Bucatini alla'amatriciana

This was one of my favorite dishes while I was living in Rome.  First, because bucatini is so much fun.  It looks like fat spaghetti, and is used in much the same way as spaghetti, but it's hollow in the center.  You'll get some impromptu music during the course of your meal... Second, because it just tastes amazing.  Don't let my picture fool you... it's so much more than pasta and chunks of tomato!  It's pretty simple to make, though some of the ingredients might be difficult to find.

Caperse Sandwich

This year we grew tomatoes from seed, and it was too hard to "kill" the extra plants that we grew.  But with 10 surviving tomato plants, we were bound to have a few tomatoes more than we could eat... So I've been trying to find creative ways to use multiple tomatoes at once. I found this recipe but it used Texas toast and blue cheese. Not being a fan of either, I made this variation.  One slice would be plenty as a side during brunch.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Inevitably, Sacramento gets some pretty hot days. Between the last week of June an first week of July, we had 8 days of temperatures 105F and over. But as much as tomatoes love the heat, they too can get sunburnt. This typically only effects the green ones, but it's still sad to see so many hurt tomatoes. And what can you do with sunburnt green tomatoes? Fry them, of course!

Baked Cod

I must admit, I love fish.  But it's expensive. And it's not like beef or chicken where you can just pull something together and it's delicious.  The last month or so we've been stuck in dinner rut, in desperate need for new flavors.  Thank goodness cod was on sale when I decided to make this.

My "Mexican Salad"

Typically I avoid anything that involves Mexican food staples tossed in a heap or layered and then "Mexican" added to the beginning of the name.  Things like "mexican salad" or "mexican pizza." But I was pretty impressed with myself with this one.

Meatless Pizza

I'm not usually a fan of veggie pizza. But when you're selective about about your veggies, it can actually be quite delicious. Using zucchini, other summer squash, and sweet basil (all from my garden), plus Monterey Jack cheese, I made a delicious pizza. Add some fresh or sun dried tomatoes, olives and artichoke hearts and it's simply heaven!

Spicy Tuna Pasta

A variation on the pasta con olio e aglio, this recipe makes sure you get your Omega-3's too!