on the table

when i got married, my mom gave me one bit of advice. she said make a weekly menu using items on sale from the local grocery circular. it will help you stay in budget and organized. (i'm sure i could have used that advice earlier in life!)

now i eagerly await the grocery circulars each week -- so i can decide what we'll be having for our upcoming dinners. and depending on what recipes i find, some weeks i am so excited to get cooking!

this was one of those weeks. i have two recipes to share that mr. pike, little girl, and i all loved.

first, bobby flay's grilled flatbread with ricotta cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil, and roasted garlic oil. we don't have a grill, so i cooked the flatbread under the broiler and it worked well for us. this is a fresh, yummy dinner. and easy to prepare.

i made two flatbreads, and we just ate one that night. i saved the second for the next night's dinner tuscan panzanella from moosewood restaurant. (pictured above.)

i didn't have all the ingredients the recipe called for, but i just used what i had. the main components of a panzanella include veggies, toasted bread (usually a french bread), and dressing. and when you mix all that together the bread soaks up some of the dressing. it's a satisfying summer dish.

i roasted summer squash, blanched green beans and sugar snap peas, diced tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, cubed toasted flatbread. and i threw all of that on top of a bed of mixed greens.

what's so delicious about this panzanella is the dressing. a creamy garlic parmesan dressing.

here's the recipe:
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup 2% milk

combine all ingredients in the blender or food processor, adding milk last while you puree. whirl for 30-45 seconds, until the dressing is the consistency of a light mayonnaise.

i had left over roasted garlic oil from bobby flay's recipe and used that instead. it's a very delicious dressing -- so you may want to make a double batch to have extra on hand.