image from Bon Appetit

We went to the farmer’s market this weekend and it was literally flooded with gorgeous tomatoes of every size and color. I picked up a few different kinds and then proceeded to look for some new quick ideas for what to do with them. Here’s what I found (we had the salad earlier tonight - heavenly.

Ina Garten: Tomato, mozzarella, basil salad

Simply Recipes: Bruschetta with tomato and basil

Bon Appetit: Baked tomato

What’s your favorite thing to do with a juicy, fresh tomato?

By Kerrianne of Kerrianne.org

So, you’re going to a party! You’ve received an invitation, happily accepted, and are choosing just the right shoes to wear with just the right dress. Maybe it’s the type of party wherein you’re arriving with a gift for a little one, an expectant mother, or a bride-to-be.

What you might not remember in all the hustle and bustle of pre-party planning is that there is someone else to potentially gift in this equation.

Parties take planning, provisions, invitations. In short, they cost money, and time, and while your presence and shining personality is no doubt a great gift in and of itself, remembering your hostess (or host) with a thoughtful and material “thank you” is beyond classy, and lets your hostess (or host) know that you appreciate everything they’ve done to make the party a great one. (This is especially true if said party is being thrown for you.)

OK, OK, so now that we know hostess gifts are grand, what sorts of things should you be giving?

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More to come on this, but there are some ingredients you should really try to have on hand at all times, in order to give yourself some quick and easy dinner options without needing one of those 5:43 p.m. supermarket runs.  Those last-minute dashes end up being expensive, exhausting, and creating a household full of hungry, cranky people.

So, here’s the start of a list of things to keep in stock at home, with the following recipe in mind:

In the pantry:
canned beans (cannellini, garbanzo, black beans, kidney — pick a few of your favorites)
canned tomatoes (crushed, whole, diced — your choice)

In the fridge:
onion
garlic
flour tortillas
cheese (I have nothing against the pre-shredded bags, they’re great in a pinch)

Fast Mexican Tortilla Lasagna

If you don’t have cumin, don’t worry.  If you want to use basil instead of oregano, go ahead. Swap kidney beans for black beans, if you want.  You can also use leftover shredded chicken or pork instead of the beans.  This is a very forgiving recipe.

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped (1/2 cup juice reserved)
1 (16-ounce) bag shredded cheddar cheese
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat, and add the oil.  Swirl it around, then add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes, until tender.  Add the oregano, cumin and chili, stir for a minute, then dump in the beans, tomatoes, and juice.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Lightly oil or spray with cooking spray an 8-inch-round cake or baking pan. Spoon in a tiny bit of the tomato-bean mixture and spread it around.  Place a tortilla in the pan, ladle in 1/3 of the tomato-bean mixture, sprinkle over 1/2 cup of cheese, and repeat three more times.  Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. If you like a browned crust, leave uncovered, otherwise cover with foil.  Pop it into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve.

By Sizzle from Sizzle Says

Pick a Picnic

One of my favorite things to do with my sweetheart is picnicking. There are so many variations that you could picnic your way through the summer without a repeat! I like to head over to the local Farmer’s Market to pick up some locally grown fruit, delicious cheeses and bread, then pack in some wine and head to the park. But you could make a picnic anywhere- even in bed!

Take a walk

I know this sounds like a “duh” kind of idea but seriously, grab your mate’s hand and take a stroll. Maybe venture to a part of your neighborhood you’ve never walked through. Take in the trees, the houses, and let the conversation flow. Or tackle a hike- from up top a mountain you can gain tremendous perspective.

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This is a very happy time of the year for me because I absolutely love blueberries and they are everywhere. So here are a few blueberry dessert recipes I’m putting on my list and wanted to share with you:

Joy the Baker: Perfect Sunday blueberry muffins

Simply Recipes: Blueberry pie (this looks so good I am tempted to have it for dinner tomorrow, not as dessert)

The Kitchn: Easy blueberry cobbler

What’s your favorite thing to do with fresh summer blueberries? Share in the comments!

By Kelly from Don Mills Diva

I am a pretty typical working mom balancing a pretty demanding job and a really demanding pre-schooler and you know what I don’t need?

I don’t need one more article telling me that if I just treat myself to a nightly bubble bath, my time-crunched schedule will magically seem manageable.

I agree that leisurely bubble baths are relaxing and perhaps even necessary once in a while, but encouraging working moms to indulge does not constitute useful advice about how to successfully make the most of our time.

If you’re like me, what you would really appreciate are a few practical tips that can help shave minutes off your daily routine.

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Katie Workman is the Editor in Chief and Chief Marketing Officer of Cookstr.com , a website devoted to great, tested recipes from chefs and cookbook authors, so she knows her way around the kitchen.

OK, so we got home at 6:30 on Sunday night, a bunch of misc. ingredients in the fridge, and my younger son, Charlie, says, “can we make a stir-fry?”  I am such a cooking nerd that the mere prospect of one of my kids suggesting a meal, and asking to participate in the preparation, kicks me into high gear.  So, stir-fry we did.  And here’s the thing: for the first time I let my 6 year old use a big sharp major knife, and cut up all the chicken.  I hung out by his side the whole time, and figured out a way to make it a lot less likely that he would lose a part of a finger.  I let him use a real knife, but instead, of holding the chicken with his hand, I had him hold it steady with a fork, kind of like when they learn to cut their own food at the table, but in this case it was prep cutting.  Told him he must NEVER let his eyes move away from the knife.  And by god, that child cut one pound of chicken breasts into small bite-sized pieces.  Very proud of himself, he was.  Not to mention his mother.

Here’s what we did.  Now, if you were to use any half of these ingredients., you would still have a great stir-fry - we just happened to have a bunch of veggies ready to go.  If you’ve never made a stir-fry, the first time is scary, two is interesting, three is getting confident, after that you’re on your way.
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By Mona from Kirida

When I gave birth three years ago, my mother flew across the Pacific Ocean from Saipan to our Seattle home to assist me in those first few sleep-deprived and chaotic weeks. It was a true lifesaver to have my mom around, to make our meals, do our laundry and keep our house tidy while we were doing our best to be new parents without losing our sanity.

The trade-off though of accepting my mother’s wonderful help was accepting my mother’s bountiful uninvited advice. From the moment we brought my son home, she filled my ears with what he should be wearing (mittens all the time!) to how I should change his diaper (with lots and lots of baby powder!).

Her advice even extended to my role as a wife, even going so far as to write a list of “Mona’s Wifely Obligations,” which included making sure my husband had freshly pressed pants for work, even though he is a GROWN MAN with a master’s degree and is very capable of doing this for himself.

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