is there a tomato basil heaven? YUP!

and here it is...

Yup... isn't she lovely? Honestly there are many tomato and basil heavens for your mouth. Whaaaa you ask? duh... tomato and basil just do work. good, heavely, extra tasty, dance in your mouth kinda work. tomato, basil, herb cheese, and balsamic glaze to top extra virgined skinni french bread loaf slices. long name... taste bud happiness. I suppose I could just call it a Caprese on toast. But where would the fun in that be?

Let's get to that recipe business

THIS STUFF

TO DIE FOR

chea, i put it in just about everything. homemade mac n cheese, on hot samiches, in my alfredo sauce, SOMETIMES even add a lil to my red sauce. chea. get some!

Ingredients n stuff:

• 
  
  2 baguettes -you could get one depending on how hungy you are. I NEVER get one.


• 
  
  1 box boursin cheese... or two if you're not poor like me.


• 
  
  if you are poor like me, get some whipped cream cheese. as much as you want depending on how much you want to dilute the herb cheese amazingness.


• 
  
  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 
  
  box or bag of cherry or grape tomatoes


• 
  
  bunch of basil

Recipe n stuff

• 
  
  slice the baguettes on a angle into 1/4 inch slices.


• 
  
  grab a bowl and pour some evoo (as Rachel would say) in. dunk one side of your sliced baguette pieces into the oil. (you can sub with vegi oil)


• 
  
  place pieces of baguette onto a sheet pan and broil for 2-3 mins. once the bread is golden brown take out and cool for a few.


• 
  
  top the slices with the beautiful herb cheese or your herb chez and cream chez mixture.


• 
  
  top with tomatoes and then the beautiful basil!


• 
  
  and don't forget the glaze!

so you know that wonderful stuff called balsamic glaze? easy peasy my friends. if you haven't made it yet, YOU SHOULD. I top grilled vegis, steaks, chickens and fruity desserts with it all the time... it's a good pretty topper.

Recipe as follows:

• 
  
  1 cup balsamic vinegar


• 
  
  2 tbsp sugar

place ingredients together in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and then simmer until sauce reduces by half and the mixture is now a syrupy consistancy. top your beautiful caprese toasts. do it. now. I promise, you'll be glad you did!

samurai 21 dressing copycat (stg japenese steakhouse)

i really like this dressing... I'm not sure what it is about it exactly... maybe it's the fact that while eating it i know I'm about to devour 3 lbs of sushi, or maybe it's because while eating it i know I'm finally on that date I've been hinting towards for the last 3 months... whatever the case it's just so good.

the other night the hubs decided to take me out on that 3 months of build up but we decided to try a new sushi joint. I've had it before, but it was new to him. Osaka... their dressing is sweet and mustardy like... and it just didn't hit the spot.

so, today i decided to make my own. what a really, really good idea that was.

when i first tried this dressing i thought to myself, thousand island without the sweet relish. BUT there was that japaneseness that i just couldn't dismiss... I'm still not certain of the exact recipe and probably never will be..
but here's my take. for all you dressing loving fools.


i should name it easy peasy... well, because it's just that. one super de duper easy and delicious dressing.

what you'll be wantin

• 1 cup mayo


• 1/2 cup milk


• 1/4 cup teryaki


• the juice of one lemon

this should make enough for a party of friends... or just you for a week! i chose the week. it's probably best if it sits for awhile, but i ate it right out the mixin bowl!

hint: mix well! if there is mayo clumps, keep mixin! i use a whisk.

i art-to-choke u

but i'd never do such a thing, cause i'm a sweety.

i've just always always said i art-to-choke u.

cause i think i'm funny.

don't you?

when i was a wee one artichokes became my very favorite vegi real quick like.

by age 2, i was eating entire leaves.

age 5, getting the hang of eating the correct part of the leaf.

age 7, begging my parents to buy them EVERYTIME we went to the grocery store. no lie.

