Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

Some days when the wind is cold and bitting with no sun in sight I know making a hearty pasta dish is just perfect comfort food for dinner. All the ingredients for my Baked Penne I purchased at Trader Joe's except I made my own Pomodoro sauce. Trader Joe's has a tasty prepared Pomodoro sauce which will cut down the time to make an easy home cooked meal. Put the casserole together the night before and  bake for dinner the next day. Delicious, easy and a quick home cooked meal! 1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions 8 ounces part skim Ricotta cheese 8 ounces Burrata mozzarella, two balls chopped 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 2 teaspoon dry oregano   Pomodoro Sauce* or Trader Joe's Rustico  8 ounce cooked chicken sausage, slice 1/4 inch thick Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine ricotta, 1/2 burrata, parmesan cheese, oregano in medium size bowl. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside. Place 1/4 cup of Pomo...

Nothing say summer more than a beautiful Caprese Salad. I love using farm fresh Heirloom tomatoes in alternating colors. You can use any type of tomatoes as long as the are freshly kissed by the sun not a water down hot house variety. Here in New England we anxiously wait through our long, cold, snowy winters for the local summer produce to appear in famers markets in all the charming towns indicative to our area. In the town that I live in Wednesday is farmer's market day or if I am on Martha's Vineyard you'll find me Saturday mornings at the West Tisbury Farm market. Being of Italian heritage tomatoes are part of our fabric and growing up I benefited from my grandparents large garden with filled with all different tomatoes varieties; some like plum tomatoes my grandmother canned to use during the winter; others like  Bonnie Original ,  Big Beef ,  Red Beefsteak  heirloom, Better Boy and  Cherokee Purple , we sliced for salad and sandwiches. My gr...

If you have followed my blog you know that I love tomatoes - big juicy heirloom tomatoes in rainbow colors, petite cherry tomatoes colored in bright hues by the sun. I never met a tomato I didn't just want to eat.  Inevitably all the bountiful tomatoes of summer find a place in my cooking either fresh or gently simmered bursting with flavor. Tomatoes and grains are a wonderful pairing to make a light lunch or a tasty side dish. You can use any gain as the base for this recipe, I used Quinoa but I have made this dish with farro or Israel couscous. Quiona with Fresh Tomatoes and Mozzarella   1 cup Quiona, cooked according to package instructions 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoon balsamic fig vinegar 1 minced clove garlic 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup slice cucumbers 1/2 cup cubed fresh Mozzarella Combine oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard and herbs in bowl mixing with a whisk. T...

Summertime is salad time. Big colorful salads with texture and taste competing for your attention liven up an everyday meal. What I love about salads is that they are easy, can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator ready for a quick delicious meal. Serve as a light dinner with fresh bread and seasonal berries or as a side to grilled fish or meat. Summertime means easy, delicious, care free meals to leave time to relax and enjoy family and friends! 8 oz baby red potatoes 1 cup Israel Couscous, cooked according to package instructions 3/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon capers 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped 1 can chick peas 1/4 cup thin sliced radishes 1 cup chopped fresh mozzarella Place potatoes in medium pot cover with water. Bring to boil lowering heat to simmer for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are soft. Drain and then ...

We New Englanders live for the summer months when all the area CSAs and farm markets products are local, fresh and available. Perfect for a vegetable lover and cook. Here is my problem, I get carried away by the bountiful beauty at my local Farmer's Market going overboard with my purchases. I just can't help myself, I'm like a kid in a candy shop! What to do when I return home with my bags bursting with all kinds of produce; Cook up all the veggie casseroles that just pop up in my brain. This week I was loving the large local tomatoes along with the deep purple eggplant. I picked up locally grown onions and fresh local mozzarella to finish creating my Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella. I just added olive oil with my home grown herbs for a flavor bursting veggie dish, quick, easy and delicious. Farm Fresh Tomato Eggplant Bake with Mozzarella 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 large eggplant, pee...

First let me just say that this is a very rich dish not meant to be eaten in large portions. A wonderful lunch or dinner with a salad eating only a small serving size.  Eating rich dishes and staying thin is all about portion control and exercise.  It's important to me that I don't encourage anyone to over eat.  With that said let's get on to this wonderful bread pudding.  Until recently I only thought of bread pudding as a rich dessert that I occasionally indulged. One summer in New Hampshire I ordered a savory bread pudding and I was hooked.  I made my bread pudding with heirloom tomatoes that I picked fresh from my garden along with my fresh herbs. You can add different veggies to recipe. Experiment, have fun and enjoy a wonderfully richly flavorful dish. Savory Bread Pudding with Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs and Mozzarella 1(1pound) loaf crusty white bread 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 2 tablespoon fresh basil 1 tablespoon fresh...