Italian Summertime Tomato, Cucumber and Basil Salad

July is almost here! Can you believe it? Where does the time go? I have no idea. None whatsoever.

It feels like yesterday when I was 12-years old playing on the slip in slide, cursing my new curves that hurt every time I hurled myself on the slippery wet tarp.

Oh well, those were the days... 

But I do know that July 4th will be here in only a few days. With that in mind, I wanted to share some of my all time favorite recipes for summer barbeques and potlucks, which you all may be attending this weekend.

This Summertime Italian Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad is one of my all time favorite recipes. I bring it on camping trips, to work potlucks, to family gatherings, and serve it alongside everything from brats to steaks. 

The two best things about this recipe is that:


1) It's easy to make, just chop and dress, and

2) It's super versatile. You can use any vegetables and cheese combination and never go wrong. If you have squash instead of cucumber.. use it! If you have feta cheese instead of mozzarella... Go ahead! It's almost fool proof.

The component that makes this salad are fresh tomatoes, the chick peas, basil, and cheese. As long as you have those four ingredients the rest is history and will be amazing! 
The refreshing mix of fresh vegetables and yummy salty cheese make this a winner and a great compliment to ANYTHING! And, I'll bet you have almost everything you need already in your fridge!


So lets get started!

Italian Summertime Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad

3 Ripe Vine Ripened Medium sized Tomatoes
1 Large Asian Cucumber
4 Cloves Garlic; Minced
1/2 Medium-sized Red Onion; Diced Finely
1 Can (15.5 oz) Garbonzo Beans; Drained and Rinsed
1/4 Cup Fresh Basil; Minced (you can also use 2 tbsp. dried basil)
4 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese; Cubed (you can also use feta, jack, or Gorgonzola)
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 Cup Paul Newman's Light Balsamic Dressing
1 tsp. Lemon Juice 

1. Get all your vegetables together with a cutting board and your favorite knife. Slice the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. I like to slice the tomato along the round and then slice across both ways. Slice the cucumber into bite sized pieces as well as mincing the garlic and dicing the red onions.
2. Toss all of the vegetables into a large bowl. Drain and rinse the garbonzo beans and add those to the bowl. Then add the minced fresh basil and the cubed cheese. 

3. Add the salt, pepper, light balsamic dressing, and lemon juice. Toss together with a spoon to coat. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Overnight is best because it gives all the flavors a chance to really marinate and blend together.


Servings: 12 ( approximately 1/2 Cup)


Nutritional Skinny:

85.5 calories / 3.8 g fat / 9 g carbohydrates / 1.6 g fiber / 4.6 g protein

Mental Health Benefit: This recipe is not only a chop and drop style recipe making it super easy to make, but it is loaded with vegetables and beans! Do you know what that means? Tons of vitamins A, C, and B and fiber from the garbanzo beans with virtually no fat per serving! Most of the fat comes from the cheese and if you are using reduced fat cheese, then you also have the bonus of some calcium. Plus it's fresh and bright flavors are the perfect compliment to a hot summer day!

Zuchinni Parmesan with Spicy Tomato Sauce

If you are like us, you have an abundance of zucchinis. I mean they are coming out of the bathtub we have so many. Our friends are handing them to us at every chance encounter and take them all because, well, hell-- I love to cook and I might as accept something free to cook with and create new exciting recipes to share with all of you. What the hell, right? That's what we say!

In addition to having tons of zucchinis, we are also about to have another houseful. My sister, fiance, and future mother-in-law are all coming to spend the weekend. In preparation, we have been cleaning the house like mad-- you'd think the Queen of England is coming or something-- Hell maybe she will decide to. I told my dad yesterday that when my sister comes she won't even recognize the place. It is way to perfect. Just like anything perfect though, I know it will only be like this for about another few hours and then things will return to chaos.

I decided to take a break from cleaning and scrubbing and bake some delicious Zucchini Bread using these elephant zucchinis. A zucchini about this size saved a woman from a bear just yesterday, so I feel very safe and protected with all these zucchini around. I shred about 8 cups of zucchini and I kid you not-- I made 9 loaves of this bread and one of my tasters said this.. "Abby, I want to eat this bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday." No joke.

