Fresh Basil and Tri Color Tortellini Salad

   This weekend is full of cookout with family and friends and I usually have the task of bringing a pasta salad to the table. This year I wanted to share with you one of my favorites that is full of flavor and colorful too.

 To start the fresh basil adds an aroma of summer mingling in with the diced tomatoes and sliver of fresh carrot. The bits of fresh mozzarella adds levity to the dish in contrast of the ricotta filled tortellini. Just a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar brings it all together.

Ingredients:

1lb of Venda Tri Color Tortellini (cooked)
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
8 leaves of Chopped Basil
1/2 red Onion Chopped
1 Carrot Sliced
1 Maine's Backyard Tomato diced


Directions:

 In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and gently toss. Chill before serving for up to 1 hour if using warm pasta.

Can be made 1 day ahead.

To make this dish a meal add extra vegetables like asparagus, zucchini, pepper, and eggplant. You can also dress it up with grilled shrimp, salmon, chicken or steak.

Grilled Pizza Margherita

Grilled Pizza Margherita

1 ball of Narragansett Creamery Fresh Mozzarella (diced)

1 sliced Maine's Backyard Tomato
6 Fresh Infinite Basil Leaves (Sliced)
3/4 cup of Italian Corner Pizza Sauce
1 Top This! Pizza Crust
Optional- Crumbled Fortuna's Sausage, Grilled Chicken or Shrimp
Preheat the oven or grill to 400° f.
 Spoon the Italian Corner Pizza sauce over the Top This! Pizza Crust, spreading it out evenly with the back of the spoon. Layer the sliced tomato over the sauce, along with any other topping that you wish to add. Next evenly spread out the diced Narragansett Creamery Mozzarella. Finally top with the chiffonod (sliced) fresh Basil.
 Cook on the grill covered for 8- 10 minutes or in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
* For a crispy crust cook the pizza right on the grill racks and on the oven racks for a few minutes longer (10 to 12 minutes.) The flow of air over the bottom of the crusts will create a crispy crust.
* Keeping the pieces of cheese smaller helps when cutting and eating the pizza. When the pizza topping pieces are larger it is messier to eat with a larger chance of you wearing your food!

Open Faced Avocado and Chicken Sandwich with Melted Fresh Mozzarella

Photo Credit: Country Fixins

 Rotisserie Chicken Avocado & Basil Open Faced Breakfast Melt

4 slices of Hillshire Farms Rotisserie Chicken

1 sliced Maine's Backyard Tomato

1 sliced Avocado

4 Fresh Infinite Basil Leaves

2 slices of Narragansett Creamery Fresh Mozzarella

1 Munroe Dairy English Muffin Split

Optional 2 Munroe Dairy All Natural Eggs (hard boiled, poached, or fried) 

To make the Sandwich first by toasting the English Muffin and then layering the ingredients on top. Start with the sliced avocado, the oils in the avocado will take the place of any butter to moisten the English Muffin, next add the two pieces of basil per muffin followed by two slices of the Hillshire Farm Rotisserie Chicken, finish off the sandwich with one slice of tomato each topped with one slice of fresh mozzarella.

Place both side face up under the broiler on a lined cookie sheet for 3- 4 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

If you want to add an egg for more protein, layer the egg over the tomato and under the cheese.

Chicken Quesadilla topped with Fresh Guacamole

 Chicken and Corn Quesadillas

Makes 4 Quesadillas

4 grilled chicken breasts (deiced 1/4" pieces)
1 diced Maine's Backyard Tomato
1/2 chopped Red Onion
1/2 cup of Corn (defrosted)
1 cup of Shredded Supreme Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup of Sommermaid Monteray Jack Shredded Cheese
1 tablespoon of Sommermaid Butter
4 Maria & Ricardo's Organic White or Wheat Tortillas
Top with:
Cabot Sour Cream (Light or Regular)
Homemade Guacamole with Munroe's Guacamole Kit
 In a large mixing bowl combine the grilled chicken, onion, tomato and corn. Using a slotted spoon, 11/2 scoops of  the mixture onto 1/2 half of a tortilla spreading out evenly and topping with a blend of the cheeses over the chicken and corn mixture.
 In a skillet on medium heat add the butter coating the bottom of the pan. Place the tortilla folded in 1/2 in the skillet and press using a grill press of lid of a pan. When the bottom is golden brown, 3- 5 minutes, flip the quesadilla over to the other side using a large spatula. Again press the quesadilla down. This pressure on the quesadilla causes the cheese to melt into the chicken holding the quesadilla together like glue. Cook until the tortillas is browned, about 3 minutes.
Slice into thirds and enjoy with some fresh guacamole and sour cream!!

