Panzanella Salad

If you are a fan of any kind of Italian food, you will love this recipe.!! Italian cuisine has such a unique flare and take on fresh ingredients, but something that amazed me is their take on revamping boring old bread!!You know you are guilty of letting bread go stale, and you have no clue what to do with it! That hard brick that you let air out by accident cause your wine buzz got the best of you and you forgot to put away your left overs, mmhhmm, don't try and hide it LOL!! This salad recipe is so simple, refreshing, and in my opinion can be eaten year round. 

This recipe will vary among person to person, so please feel free to add what you like! Let's dive in shall we? This recipe has two parts: 

Ingredients for Salad

1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2-3 cups stale bread, cubed***
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
1 cups fresh mozzarella/stick mozzarella diced
thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Ingredients for Tomato Dressing


1/2 pint cherry/grape tomatoes cut in half
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp, dried Italian seasonings


Directions

1.) Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
2.) Cut the tomatoes in half and chop your garlic. 
3.) Pour the olive oil into your pan and get it warm, then add the tomatoes and garlic. Sautee until the tomatoes release their juices. Cook just until their skins begin to wrinkle. Add in the salt, pepper, lemon juice and Italian seasonings. Stir together and remove from the stove. 
4.) In a food processor/blender, pulse the dressing to your desired texture. I like it very smooth. Taste it and make sure it's to your liking. 
5.) Add all of the dressing to the bottom of a large bowl. Pour in all of your diced veggies, cheese and bread on top of the dressing and toss to coat. This salad is best if allowed to sit for10-15 minutes so the bread softens up a bit. Toss again right before serving and top with the sliced scallions. 

This makes for a great dinner for two, or perfect as a side dish for 4. The prep work is simple and these ingredients are very easy to find at your local grocery store. You can use any short cuts you want in this recipe too like using bottled lemon juice, stick mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, frozen and diced veggie mix, what ever you like! If you really want to wow your friends or family, make it with the freshest ingredients possible, they are all fairly inexpensive. Please enjoy my recipe!! Thank you so so much!! 

****Cook's side note: I would highly suggest using an Italian bread loaf or sour dough bread for this recipe. Makes for a nice contrast against the vegetables and dressing. Please avoid using regular sliced bread, unless it's texas toast, you want the bread to be able to soak up the dressing without becoming complete mush. 

Also, I am working on taking photos of ingredients you will need before hand, what it looks like while I am preparing the dish and afterwords. Thank you for your patience!! 

Frittata

Weekend breakfasts for me are a treat, and I want to treat myself right with something cozy. This simple and tasty frittata is one of my favorites. I will say that this makes enough for 2-3 people (If eating other accompaniments or want a light breakfast), which I will gladly eat by myself if my hunger calls for it LOL. Here we go!

Ingredients:

4 Large eggs

1/4 White onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bliss potato, quartered and sliced thin

1/4 tsp. Chopped Garlic

2 TBSP. Bacon fat/Butter

Mixed shredded cheese of your choice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parsley Garnish (optional)

Directions:

1.) Crack and whisk the eggs in a bowl, set aside. 

2.) Cut and slice the potato and white onion, set aside.

3.) Get a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add in the cooking fat of your choice. 

4.) Cook off the onions and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly golden brown. Add in the garlic and stir to combine. 

5.) Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes and onions. Stir so the egg goes underneath the potatoes and onions. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. 

6.) Reduce the heat to low and cover the saute pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Lift the cover and check if all of the eggs are set. Cook more if necessary. 

7.) Sprinkle cheese on the top of the frittata and cover again to melt. 

8.) Carefully slide frittata onto a large plate and enjoy immediately. 

9.) Garnish with fresh parsley if you so desire. :) 

You can eat this piping hot or at room temperature. Makes for a great breakfast or brunch item. 

Please enjoy and thank you!