BRUSCHETTA USES UP SOME GARDEN TOMATOES

Still picking lots of tomatoes from the garden. Without a frost, they are still going strong. Since we are celebrating our son-in-law's birthday today, I will be  making a large dish of Bruschetta from some of these delicious ones.
Quite simple to make.

Dice the tomatoes.
Add some olive oil and diced garlic cloves- 2-3.
Add some oregano to taste.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together well.
It can be eaten right away or put in the fridge to rest for an hour or two.
On melba toast, fresh Italian bread or a cracker of choice, bruschetta always makes an easy appetizer.

Now what to do with the rest of the tomatoes!
#tomatoes#bruschettamadewithfreshtomatoes#pickingfreshtomatoes#oliveoil#dicedgarliccloves

GRANPA'S HEALTHY BEANS!

My sweet grandson, Damiano loves granpa's healthy beans. This year my garden has been full of these pole beans so there have been lots of meals with this delight. Last week Barb and I babysat him and his big sister. They had some penne with meat sauce and were eating it. When Barb brought the dish of beans-a little olive oil, some garlic, salt, pepper to taste-, Damiano's eyes lit up! Granpa's healthy beans saved the day!

GRANPA USES STORE BOUGHT PASSATA

After reading an article in The Toronto Sun today where a Canadian of Italian descent glorified the making of pomodoro di passata or as he called it- tomato sauce, I thought about why I do not care to make it anymore. Up until the fall of 1997, I would help my mother make it. After she passed away, it was just too much to expect to continue the tradition. For those Italian-Canadians that make pasta with red sauce every day, it might be necessary. Since our meals include not only Italian dishes but Canadian and others, 500 bottles of pomodoro di passata are not necessary. I remember well the years my mother would complain about the bottles- the sauce was too runny; the tomatoes had too much acid; the tomato crop was not a good one; the tomatoes were too small- well you get the picture. There are many good brands that have the right texture and flavour without the work. One of the guys from the club said his stall on Weston Road sold over 10,000 bushels of tomatoes so many people are still cleaning, chopping, cooking and straining the tomatoes for their own homemade passata! For this Italian cook, I smile and achieve very good homemade sauce with the store bottles!
#storeboughtspassata#granpalovestocook#pomodorodipassata#passataforthesauce#usingagoodbrandforthesauce#theWoodbridgecrowd

SUNDAY A BUSY DAY FOR THE COOK!

A busy Sunday making a chicken broth for Barb who has a cold and can do with the soup. A hearty meat sauce/sugo for the week is simmering on the stove. I will share with my two busy working daughters. Of course more healthy beans from the garden are ready to be cooked. One of my little grandsons loves granpa's healthy beans as he calls them. So far the garden continues to produce. An eggplant or two has been added to one of my weekend veggie mixes. The smell of the soup and sauce has made our home smell good!