dinner

Running out of ideas for your summer menu? Head to your local magazine selling store and get yourself a copy of Martha's Everyday Food special summer edition. I only purchase food magazines when I'm in a food slump. The other day Oliver and I were in a crazy long line at the grocery store, just trying to buy some milk when we ran into the above mentioned magazine. We had plenty of time to preview it, making sure that there were at least 3-5 things I wanted to try...there were and then some.
Yesterday, I put together a grocery list and Oliver and I headed back to the grocery store inspired and ready. Then on our way home my friend Michelle calls (hey girl hey!) we chat and then she asks "so what's for dinner" I tell her and she says she needs ideas and I should get posting.
So I'll share what's for dinner this week and maybe it will inspire you to try some yummy fresh summer foods and also to pick up the special issue of Everyday Food.

Monday
Lucky for us we were invited to a BBQ on Monday. I brought homemade chex mix, because it's not really a party unless there is party mix.

Tuesday pg.10
Roasted Zucchini, Onion & Peppers with Roasted Chicken

For the veggies
3 pounds of zucchini, cut into one inch rounds
2 red or yellow peppers, coarsely chopped
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
-Heat your oven to 475
-Put your chopped up veggies on a rimmed baking sheet
-Coat with olive oil
-Season with salt & pepper
-Bake for 25-30 minutes, until fork tender and browned in spots (for me the more roasted the yummier it tastes)

For the Chicken
If you are a fan of grilling you could just throw some marinated chicken breasts on the grill. I'm not. So I threw some marinated chicken breast in a baking dish and put them in the oven to cook with the veggies..same temp, but maybe only 20 minutes. If the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half.

*All members of the Tylick house enjoyed this meal

Wednesday
Slow roasted tomato salad pg. 37
I do not like raw tomatoes, I do not like them one bit. Not on a salad, not on a burger, not at all. However, something amazing happens when you cook, specifically roast, a tomato that's why I'm excited to try this. Martha seems to think this would be a good dish to serve cold or at room temperature, but I plan on serving it hot and calling it dinner.

Ingredients
10 plumb tomatoes, cut in half
sugar
1 pound of short pasta, cooked
1/4 Olive Oil
A lemon
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
---
Martha does not call for chicken, but my husband won't let it be called dinner it there isn't any protein...specifically in the form of meat. So I will dice up and saute a chicken breast or two and add it in.

-Heat your over to 350
-Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange cut side up on a baking dish
-Sprinkle with a little bit of sugar (little)
-Bake for about 1 hour
****
-When the tomatoes are nearing their end in the oven cook the chicken and boil the pasta.
-Add the olive oil, lemon juice & zest, parmesan, tomatoes, basil and pasta to the saute pan with the chicken.
-Toss & Eat

Thursday
Tuna and white bean salad pg. 79

-1/2 pound green beans
-2, 5 ounce cans of solid white tuna packed in water, drained
-1 can of cannellini beans, drained
-1 red pepper diced
-3 tablespoons of olive oil
-1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
-1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
-1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
--
Martha serves this with some hard boiled eggs, but I really don't care for eggs..they yolk freaks me out. I may have to serve this with a turkey sandwich to help it pass for dinner.

-Cook the green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 3 minutes.
-Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, toss together and serve.

Friday
Shrimp & Tomato Saute pg.9

Olive Oil
1 1/2 pound of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt
pepper
3 cloves of garlic
pinch of red pepper flakes
6 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into half inch wedges
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
----
Martha suggests that you serve this over pasta or spinach. I'm planning on serving it over some quinoa.

-In a large saute pan drizzle some olive oil over high heat, add the shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until opaque. Remove the shrimp when they are done cooking.
-Add a touch more olive oil to the pan along with the chopped garlic, red pepper flakes and tomatoes. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down. Season with salt to assist the break down and the flavor.
-Put the shrimp back in the pan along with the lemon and parsley
-Toss everything and serve with pasta, or spinach, or quinoa, or whatever you like.

Saturday
Turkey lettuce cups pg. 75

2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
---
1 large shallot (or 1/4 of an onion)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
1 small jalapeno, stems and seeds removed
2 cloves of garlic
---
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound of lean ground turkey
--
Lettuce leaves
scallions
grated carrots
cilantro

-Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
-Chop the next 4 ingredients and then buzz them in a food processor, if you don't have a food processor just keep chopping until they are fine.
-Heat a saute pan with the vegetable oil and cook the shallot mixture for about 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey and start breaking it apart, cook for about 5 minutes.
-Add the sauce and cook for another 2 minutes
-Serve in the meat mixture in the lettuce leaves and top with whatever you like (scallions, carrots, cilantro, peanuts...)

------
There are a bunch more brilliant ideas in the magazine, including an entire section devoted to popsicles, beautiful fruity popsicles that are made from really real stuff like fruit and sugar not dyes and other such yuck.