Category: Recipes

So, You want an Olive Tapenade Recipe, huh? Here’s an easy one that won’t leave you disappointed, along with 10 suggestions for how to use tapenade.

Continue reading

The first time I posted this recipe was back in September of ’07. I like this dish even better (if that was possible!) if I peel the tomatoes first. So, here’s the same recipe, a second time around!

I make my own crust, but store-bought should work fine too. If you have a pastry crust recipe you like though, feel free to use that!

If you’re using a commercial crust, you may want to pre-bake it for a few minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you’re picky like me, you might want to peel and de-seed your tomatoes before you slice them. If not, slice away. Lay your tomatoes on paper towels or cloth to absorb the excess water. No one wants a soggy pie! When your tomatoes are ready, fill your crust with them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, basil and onion powder. Like I said in the original post, I am very liberal with the basil and salt.

Then, mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 2 cups of your choice of shredded cheese (this time I used mozzarella). Spread this over the tomatoes.

If you’re using homemade crust, you can add the top now, making sure to poke vents into it. If you’re using a commercial crust, don’t worry! It’s just fine without a “lid.”

Protect the edges of your crust with a shield. If you don’t have a pre-made one, aluminum foil will work perfectly.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then remove the foil.

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until your crust is goldeny delicious.

If you can wait, it’s good to let the pie sit for 10-15 minutes, so everything can congeal inside. I couldn’t wait this time, so the slices in these pictures are a bit oozy. (Mmm….) If you let it sit, it’ll slice into pieces that are actually triangular, rather than triangular-plus-oozage.

I missed some seeds I guess! But a few don’t bother me. Doesn’t it look delightful? Mmmmmm! Tomato Pie!

If you’re looking for a deliciously simple way to dress up a steak, a whole chicken, or any number of other things you might be cooking, this rub may just be the answer! Named “Ron’s Rub” after my dad, this is a yummy mixture of only four ingredients.

Equal parts:

• black pepper
• kosher salt
• brown sugar
• paprika

Rub it on a steak, throw it on the grill, and a couple minutes later you’ll have this! (Provided you already stuck your sweet potatoes into the oven about 45 minutes ago).

Also great on chicken.

This Homemade Healthy Granola Bar Recipe is so easy to make, with endless flavor combinations possible. You’ll want to make it every week.

Continue reading

So, here at my Joyful Abode, we’ve dipped cherries and clementines in chocolate.

And we’ve made chocolate Ritz sandwiches.

So I guess this is the third edition of the chocolate-dipping extravaganza.

First, I gathered my materials:

Chocolate for melting, pretzel rods, crushed Oreos, sprinkles, and marshmallows (regular and cocoa).

I actually used milk chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate.

First, melt your chocolate in the microwave by setting the power to 50% and microwaving 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each zap. Then, add some non-heated chocolate and stir it in until it melts (don’t microwave again). If I’m doing it right, this is to temper the chocolate so it doesn’t end up tacky and gross when it “dries”… it’ll be like a hard shell.

Set up a couple cookie sheets with waxed paper, and start dippipng!Continue reading

Mmm… does it get any better than this? Chewy cookies that are the perfect consistency for milk-dipping… Perfection!

I’m not a banana-eating person. I don’t like bananas at all. I can’t even stand the smell of bananas. I used to say that when I became a teacher, I would tell all of my students’ parents that I’m allergic to bananas (even though I’m not) and not to pack them in their kids’ lunches.

But bananas made into stuff? I love! Banana nut bread, banana pudding, banana candies, dried banana chips… delicious!

And these cookies delicious, too. I’m going to call them Curious George cookies, because when Curious George visited the chocolate factory, he got sick from eating so much chocolate. But I bet these cookies would be perfect for his little monkey tummy.

Recipe for Curious George cookies:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream together:

• 1 cup white sugar (though I’m sure brown would be fantastic too)
• 1 cup butter

Stir in:

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift in:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Stir until blended, then add:

• 5 ripe bananas, mashed (I just cut mine into big chunks, and my KitchenAid mixer mashed them as it mixed)
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Stir until you feel like stopping.

Then, drop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies probably won’t look quite done when you take them out, and this is RIGHT… if they look done, they will not be deliciously chewy. So take them out when they still look slightly “wet” on top and let them cool on a wire rack. They’ll be perfect.

This is the best top round roast beef recipe (or sirloin tip). I came up with it in 2008 and still use it now, every time I oven-roast beef!

Continue reading

This dish was a cafeteria success story when I was at Winthrop University. My friends and I looked forward to the days the pasta station served up freshly made Bowtie Ballet with eager hearts and anticipatory stomachs. In fact, we marked those days (about once every six weeks) on our calendars, complete with little pink hearts and confetti.

When I was doing my field experience in a preschool classroom, I left early (just missing lunch with the other teachers, not any time with the kids) on bowtie ballet days so that I could have lunch with my bowtie-loving friends. We always had it for dinner, too. And SOMEtimes… we’d even sneak it out of the cafeteria in concealed Glad-ware containers.

Have I established how delicious this meal is? It’s fantabulous, in case you haven’t figured it out yet.

First, cook some bacon in a pan until it’s crispy. Let it drain on some paper towels. Leave the grease in the pan.Continue reading