ARF/5-A-Day #28

The Husband worked late tonight and Nicholas and I were left to our own devices. When I picked him up from Summer Camp this afternoon, we passed by the grocery store, and I got a request for “cheese doodles.” Although he’s had them before, I didn’t know he knew what they were called. I think it’s Grandma’s influence, since they’re a particular guilty pleasure of hers (thanks, Mom!).

Apparently, Cheese Doodles was a hot topic of conversation this afternoon between him and one of his buddies (DH!). The other topic? College. He informed me that he’s going to college (I’m very pleased to hear this!) with his friend and then he’ll be a grown-up and a boss. I asked him what he was going to do in college and his response was, “I don’t know, Mama, I’ll see when I get there!” Well excuuuuse me!

So there we were on the way to the grocery store to fulfill the sudden Cheese Doodle Crisis, and I was trying to get inspired for dinner. I had a bunch of very fresh, very ripe tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market on Sunday and decided to go with Garden Tomato and Basil Pesto Pizza since all I needed was the pizza crust. Believe it or not, the recipe came from a Benefiber ad (I skipped the Benefiber part). It was so, so good and went from start to mouth in 15 minutes – can’t beat that.

As a side dish, I went with “Cheaters” Stuffed Artichokes, a recipe I found from Mixed Salad Annie. You all know how much I l.o.v.e artichokes. I’ve never made stuffed artichokes at home before, though I do get them in restaurants. Just too labor intensive, or seemingly so … which is why Annie’s cheaters version was perfect. I will definitely be making it again – a very close replica of the real thing, and so quick to make! OK, enough rambling from me — onto your round-up. Until tomorrow…

A year ago today… books and stuff.

Catherine from Albion Cooks starts us off this week with a delicious-looking Salad with Figs, Manchego and Walnuts:

Kalyn’s brother, Rand, was the creator of this new twist on Caprese Salad, with his Caprese Salad with Apricots:

Morsels and Musings from Australia joins us for the first time this week with a wonderful education on the very ARF-rich pomegranate:

I’ve made Cold Zucchini Soup. I’ve made Chilled Strawberry Soup, but Stacey from Just Braise has me beat. Cold Corn Soup? That’s a new one for me, but sounds perfect for the high temperatures we’ve been having lately!

The Chocolate Lady from NYC shares delightful cherry stories:

Sarah, from Cucina Bella in Connecticut, is back, this time with Blue Tomato Salad with Basil:

Claire, from Cooking is Medicine in Mississippi, takes advantage of ripe tomatoes and makes Provencal Tomatoes:

Another cook this week with tomatoes, it’s Vaishali with her Mozzarella Salad with Oxheart Tomatoes:

And this week, we have a double dose from Vaishali, since I didn’t receive the above entry in time for last week’s round-up. Her second contribution is a very hearty Gajbaje filled with fresh corn, butternut squash, potatoes and more:

Another new-concept-to-me recipe tonight — Watermelon Pancakes from Food for Thought – they look so pretty!

What’s for Lunch, Honey in Germany serves up the divine-looking Penne with Broccoli and Coconut Milk:

And last, but not least, Methi Dal comes by way of Food, In the Main:

I came across this site for “irked pincushions” and thought you guys would get a kick of them. Very appropriate for an ARF/5-A-Day roundup!

Garden Tomato and Basil Pesto Pizza
Recipe courtesy of Benefiber
1 (12-ounce) prebaked pizza crust (I used Boboli)
2 tablespoons pesto
1 cup (4 ounces) thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese (I used shredded)
2 cups chopped tomato (about 2 large) (I sliced instead)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350. Spray crust with cooking spray. Place crust on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Spread pesto evenly over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with mozzarella cheese and tomato; sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 450 for 5-10 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Sprinkle with basil.

“Cheaters” Stuffed Artichokes
Recipe courtesy of Mixed Salad Annie
one can of artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed in cold water
A handful of black and green olives – cut in half
two cloves of minced garlic
handful of chopped fresh parsley
couple of tablespoons of grated Parmigiano or Romano Cheese
couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
about 1/3 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs and place in a small oven-safe casserole dish. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and drizzle the top with a little more olive oil. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown.