September Dinner at Amy's

Goat Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper & Kalamata Olive Toasts (nobiggie.net)

8 oz cream cheese
8 oz goat cheese
2 TBLS fresh oregano finely chopped (more or less to taste; I like a lot!)
Combine and spread on toasted baguette slices then top with:
roasted red peppers
chopped kalamata olives (uses about 1 1/2 cups)

I prefer the bread toasted, but toasting is optional. If you do toast, it cooks quickly, so watch it!

Bruschette - Ivory Favorites

3 large tomatoes, seeded, adn chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 green onions, chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
3 Tbl. fresh basil, chopped
1 thin French bread baguette
1 cup grated Mozarella Cheese (I didn't use cheese because we had other cheesy dishes).

Combine tomatoes, garlic, green onion, olive oil, and basil; set aside. Slice bread into thin slices, place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with cheese. Toast under broiler until cheese is melted and light golden brown. Remove from oven and top each slice with a little tomato mixture. Serve immediately.

Ceasar Salad:

Romaine lettuce
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Ceasar Dressing. I like Litehouse or Ken's
Homemade Croutons:

• 1 loaf French bread, crust trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons creole or cajun seasoning
• 1/3 cup olive oil ( I added a little extra because I kept my crusts on)
  
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350.
To make the croutons, put the bread cubes in a medium mixing bowl and combine with seasoning. Combine 1/3 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon garlic in a blender and process on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the olive oil mixture to the bread cubes and toss with a spatula to coat evenly. Spread the bread cubes evenly on the foil lined baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Caprese Salad:

Fresh tomatoes, sliced
Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
Fresh basil, chopped
Olive oil, to taste

Balsamic vinegar, to taste

Sea salt to taste
Pepper, optional

Layer tomatoes, mozarella and either put a basil leaf the middle, or sprinkle with chopped fresh basil. Drizzle oil and vinegar on top.

Farfalle Pasta
3 T. Butter
1/2 c. Mushrooms, sliced
2 T. Garlic, minced
2 c. Spinach
1 c. Whipping Cream
1/4 c. Tomatoes (chopped or sun-dried. I prefer the latter)
1 16 oz. Package bowtie/Farfalle pasta (leave some out if you like it more saucy)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. Fresh basil, chopped
3 T. Pinenuts
Cooked Chicken. I usually bake chicken breasts or tenders and add. You could saute, broil, or grill your chicken.

Melt butter in skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic. Stir in spinach. Add cream and tomatoes. Boil, stir until thickened, approx. 5 min.

Meanwhile, cook pasta.
Add pasta and Parmesan cheese to sauce in skillet. Stir in basil and pinenuts.

Note: The original recipe calls for cheese tortellini (instead of bowtie pasta) and no chicken. It's good that way too.

Penne with Five Cheeses - Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano (1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup crumbled Italian Gorgonzola (1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 pound imported penne rigate pasta
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine.
Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2-cup capacity). Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes.

Note: I don't use the ceramic gratin dishes, rather a 9 x 13" pan. Also, when I make it for my family, I skip all the fancy cheeses and throw in two bags of pre-mixed Italian cheeses. It will have 4-6 different cheeses in the package. I also add more shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. I actually might even like it better this way! You can also substitute cottage cheese for ricotta.

Swedish Almond Cake:

1 c flour

1 c sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 t. almond extract

2 eggs

Mix together. Pour into a regular pie tin. 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

3 times the recipe in a jelly roll sheet pan for a big crowd .

So good to serve warm. Top with mixed berries and whipped cream.