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…….

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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!

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