Oh and the Zucchini Parmesan is delicious and a great spin-off from the original eggplant variety. It's now one of my new favorite things! Try them out and let me know what you think. Baking the bread was soothing and helpful in this crazy country where we watched a man on a surf board paddle across the lake and then a huge barge went by carrying God-only-knows what. This is the kind of stuff we see living on the lake in Montana...

And my sister will be here in a few hours! I can't wait to see her. It has been way too long! And my future brother.. I always wanted one of those and I will finally get one! Wish us luck, we will try not to offend, be respectful, and most importantly have lots of fun!

Zucchini Parmesan

2 Large Zucchinis
1/4 Cup Light Mayonnaise

1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1/4 tsp. Salt and Black Pepper

8 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese; Shredded

1 1/2 Cup Spicy Tomato Sauce (see recipe below)

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese; Shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the zucchinis into quarter inch rounds. Then in a shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs and salt and pepper.

2. Using a butter knife, spread a light amount of light mayo on each side of the slices of zucchini. Dredge each side of the zucchini in the bread crumb mixture.

3.  Place each zucchini round on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the zucchini pricks softly with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

4. In a baking pan lay a single layer of zucchini on the bottom. Place a half cup of Spicy Tomato Sauce (recipe below) over the zucchini, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and repeat another layer. Repeat layering until all of the zucchini have been added to the casserole dish.

5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You want the edges to be bubbly and the cheese to be melted and slightly browned on top! Serve immediately!

Servings: 8

Spicy Tomato Sauce

1 Tbsp. Smart Balance Butter

1 1/2 Cup Onion; Finely Chopped

1 Roasted Red Pepper; Chopped

4 Garlic Cloves; Minced

1 Jar (26 Ounces) Spicy Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine

3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

2 Cups Water

1/4 Cup Fresh Oregano

1/2 Cup Fresh Basil

1. Heat a large sauce pan with the oil, then add the onion, red pepper, garlic and heat until onions are translucent.

2. Pour the jar of sauce into the sauce pan. Then in that same jar add the wine, tomato paste, and water and seal and shake the ingredients in the jar to combine. Add this mixture to the sauce pan as well. Add the herbs and  cook until bubbly.

Servings: 8 

Mental Health Tip: No matter who is coming to dinner, whether it's the Queen of England or just your sister, remember-- they came to see you-- not your house, not your lawn. Although it is nice to have things clean, never forget that the most important element is fun! Don't forget to relax and enjoy every moment with your guests! That is what I plan to do!



Wishing you abundance from our kitchen to yours!

~ "Little Hot Mess" in a clean kitchen

Cheesey Hummus Dip and Twisted Italian Bread

My mom and I trade dinners with our neighbors (pretty much the only other people who live in Dayton during the winter). We share a meal, stories, and a piece of our lives together. Last week was our turn to host and mom and I whipped up a Cheese from Overseas appetizer and served our Favorite Italian Chicken along side my homemade Twisted Italian Bread and of course it is important to always have something green, so we made a nice salad to go with too. 

Over dinner my mom and I talked about what we are doing with our blog and since they don't use a computer. We tell them a little about our mission to bring everyone back to the table. Then we begin talking about how they grew up.

Phil is Italian and his wife is from Switzerland, so they have lots of memories to share that are different from ours. Phil shares that once a week on Sunday, his mom would give him and his siblings a dollar and they would go to the bakery and pick out anything they wanted. That was their weekly treat. Madelene laughed and said, "Oh we had desert everyday and my mom baked something magnificent for desert." Phil's mom evidently wasn't, but it comes up later that his mom was the best cook ever and Madelene responds, "Yeah, I don't even try to compete."

I stop on this thought. Isn't that what stops us from doing something great? This idea that someone else already does it better, or more, or we aren't good enough? If life was a competition who would win prettiest, happiest, most successful? That is a great question and my answer is that success and happiness is in the eye of the beholder. I feel extremely successful and I am completely bliss-filled.