age 24, my husband still has to make special trips to costco once a week just so i can get my choke fix.

it's love really.

getting to the point...

italian artichoke pasta salad... oh yes!

what you'll be wanting to head to the store for

• 
  
  1- 12 oz box bowtie, rotini, or whateva pasta u like to use for salads


• 
  
  2- 16 oz cans of quartered artichokes


• 
  
  1 small box whole mushrooms (i usually half mine, but i'd quarter um if they're biggies)


• 
  
  1 box red grape tomaters halved


• 
  
  1 half medium sized red onion halved and thinly sliced


• 
  
  1 head of mizuna or romaine will do the trick


• 
  
  1 jar peperoncini leave um whole


• 
  
  1 jar pitted kalamata olives


• 
  
  1 cup parmesan


• 
  
  1 hand full chopped parsely


• 
  
  1 bottle of your favi italian dressing (mine is olive gardens) or this awesome copycat!http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-of-olive-garden-italian-salad-dressing-18840


• 
  
  add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

mix it up and eat er already!!! or wait a hour or two... enjoy!

i got a bag of cherries

today, while 4 boys under 6 galloped around me, screaming, fighting, laughing

... my mind was galloping around the cherries...

what to do with the cherries...

around and around...

so came along, cinnamon, cherry, and brown sugar

mixed and boiled

whipped into a fantastically twisted summer comforting winter syrup.

yeah... i know.

twisted

and oh my gosh... YUM

the shtuff

• 
  
  2 cups fresh pitted and mooshed sweet summer cherries (and a extra handful to munch on)


• 
  
  1/2 cup brown sugar


• 
  
  1/2 cup water


• 
  
  1 tsp cinnamon


• 
  
  1 tiny pinch of salt

mix it up

• 
  
  mix all ingredients into a medium sized sauce pan


• 
  
  bring to a boil


• 
  
  simmer until your syrup has thickened


• 
  
  ENJOY

tomato, cucumber, monz, and basil salad! (it deserves a !)

tomato and basil

separate? just... tomato... just... basil...

together?

magically delicious and insanely perfection.

add a lil cucumber, mozzarella, and clamata olives...

even better!

pretty huh!

tomato basil salad with a sweet red wine vinegar dressing

the stuff

(salad)

• 
  
  1 cup halved cherry tomatoes


• 
  
  1 cup halved yellow cherry tomatoes


• 
  
  2 cucumbers peeled


• 
  
  1 half red onion thinly sliced or chopped


• 
  
  1 cup pitted clamata olives


• 
  
  1 cup mozzarella pearls


• 
  
  2 or 3 large basil leaves chopped or thinly sliced

(dressing)

• 
  
  2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar


• 1 tbsp sugar


• 1 clove garlic crushed


• 1/2 tsp thyme


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp pepper

the mix up

• mix this beauty up


• 
  
  let er sit at least an hour and up to over night


• 
  
  enjoy

distractable...

do you know what i absolutely love to do?

i just love scrambling through my cupboards to find one ingredient that will simply decide the next meal i will prepare...

like this guy

or girl...

this beautiful orientalish pear salad came to life when i thought-oriental ramen packet...

i started with the usual vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive or vegi oil
• 1 tsp sugar

and shiiiisammm! i added oriental love!

pears and this dressing... a match made in heaven!

hello, best easy corn EVER!

so as you can see there is corn and there is pork... i made a pork stew out of these two beauties and FORGOT to take "the finished product pictures!" sigh... such a shame... but this best corn EVER recipe is really to die for all by it's pretty lil self... so i'll share that nummy goodness with you and remember to take finish product pics with the tex-mex pork stew the next time around...

