Pizza love!

   Anybody want another pizza? I know we never get tired of them, actually every Friday is pizza night in our house. I won't lie to you, most of the time it's a frozen pizza, but sometimes we get inspired and make our own (depending on how we feel after a whole week of work). As I said before, my herb garden is spreading like wide fire and I am always looking for exciting ideas to use all these herbs, so last Friday we made our own pesto pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Great spin on a caprese salad (one of my favorites) and it let me use up bunch of my mint and basil.

Ingredients:

*  thin crust refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
*  8oz mozzarella ball, sliced
*  2 medium tomatoes, sliced
*  1 tsp olive oil

Pesto:
*  1 cup fresh basil
*  1 cup fresh mint
*  1/3 cup pine nuts
*  1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
*  1 tbsp lemon juice
*  1/3 cup olive oil
*  1 garlic clove
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients of the pesto in food processor and process until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
2. Roll the pizza dough, brush 1 tsp of olive oil on the top and pre-bake at 400F for 5 minutes.
3. Once crust is pre-baked, spread a thin layer of pesto on the top. Don't add too much of pesto, just enough to barely cover the top - if you have left overs use in on a sandwiches - delicious.
4. Top pizza with slices of tomatoes and mozzarella and bake at 400F for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

   Do you see the size of this pizza? Well, let me tell you, it was so good that there were only two tiny slices left after we were done with it. I can't believe that we ate all of it, but it was so delicious that we couldn't stop! Fresh, aromatic and cheesy - that tells you all you need to know!

Enjoy,
Magda

I'm bringing chicken back!

   It's been a while since I cooked some meat and I think it was high time for some chicken breast. I actually had some in the freezer, waiting to be used, and since I didn't really know what else to make - chicken it is. Simple, quick, and with only a few ingredients, it doesn't get any better that that. Check out this baked chicken breast with herbs of Provence and black sesame seeds:

Ingredients:

*  2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*  2 tbsp herbs of Provence
*  1 tbsp black sesame seeds
*  1 tbsp olive oil
*  salt

Directions:

1. Wash chicken breast under cold water, tap dry with a paper towel and place in a baking dish.
2. Coat chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, herbs and sesame on both sides (a little bit more on the top), and bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

 
   I love herbs of Provence. I think it's because my mom uses them a lot and I just have them in my blood. The chicken is so juicy and tender and I have to admit I missed it a little bit.

Enjoy,
Magda

Perfect combo.

   Don't you just love eggs and hash browns for breakfast? I know I do. I could eat them all the time, but I always feel guilty looking at the greasy and oily hash browns at the diners. So here is a better, healthier, baked version of your favorite breakfast combo. Oh, and you can take it to go if you want to. Check it out:

Ingredients:

*  2 large baked potatoes (leftovers from here)
*  3 tbsp fresh chopped dill
*  1 tsp garlic powder
*  6 eggs
*  salt and pepper
*  cooking spray

Directions:

1. Peel and shred two baked potatoes
2. In a large bowl combine potatoes with fresh dill, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Spray muffin pan with a cooking spray and feel each cup with potato mixture, forming a little hole in the middle.
4. Gently break an egg into each potato cup and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.

   So good. The dill makes all the difference and I really recommend adding it. The edges are super crispy and the eggs are soft and so comforting. All it needs is a little warming up and you have the best breakfast ever!

Enjoy,
Magda

Out of control!

   No not me, at least not yet, my mint is growing out of control! I really don't want to say that I have a huge bush, but seriously I have a huge bush of MINT (no dirty thoughts)!!! All this rain and warm temperatures are just perfect conditions for it apparently. I usually use it as an addition to my dishes or to make mojitos with it, but come on... how many mojitos can I drink? So I had to come up with something that will let me use a bunch of it at once and that's how I came up with mint pesto pasta! If you know me you know that I love, love, love mint and this dish just perfectly hit "the spot".

Ingredients:

*  1 lb pasta (any shape you like)
*  2 cups fresh mint (leaves without stems)
*  4 plum tomatoes
*  1/2 yellow onion
*  1 garlic clove
*  1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*  1/4 cup olive oil
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta until al dente.
2. In a food processor combine mint, 2 tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth.
3. Transfer pesto into a deep bowl, add 2 remaining tomatoes (diced) and Parmesan cheese, mix to combine. Add hot drained pasta, mix everything together and enjoy.

   Even though it's nothing else but a bowl of pasta, it's super light and fresh! So fragrant and aromatic, and so different too! I recommend it to anybody who likes mint!

Enjoy,
Magda

Endulge once in a while!

   Everybody is so busy recently and it's been a while since we had our friends over for dinner, so it was high time to change it. I had so many ideas about what to make, but nothing really "spoke" to me, until I thought about potato gratin. Once it got to my head there was no turning back... creamy, cheesy potato casserole... seriously how great does that sound? To make it more interesting I added a layer of yams, and some fresh scallions. Supper yummy! I served it with whole roasted chicken (you can find the recipe here) and simple fresh green salad.

Ingredients:

*  4 medium Idaho potatoes
*  1 medium yam
*  2-3 scallions, chopped
*  1 cup shredded cheese (I used mixture of mozzarella, asiago and gruyere)
*  3 cups 1% milk
*  2 tbsp Dijon mustard
*  2 tbsp flour
*  pinch of nutmeg
*  salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk together milk, flour, Dijon mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2. Peel and thinly slice potatoes and yam.
3. In the medium baking dish layer half of the Idaho potatoes, sprinkle with 1/3 cheese, 1/3 scallions, and 1/3 of milk mixture.
4. Arrange a layer of sliced yams, repeat cheese, scallions and milk.
5. Arrange the last layer of Idaho potatoes, top with remaining cheese, scallions and milk.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 385F for 60 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 30 minutes untill potatoes are soft and golden brown on top.

   I won't lie to you... it's not a diet dish, but everybody can have a day off once in a while. Rich, creamy, and starchy... all of my favorite things. Potatoes are nice and tender, but not overcooked and still hold their shape and texture. I love it!

Enjoy,
Magda