However, I doubt that everyone would see it that way. Let's recap... I don't really have a 'job' so to speak, I made next to nothing this past year, and I live with my parents. Pretty much.

That is one way to look at it.

The other way is; I live in the most beautiful place in the country (or so I think), my parents are my best friends, and I am learning how to live minimally. I have enough and I am doing what I love. Writing and cooking and of course sharing these delicious and healthy recipes with you!  Just look at how beautiful this bread is! The swirls make a little heart!

Life for me isn't about 'stuff' it's about living life to the fullest and being happy. I would rather live in a yurt and be joyful in each moment, than live in a loveless mansion.

We all have choices and mine this year was to choose love. I am reminded of a familiar quote, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." I often look up to other people, admire qualities about them, and have found myself being envious of others talents and abilities. However, in the end, I can only be exactly who I am. Coming with that is all the good and 'perceived' bad.

It's hard to say, but my favorite thing about being me is how easy it is. I've let go of comparing and competing. I can only be who I am. There may be people who do a lot of things better than me, like say change a tire, or ice dance, but I will applaud them for their talents and continue on with mine. I have unique qualities to bring to  the table, as we all do. It is our individuality that makes the world a complex and wonderful place.

And these recipes are just that... simple and filled with luscious ingredients that make the flavors pop and your taste buds dance. 

Enjoy the recipes and enjoy exactly who you are!

Cheese from Overseas

4 oz. Low Fat Cream Cheese; Softened
4 oz. Plain Prepared Hummus

1/4 cup Black Olives; diced

2 1/2 tsp. Dried Italian Herbs

2 tbsp. Sun-dried Tomatoes; minced

1 tbsp. Garlic; minced

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1. Mix all ingredients together, place in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

2. Serve alongside sliced celery, carrots, or bread sticks for a delicious appetizer or a delightful snack!

Twisted Italian Bread

1 cup Fat Free Milk

1 tbsp. Honey

1 Package Active Dry Yeast (1/4 oz.)

1 cup White Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 Garlic Bulb, roasted (**Recipe Below)

2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/4 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes; diced

1. Heat the milk in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Add the honey and yeast whisking together and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes and the yeast will begin to foam.

2. Combine the flour and salt and pour the milk mixture into the flour. Mix into a workable dough. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Let rest for another 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the roasted garlic, Italian seasoning, and sundried tomatoes with a fork mashing the roasted garlic into the sundried tomatoes and herbs.

4. Roll dough into an 8 x 12 inch rectangle.

5. Spread garlic mixture over the top of the dough. Roll the dough up, this will create a spiral of herbs inside. Place the dough in a 8 x 4 inch bread pan and set in a warm place covered with plastic wrap to rise for an hour and a half. It will double in size.

5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. When you slice this bread will make the most delicious looking spiral slices. It is irresistible to your eyes and taste buds!

Servings: 12


Nutritional Skinny:

83 calories / 1 g fat / 16.7 g carbohydrates / 1.2 g fiber / 1.8 g protein


**Roasted Garlic

1 Bulb Garlic
1 tsp. Olive Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the top of your garlic bulb off using sharp kitchen sheers. You want the garlic to just be exposed, but you don't want to actually cut any of the garlic.

3. Place the bulb on top of a sheet of aluminum foil. Pour the tsp. of Olive Oil over the top and wrap the garlic bulb up tightly with the foil.

4. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. When roasted the garlic cloves will be soft and after you allow it to cool for a few minutes you can just squeeze the bulbs out of the husk like you would squeeze toothpaste out of a tube! Easy as that!

Mental Health Benefit: These recipes seem like they could take tons of effort, when in reality they are very simple to create. Don't worry, whip them up and make every one feel like you slaved in the kitchen all day. You deserve the praise. Your secret is safe with me! ;)

Wishing you a joyful and 'self-filled' day from our kitchen to yours!

~ "Too Lovely" Hot Messes in the kitchen