I LOVE my Guacamole Kit!!!

Photo Credit: Noshtopia

 Have I ever told you before how much I LOVE the Guacamole Kit that Munroe Dairy has? Well I do! It makes the best Guacamole ever and it can also be used to make so many other dishes as well. 

Here are a few of my tips for the Guacamole Kit:

Photo Credit: The Avocado Store

Linny's Tip #1: Ripen your Avocados. It is hard to make Guacamole with Avocados that are not quite ripe. It is best to store your Guacamole Kit out of the fridge and on the counter. If your Avocados are really hard toss them into a paper bag to quicken the process in just a day or two you will have ripe avocados. By keeping the avocados in the bag you are trapping the gases naturally released from the ripening fruit accelerating the process. 

Linny's Tip #2: Roast you Jalapeño and Garlic! Roasting the jalapeño pepper and garlic either in a skillet on the stove or on the grill. If using a skillet just add a bit of oil to the bottom of the pan or grease the pepper before putting it on the grille. Roasting the jalapeño and garlic will bring out a sweeter flavor in both.

Photo Credit: Restaurant Girl

Linny's Tip #3: Add some Extra Flavor! Some people find Guacamole to be a bit bland; however, I can guarantee those people are not helping to develop the flavors in the dish. Just by adding a dash or sea salt or extra heat from dried chilies can make a huge difference in the way you taste. You can add a bit of chopped celery to add crunch crunch or red onion for a bit more zip. Another great addition is diced fresh mango, mango have a hint of Cinnamon to compliment their sweetness. Corn is wonderful to add to your guacamole, it can be fresh of the cob, from the freezer, or roasted.  Some people will even add a tablespoon of Sour Cream for some tang and creaminess. 

Linny's Tip #4: Stop your Guacamole from turning brown. Brown Guacamole is not what you want to put out for your friends and family. The citric acid from the lime will help to not just add flavor to your dip but, will in fact help to keep it from turning brown. The other thing you can do is to keep it covered in the refrigerator until just before your guest arrive. Also do not put out a huge bowl of Guacamole, instead put out a smaller bowl and refresh it through out the party. 

Oscar's Guiltless Guacamole

Linny's Tip #5: Think outside the bag. Guacamole likes to travel on more than just tortilla chips. Use fresh veggies like carrots, celery, tomatoes, asparagus, and zucchini to accompany your dip. Not only is this a healthier option but, it is a fun and festive way to add color to any table or food spread. You can use a head of lettuce to serve your guacamole in, using the leaves as chips or mini wraps! 

Linny's Tip #6: Take it to Lunch! Guacamole is a great addition to a sandwich either in a wrap or on some bread. Recently we just added Rotisserie Chicken to the list of sandwich meats and one of my favorite sandwiches is the Rotisserie Chicken, Guacamole, Fresh Olivia's Organic Baby Spinach, Shredded Carrots and Red Onion all wrapped up in Maria & Ricardo's  Organic Wheat Tortilla. 

Photo Credit: Delish.com

Linny's Tip #7: Decontsruct the Kit. Just because it says Guacamole Kit on the Label does not meant that is what you have to use it for. You can use the ingredients of the Guacamole Kit in many other dishes not all mushed together. Use all of the ingredients in making a Fresh Shrimp Salad with Diced Avocado and Jalapeños or Chop everything up and use the ingredients for a make your own Burrito/ Fajitas Dinner Night. California Pizza's are another great way to serve 

California Pizza: Great as an appetizer or Salad Alternative

1 Top This! Pizza Crust White or Wheat

1 Cup of Sommermaid Monteray Jack Cheese Shredded

1 Avocado Diced

1 Tomato Diced

1/4 cup of Diced Red Onion

1/2 Cup of Shredded Romaine Lettuce

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Brush the Top This! Pizza Crust with Olive Oil and top with the Shredded Monteray Jack Cheese. Place the pizza on the grill heated to 400*F. Cook until the cheese is melted about 8 minutes. Remove the Pizza from the grill and top with lettuce, avocado, red onion and tomato. Slice and serve!

