These tomatoes are a favorite at all our parties. I sincerely can not make enough of them. I warn you – they are addictive! They are absolutely the best when tomatoes are in season and super ripe. However, even under ripe tomatoes can be spectacular done this way. Note: that if the tomatoes are store bought, and not as ripe, they will take longer to cook. If you are in a hurry - use a few boxes of grape tomatoes - they just need to be cut in 1/2. This is a method you will want to experiment with to get tomatoes the way you like them. A little less time and they will be chewier because they are more moist. A little more time and the flavor will be more concentrated. As this is a slow cook method you don’t need to use fresh herbs (they are going to dry out anyway!). We have two ways of serving these. First way is to grill a small round of Brie until marks appear on each side (a minute or two per side). Serve with crunchy sliced bread and these tomatoes. Second way is to serve poured over a round of goat cheese with crackers

Preheat oven to 170 F. Remove the core and cut tomatoes into ½ inch wedges. Place wedges skin down in baking dish. Sprinkle Garlic and spices over the tops of the tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the tomatoes and spices. Place in oven and bake for approximately 10-12 hours. I always stir one hour before end to dry out the skin sides a little. When dried to your liking put in a plastic container and add about ½ cup of olive oil. Store in refrigerator. As you can see from the pictures 2 ½ pounds will cook down to 1 ½ cups!

If you put these in the oven before you go to bed, you will wake up to an incredible smelling house! Like you went on vacation…….

Stuffing and Dressing are the same wonderful concoction – it just depends on how you use it. We love it by whatever name you call it. For years we put it in the Turkey, that is, until we got a convection oven. Convection ovens cook the bird quicker and moister! I grew up with bread stuffing and this recipe is an embellished version of my mother’s recipe. Adding bacon and Mushrooms to anything makes it better!!

Dry the bread cubes on cookie sheets in slow oven (225). Stir occasionally. You don’t want them to brown, just dry out. (Can be done few days ahead – cool and store in plastic bags.)

Cut bacon in 1 inch pieces and bake on cookie sheet in 350 degree oven. Stir every 5 minutes until brown. (You can do this in a fry pan but I find it less messy to do in the oven. And if I set the timer, I can do other things instead of standing over it and stirring constantly.) Pull bacon pieces out of grease as it gets done and drain on paper towels.

Reserve 3 Tablespoons of the bacon grease. Heat the bacon grease and the butter in large skillet until bubbling. Sauté the celery and onion in the grease over medium low heat until the onion is translucent.

Mix bread, cooked bacon, onion & celery mixture and mushrooms in a bowl in a large bowl. Add the seasonings to suit your taste. (Note that dried sage gets stronger as it cooks.) Add chicken broth a little at a time using just enough to make the mixture moist. Add eggs to mixture and mix well.

Put combined ingredients into greased 8 ½ x 11 x 3 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until brown on top and set up in center – about 45 minutes.

Double this recipe and have some for leftovers. This is incredible added to a turkey sandwich the next day.

This is pretty on a holiday party tray. The red pepper and parsley make it look festive. It tastes great too!

Chop fresh garlic cloves and then smash them with the back of your knife. Chop the pepper and onion as fine as you can so it will distribute evenly in the mixture. Combine all ingredients until blended and smooth.

Put mixture on plastic wrap and make a ball out of it, or line a bowl with plastic wrap and press pate into bowl and cover and chill. Either way you will want to refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to come together. Remove plastic and place on tray with crackers or French Bread slices.

This pate can also be squeezed onto crackers or celery with a pastry bag & icing tip.

Some Vodka sauces are too hot for folks at our house. I know a lot of the flavor comes from those red pepper flakes, so I put on my apron and found a compromise. This version is not as hot but just as flavorful. It's also quick and easy making it perfect to make after a busy day here at the store. I've added one clove of garlic and a pinch of basil at the end. Both items are not "traditional" but I love layers of flavor. And don't worry, if you are not a Vodka drinker and therefore without a ready bottle in the freezer, just pick up a couple of those airplane bottles and keep on hand for this. You will be burning the alcohol off so kids are able to eat this as well. Write and tell us how you liked this. We love hearing from you. Read to the end for what to serve with it for a complete meal.

Bring large pot of water over high heat.  Bring water to boil.

Heat butter and olive oil  in large sauce pan over medium low heat.  Add the garlic and let it flavor the oil and butter for about a minute.  Add the pepper flakes and let them flavor the oil for another minute.  Add the vodka and turn the heat up to medium high and heat for 2 minutes.  You will hear the difference in the sound of the sizzle as the alcohol burns off - the tone gets higher!

The water pan should be boiling by now.  Add a good 2 or 3 pinches of salt to the water.   Be generous because you've heard it a hundred times - this is the only time you get to flavor the pasta!  Add the penne and cook to package directions.  We like ours just a bit past the al dente.  Be careful to not overcook though.

