Oma's Dressing

2 Spoons* of vinegar  (I like red wine vinegar, but your choice)
2 Spoons* of oil
Onion Powder - a generous sprinkling (1/4-1/2 teaspoon)
Salt - a modest sprinkling, <1/4 teaspoon
Sugar - a modest sprinkling, <1/4 teaspoon

*As long as your spoons are the same size, your ratio will come out well. Use a serving spoon for a big salad or a tablespoon for a smaller one.

Can be used on:
Shaved Cucumbers for Cucumber Salad

OR

Bibb Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, & Hard Boiled Egg

OR

A little concoction of fresh veggies you have.

Last night, I made a salad for a small crowd with:
2 red peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 onion (spanish or sweet)
12 basil leaves
10 plum tomatoes

Dice up everything. Put on the dressing ingredients one by one and give it a toss.

Busy Day Stewed Plum Tomatoes

At the start of August, does it bother you to open the pantry and pull out a can of tomatoes, when there could be a fresh crop around the corner from you? There is something about knowing it's tomato season in the North East.  I'm trying to stop turning to cans with expiration dates years from now, and the thick skinned southern tomatoes from the south (or imported in) you can so easily grab at big grocery stores.

 Well, there's nothing like visiting my family's farm stand, and knowing that the tomatoes came right out of the field, were washed off, and boxed for me to take home.  Wishing it was my local farm market, these beauties are from Samaha's Farm. It's time to cook up the harvest.

Ripe Plum Tomatoes  12-20

A Pepper or two

An Onion

6-8 cloves of Garlic 

2 Stalks of Celery 

Salt

Pepper, Fresh Ground

Italian Seasoning

Bay Leaves 2-3

Clean and hull the plum tomatoes.  

We made a little assembly line, where Naomi gently dropped the tomatoes by handfuls into a sink of water, I dug out their little round stem part, and put into the crock pot. 

Chop Peppers, Onion, & Celery.

The best chopper at work.

Samaha's Peppers

Jersey Onions from Samaha's

Sprinkle on top with the rest of the ingredients.



Throw your crock pot on low and clean up.  Enjoy the afternoon!

We're going to enjoy some tonight.  I'm not sure how yet.   I'm leaning towards a quick southwestern chicken soup with a side of corn on the cob.  But the rest will be frozen so I can reach into my freezer for a bag rather than the pantry for a can.  We barely made a dent in our 25 pound box, so next we'll make a few batches chopped with a very similar recipe and make a lot of tomato salad and sandwiches over the next few days.  

Honey Barbecue Wild Salmon

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
Wild-Caught Salmon

Restful Cooking:

Decide if you are going to do this on the outdoor grill (preferred) or in the oven.

Pre-heat grill or oven (425)

Layer 2-3 pieces of foil large enough to hold the salmon, place salmon on foil skin side down.

Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon from Costco.

Drizzle with Barbecue Sauce & Honey

Turn up the sides of the doubled aluminum foil & put on pre-heated grill.  Close the lid for the first 10 min.

REST for those 10 min or play outside with the kids

Let them run.

Enjoy the evening while making dinner.

Almost done.
Leave the grill open for about 10 more minutes until the salmon flakes with a fork.
We're roasting beets and sweet potato fries in the background.

I use an Epicurean cutting board to remove these foil sheets from the grill.
They are heat resistant and double as a hot mat.

Half honey & half barbecue sauce for dipping.  My, do we love dipping.

Dinner's served!

The Verdict

"Ahh coo  Mommy." (Translated: Thank you, Mommy.)

"Mommy, why did you have to make Salmon I just really really don't like salmon."
"Naomi, you didn't even taste it yet."

We generally buy a pound of salmon and it takes about 20 min to cook. The grill is my favorite way to cook it. You get that nice grill taste and the house doesn't smell like fish. When you are done, just throw out the foil, and you're done.

If you are in the Delaware County Area, the BEST salmon is from Green Dean Choice Foods
18 East Baltimore Avenue, Clifton Heights, PA (610) 259-2909 ‎Ask Dean what is fresh when you go, he is always on point with the freshest seafood and carries Bell & Evans Chicken. My favorite chicken and seafood place. Hands down.

A big box alternative for where we now live is Costco.  The wild is a few dollars more a pound, but well worth it.  Picturing the salmon in the ocean is a much better picture for me than farm raised.  

Candied Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Fresh Brussel Sprouts
Sea Salt (optional)

Restful Cooking:

Set yourself up with knife, cutting board, bowl of water and brussel sprouts. Cut sprouts in half and trip bottom of stem. Toss halves in the bowl of cold water. I generally sit to do this cutting.

Place oven rack on the lowest setting & preheat oven to 425 degrees

REST for about 15 minutes

Swish the sprouts around and then rescue them form the water (all the dirt falls to bottom) and place flat side down on an edged cookie sheet. Place on the bottom rack of the oven.

REST for 12 minutes

Pull out the sprouts and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a hint of sea salt if you'd like. Shake the pan a bit to evenly distribute the oil. Place back on bottom rack of oven.

REST for two intervals of 10 minutes, checking sprouts in between.

You will feel like you are about to burn the sprouts. They are best when the flat sides are dark brown and the edges curl up slightly. Usually when I think I've burned them they come out the best.

Pull out of the oven

REST until dinner time or family arrives

EAT & ENJOY

REST

These are great room temperature, so there is no need to rush with the rest of the meal. Last week we had this as a side dish to a frozen pizza. Even my toddler loves them and my husband and I pop them like candy before and after dinner. We have been cleaning the kitchen together after the kids are in bed and it really prompts a great forum to talk about our days.

Mini Meatball Parm Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Frozen Mini Meatballs from Italian Specialty Store
1 Can Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce
Fresh Italian Rolls

Restful Cooking:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

REST for 15 minutes or until oven is ready

Pour frozen meatballs in oven-safe bowl and pour sauce over, enough to cover the meatballs. Place bowl on a cookie sheet and cover. Put in the oven

REST for 30 minutes then 15 minutes, checking in between

Check on the meatballs, if bubbling, put on 200 degrees

REST until dinner time or family arrives

Put out rolls, parmasean cheese, serving utinsels, and set the table

EAT and ENJOY

REST