Sweet Cherry Bruschetta

 Mother Nature dealt the cherry crop a hard blow this year...record high temperatures in March and then hard freezes in May made for a very small crop of fruit.

 This bruschetta is delicious and I hope you enjoy it!

Sweet Cherry Bruschetta:

1 loaf Baguette

Olive oil for baguette

1  1/2 cups chopped sweet cherries

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/3 cup chopped yellow pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon Raspberry Blush Vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon olive oil

Fresh Mozzarella cheese

Basil, if desired

Combine the cherries, cilantro, yellow pepper, chopped onions, Vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Set aside.

Cut baguette in 1/2 inch slices and place in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn slices, brush each slice with olive oil, return to oven and bake 5 additional minutes. Quickly place

  fresh mozzarella (sliced thinly) on each slice.  Then top each slice with a heaping tablespoon of cherry mixture.

I added freshly chopped basil on top for a nice additional flavor!

Enjoy~

Fun With Zucchini

 With the abundance of zucchini right now it is fun to try new recipes and this one was a hit!

 Scoop out the center of each zucchini, removing all seeds (I used 4 zucchini).  Brush the hollow zucchini with olive oil, crushed garlic to taste, along with salt & pepper.  Arrange halved grape tomatoes (red & yellow) alternately and then sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven and place fresh mozzarella cheese between the tomatoes.  I used fresh mozzarella balls and cut them into nice sized pieces.  

Turn oven to broiler and place zucchini back in oven until the cheese melts.

Remove from oven and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.

A tasty dish for summer!

Enjoy~

Relay For Life

 As mentioned in a previous post, I have a friend currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  She has faced chemotherapy with a positive attitude and she amazes everyone with her determination!

 Relay For Life is this weekend and Olsen-Sayles is sponsoring a Luminary for Tina!

 Tina's favorite color is yellow so I made the flower out of yellow tissue, then glued on some green ribbon for accent.  

We gals at Olsen-Sayles are truly celebrating Tina's Grace and Courage and praying for remission!

New Favorite Salad

 A special friend passed away a week ago today and I was asked to furnish a salad for the luncheon after her memorial service...

 I thought about a broccoli salad but that seemed quite ordinary...so I started with that concept and tweaked it up a bit and the result is a keeper!

 After the hiatus from cooking because of the heat and humidity it seemed good to be in the kitchen once again!  And it was a pleasure to make this salad in honor of a special lady!

 Salad:

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 pound package of bow-tie pasta

1  1/4 pounds broccoli, separated into small pieces

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1/3 cup Raspberry Blush Vinegar, plus a little

2 cups red grapes, halved

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup dried cranberries, or a few more if desired 

1 cup Light Hellmann's Mayonnaise

1 pound bacon, cut into bite-size pieces, cooked and drained

Toast the pecans and set aside~

Prepare pasta according to package directions~ do not over-cook~

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients (except the pecans & bacon).  Stir carefully but thoroughly and chill for 3-4 hours.

Shortly before serving add the toasted pecans and bacon.

Place in your favorite serving dish and enjoy~

Janice was a kind and talented lady and her legacy lives on. Someday I will share a candy recipe that I received from her many years ago!

Toooo Hot To Cook!!!!

 Yes, it is way to hot and humid to cook in our neck of the woods!

 The daylily's are blooming despite the heat and lack of rain...

 And the lupines bloomed beautifully, but look at the grass...it is crunchy underfoot and looks awful!

The wicker stand was a gift from a special lady many years ago and we continue to love the piece and treasure the memories of her!

Fresh Fruit Tart

 I saw this recipe in Better Homes & Gardens magazine and decided to prepare and serve it for our July 4th celebration.

While it is good, it is not great...our family would prefer a cookie crust rather than the crescent roll dough.

Nonetheless, it was just fine and here is the recipe:

8 ounce package crescent roll dough

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup mixed basil and mint leaves

2/3 cup mascarpone or cream cheese, softened

2-3 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup whipping cream

4-6 cups fruit

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 13 x 9 x 2" pan with heavy foil, extending beyond pan edges.

Press dough evenly into pan and bake until just golden 11-14 minutes.  Cool~

In a small pan, combine 1/2 cup honey, water, mint, and basil. Bring to boiling, then turn down and simmer about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Strain the syrup and remove basil and mint.

In a medium bowl stir together mascarpone and 2 tablespoons of honey.  If you choose to use cream cheese beat thoroughly.

In a well chilled bowl beat the whipping cream to soft peaks and then gradually stir into cheese.  Spread this mixture on the cooled crust.

Separate your fruit in individual bowls and toss with about two tablespoons of syrup.

Place fruit on the filling and place in fridge for a few hours.

 Remove from fridge and lift foil edges to remove tart and place on serving dish. I actually removed the foil before spreading the cheese mixture onto crust...I thought that would be easier!

Just before serving I drizzled a bit more syrup over fruit to make it look glisteny!

Enjoy~

Wild Blueberry Pork Loin

 This is a reminder of Maine...the wild blueberries are a favorite at our home!

The pork loin was marinated in rosemary and garlic (purchased that way at the market) and to dress it up a bit I spread wild blueberry jam, from Maine of course, on the top during the last few minutes of baking.  How simple is that? And tasty for sure!

Thinking of Kim and Karen while dining on this delicious dish...I know it is not Lobster (or is it Lobsta) but a touch of Maine & lots of fond memories just the same!

Enjoy~