Lay's, Garden Tomato, Basil, Me and always My Gardner Guy....and now the Sundried Tomatoe Basil fry...

I know you are wondering what I am doing now. I will tell you, these chips are sinfully good!!! About six months ago thoughts about starting some kind of lunch delivery business was consuming my mind. In the process I was looking for a good potato chip to pair up with lunch menus. After tasting quite a few I stumbled on two flavors I loved. Lay's Garden Tomato and Basil, and Lay's Balsamic Sweet Onion. Both are so delicious that neither one has a chance of lasting more that a day in our home. This of course is cool for My Gardner Guy...he loves devouring them. I on the other hand have a love hate relationship with them because I loose all control in regards to portion size and I eat the whole bag. Well one night I was thinking, I do a lot of that when it comes to food, the thought came to create my own seasoning for a Garden Tomato and Basil baked french fry. I have since experimented with this concept and have come up with a recipe. Oh thank you Lay's you have inspired me!!! 

You will need: 4 baking potatoes 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 cup of dried tomatoes (I dry my own) See dried tomato tips at the end of this post... 3/4 tsp dried basil 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp dried garlic 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp brown sugar Four baking potatoes medium size is what I used, this size fits well in my french fry cutter. This is a nice tool to have in any home kitchen you can usually pick it up for under $20.00. The Progressive International Vegetable/French Fry Cutter by Progressive International. No worries if you do not have one simply cut up your potatoes in french fry pieces like this. I prefer to leave the potato skins on. Either way is good, it's just personal preference. Put your potato slices in a large mixing bowl. Starting with 1/8 cup of oil drizzle on the potatoes giving them a fine coating. Reserve the rest. Grind up one cup of sun dried tomatoes, I use a small coffee grinder. Pour grounded up tomatoes into a small bowl. Add salt, basil, garlic (or garlic powder), onion powder or minced onions (grind in the coffee grinder), brown sugar. Mix all dry ingredients and pour over potato fry slices in large mixing bowl. Stir and allow seasoning to coat all the potato fries good. At this time you may want to add all or a portion of the remaining olive oil. This again is personal preference. I have done this recipe quite a few times now. In the past I grounded up my tomatoes to a real fine grind. Today I did a coarser grind, I now know for sure I like a medium finer grind. In the pictures that I post today they will show a coarser grind on the tomatoes. This again is personal preference notice the different settings on a small coffee grinder. Sun dried tomatoes ground up, brown sugar, salt, basil, onion power and garlic Notice the Grinder, it has different settings....again this is personal preference, experimenting is fun!!! Another sweet little gadget to have in your home kitchen... Hamilton Beach Custom Grind. Transfer fries to a large baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 30-35 minutes... For the first 15 minutes cover with foil...this keeps them from getting to brown too soon. What's for lunch today and what's for dinner tonight? Brooke is attending and finishing up her beauty/hair school program over the summer. She has a little under 600 hours left to finish. Where she was living before her commute time to and from school was over 45 minutes to an hour. She has decided to move in with us cutting down her commute time to 10 minutes. Now she is subject to testing all my food. Today for lunch quick tortilla meat wraps. Spinach and Sun dried Tomato Basil Wraps with Meat Ingredients: Today I used... Mission brand the Sun dried Tomato Wrap and Garden Spinach Wrap (I often make my own, still for sake of time occasionally I buy them). 3 to 4 ozs. per wrap of chipped lunch meats, I used ham, turkey, and roast beef...when I make this for My Gardner Guy I use more meat, he likes that! 

1/2 cup Spinach leaves cut Julienne style 

1/8 cup of onions finely diced 

1/8 cup of tomatoes finely diced 

1/8 cup green or red peppers finely diced 

1/8 cup of olives finely diced 

1/8 cup cucumbers finely diced 

1/2 cup of cheese (any flavors work) I used mild cheddar today 

A little feta, or even goat cheese...I use Athenos Feta Cheese today. 

A sour cream spread, any kind meaning I have made my own like garden vegetable dip, dill dip, sun dried tomato dip, just cream cheese, or sour cream. Today I used a Stonemill Kitchens Brand with peppercorn garlic and herbs added in it. 

