Just~One~Donna

Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables.  We eat them all year round, but this summer I'm especially in love with green beans because I've grown my own in my garden.  One of the ways to really highlight beautiful, tender green beans is to serve them as a cold side dish, blanched and tossed with a tasty vinaigrette. I wanted to make a colorful, bold flavored dish and this one fits the bill.  The garlic, oregano and basil in the dressing are enhanced by the red onion and roasted red pepper.  The feta adds a salty creaminess that goes nicely with the crunch of the crisp, green beans. This is a quick, easy to assemble side dish.  You'll want to make it early in the day, or a day before you serve it to give the flavors time to develop. Green Bean Salad Ingredients Green Beans with Feta, Onions and Roasted Red Pepper Serves 4 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed 1/4 red onion, slices very thinly 1/4 of a roasted red pepper, cut into thin 1" s...

Fresh Tomato Salsa When your garden overflows with tomatoes one of the things you can make is salsa.  Yes, it is easy to make fresh salsa with your garden tomatoes.  Did you grow onions, cilantro and jalapenos?  Even better.  That means you have most of what you need on hand and you are ready to go. I had about eight pounds of tomatoes I had picked from my garden and there is no way we would be able to eat eight pounds of tomatoes in the next few days unless I got creative.  The first step is to blanch and skin the tomatoes.  That sounds like a lot of work doesn't it?  Well, it really isn't all that much work.  If you have helpers it can be fun.  Yes, you'll be getting your hands in a little bit of a mess, but it goes quickly and is worth the effort. To blanch the tomatoes fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.  I used about 12 medium tomatoes, approximately 6 pounds.  That gav...

Last night it was just Hubby and me for dinner.  We've had a hectic week. I know, your week has been hectic, too.  That's why this dinner suggestion is perfect for all of us.  Sliders... Sliders for Dinner Sliders, you ask?  That's so last year... OK.  Come on...  Last year... this year... do you really care what year?  I'm just saying that when you need a quick and easy dinner, sliders can be a fun answer.  We all need a little fun in our dinner once in a while, don't we?  And sliders are both kid and adult friendly.  What's better than that? I must admit that sliders were not part of the original dinner plan.  Well, to be perfectly honest there was no plan.  There was a trip to the grocery store looking for inspiration.  Inspiration came in the form of sliders.  Yes, cheddar and bacon sliders to be exact.  Do I have your interest yet? Cheddar Bacon Sliders for Two Making Sliders 6 pr...

A well stocked pantry can be a great time saver as well as the key to making a wide variety of meals with very little planning.  We have all experienced a time when we were in the midst of making a recipe only to find out part way through that we were missing a critical ingredient.  Do you run to your neighbors or stop the preparation and run to your local grocery store?  What if neither is an option?  My well-stocked pantry came to be out of necessity.  As a working mom who traveled a great deal for my work I had precious little time for shopping, or even planning meals.  There was definitely no time for running to the grocery store in the middle of a recipe preparation.  I learned that my life would be much easier if I just made sure I had what I needed on hand. So, how do you get a well-stocked pantry in your home?  Here are five steps to get you started. Five Steps to a Well-Stocked Pantry 1.    Identify a loc...

The inspiration for this roasted tomato bruschetta came from a bruschetta topping we bought at a specialty store in Meredith, New Hampshire while vacationing at Lake Winnipesaukee this summer.  We bought the most delicious fire roasted tomatoes to serve on top of grilled bread.  It was so delicious I was determined to make some of my own. I waited though.  Yes, I waited for my very own tomatoes to ripen so I could make a bruschetta topping with tomatoes I had grown with my own two hands.  Well, friends, the time has come.  My tomatoes have ripened and it is time to make bruschetta.  I also made some fresh ricotta cheese .  It is really, really easy to do.  Once you've made it you won't want to buy it from the store again. Here's what I did... Roasted Tomato, Ricotta and Pesto Bruschetta 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 large garlic cloves, minced 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped ...