Italian Summer

Fresh basil pesto, bruschetta, Italian herb marinated chicken breast, and grilled romaine.  I was inspired today by the ripe tomatoes and basil. 

These are the ingredients for my basil pesto.  I leave the Parmesan out because you really don't miss it and if you want you can sprinkle it on top.

These are the ingredients for the bruschetta topping.  Fresh tomatoes, white onion, garlic, and fresh basil.  Don't forget the salt and pepper.  I like to leave out most of the tomato guts so it doesn't get too watery.

Play around with the toppings and make it your own.

I also marinated the chicken breasts before I grilled them.  Olive oil, garlic cloves, Tuscan herbs, S&P, and lemon juice.  Try to keep them in the marinade at least 30 mins.

I find a zip lock bag works the best because you don't have to use so much oil or ingredients for it to be effective.

Spray the bread (use a nice artisan or french loaf) with olive oil.  If you don't have a mister, just brush with olive oil.  Grind a little salt and pepper on both sides.  Bake at 350 turning once til golden brown.  I also grilled some since I was going to grill the chicken.  When you take the bread out of the oven or off the grill, cut the bottom off a garlic clove and rub both sides of the bread with it while its still warm.

Spread the pesto on the bread first, lay slices of mozzarella on top of the pesto, and then top with the 

bruschetta mixture.  I grilled the chicken breasts and the romaine.  The romaine was sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Serve with a nice Torrontes or a Malbec.  They are both light enough for this summer meal.

Tiki Cocktail Cake

I saw a cake like this in Food Network Magazine and had to try making it.  It turned out to be a lot of fun but definitely a challenge.  I would need to make it a couple more times to perfect it.  It really helped to put a crumb layer on it before frosting it for real. (that's when you freeze it for a little while and apply a very thin layer of frosting all over and freeze again before applying the final layer.) 

I made this just like the coconut halves cake.  I used dried pineapple and papaya, a maraschino cherry, and fresh mint for the garnish.  I used two ice cream bowls to bake the cake in and put the two halves together with frosting.  After you finish frosting i,t press the toasted coconut onto the outside of it.  I think adding the coconut extract to the cake mix and the frosting really made a difference.  Everyone at work thought it tasted really good and were begging for a second piece. 

Coconut Chocolate Cake

Coconut halves are made with German chocolate cake mix.  I added coconut extract to the mix as well as the icing I made.  I made chocolate icing for the sides and white for the top.  I toasted coconut in the oven and then pressed it onto the sides.