Julienne cut the spinach... Start out by layering the spinach leaves on top of each other. Diagonally begin to slice the spinach in thin strips Spinach will look like this when you are finished Lets get started... Spread on the spread of your choice, today I used Stonemill Kitchens Brand with peppercorn garlic and herbs Starting at the edge of tortilla layer on your chipped lunch meats, I like a mixture of different meats. When I make this for My Gardner Guy I put extra meat on; he likes that, it makes him smile, I like his smile... Layer on the onions, peppers, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, cheese, feta cheese, I put the spinach on last Now fold in the sides, keep mixture together and roll up tight and carefully not to tear the wrap Cut in half on a diagonal and get ready to serve up a nice lunch or dinner... I made another one for dinner for My Gardner Guy, I added my Tomatoe and Basil fries with My Gardner's Guy favorite gourmet applesauce...Add some cold apple juice, it made him smile...I like it when he smiles!!! Did you know...? Sun drying is an old mediterranean tradition that has recently become very popular because of the dried tomatoes intense flavor. Many of the sun dried tomatoes on the market today are actually oven dried in California. Tomatoes are reduced to a leathery pouch and then left or packed in olive oil. They are available for sale year round. I like to dry my own, you can find loads of information that will tell you how to sun dry tomatoes, oven dry tomatoes or even use a dehydrator. Sun dried tomatoes are easily revitalized; 3 ounces of dried tomatoes will plump up to 2 cups if placed in boiling water for 2 minutes. Diced sun dried tomatoes add lots of piz-zazz to soups, stews, casseroles, pizzas, dips and salad dressings. Added to tomato dishes or topped on a baked potato with sour cream and sun dried tomatoes gives you that extra burst of flavor. Georgie

What to do with those radish greens think "Pesto"

My supply of basil this year in the garden is not much....I am a little disappointed as I love pesto with basil in it.....it is my favorite. I have learned over the past few garden seasons sometimes what grows good one year in one spot when you rotate your plantings it might not do so good the next time in a different location. That is were we are this year...our basil is planted between our corn and pumpkins and both have crowded this wonderful herb out. So, I am using my radish greens....yes you can use other greens to make pesto.




Basil Pesto, Swiss Chard Pesto, Beet Greens Pesto and Sun dried Tomato Pesto

And now Radish leaf...
Recipes below....

A few years back I got my first taste of Pesto...I wondered wow where have you been all my life.

What in the heck is that green stuff called pesto anyway? The Italians have birthright to this great tasting green sauce that is generally made with basil, garlic, salt, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts (can be omitted if you have a nut allergy) and olive oil. Because of the high cost of pine nuts I have seen many recipes using walnuts and also almonds. Not only is pesto healthy, but it also has endless uses. Pesto is actually very easy to make, but you can buy it in any grocery store too. If you do make it on your own the good news is that pesto freezes very well, so you can make a big batch and store it for future use. That is what I do...

While doing some web searching I came upon this article which had some helpful hints in regards to Pesto...I liked it and wanted to share it along with some of my thoughts.

A quick word of caution: Don't overuse pesto — it can be quite overpowering and leave your recipe looking like a St. Paddy’s Day brawl in no time flat. If you’re unfamiliar with where to use it, here’s a slew of ideas to get you going:

1. Pesto Bread: It doesn’t get easier than this. Just a smear of pesto and you’ve got a great variation on garlic bread. These take just 25 minutes to make from top to bottom and would make a great dinner appetizer, too. In fact one day I went to my Father in law's to borrow his kitchen...(my kitchen  was under contruction) they have never had PESTO!!! So I took some crusty bread...toasted it after rubbing a little garlic clove and drizzling some olive oil on each piece. Then added the freshly made Basil Pesto. They loved it...cost me a jar of pesto, they wanted the good green sauce!!!

2. Green Pizza: Pesto on pizza is just a natural. Don't even worry about making the pizza at home, you can just as easily jazz-up your take-out pizza with a spritz of pesto for added flavor and cool color. But if you do decide to make your own pizza at home with pesto, beware you may never order take out pizza again!!!

3. Pesto Pasta Salad: Hot or cold pasta will gather some great flavor with the addition of some pesto. There are literally dozens of ways to use pesto in pasta, so you shouldn't be afraid to add it to your dishes.

4. Grilled Shrimp: Fire up your indoor grill or BBQ if you’ve got one, and brush on a bit of pesto for a pretty and healthy dish. Just a few minutes of work yields an inventive twist on ordinary shrimp.

