I dreamed this one up

and it was delicious.

So, it's a Mexican-inspired bean and vegetable and rice dish. Here we go.

In a large skillet, saute
One diced onion
Three cloves garlic
with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
Add 1 teaspoon (or more) ground cumin and 1 teaspoon (or more) ground coriander.
Oh, and some splashes of Cholula hot sauce.

When onion is translucent, add
One diced summer squash or zucchini
Three diced tomatoes
One finely diced jalapino pepper

Add more coffee if needed. The goal is to make a wet sauce.

Simmer an hour or more. Everything should be soft and mushy.

Mash everything by hand.

Add 1 can red beans and 1 can black beans.

Cook some rice.
Dice an avacado.
Grate 1 cup of extra sharp cheddar cheese.

Serve the sauce over rice. Add avacado and cheese to taste. Green onion isn't a bad idea, either, nor is a bit of lime juice. I'm never opposed to cilantro, either.

More fun with tomatoes

Our tomato plants in the back yard haven't given us quite the bounty they did last year. June was quite hot; that's the only reason I can think of.

But we finally have a few that are ripe enough to eat (we had more, but some creature took bites out of them a few hours before we planned to pick them, which was heartbreaking).

Since I've got a movie date tonight, I'm going to make a simple dinner.

Goat cheese, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. If the kids were around, I'd throw it with some pasta, but my husband is not a big fan of pasta. So I think I'll get some crusty bread to eat with it.

Instead of slicing or chunking the tomatoes, I'm going to stuff them with a mixture of goat cheese and basil, drizzle them with olive oil, and broil them for a few minutes.

And maybe a side of bacon, for me.

Welcome

In addition to my regular blog, I wanted a space to share some of the foodie things I love. In this blog, I'll share recipes that worked (and some that didn't) as well as restaurant experiences, food sourcing, and more.

Last year, around this time, I got obsessed with the Caprese salad. I would spend hours thinking of variations on that theme. Since the tomatoes in my vegetable garden are this close to ripe, I'll post some of my meditations on the Caprese.

"Typical" Caprese Salad
Fresh tomato slices
Bite-size chunks of fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Arrange on a plate, enjoy.

See? It's the perfect opportunity for variation. Deconstructed? Foamed? The postmodern possibilities are almost endless.

1. Caprese with a Southern accent
Fried green tomatoes with mozzarella melted on top, served on a plate swirled with olive oil and dusted in basil

2. Liquid Caprese
Pureed tomatoes with basil and a dash of olive oil, with mozzarella on the side

3. Deconstructed Caprese
One tomato, a sprig of basil, a little cup of olive oil, and a hunk of mozzarella

And there are so many other taste variations for this salad. When I had a last-minute dish to make and had no fresh basil, I substituted fresh sage. And used sage-infused olive oil. Delicious.

Or chevre instead of mozzarella.

Or dice the tomatoes and cheese, toss in olive oil and minced basil, and serve as bruschetta.

You see where I'm going.

So what are you going to make?