basil Archives - Framed Cooks

Farro Chicken Salad

Jun3

I gotta say, I thought long and hard about putting up this post about one of my favorite, favorite chicken salads, which features farro with tomatoes and fresh herbs and onion and olive oil and other glorious things. Not because it isn’t delicious and healthy and just plain beautiful on the plate. Not because I’m not a good sharer – I am, I promise! But because more than one, two or three people have heard me rave about this and then said “Um…sounds good, but what’s farro?”

Well, I’m here to tell you that farro is fantastic, and you can start your love affair with farro with this scrumptious farro chicken salad. Let’s make it!

Pasta with Brie and Tomatoes

Aug27

This is my favorite summer recipe EVER. It is adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook — that first one that everyone bought back in the 1980’s when this wonderful series of cookbooks first appeared. If yours is like mine, the binding is cracked and the pages are falling out and you can’t get a new one because you have all these notes and memories marked on the pages, and sentimental splotches of meals gone by staining the pages…and I STILL haven’t made everything I want to make out of this classic cookbook.

But I have made this one, probably 50 times over the years, because it is simple and gorgeous and tastes like heaven on a summertime plate. Let’s make it!

Bacon Caprese Salad

Aug24

Well, I thought I had caprese-ed everything there was to caprese (yes, in my world caprese is a verb) but as it turns out, I HAD FORGOTTEN TO CREATE A BACON VERSION. I know!! If you haven’t yet discovered the wonder that is caprese, in its purest form it is a delectable conglomeration of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, and I do love it that way. And along the way I have turned caprese into an appetizer, a steak topping, a bread pudding and a pastry.

But wouldn’t you think the first lightbulb that went off in my head would have been to add bacon to the mix? Well, better late then never, here I am with bacon caprese salad. Let’s make it!

Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Aug6

Settle in with me for a while as I tell you about the joy that is cast iron skillet pizza. I’m all for ordering good old take-out pizza for much of the year, but when it comes to summertime and we find ourselves surrounded by a cornucopia of fresh tomatoes and herbs and other delicious local veggies, I pull out my trusty cast iron skillet and with just a little more effort than it takes to call in a delivery order we have a cheesy, melty pan full of pizza deliciousness.

So if you want to put your own skillet to work making an explosion of fresh summer veggie pizza deliciousness, come along with me and let’s make it!

Tortellini with Basil Cream Sauce

Jul20

Oh, this recipe. If you love pasta, if you love basil, if you love a plate of cheesy, creamy, comfort food deliciousness, then this recipe for tortellini with basil cream sauce has your name on it. It’s had my name on it ever since I first made it, and it’s usually the first thing I make when the first sweet basil makes an appearance in the summer. Oh, and just for good measure, it’s one of those recipes that has you in and out of the kitchen in about 15 minutes or so.

Ready for some creamy basil deliciousness? Let’s make it!

Watermelon Burrata Salad

Jun25

This couldn’t-be-easier recipe for watermelon burrata salad was born the way so many of my recipes are…by walking by both the watermelon and the burrata cheese in my supermarket and all of the sudden having a lightbulb go off in my head. Because summer officially started last week, and with that my mind is spinning with thoughts of local tomatoes and corn, and firing up the grill, and eating supper outside, and salads with enough gumption that you can happily eat them as a main course.

So when that lightbulb went off, I knew I had found this season’s perfect summer salad. Sweet, salty, creamy, summery deliciousness all in one watermelon burrata salad. Let’s make it!

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