Cucumber Salad

I haven't posted a recipe forever. I need there to be three of me. I'm going to get back to posting recipes, even if I forget to take a picture! Today I made this salad. I was delicious if you like a little bit of a sweet vinegar taste. I only used 1/4 cup of sugar and it was still delicious!

3 Large Cucumbers peeled and sliced.

1 Cup Large Cherrie Tomatoes cut in half.

1 Cup White Vinegar.

3/4 Cup Water.

1/2 Cup Sugar.

1 Tsp Agave Syrup.

1 Tsp Salt

Dash Course Ground Pepper.

Dash Dried Basil

Dash Parsley

Dash Cayenne Pepper

I like a lot of the seasonings, so I added more than a dash. I also like colored peppers so I chopped some of those up into large strips and then cut the strips in to fairly large chunks big enough to stab a fork in and added those. I really like this salad. Next time I'm going to try it with some onion. And I suppose you could use any kind of tomato in it. I've seen Roma's quartered and that's really yummy too.

Pasta Tricolore

• 500 g (16 oz box) whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1 fistful of pine nuts
• appr. 30 small cherry tomatoes
• 1 package (250 g) of Halloumi cheese (Greek cheese for grilling)
• 20 dried tomatoes (when in olive oil: rinse a bit)
• 1 mozzarella cheese ball (rinse and try to get it at room temperature)
• fresh basil
• olive oil
• 12 slices of prosciutto crudo (or any kind of dry cured ham)

• First you’ve got to cut, cut, cut!

• Fry pine nuts without oil in a non-stick pan for about a minute.  They should not get dark!  Set aside.

• While the spaghetti is being cooked al dente in salted water (see package) fry Halloumi in a non-stick pan until it turns brown.  (You wanna get that yummy crust ;-)  Set aside.

• Put tomatoes in the very same pan and melt a bit.  Add dried tomatoes.  Heat and stir for a minute or two.

• When pasta has finished cooking and you have rinsed it, put it back in the pot.  Add tomatoes and Halloumi.  Cover the pot, set aside and let rest for about 5 minutes.  (Believe me, it’s worth it.  We found out because the second helping always tasted better ;-)…  I guess because the pasta can absorb all the yummy tomato flavor!

In the meantime place ham slices on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.  Grill in the oven for about a minute or so.  (Depends on your grill actually!)   They should get a bit brown and crispy.  The crispier, the better!

• Put on a plate and drizzle with some good olive oil.

• Sprinkle with pine nuts, mozzarella and basil.  Place ham chips on top.  Serve and enjoy!  For a heartier version: drizzle with more olive oil ;-) or add more ham strips.
• Buon appetito!

Brought to you by Shabby Princess!

The Perfect Remedy

You can thank Becca Torgan for this beautiful photo and recipe. I don't know about you but everyone I know has been sick. Nose dripping, head aching, sneezing, sniffling, coughing, you name it. Sickness is in the air. Becca was kind enough to share with me her perfect remedy for a cold along with her photo. Thought I'd pay it forward. It's W O N D E R F U L! You'll love it. You'll feel better right away. And it's simple, all you have to do is make a tea with fresh ginger, lemon, lime, honey and a drop of sriracha or cayenne. Happy Sipping and Stay Well!

Best Marinara Sauce Yet

Picture pending. I actually found this recipe on Facebook. I haven't tried it yet but it looks yummy and simple. You can also find it on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 6 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup finely diced onion 1/2 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2.	In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.
3.	Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.