Easy Bruschetta

Last Sunday night I cooked for my boyfriend and planned to make three things I have never made before. They were all successful! I am going to post each recipe in a new blog post. I am starting out with Bruschetta.
This was made first as an appetizer of course you have to like tomatoes to enjoy this. Which Jeremy isn't a fan but he ate some anyways to be nice. :) I also made 6 instead of 12. :)

Hunt's Easy Bruschetta


Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins
Makes 12 servings


1 French baguette (18 inches long), cut into 3/4 inch slices
1/4 cup virgin olive oil, divided
1 can (14.5 ounces) Hunt's petite diced tomatoes drained. ( I used a grocery store brand)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 package (2/3 ounces) fresh basil, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven 350. Place slices of bread on a baking sheet; brush tops with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake for 10 mins until lightly toasted.

Combine tomatoes, garlic, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and basil in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread tomato mixture evenly over toasted bread. Serve immediately.

Photos from this recipe Bruschetta Pics

Zucchini-Tomato Bake

This recipe was altered by my mom. So I have decided to just post the one from the book since I lost track of what she was adding. HA! The reason I made this was because we have so many zucchini and eggplants in the garden that we need to use some up. This called for both. I also used the cherry tomatoes we had grown. But I recommend the canned tomatoes so you can get the full juice out of them. I also served this over pasta and with take and bake cheesy bread from Harris Teeter

Note: This recipe is actually a side item! If you want to make it a meal for everyone double everything and serve it over pasta like I did. 
Ingredients:
1 pound eggplant, coarsely chopped
2 cups zucchini slices
2 cups mushroom slices
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh fennel (optional didn't add this)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can 14 1/2 ounces) no salt added whole tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar

Makes 6 servings (as a side dish.)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 3 sheets (18x12 inches) heavy-duty foil with nonstick cooking spray. Divide eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms into 3 portions. Arrange each portion on foil sheet.

2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, fennel (optional) and garlic. Cook and stir 3 to 4 mins or until onion is tender. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, basil and sugar. Cook and stir about 4 mins or until sauce thickens.

3. Pour sauce over eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms on the each individual foils. Double-fold sides and ends of foil to seal packets, leaving head space for heat circulation. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake 30 mins. Remove from oven. Carefully open on end of each packet to allow steam to escape. Open and transfer contents to serving dish. Garnish, if desired.



From the cookbook Incredibly Easy Italian

Photos from this recipe Zucchini Bake

Pizza Margherita

I am in love with this pizza! It's so healthy for you too! This was the first made from scratch pizza I have ever made (excluding making the pizza dough. That takes hours!) I made this for Jeremy and Asuka. It was so good there was no leftovers!

Fun Fact: This pizza was invented in 1889 and named after Margaret of Savory, the second queen of Italy. It's three colors-green basil, red tomatoes, and white cheese-represent the three stages of the Italian flag.

Ingredients:
1 can of pizza dough from grocery store
For the sauce:
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced (or a jar of minced garlic)
28-oz can whole tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

For the topping:
4 oz. baby bocconcini, thinly sliced or sliced mozzarella (I use already sliced mozzarella)
4 large basil leaves, roughly torn.

1. Spread out pizza dough on the pan and put aside

2. Preheat the oven to maximum setting, up to 550

3. Make the sauce by heating the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes and break them up into small chunks with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 15 to 20 mins, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened. Add salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes (Optional it makes it a little spicy) to taste.

4. Spread evenly on the pizza and leave a inch border around the sides of the pizza.

5. Distribute cheese slices around the pizza. Bake for 8-10 mins on a rack in the lower half of the oven, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle pieces of basil over the pizza. Slice into wedges and serve.

From cookbook: Mamma Mia - Frank Bordoni

New Feature! I have made a photobucket album with all the photos from my cooking experiences. This Recipe actually has a step by step like photos in this album. The Link is here Margherita Pizza Check out the photos! 

Asparagus with Parmesan and Eggs

I did this one night a few months ago when no one knew what they wanted to do for dinner and I was starving. I had some asparagus in the fridge and some eggs.So I went through my cookbooks for a recipe. I was pleasantly surprised with the yummy mixture of the two. It was amazing! No Pictures for this one though.

From Cookbook Mama Mia- Italian Food like Mamma used to make -Frank Bordoni
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
2lbs fresh asparagus
salt
6 tbsp. Butter
2 oz. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Trim the coarse, whitish ends from the asparagus spears. Boil the asparagus in salted water for about ten minutes. If you can keep the heads above the surface of the water, then do; steamed, they have a better chance of remaining intact.

2. Grease the bottom of a flat, ovenproof dish with a third of the butter. It should be large enough to accommodate the asparagus in two layers only.

3. When the asparagus has cooked, arrange it in the dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and dot with the remaining butter. Bake until the cheese and butter form a light brown crust-about ten minutes.

4. In the meantime, fry the eggs carefully. You must not break the yolks. (Which I did but it was still yummy!) To serve, divide the asparagus into four portions on heated plates. Slide a fried eggs over each portion. The crusty, cheesy asparagus is dipped in the egg yolks and eaten without cutlery.( I used a fork!)

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

I know I have made eggplant Parmesan before but this one has less hassle and is healthier for you! I changed the recipe to my liking but I am sure the regular recipe would be just as good. I served this with asparagus and melted mozzarella cheese over the asparagus. Yum!  I also served this with a dinner roll covered with pasta sauce and melted mozzarella cheese on top.

Ingredients:

• Eggplants           For 2 servings: 1 medium        For 4 servings: 2 medium         
• Olive Oil                                    2 teaspoons                     4 teaspoons
• Marinara Sauce or Pasta Sauce       1 Cup                                 2 Cups
• Part-Skim mozzarella cheese           2 ounces                             4 ounces

Preheat the oven to 400.
Trim both ends from each eggplant and slice them crosswise into 8 circles of equal thickness. (I also peeled them first and got rid of the skin!) Brush a baking sheet with half the olive oil , arrange the slices on it in a single layer and bake for 20 to 25 mins, or until the slices are browned on top and tender in the center.

Reduce oven temperature to 375.
Brush an 8x8 (or 9x13) baking pan with the renaming oil and arrange 4(or 8) eggplant slices in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Spoon half the marinara or pasta sauce evenly over the eggplant and top with half the mozzarella. Add a second layer of eggplant slices directly over the first to form sandwiches. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 mins, or until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Serve immediately.
Per Serving 248 calories.