Rosemary-Cheddar Potato Frittata

Not everyone has a green thumb.

Some people, and I must count myself among those people, can't grow anything. My mother (Rosemary) had a serious green thumb-we're talking Johnny Appleseed on crack green thumb; she could literally toss some seeds onto the ground and a few weeks later would have a spectacular garden. Not me. Frankly I'm just grateful we have a lawn.

Thankfully this time of year supermarkets are overflowing with the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs that other green thumb blessed individuals have grown so that people such as myself don't have to feel so bad for our green thumb deficiencies. Today I picked up some fresh, fragrant rosemary-my favorite herb for many reasons: its pungent flavor, it's herby Christmas-tree like smell but mostly because it reminds me of my mother and her incredible green thumb.

Here are some tips for selecting fresh rosemary in the supermarket:

• Make sure the leaves are a bright green with no black leaves.
• Look for stalks that are tender and not brittle.
• Fresh rosemary should have a strong evergreen like smell.
• Fresh rosemary stalks make great skewers for grilling, just look for firm stems.
• If your supermarket doesn't have fresh rosemary and you need to substitute dried, use 1 teaspoon of dried for every tablespoon of fresh.

Rosemary-Cheddar Potato Frittata

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups 1/2-inch diced potatoes

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

6 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup diced extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a shallow 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, shallot, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the rosemary. Spread the potatoes in an even layer in the pan. Cook the potatoes, stirring frequently, until tender-about 20-25 minutes.

Preheat a broiler.

Stir in the eggs, cheddar cheese and the remaining tablespoon of rosemary; reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and place under the broiler for 5 minutes or until very lightly browned on top.

Run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen, then slide the frittata onto a serving plate; cut into wedges to serve. Garnish if desired with additional rosemary.

Yield: 8 servings

Tomato, Avocado & Mozzarella Stack with Mango-Cilantro Dressing

My next door neighbor told me once (in her delightful British accent) that she hates when she makes a recipe that calls for some particular ingredient, say cilantro, and you only use a bit of it. But when you are at the supermarket you can't just buy a bit of it you need to buy the whole bunch. What are you to do with all the leftover cilantro?

My most recent recipe was for a grilled scallop salad that was drizzled with a cilantro dressing. Well, I had quite a bit of leftover cilantro and when I bought the mangoes they were 3 for $4.00 So I have one of those left as well. In the interest of not wasting food I thought I would put something together that would make good use of the leftovers.

This salad calls for fresh mozzarella. I am fortunate enough to have a (super) supermarket that makes mozzarella cheese fresh right in front of you in the store (it's quite fun to watch). When I bought it the other day it was still warm and wrapped up right in front of me...it melts in your mouth. Basically what I'm trying to say is try if you can to get fresh mozzarella cheese, the texture is just so much better than the prepackaged variety and worth the bit extra you may have to spend.

I thought of this after I ate the salad, but it would have been really good with thin slices of the mango added. The mango in the dressing really made this salad pop-I hope you think so too.

Tomato, Avocado & Mozzarella Stack with Mango-Cilantro Dressing

1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced

2 Large tomatoes, thinly sliced

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt, such as French Grey salt or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:

1/4 cup diced mango

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Fan 4 slices of avocado on each of four salad plates. Layer the tomato and mozzarella cheese (you can add a bit of dressing between each layer if you would like) on top of the avocado, evenly dividing and ending with tomato. Fan 2 small slices of avocado on top of the tomato. Sprinkle each salad with the cilantro and drizzle with a generous amount of the dressing. Season each with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

For the dressing: combine the mango, lime juice, olive oil, shallot, cilantro, salt and pepper in a blender container or small food processor; blend until smooth.

Yield: 4 stacks

Barefoot Bloggers: Smoked Salmon Dip with a Tasty Glitch

It's barefoot Thursday!

Today is the day when Barefoot Bloggers around the blogosphere prepare a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten. Today's recipe was selected by Ashley of The Spicy Skillet . Ashley chose Smoked Salmon Dip.

Well, I shopped late last night at Whole Foods Market right after my son's night time baseball game under the lights. It was 9:45 and the store was closing so I rushed around like a mad woman to gather my ingredients. No surprise here, but when I went to make the dip I realized that I forgot the cream cheese...only the base of whole dip!

After a quick scan of the fridge I spied a package of Boursin Pepper Gournay Cheese-close enough! So with a couple of adjustments we were in business for the dip! My little glitch I thought turned our rather tasty.

