to the texture in a slight and not overpowering way, not giving you the sense of a mouthful of pasta. It looks like an Israeli Couscous, but it really is a pasta.

I co-hosted a neighborhood Garden Party with our dear neighbors, they are in their 80's, but they run circles around me. I just love their energy, great health, wisdom, upbeat attitude  and love for travel. They have just returned  from Florence for the umpteenth time, I would like to be like them when I grow up!

Moore's Pasta Puccini

I woke up the next day and completely forgot to add an ingredient, it was still delicious! Pine Nuts!

Cashew Asparagus Pasta

Judy's Pasta Salad with Cannellini Beans and Artichoke hearts. Delicious

Lentil Salad~ a wonderful combination of veggies and citrus, delicious cold.

A beautiful array of wonderful dishes for our Pot Luck. It just turned out to be all Vegetarian.

Lovely Garden, wonderful design, love the bordering rocks

One of the beautiful Gardens.

A lovely Hydrangea

 

A lovely spot to enjoy a cocktail.

Men discussing ART

New Friends

Thank you for the lovely party, I am so lucky to have such wonderful neighbors and friends.

 Moore Pasta Puccini
Ingredients

1 lb Acini De Pepe Pasta
1 bunch Basil chiffonade
6 ounces Kalamata Olives pitted and chopped
1 6 Ounces Goat Cheese
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes quartered
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Pine Nuts ( browned)

Directions

In a large pot bring salted water to a boil, add pasta, cook as directed on package, until pasta is Al Dente. Drain and let come to room temperature.

In a separate large bowl, add Olive Oil, Tomatoes, Basil, Goat Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Pine Nuts and toss to coat, add fresh ground pepper. After the pasta has cooled, add to the other ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator. Toss when ready to serve. Sprinkle Basil Chiffonade over pasta.
This post has been linked up to these fabulous blogs:

Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

We eat a LOT of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in our home.  We love Grilled Cheese sandwiches so much, that my best friend bought us a Panini maker, oh what a world it is! So when I saw that Mom's Crazy Cooking was having a Grilled Cheese Cooking Challenge, the recipe combinations started going through my head. I typed in Grilled Cheese on Pinterest and it was a Grilled Cheese Extravaganza.........yes, I had made it to Grilled Cheese Heaven and I wasn't going back. There I found the recipe that had me drooling, Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Two Peas and Their Pod. ( For this cooking challenge, one must use a recipe from another blog in that exact recipe) Perfect! It is Cinco De Mayo, I am making this a traditional Cinco de Mayo Grilled Cheese!

Mash up two avocados, set aside.

Add chopped red onion, garlic, tomatoes to the mashed avocados.

Add chopped Cilantro. Squeeze lemon juice over guacamole, add salt and pepper to taste, mix well.

 

Use Crusty White Bread for sandwiches.

Butter outer side of bread, place tablespoon of guacamole on bread, top with sliced cheddar cheese, grill both sides of bread until golden brown.

 

This was the best Grilled Cheese that I have ever had.Perfect sandwich for Cinco de Mayo or just for a Saturday meal! Scroll down and click #82 if you love this recipe!

Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5-7 minutes

The guacamole takes this grilled cheese sandwich to a whole new level of goodness.

Ingredients:

To make the guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
1/2 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño, stems and seeds removed, minced ( I didn't have this on hand, but I would make it with a jalapeno next time)
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice ( I used fresh lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1 Roma tomato, chopped
4 slices crusty white bread
4 slices Cheddar cheese ( I used Sharp White Cheddar)
Butter, for buttering bread

Directions:

1. To make the guacamole-cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a large bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Add the chopped tomato and stir.
2. Heat a pan or griddle to medium-high heat. Spread desired amount of guacamole on both slices of bread then top with cheese. Butter outer slices of bread and grill on one side for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flip the sandwich and grill until golden brown. Make the other sandwich the same way and serve warm. Vote for #82 if you love this recipe! Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod. Go check out the other delicious grilled cheeses, they all look amazing! This post has been linked up to these fabulous blogs!




Easy Summer Quiche

Easy Summer Quiche

Summer tomatoes- they are abundant now and I have all kinds of ideas for them. Since I have a lot of eggs and a lot of veggies- a quiche sounds delightful! I love quiche! Yes quiche for breakfast, for lunch, for brunch, for dinner and for a snack.Okay- I am getting carried away since I am the only one in my family that is going for that idea- but hey I can dream right??? I also have Swiss chard that I steamed for last night's dinner. Plus some yummy potatoes that I cubed and baked with olive oil and sea salt. You can use anything that you like for a quiche- experiment- see what combinations you like.

This serves 8-10 small slices, 6-8 large slices.

Perfect for a party- your guests will swoon- I was swooning when it came out of the oven- I love it warm and oozing with cheese.

Serve your quiche with a garden salad for lunch or dinner, fresh fruit for breakfast or brunch.


Easy Summer Quiche


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 onion minced sauteed
• 1/2 cup Swiss chard steamed
• 1/4 cup cubed potatoes cooked
• 1 (9 inch) baked pie crust
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Over medium- low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, Swiss chard and potatoes. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
3. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set and is golden brown.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com