Seafood Chowder

This weekend is going to be wet with rain and I am almost ready to guarantee there will be a Spring Chill in their too. The rain is great for helping to get things done inside the house at this time of year. While we are cleaning out closets and reorganizing for Spring and Summer there will be a big pot of chowder brewing on the stove!
 This month all seafood was on sale here at Munroe Dairy and I made sure to take full advantage of it. Throughout the month we had pasta and shrimp, broiled and baked fish. This leaves me with some awkward portions of seafood left in the freezer that is not quite enough for two meals and a bit more that what is needed for one. There is enough to combine it all together in a big pot and make some Chowder.

Ingredients:
This is the recipe that was one the April flyer. Interpretations are welcome and encouraged!

1 slice of Apple Wood Smoked Bacon
1 Yellow Onion (Chopped)
1 Clove of Garlic (Crushed)
2 - 3 Stalks of Celery (Chopped)
1 TBSP Flour
1 Tbsp of Butter
Sea Salt & Ground Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of Dried Dill or 2 TBSp of Fresh Dill
6 Cups of Munroe Dairy Milk
1 1/2 Cups of Frozen Whole Kernel Corn
6 small Narragansett Potatoes (Diced 1/4")
1 lb of White Fish (Cod, Haddock, or both) Cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb of Shrimp Deveined with shells intact

Directions:

Cut one slice of Apple Wood Smoked Bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and cook in the bottom of the stock pot, 8qt or larger.
Remove the cooked bacon and set to the side, either in a clean bowl or on a paper towel to drain.
Over medium heat gently sautee chopped onions in the bottom of the pot using the remaining fat from the bacon. Once the onion is almost sweated (clear), add the minced clove of garlic and celery.
Once the onion/ garlic/ celery are cooked, add a tablespoon of flour in the bottom of the pot until the flour turns a light tan/ brown with a nutty scent, stirring to keep the roux from burning. Once finished remove from the heat and spoon the contents from the bottom of the pot and transfer to a small bowl.
In the pot slowly warm the milk and cubed potatoes over medium heat, careful not to scorch the milk. Cook the potatoes until they are soft and easily pierced with a knife (5 minutes.) Add the fish to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat.
 Add back the bacon and onion mix. Sir occasionally carefully to make sure the pot does not come to a boil. Cream or 1/2 and 1/2 can be added for extra thickness. Add salt and pepper, fresh or dried dill and a small amount of butter. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
Add the deveined whole shrimp with shells and tails still intact (for flavor.) You can either wrap the shrimp in a  sack of cheese cloth, single ply, or just fish them out with a spoon after they have cooked. Poach the shrimp for 5 to 7 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and the bodies have curled in.
Add frozen whole kernel corn and cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove shrimp, peel and chop. Add back the pot.

Serve in warm bowls and garnish with fresh dill.

Celebrating Spring!!!

 I am so excited that the warmer weather has finally arrived. However, I am aware that this celebration will be short lived as we are expecting rain this weekend. At least the milkmen will all be dry for the few days and they can relax at home as the rain drops fall.
 Today I am celebrating by making a fresh and flavorful spinach, strawberry, avocado and feta salad! This is the kind of salad that smiles rays of sunshine up at you from the plate. You can jazz it up with grilled shrimp or chicken but, it is also so wonderful just on its own.

 All the ingredients, minus the pecans and balsamic dressing, came right of the cowtruck and we delivered to me yesterday! 

This is enough for 2 people as a meal or 4 as a side salad. Left over are great to bring for lunch, just remember if you are going to bring left over not to dress the salad until it is on your plate. 

1 cup of  Fresh Strawberries cut in half

Olivia's Baby Spinach 

1 Chopped Avocado

1/2 cup of Pecans

1/4 cup of Crumbled Salty Sea Feta

3 oz of Balsamic Dressing