A Quick and Easy Dinner

If you planted cherry tomatoes, you might have more than
you know what to do with right about now.  I know I do.
I came up with a nice, quick pasta sauce that puts those
cherry tomatoes to good use.

While visiting my sister and her family, I whipped up this dinner
for them to enjoy after a long day at work.  I admire women who
work outside of the home and still have enough energy left to
come home and cook a meal.  I just don't know how they do it.

It was nice to have a photographer follow me around while I cooked.
I'm used to setting up a tripod and taking my own pictures.  I felt
a little like I was on a cooking show.  :)  Thanks to Sherri and Jessica
for taking all the photos.  We made a good team.

To make the pasta sauce, I cut all the tomatoes in half.

I used fresh garlic and lemon juice.....

I chopped lots of garlic, about four large cloves,

and sauteed it in a few tablespoons of olive oil.  With the pan on medium

heat, I let the garlic cook a couple of minutes (being very careful not

to let it burn) 

and then added the tomatoes to the pan.

At this point, I turned the heat down and let them cook slowly for

about ten minutes.  I didn't want them to get mushy, just lightly

cooked, so you still have a little pop of tomato flavor in each bite.

I added about 1/4 cup of feta cheese (more or less, depending on 

your feelings about feta),

and a couple spoons of capers.   Then I squeezed fresh lemon juice

over the top and seasoned with salt and pepper.  

There you have it.   A ten minute pasta sauce with five ingredients. 

Very Mediterranean.  I've also made it with shrimp added during the

last couple of minutes of cooking time and that was delicious too.

Served with a green salad, over angel hair spaghetti it was pretty

yummy.  

I have a recipe for some amazing garlic knots that I made to go with

our pasta.  I got this recipe from my friend Pam and I promise you,

they will become the hit of any meal.  Never, I mean never make

them unless you have enough people to help you eat them.  They 

are addicting.  Now, you can't say you haven't  been warned.

They are so easy that you will feel like you are pulling off a magic

trick.   You begin with canned biscuits.  I know...... this is not the

kind of thing I usually have in my kitchen.  In fact, I think this is the

only time I ever use canned biscuits, but trust me on this, it works.

Buy the large, buttermilk variety and cut each biscuit in half.

Roll each half into a rope

and tie into a knot.  Bake as directed on biscuit can until lightly 

browned.  While they are baking, in a ziplock bag, put about

1/4 cup of olive oil, dried parsley and oregano or other Italian

seasonings, garlic salt and finely grated parmesan cheese.  

I never measure any of this, but you need enough oil to keep

the mixture from becoming a paste.  I just shake it all into the bag

until it looks the way I like it.  You'll have to experiment

on this, adding more oil if you need it.

When the biscuits come out of the oven, let them cool for a minute

so you don't melt the plastic bag.   Then put a few biscuits into

the bag and shake, shake, shake, coating each biscuit with that oil

mixture.  After you place them on your serving plate, you sprinkle 

a little more cheese on top.

Don't those look amazing?  Serve while they are warm and still

soft from the oven.  Your gonna love them.

Scott and Sherri did.  They also liked coming home from work and

having dinner prepared for them.  Cooking dinner is the least I can do 

to thank them for their hospitality.  Sherri kept saying, "This is so nice."

and Scott kept saying "I'll take another one of those rolls." 

I love cooking for appreciative people!

We also had a brownie cheesecake for dessert......but I'll save that for

another post.

*MYOF Goals-  #10  Eat three meatless dinner meals a week 

                             # 12 Nurture relationships with extended family

                             #23  Try 50 new recipes