Smoked Salmon Dip (desperately) adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

1 (5.2 ounce) package Boursin Pepper Gournay Cheese

1/3 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon fresh horseradish

3 ounces smoked salmon, minced

Place the cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, dill and horse radish in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth. Add the salmon and pulse until combined. Serve with crudites or crackers.

Sugar Rush

I have a sweet tooth. I'm not ashamed to admit it. And quite honestly I'm not too particular about what kind of sweet. I love candy. I enjoy cakes, cupcakes, cookies. I like natural sugar sources like fruits and fruit juices (not nearly as much as candy and cakes, but hey I'm trying).

When I was emptying my cabinets for my recent kitchen makeover I found an enormous amount (ok maybe not enormous, but a lot) of sugar buried in the back of my once very inefficient kitchen cabinets. I promptly removed sugar from my supermarket shopping list and started baking.

I still have a 2 bags of confectioner's sugar and one bag of brown sugar. Any ideas of what else I can make to use them up??

Black and White Blondies

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese and the sugar for 3 minutes; scrape down the bowl as needed.

Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat for an additional minute.

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the blondies to cool before cutting into 16 squares. Prepare the icing.

White Icing

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

2-3 teaspoons milk

Black Icing

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon corn syrup

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

3 teaspoons cocoa powder

3-4 teaspoons milk

In two separate bowls combine the icing ingredients. Spread a thin layer of each icing on one half of each blondie. Let harden before serving.

Bagels , Pizza Dip and Whine

No one makes pizza and bagels like they do in New York.

I have heard it has to do with the water, but who knows? Can water really make that much of a difference? All I know is that, as a former New Yorker, the two things I always find myself longing for are New York bagels: slightly chewy with a slight (very slight) crisp outside and New York pizza: tender crisp crust with the perfect ratio of cheese to sauce.

When it comes to pizza, most people I ask around here in Connecticut seem to prefer thick crust pizza with lots of sauce and cheese-it's fork and knife pizza and frankly I don't want any part of that. If you can't fold it and eat it on the run, what's the point? So for decent pizza, a trip to New York is pretty much required. (Although a recently opened Pepe's Pizza in Manchester, CT -originating on Wooster St. in New Haven- has shown great promise.)

On the bagel front, It's possible to get a fairly decent substitute for New York style bagels in our local supermarket or Whole Foods Market. Not the same mind you, but a fairly good stand in. Just be sure to give the bagels a little squeeze (please use the tissue paper or tongs for goodness sake though) just to make sure they are fresh. I often dream that one day some "city tired" bagel maker or pizza man will wander up Interstate 91 and make a new home for himself in Connecticut. (While they're coming if they could bring along an authentic Greek Queens diner owner that would be great too).

Our book group recently had a movie night to which I brought a pizza dip (technically a New England style pizza without the crust-lots of sauce and cheese). I love this recipe because it covers my two most frequent cravings with one appetizer. The dip is pretty common and there are countless variations-I can't say for sure where it originated I have just always made it.

When I first started making the dip I would use French bread as the dipper; but I have since found that bagels, because they are a bit sturdier, hold up best with the thick cheese and pepperoni in the dip. Try to find Italian seasoned, Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese bagels for best results. Better yet, if you can journey to New York-since their bagels are perfect-then any flavor bagel will do.

Pizza Dip with Bagels

12 ounces (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup pizza sauce or favorite tomato sauce

1 cup small diced pepperoni

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2-3 large bagels, cut into 1/4 inch thick circles or slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream and Italian seasoning. Spread into the bottom of a small pie plate or shallow baking dish.

Spread the sauce in an even layer over the cheese. Top the sauce with the pepperoni, basil and the mozzarella cheese. Bake in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Allow dip to cool slightly before serving; serve with the bagel slices.

Note: there are countless pizza toppings you can substitute or add to the pepperoni-that's just our favorite-experiment and enjoy!

Churrasco Burgers

When summer comes one of the first things we like to dust off and haul out of the garage is our charcoal grill. Grilling is year round for us, but the snowy deck makes it difficult to use anything other than our big gas grill. I'll be honest, I really do think charcoal grilling reigns supreme-there is just something about that charcoal taste and the gas grill just doesn't compare.