• 2 tbsp reeeeaaal butter
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 1 half red onion choppeded up
• 1 half red pepper or roasted red pepper peeled and choppeded all up
• 1/2 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (you can find this serious amazingness right around the canned beans and taco section-you've got to try them in something! i use them in EVERYTHING tex-mex!)
• 1 tbsp sugar-thas right
• dash o black n white
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro

oh and a fryin pan... please do melt the butter-add onion and let it sweat maybe for just a minute or two-all the while spooning, next add corn, red pepper, chipotle peps, sugar, and salt and pepper-mix all the ingredients up and allow it all to brown-do not-i repeat do not spoon your corn mixture for at least two minutes! mix again, after the two minutes and really scrap any ooey gooeyness from the bottom of your pan-this is the good stuff! when corn is poppin around and has reached a beautiful color that pleases your eyeballs stir in the cilantro! adding fresh herbs lastly adds BIG beautiful flavor. i sometimes add a little at the beginning too tho...

now enjoy!

for some more mouth watering goodness... add the best corn EVER to guac! it's a to die for dipper!

i call this guy... or girl above... spicy pork everything in the fridge stir fry yummyness!


the show stopper above is a warm bacon, mushroom, and spinach salad-topped with blue chez, tomatoes, and red onion... oh and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. mmmmmmmm!

maybe i have a.d.d? i never finish anything i set my mind to! im horrible at finishing goals, to do lists, exercising... regimens... (is that what they're called?) you know what i'm talking about... don't you? well, most importantly (but probably not really) i suck at keeping up on this blog... and it leaves you hanging... there's a you... right??? today i am here to say, no more promises... i am goin to try my hardest to fill you guys in on my latest creations as often as i can and hopefully more so... but i won't promise you ANYMORE! so now we both feel better... yeah???

these pizzas are... to die for... they were so delicious in fact i am going to make them for my sister and her boys tonight... i will perfect them and post their easy peasy recipes hopefully tomorrow!

i promise, you'll love um!

if there is any pictures here that peak your tastebuddies interest PLEASE let me know. i've got about a million pictures of food in my phone right now, and i just don't have the time to blog about each of those pics. but if there is one that you'd really like to learn about just shoot me a comment! i'll post a blog on it asap! :)

and one more thing... if there is anything that you don't get on my blog or anything you feel i could maybe do a little differently or better PLEASE let me know... i love sharing my ideas with others, but i worry i might not be the best at it because i am rather new to sharing these ideas in writing... input is very welcome here!

thank you!!!

s-u-g-g-a h-i-g-h

my sweater smells like vanilla extract! it's fantastical! i now know that God wants me to create a fabric softner to smell exactly like vanilla! "mmmmmmmmhmmm" he says... im sure.

for your information... im going nuts!!!!! our poor lil phones were shut off this past week cause we didn't pay the bill... who'd a thunk?? good lesson to us huh!! haha... anyway... that's not exactly why im going nuts... well kinda. i can't load pictures from my phone to my puter without my phones Internet connection thingy magigy! it's awful im telling you! i've made quite a few tasty meals this past week and since i've got 5 followers now i don't want to be letting any one down! i promise this isn't one of the usual mckenna blogs... this is a once every two days post posted mckenna blogs... i know, it's new, kind of unheard of...

so hear are a few things i whipped up this week- (pics to come!)

• pear, walnut and blu chez SPRING mix vinaigrette salod-(i thought the spring mix appropriate since that one ground hog didn't see his shadow... or did he? and does it all even make any sense?? ... so is it spring yet?)
• basil, lemon, and garlic-young baby chikum AND spaghetti squash and mushroom buttery goodness... (the picture will explain everything!)
• dont wanna cook night canned chikum, every mexi spice in the kitchen, and corn tacos!-good n' easy!
• spaghetti squash and chikum leftovers chikum and spaghetti squash soup... yum!
• apple and tuna oriental salad! how that could ever possibly taste good is probably baffling your mind this very second... i promise you deliciousness! and healthiness too!

"my wife has more pictures of food in her phone then of her own kids and husband!"-said my hubby to his fasha... so i took more pictures of him and talon this week... haha i think it made them feel a lil better! ;)

come back for picture action next week! i hope, i hope, i hope!!!