While pasta is cooking, turn  heat in saucepan to medium and add the tomatoes.  Allow the tomatoes to simmer and thicken up (about 8 to 10 minutes) stirring as needed.  As tomatoes will bubble and splatter all over my stove, I cover the pot with a grease splatter screen.  These screens with handles are great for frying foods but even better for sauces that you want to thicken up.  Go get one if you don't have one - you will thank me!  Add the cream and the basil and remove from the heat.  Add salt to taste.  You can add black pepper too - just remember there is an underlying heat from the red pepper flakes be careful to not make it too hot.

When pasta is done, drain it well and put into a large serving bowl.  Add a pinch of butter and toss.  Add the sauce and mix.  Serve topped with the fresh grated cheese.  A nice bottle of cabernet and a crusty loaf of bread followed by a light salad make a perfect end to a busy Saturday at the Guitar Store!

I made this for a party and it was just wonderful and addictive. It is even better made with home-made ricotta (tons of easy recipes on the internet) but it is so easy with store bought. Serve it on wheat crackers or toasted bread. Read the end of the recipe for more ideas on how to use!

Place a piece of cheese cloth in a mesh strainer and place over a bowl.  Put the whole milk ricotta in the lined strainer and allow to drain for 15 minutes.  I recommend using the whole milk instead of the skim milk ricotta because the texture is creamier.  Mix the drained ricotta with the garlic onions and dill.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  For this don't use the heavy grind on your pepper mill - use the fine.  Allow mixture to sit in refrigerator for at least 2 or 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.  Overnight is even better.

Serve with wheat crackers or toasted bread as an appetizer.

We've all been talking about how good this would be mixed with hot pasta and thinned with a bit of pasta water.  Or even spread on a pizza. Use Parsley and Basil instead of Dill and Scallions and spread on fried slices of eggplant then roll up, put in casserole dish and cover with marinara sauce.  Dust with some Parmesan cheese and bake till hot.  Lots of great choices.

Too bad we have so many favorite dishes at our house, that we forget about this one until Thanksgiving each year! This is a great condiment with turkey, chicken, and pork, and just over-the-top incredible as a garnish on sandwiches.

The flavor gets very strong after a few days, so use the balance to cook over top pork chops or pork loin in the oven with sliced garlic and onions.

Sort the cranberries and rinse.  Using a zester / grater, zest the Tangerine skin, then Juice the Tangerine.  Combine your Zest, Juice, Sugar, & whole Cranberries into your food processor bowl.  Pulse using very short 1 to 2 second pulses.  You want the cranberries to break down to the size of mustard grains or slightly larger, so don’t over process.

This is one of our favorite meals. Makes us feel like a restaurant meal! The capers really accentuate the lemon and chicken is a perfect backdrop for these delightful fruits. Serve with a rice pilaf and steamed broccoli.

Cut thick part of chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that the breast is about the same thickness overall. Put the chicken pieces into a large plastic bag and pound out to 1/4 inch thickness. You can use a rolling pin for this or an empty wine bottle. Each breast should make 1 large piece that you can cut in half giving you 4 servings.

Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 Tablespoon Butter and 2 Tablespoon Olive oil to pan.  Lightly coat 2 pieces of chicken in flour and shake off excess.  When butter and oil are sizzling in the pan add the chicken.  Lightly sprinkle with Salt & Pepper.  They will cook rather quickly, about 1 minute to 2 minutes per side.  When the pieces are browned a bit, turn over and brown the other side.  Put cooked pieces on plate and cover.  Add 2 Tablespoons Butter and 2 Tablespoons Olive oil to pan and when hot add last 2 pieces of chicken.  When browned add to plate and cover.

Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds, adding a bit more oil if needed. Add lemon juice, chicken broth and capers. Stir and scrape up browned bits from pan. As this starts to bubble up add chicken pieces back to pan and turn in the sauce. The flour on the chicken will thicken up the sauce. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.

Serve with lemon wedges. [Word from the editor: Bill likes lot's of extra lemons with his... And there's never any left-overs from this dish!]

Summer's here for a little while longer... time to fire up the patio grille, and these potato wedges can be prepared right along side your favorite meats.

Pre-heat Grille – if using gas you will be cooking over medium heat - and get 9” x 12” pan ready that you can put directly on the grille.

Melt butter and add oil and put in pan. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then slice each potato half lengthwise into ¼” slices

Add Potatoes to pan, add Chili Powder and Natures Season’s Salt and mix with the butter and oil until every potato wedge is evenly covered

Cook over medium heat on grille – turning every 5 to 10 minutes.

Potatoes will take about 30 minutes to cook depending on grille temp. They will get nice and crusty!

You can garnish with fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro if you’d like. Warning – these are addictive.