Today's recipe is a grand prize winning recipe I created for a World Harbors contest (ironically the prize was a gas grill for tailgating!) The World Harbor sauces have since become staples in our house-in particular the Argentine style Chimichurri flavor. Chimichurri is fairly simple to make from scratch and I'll probably add a recipe for that down the road, but when you are in a rush (and who isn't these days at dinner time?) or if you are tailgating, this sauce is a great fill in. The sauces can be found in the condiment section of the supermarket usually near the salad dressings.

In South America, churrasco refers to meat that is cooked over mesquite charcoal usually in a pit dug right in the ground. Traditionally the meat was cooked on spits and the cowboys or gauchos would use their churrasco knives to cut a portion of the meat off. These burgers combine mesquite charcoal grilled meat with onions grilled in World Harbors Argentine Style Chimichurri …no churrasco knife needed.

Churrasco Burgers with Argentine Style Chimichurri Onions

Mesquite Charcoal (optional)
Chimichurri onions:
1 bottle World Harbors Argentine Style Chimichurri
2 large red onions, peeled

Patties:
2 1/2 pounds freshly ground certified Angus Chuck
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Oil to brush the grill
6 Mexican Bolillo buns (Telera ,Portuguese or kaiser rolls may be substituted if Bolillo buns are unavailable)

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover using mesquite charcoal, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the Chimichurri onions, pour the bottle of World Harbors Argentine Style Chimichurri into a large bowl. Slice the red onion and separate into rings. Add the onions to the chimichurri in the bowl and toss to coat the onions completely. Pour the mixture into a 10 inch non-stick, fireproof skillet. Cover with a lid, and place on the grill rack. Cook the onion mixture for 15-20 minutes or until onions are very tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the grill and set aside and cover to keep warm.

To make the patties, season the beef with the salt and garlic in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Form the mixture into six equal sized patties, shaped to fit the buns.

Brush the grill rack lightly with oil. Place the patties on the grill rack, cover and cook, turning once until done to preference, 5-6minutes on each side for medium. During the last few minutes of cooking, arrange buns, cut side down on the outer edges of the grill rack and lightly toast.

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on the bottom half of each toasted roll and top with a generous portion of the chimichurri onions, evenly dividing. Top with the remaining bun halves and serve. Makes 6 burgers.

"Summer Blowout" Blueberry Orange Bars

Supermarkets and farmer's markets are usually overflowing with fresh berries this time of year. More often than not supermarkets are offering "buy one pint get one free" deals when berries are plentiful so it's a great time to stock up.

I will usually use one pint and freeze the other-as is-not washed. I wash them once I thaw them since when frozen wet ice crystals often form on the berries and once thawed they do not seem to work as well for baking recipes. If you do prefer to wash them first (which I'll admit I sometimes do just so I can eat them frozen right from the freezer) just be sure to let them dry completely before trying to freeze them.

Tonight is my book group meeting and I wanted to bring something sweet along.

We're reading: Summer Blowout by Claire Cook (Of "Must Love Dogs" fame). It's a cute beach novel-great vacation read. We are reading it because one of the members of my book group: "The Women Not in Need of Botox Book group" was fortunate enough to win an essay contest and won signed copies of the book for all the club members and a phone interview with Claire at our book club meeting. I'm not sure what she wrote to win, but I'm told there was some mention of an unfortunate incident last summer when I had a bat land in my often "bat's nest looking head of hair" and then it bit my wrist when I swatted it away. Not to worry, I have since had a complete series of rabies shots - so if I should find myself face to face with a rabid raccoon I'm ready. But I digress. Blueberry-Orange bars are what I came up with as a refreshing "Summer Blowout" treat.

Blueberry-Orange Bars

1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar plus additional for dusting

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tablespoons

2 tablespoon sour cream

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 cup fresh (not frozen) blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Fill a large bowl halfway up with ice cubes and water.

Combine 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the confectioner's sugar and 1 teaspoon of the orange zest in a food processor. Add the butter, sour cream and orange extract; pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball.

With lightly floured hands, press the dough into the baking dish. Use a small rolling pin if you have one or use an orange to roll the dough into an even layer. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized sauce pan whisk together the sugar, salt, egg yolks, milk, remaining orange zest and the orange juice; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and place the pot into the bowl with ice water stirring until cooled. Stir in the blueberries.

Pour the the blueberry mixture into the partially cooked crust and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until custard is firm and edges are golden brown. Cool in the refrigerator. When completely cooled, cut into squares and dust lightly with confectioner's sugar.

Yield: 16 squares