Avocado Bacon Tomato Melts

I am a HUGE fan of BLT’s with avocado because....AVOCADO! I wish I had a green thumb because I’d grow an avocado tree in a heartbeat! Avocado trivia: did you know that an avocado doesn’t ripen until it’s been picked? It’ll just hang on the tree until you pick it then the ripening process begins. Who knew, right? If you want a delicious and QUICK dinner, then you need to make these ASAP. So, so, so good!!!! Make as much as you want but my recipe is for just two people. Increase your ingredients for more eaters. Everyone will want at least a couple!!

Avocado Bacon Tomato Melts

4 slices bread

2 Roma tomatoes ~ sliced

1 - 2 avocados ~ sliced

8 slices bacon ~ cooked

8 slices cheese ~ I used a colby/jack combo

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Lawry’s Salt

Set oven to broil.

In a small bowl, combine the mayo and cayenne pepper.

Spread the mayo on one side of the bread then place the bread on a cookie sheet.

Top each piece of bread with 1 slice of cheese.

Arrange tomato slices and avocado on top of the cheese then sprinkle with Lawry’s Salt.

Break each piece of bacon in half and put 4 half pieces (so 2 whole pieces per slice of bread) on top of the avocados.

Top with remaining slice of cheese.

Broil for 2 - 3 minutes until cheese has melted and lightly browned on top.

Enjoy!!!

Our goodies!

Mix the mayo and cayenne together. Slather on the bread.

Next...one piece of cheese on each piece of bread.

Next add the avocado and tomato and some Lawry's Salt.

Top with bacon and more cheese.

Broil and chow down!!

Tomato Cream Sauce with Sweet Sausage

I ran across some fun pasta the other day so I had to come up with a way to serve it. I kind of think of Italian food like I do Mexican food...there’s a ba-jillion ways to serve the same ingredients. But, it doesn’t make me love either one any less. Love, love, love them both. So making this tomato cream sauce to go with our new pasta was like eating something brand new! This is super good, comes together in a flash and the leftovers are great!

Tomato Cream Sauce 

with Sweet Sausage

1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 pound Italian sweet sausage ~ casings removed

1 medium onion ~ diced

2 cloves garlic ~ minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

8 ounces pasta (I used calamarata) ~ cooked and drained. 

In a large skillet, cook the sausage until done. Remove to a plate. 

In the same skillet, saute the onion and garlic for 10 minutes. 

Pour in the chicken stock to de-glaze the pan. 

Add the canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes.

Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. 

Stir in the cream then add the cooked sausage. 

Allow to heat through then serve over pasta.

The line-up!

Brown the sausage then remove to plate. Brown the onion and garlic in the pan.

Add the chicken stock. Then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes.

Add the cream and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.

Then add the cooked sausage to the cream mixture and heat through.

Serve over pasta and enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

This is almost a one-pot meal, right here. Other than cooking the pasta in a separate pan, this really is super easy and super good and all cooked in one dish. Even my non-tomato loving #1 Son enjoyed this. I think sun-dried tomatoes have a more intense flavor than regular tomatoes...almost a sweet taste...so maybe that's why he liked this dish. I love things like this because if you want more chicken, add it! More or less pasta? Yep. Throw in more cheese if that's what makes you smile. Try this soon...I think you'll like it!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta



3 chicken breasts ~ cut into chunks
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil~ diced
2 garlic cloves ~ minced
1 cup half & half
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces pasta ~ (I used bow-tie) cooked
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, season the chicken with the paprika, salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add a couple of tablespoons of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to the pan then add the diced tomatoes and garlic.

Cook for about a minute then remove to a plate.

Add a little more oil to the pan then add the seasoned chicken and cook until chicken is done.

Add the sun dried tomato/garlic mixture in with the chicken.

Pour in the half & half, add the shredded cheese, basil and red pepper flakes and stir until cheese has melted.

Add the pasta and stir to combine.

 

Let's cook dinner!

 

Add a couple of tablespoons of 

the oil from the sun dried tomatoes 

to the pan then add the diced 

tomatoes and garlic. Cook for 

about a minute then remove to a plate.

 

Season the chicken with 

some salt, pepper and paprika.

 

Cook the chicken. Then add the sun 

dried tomato mixture back to the pan.

 

Pour in the half & half, 

add the shredded cheese....

 

...basil and red pepper flakes 

and stir until cheese has melted.

 

Add the pasta and stir to combine.

 

Plate it up and chow down!

Grilled Corn Tomato and Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

I was at my mom's today when she got a knock on her back door. It was neighbor passing along some of the bounty from his garden. He gave her a whole sack of beautiful tomatoes. Now with it just being my mom and dad, I knew they wouldn't eat them all so...being the good daughter that I am, I helped myself to a few. I knew just what I was going to make because at home...sitting on my counter...were three pretty avocados just waiting to be used. I've been wanting some kind of salad lately, so I knew this was it! If you've got any tomatoes left in your garden, try this yummy salad. It's light...refreshing and so simple to make. I can eat the whole thing by myself....but that's probably TMI, isn't it?

Grilled Corn Tomato and Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing



1 10-ounce bag frozen corn ~ about 2 cups
1 cup large diced tomatoes
2 avocados ~ large diced
1 small red onion ~ diced
Salt & pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey

Heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil.

Add the corn to the heated skillet and cook corn until hot and slightly grilled. Cool the corn.

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, onion and avocados.

In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, oil, honey and salt & pepper.

Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.

 

Okay...here we go. Except the honey. 

Oops. But I'm sure YOU'LL remember it!

 

Grill the corn then let it cool.

