Martha Stewart's Oven-Dried Tomatoes

I am in the process of relocating to a new state.  The sad thing is, my new kitchen is nothing like the one I have.   So with this move comes cleaning stuff out and just reducing "my stuff" whether kitchen equipment, bowls I love that have a chip, or things I haven't used in years, it's all going to a new home before I depart.

I have years of Martha Stewart Living magazines, fully in tact.  I am going through them one by one and ripping out anything that is still of interest and pitching the magazine.

The other day I came across this oven roasted tomato recipe that I recall  wanting to make when I first read this issue years ago but somehow never found the time to do so.  We are having company for New Year's Eve and it will go nicely with the Asparagus with Brie Sauce (from Savoir Faire) my son plans to make as an hors d'oeurve.

This is really very simple and I could kick myself for not making it sooner.  You just have to plan ahead because it roasts for hours.  I decided since tomatoes aren't exactly in season, that I would buy four varieties of cherry tomatoes.  The recipe calls for "paste" tomatoes which appear like romas in her picture but they were sort of pale and these cherries will roast a little faster, say four hours rather than five hours.  Mine are roasting now and smell delicious!

So preheat the oven to 200.  Line a sheet pan with Parchment Paper.  Cut 16-20 Cherry Tomatoes in half.  Place them on the sheet pan cut side up.  Cut thin Slices of Garlic and place on each tomato.  Drizzle with good Olive Oil.  Add Fresh Thyme and season with Salt and Pepper.  Place in oven, in my case for four hours.  Check every 30 minutes after the first few hours.  Serve at Room temperature with a crostini, a peice of fresh spinach, a slice of Mozzarella Cheese, really what ever you have on hand.

They can be placed in a jar with additional Olive Oil and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

It's January 1, 2017.  Happy New Year!  I can tell you these were delicious.  5 of us ate them all along with the appetizer my son made.  Wow, I can tell you I will be making these often.  Thank you Martha Stewart!

Rosemary Stem Kabobs

My mother-in-law, B, has the most successful Rosemary Plant I have seen!  It's been in an ideal spot for over 13 years an resembles a shrub.  When it gets growing in the hot part of the summer, the stems get woody, which she suggested, is perfect for skewers, and she was right.  She apparently gave a bundle of (8) 2 foot long pieces to anyone who would take them about, 10 friends.  I was lucky enough to get on that list.  Then the fun part, as the days passed, everyone began reporting back to her what they did with them and I don't think any two were alike.
I was already planning on round 2 with the sk Zucchini Fritters so I needed to keep my idea simple.  As it was, I was cutting, shredding, waiting and then cooking, ala minute, the fritters.  Now add preheating, scraping the grill, and running in and out in order to baste and not over cook anything.  It was a huge success, and I got gold on both fronts, but the simple way would've been to assign someone to the grilling.
I bought 4 Chicken Breasts and cut them into 1" cubes.  Next, I cut the Woody Rosemary Stems into 12" Lengths without including the tender new growth.  I threaded the chicken breast onto the skewers fairly close, without jamming them together, and lay them flat on a platter.  I had our family barbeque sauce already prepared so I basted them and let them rest for about 30 minutes.  (Use your favorite sauce or marinade.)  I placed the skewers on a very hot grill, sauce side down, and basted the upward facing side.  I turned once, basting the cooked side.  (NOTE: Don't let the grill flare up or it will burn the skewers and you will be left with cubed chicken to tend to.)  These cooked for about 10 minutes on an infrared grill on a medium setting.   When done, I placed the cooked skewers on a foil line sheet pan and placed them in a 350 degree oven to finish for the last 8-10 minutes.  In the meantime, I cleaned up and set the table.  When served, we all ate in silence.
As soon as we were done, I called B to tell her of our good success with her skewer idea!  For the next time, I invited them to dinner.  These would be awesome with Lamb, Beef, Shrimp, or Pork.  If you were going on a picnic, these wood be fun to cook with easy cleanup.

Teacher Appreciation Week Gift Ideas

It's Teacher Appreciation Week for our school district.  It's nice to say thank you to your child's teacher without giving a coffee cup or a picture of your child.  I tend towards consumables because they can be enjoyed and in this case, re-created next year.  I like things that give lasting joy as well.
If you are stuck for a clever idea here's one you may like.  It's a Strawberry Pot filled with Herbs.  There are 2 sizes of pots and this one is the largest.  It has 9 holes and I like to finish the top with flowers.
To make this, begin planting the two bottom holes.  Place the roots on the inside and feed the herbs through getting them to stand upright.  Add dirt.  Plant the next herbs in the same fashion, adding dirt last.  Continue working your way to the top.  Add a 4" flower to the top.  Add dirt to fill it in and water well without a dish.
Here in the deep south where the sun is strong, I place mine on the steps to the kitchen from our carport.  This way it gets several hours of morning sun as well as several in the afternoon.   It needs to be watered each day and I rotate the pot 90 degrees upon watering.
What a treat it is to step outside the door with scissors and return with a fistful of herbs.  Some herbs that do well are chives, oregano, basil, parsley, lemon balm, thyme, sage, and lemon thyme.  See what's available and go for it.  You can even include a recipe using multi herbs with a note from your child on the back.