5. Pesto Steak: A little of the green stuff goes a long way on a steak.

6. Potatoes: Whether baked or mashed, pesto is a delightful twist on the ordinary.

7. Marinade: Pesto rocks as a marinade on either chicken or fish. This same recipe can be used for either one.

8. Scrambled Eggs: Add some punch to tiresome eggs with a touch of pesto and you’re on your way to an appealing variation that will add some energy to breakfast.

9. Soup and sauces... If you haven’t heard of pesto soup, then you’re certainly missing out.

10. I love Pesto on my grilled chicken as a garnish...or chicken on my Pesto...I simply grill the chicken breast, then use a big spoonful of pesto on top, add a tomato relish on top of the pesto and it's a beautiful main entree dish of color and taste...

Final Notes: Pesto can be made in lots of different ways (and comes in plenty of variations as well), so you don’t have to stick to the traditional basil recipe by any means. You’ll see versions with parsley, sun dried tomatoes (often called red pesto), red peppers, spinach, beet greens, radish greens, Swiss chard greens, and on and on. Let your imagination run wild. It has been noted that the best way to make pesto is the old fashion way by using the sharp kitchen knife. If you have the time great...but using the processor will do. There is plenty of taste in this sauce/pesto regardless which method one uses....

So I would like to hear what are you using pesto for? Ideas are fun to share...


Radish Leaf Pesto.....more greens to use!!!

- 2 cups handfuls of good-looking radish leaves, stems removed
- heaping 1/2 cup hard cheese, such as pecorino or parmesan, grated or shaved using a vegetable peeler
- heaping 1/2 cup nuts, such as pistachios, almonds, or pine nuts ....I use half in half sometimes like to day I used pine nuts and walnuts...
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- a short ribbon of lemon zest cut thinly from an organic lemon with a vegetable peeler (optional)
- 1/2 cup, plus more to get the consistency you like
- salt, pepper, (ground chili pepper this is optional as sometimes radish greens already have a bite to them)
Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender or mini-chopper, and process in short pulses until smooth. You will likely have to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. This produces a thick pesto; add more oil and pulse again to get the consistency you prefer. (This can also be done with a mortar and pestle; it's great for your karma and your triceps.)
Taste, adjust the seasoning, and pack into an airtight container and use or freeze. I have learned that it is best for me to use smaller containers so this time I use some little mini containers I found at the dollar store. They hold 2.3 ounce's each.

Other Recipes....


Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Yield: About 1 Cup

1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted whole almonds
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 generous packed cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
1 cup olive oil

1. Drain your sun dried tomatoes, lightly rinse them, and then pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Toast your almonds in a dry shallow pan. They will take about 10 minutes, and you will smell when they are done.
3. In a large food processor, combine the basil, toasted almonds, garlic, lemon zest, and salt. Process until coarsely chopped.
4. Add the sun dried tomatoes and parmigiano reggiano cheese and process until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped.
5. Now stream in the olive oil slowly and process until the pesto comes together.
6. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. Or freeze....

Swiss Chard Pesto

•2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
•2 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed (about 2 cups)
•1 cup walnuts
•2 ounces freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
•1 bunch of basil leaves (about 1/2 cup packed)
•Kosher salt

Heat two tablespoons of oil and the garlic in a saute pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and the garlic has become fragrant, gradually add the Swiss chard, wilting it into the oil and sauteing for a few minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine the walnuts, parmigiano reggiano cheese, and basil leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Add in the cooled chard and garlic. Pulse to roughly chop and combine the ingredients. Then, stream in the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil while blending to your desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt.

Beet Green Pesto:

Beet greens – from about 6 beets
1/2 cup light packed fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup hazelnuts – toasted
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese – grated
3/4 cup olive oil (more or less depending on taste and texture)
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Blanch beet greens and squeeze water from the greens. Add the greens, basil, and hazelnuts. Chop until fine. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano and stream in olive oil till desired consistency is reached. Season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

To blanch greens you simply cut away any woody stems and just use the green portion of the stems. Wash thoroughly and set aside. Get a large pot and put it on the stove until boiling. Set another large bowl full of ice water next to the stove. Add greens to boiling water, leave in for 10 seconds, remove and immediately put into ice water. Then drain. Blanching helps soften the beet greens without losing the color.


Basil Pesto

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan or parmigiano reggiano
2-4 garlic cloves
2 cups or more of fresh basil
1/2 cup of walnuts or pine nuts

Blend until desired consistency
salt and pepper to taste

It's that easy!!! It's that good!!!




Georgie