 

Mix together the cooled corn, 

and the rest of the veggies.

 

Mix up the stuff for the dressing! Yumm-o!

 

Drizzle, toss and eat!!!

BLT Ranch Pizza...and grab a $1.00 off coupon!!!

BLT sandwiches...with avocado...are something we've been eating for ages here in the SFFS house. So it just made good sense to put a spin on our old stand-by and turn it into a pizza! Using Mama Mary's Stone Fired Crust made this so easy! Frying up the bacon took just a few minutes then everything went on the pizza and we had dinner in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for those busy holidays that are upon us. This would be great to serve at a holiday party as an appetizer, too. Just cut the pieces into bite-sized portions and you've got a perfect pre-meal snack! Sometimes in December there's no time to cook a full blown meal and don't we all get tired of take-out and fast food? Using Mama Mary's pizza crusts is a great alternative to a drive-thru meal and this BLT Ranch Pizza really does make supper super simple and delicious!

Click HERE to get the coupon.

Click HERE to visit Mama Mary's website for more great recipes and ideas.

Click HERE to "like" Mama Mary's Facebook page.

BLT Ranch Pizza



1 Mama Mary's Stone Fired Pizza Crust
1 cup ranch dressing
1 pound bacon ~ diced and cooked
1 large tomato
2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
1 cup chopped Romaine lettuce
1 avocado ~ diced (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread ranch dressing on top of crust.

Sprinkle with 1 cup of the Mozzarella cheese.

Scatter tomatoes and bacon on top of the cheese.

Sprinkle avocado, if using.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Let's go!

Spread the Ranch dressing on the crust then sprinkle with half the cheese.

Scatter the tomato on top and also the avocado, if using.

Sprinkle with the cooked bacon.

Then the remaining cheese.

Bake it up then scatter with some lettuce. Slice and serve!

Shuffled Vegetables

If you're looking for a yummy side dish and are tired of the same old frozen veggies on your table, then look no more. These are fantastic! Just slice and layer these vertically (does that make sense?) in the pan and throw on some salt and pepper and then some cheese. You could switch up the veggies to whatever you like but I have to say the combo of the squash and the tomato was super good! And it's so pretty! And you can adjust the amount to fit more or less people, too! And all around great side dish!

Shuffled Vegetables



1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 medium onion
1 large tomato
1 medium potato (I used a Yukon Gold)
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Slice all veggies about 1/8 inch thick. Make sure they are all the same thickness so they cook evenly.

Stack the veggies in random order in the pan on their sides or ends. You don't want them flat in the pan.

Sprinkle veggies with minced garlic.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese. Replace foil and bake another 15 minutes. 

 

Here's all you need!

 

Slice and dice!

 

Add the garlic then season and layer.

 

Bake for a while then add some cheese.

 

So yummy, guys!

Margherita Pizza

Is everyone ready for Halloween and all the treats that will be making it into your house? After all that candy is devoured, you'll need some real food to get back on track. How about some pizza? Made with fresh ingredients, pizza can be quite nutritious. And this Margherita pizza is perfect! Did you know that  Margherita pizza was named for Queen Margherita of Italy in the late 1800's? There you go...random fact of the day. A traditional Margherita pizza only has basil, white cheese like mozzarella and red sauce on a thin crust to emulate the colors of the Italian flag. But because the SFFS house is a house of meat eaters, I added sausage. You can totally leave it off though, if you're a purist. This great pizza starts with a yummy thin crust from Mama Mary's. Then sliced mozzarella and basil and some Roma tomatoes....oh yeah! Marinating the tomatoes is one of the keys to making this extra yummy and the ease of prep because of Mama Mary's pizza crust is the best of all! 

Click HERE to get the coupon.

Click HERE to visit Mama Mary's website for more great recipes and ideas.

Click HERE to "like" Mama Mary's Facebook page.

Margherita Pizza



1 Thin and Crispy Mama Mary's pizza crust
1 cup pizza sauce
3 roma tomatoes ~sliced
8 ounces mozzarella cheese ~ thinly sliced/grated
1/2 pound cooked sausage (optional)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves ~ rough chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt then pour in the olive oil. Allow tomatoes to marinate for 15 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove tomatoes from the oil. Brush crust with oil then spread the pizza sauce over crust.

Arrange thinly sliced cheese over the sauce.

Top with marinated tomatoes, basil and sausage, if using.

Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly.

 
Let's go! This is easy peasy!

 
Marinate the tomatoes.

 
Then build your pizza....

 
...and bake! So delicious!

Warm Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is a big favorite of mine. I'll eat it in any form or fashion. This one is really good! Although it's terrific cold, it's meant to be eaten warm. Serve it right after you add the pasta to the tomato mixture for something extremely delicious! We have this as a side dish with dinner and then there's always enough for my lunch the next day. I've even been known to nuke it for a few seconds to knock the chill off. :-)

Warm Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad



1 container cherry tomatoes ~ cut in half
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves ~ sliced
1 tablespoon salt
1 4-ounce can sliced black olives
1 pound pasta
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine sliced tomatoes, basil, salt and olive oil.

Stir to combine, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours so the mixture becomes juicy.

Cook the pasta. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, olives and the tomato mixture.

Sprinkle with grated parm. 

Serve warm.


 
Here's all you need!

 
Combine the sliced tomatoes, olives, 
olive oil, salt and basil in a bowl.

 
Cover and let sit at room temp 
for 3 - 4 hours. Or longer.

 
Cook the pasta then drain. Combine 
the pasta and the tomato mixture.

 
Stir it up good!

 
Serve it up good!