summer macaroni and cheese

1 ear fresh corn
1 medium red pepper, diced, about 2/3 cup
1 small zucchini
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Butter or nonstick cooking spray
1 cup uncooked small elbow macaroni
1 Tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat oven to 375°F Grease a quart baking dish with butter, oil or nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Remove the corn from the cob and place in a bowl. Add the diced red pepper. Slice the zucchini, creating four long strips with green and discarding the center of the zucchini. Dice the green strips and add to the other vegetables. Heat a large non-stick pan, add one tablespoon of butter and cook the vegetables until tender crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside.



Cook macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until outside is cooked but center is still firm. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water; set aside. 

In saucepan over medium-high melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Over low heat whisk in the milk and stir until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese and dry mustard. Stir in drained pasta and vegetables. Spread pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

macaroni & cheese tips

1. When it comes to macaroni and cheese, the more cheese the better. My rule of thumb is double the volume of cheese to uncooked macaroni. There is no such thing as too much cheese.

2. If you want to add a crunchy topping Panko bread crumbs are ideal, because they are crisp right out of the bag (or box).

3. Undercook your pasta. If you don’t, it will be overcooked by the time you finish baking it. Drain it well and rinse it with cool water or it will keep cooking while you are assembling your casserole.

4. A pinch of dry mustard adds intensity and makes cheddar cheese taste even sharper.

5. Two cheeses are better than one! Three cheeses are even better than two. Different cheeses add more complexity. In addition to the classic cheddar try parmesan, gruyere, goat cheese or even brie.

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Lemon Chicken Romano

Ingredients

• 2 (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, halved horizontally*, and pounded to 1/2-inch thick
• 2 oz shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup)
• 2 oz shredded Provolone cheese (1/2 cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 oz finely shredded Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• Zest of 1 lemon (2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon slices or wedges for serving (you can just use the one that was zested)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle each side of the chicken cutlet lightly with salt (about 1/16 tsp per each side), let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Combine Mozzarella and Provolone cheese in a bowl, set aside.
• In a shallow dish, whisk together flour and egg until smooth. In a separate shallow dish, toss together Panko bread crumbs, Romano cheese, oregano, lemon zest, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp pepper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working with 1 chicken cutlet at a time, dredge chicken in egg mixture coating both sides and allowing excess to run off, then immediately transfer to Romano mixture and coat both sides with mixture, while pressing gently to allow crumbs to adhere. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat process with remaining chicken cutlets. Pour 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and vegetable oil into a 10-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add 2 coated chicken cutlets and fry without moving them until bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes, then using metal tongs rotate to opposite side and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer fried chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat process with remaining 2 pieces of chicken.
• Place cutlets on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle tops with Mozzaralle cheese mixture and transfer to preheated oven to bake until internal temperature registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometor, about 12 minutes (you can broil during the last 1 - 2 minutes if desired). Remove from oven and garnish with lemon slices or wedges, serve warm. Squeeze fresh lemon juice from lemon slices over chicken just before enjoying.
• *freeze chicken breasts for 15 minutes to help slice easier, then lye breast flat and trim into two pieces through the thickness of the breast.

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Creamy Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

• 3 cups fresh blackberries
• 3 cups yogurt cheese (or Greek yogurt)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk ( 14 ounce can, it's fine if it's a bit more or a bit less)

1. In a blender, puree the blackberries with the sweetened condensed milk.
2. In a medium bowl mix the puree with the yogurt cheese.
3. Pour the mixture in to your ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions.

Source:

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Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija

The amounts given here are truly just guidelines. Feel free to stretch or diminish depending on your taste and the ingredients you are working with.

INGREDIENTS

Watermelon Mint Feta Salad

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup lime juice (4-6 limes, depending on how big and juicy the limes are)
• A quarter of a medium sized watermelon, rind removed, black seeds removed (if there are any), chopped into 1-inch cube-ish pieces, about 8 cups
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Watermelon Jicama Cilantro Cotija Salad

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup lime juice (4-6 limes, depending on how big and juicy the limes are)
• A quarter of a medium sized watermelon, rind removed, black seeds removed (if not seedless), chopped into 1-inch cube-ish pieces, about 8 cups
• 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 1-2 cups chopped peeled jicama
• 1 serrano chili pepper, stem removed, seeded, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Pinch of cumin, to taste

METHOD

1 Soak the chopped red onion in the lime juice while you are prepping the other ingredients, about 15 minutes.

2 Gently combine all ingredients into a large serving bowl.

Serve immediately. Salad will get soggy if kept overnight.

Yield: Serves 6-8.

Source: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/watermelon_salad_with_feta_or_cotija/

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Summer cheese

Care for some cheese and wine? Definitely one of my favorite meals...!! I can have cheese and wine all year long but I love this summery plate with lighter and softer cheeses...leaving the strong cheddar and blue cheeses for Fall and Winter days. BTW you can get the vintage silver fork cheese markers {here}. 

Savourer..!!

On the plate: 
* PARMIGIANO REGGIANO {chisel off a few pieces, drizzle with raw honey}
* CHEVRE // SOFT GOAT’S MILK CHEESE {rolled in finely chopped lemon thyme, chives, pinch of rosemary and ground pepper}
* MANCHEGO // AGED SHEEP’S MILK {with a bit of apricot jam}
* BABY MOZZARELLA // FRESH COW’S MILK {with slow roasted yellow tomatoes, basil and balsamic reduction- keep reading for recipe}
* Marcona Almonds
* Fresh Grapes or Figs
* Crostinis
* Seeded Crackers


Here is the recipe: 

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients
* 1 pint cherry tomatoes, whether red or orange or yellow or a combination, stemmed
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon natural cane sugar or maple syrup
* 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more to taste

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar or maple syrup, and a scant 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and gently toss until well coated. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, cut-side up, and roast, without stirring, until the tomatoes shrink a bit and start to caramelize around the edges, 45 to 60 minutes.
4. Nibble the roasted cherry tomatoes straight off the baking sheet. Or, if you aren’t using them immediately, let them cool and then scrape them into a clean glass jar along with any olive oil that was left in the baking dish or sheet. The tomatoes will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator.

Balsamic Reduction
Simmer balsamic vinegar until it reduces to 1/3 of its original volume. It will thicken even more as it cools. I suggest transferring it to some sort of glass vessel before it cools, as it is quite sticky.

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