Note: We recently tried this recipe with 1/2 baking potatoes & 1/2 Sweet potatoes - they were awesome! So you might want to test your own recipe with all types of potatoes!!

Turn your home-made salad into a 5 star gourmet dish, easy...

Mix all ingredients except the blue cheese in a bowl with a whisk to blend. Add Blue Cheese and refrigerate over night. Check consistency before use - it tends to thicken up and more Half & Half is needed. Now wasn't that easy? This can be used thick as a dip for veggies or thinned out as a salad dressing.

This is a family tradition that has been in our house for 28 years. It actually began as a personal recipe from my bachelor days, though all the credit is due to Ellie - because since then, she's done all the worthy cooking in our home. This is a favorite amongst guests, regardless of what you serve it with, and we often double the recipe to take advantage of left overs.

To begin, boil 1 pound of your favorite spiral pasta cooked al dente, to package instructions… we like Barilla. It will need to be drained and cooled so it won’t absorb the olive oil (try cooling on cookie sheet).

Assemble Tomatos, garlic, mushrooms, pepperoni, black olives, peppers, and cheese in a bowl.

Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, Nature's Seasons, and pepper in a shaker.

Mix the dressing with the chopped items - taste to see if you need to add more of an item to your taste. Then mix in the pasta.  If you prepare early for your guests, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature prior to serving.

On sultry summer nights when we really don't feel like cooking this is one of our favorite dinners. Even W.T. loves it.

Put Steak, Minced Garlic, Olive Oil and Salt & Pepper into Ziplock bag and let marinate on counter for 20 minutes while heating grill to 400 degrees.

Cook Steaks 4 minutes per side for Medium Rare.

Remove steaks and cover for 5 minutes to rest.  Slice steak into Very thin slices.

Cover each plate with torn Romaine leaves.  Place steak slices on the lettuce.  Top steaks slices with shaved Parmesan Cheese.

Sprinkle 1 tsp of Capers on each plate and squeeze ½ of lemon over each place.  Drizzle each plate with 1 Tbls of the Olive oil and grate fresh pepper over each.

ENJOY!!!!

Easter is around the corner and I thought I’d share a family favorite. This is my mother’s recipe. To me it gets better if it sits overnight!! Happy Easter everyone!

Chop the dried beef into the smallest pieces you can. In mixer or food processor mix the chopped beef with the cream cheese and the horseradish. Form mixture into a ball and roll in nuts. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to firm up before serving.

Option: This is also great as a spread (without the nuts) on 2 inch square pumpernickel loaf slices.

You can't beat this for savory flavor - so don't hold back on the garlic, please!

-Cut chicken breasts in half
- Separate cloves of garlic, leave skin on
- Cut lemons into halves
- Strip leaves off rosemary branches
- Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat, or any pan that can move from stovetop to oven
- Wash potatoes, leave skin on, cut into quarters, & cut in half again (into 1/8th sections)
- Brown your chicken & potatoes, add garlic cloves, rosemary, salt & pepper, then squeeze lemon juice over top (you can add the squeezed lemons to the mix as well)
- Place entire pot into oven & bake uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes... Cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside & potatoes are tender with a fork

Recommended servings:
- Serve with crusty bread, squeezing your soft roasted garlic cloves onto bread like butter (Yummy). - Be sure your guests get some pan drippings over top their chicken & potatoes!

Lot's of cold weather across the country here in the states, particularly cold in Nashville for this time of year too! Consider warming up with a nice bowl of piping hot soup to take the chill out of those cool winter evenings. Another of Ellie's recipes "fit for company" as we like to say.

Chop your broccali florets, peel & chop the stems. Melt butter in a large saucepan, adding diced onion, then cook until soft - about 5 minutes.

Add broccoli, potato, & garlic, then cook covered over low heat for 5 minutes. (Check & stir frequently so your potatos don't stick to the pan).

Next, add chicken broth & seasonings, then bring to slow boil... Now reduce the heat & let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, & puree mixture in the pan with a stick blender (or in small batches in your food processor / blender).

Place your soup back in the pan with the whole milk to reheat over low to medium flame. Check your seasonings now...

Serve with garnish of chopped green onions & cheddar on top. A hearty meal indeed!

Thanks to Ellie's incredible cooking this traditional Italian bean soup is a food staple at our house, & most appropriate for a cool evening dinner this Fall. While this might seem like casual cooking, don't be afraid to share with your family & friends - promise they will eat every bite!

Whether you have a fancy brunch or a reason to celebrate, Ellie says don't hesitate to try this refreshing recipe for a splash of Summer. For our recipe we used a delightful bottle of Amour De L' Orange from Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula:

Combine ingredients and sip in the shade!

Great addition to your hors d' oeuvre tray or with a chicken salad lunch.