Baked Goat Cheese in Marinara Dip!

This appetizer recipe came from the folks at the Red Gold Tomato company and it is so delicious.   This would be perfect for your Super Bowl Sunday lineup.  The Red Gold Tomato company has been so nice to provide me with a variety of their products to sample in the last few years and now I have been asked to be an ambassador for their company and products.  I have always loved their tomatoes and such, even before I started writing this blog.  Now, I will have several challenges from them to share with you all.  

My first challenge was to compare a can of whole. peeled Red Gold tomatoes to a can of whole peeled Hunts tomatoes.  Here is what I found:

I poured the tomatoes from each can into a cutting tray they provided.  

This is my scorecard.  I was to rate each one from 1 being poor to 5 being extraordinary. The categories were Appearance - color and uniformity of size and integrity, amount of peel and seeds in sample, the media or juice, flavor intensity, and flavor attributes.  

I was to cut each tomato in half. This is the Red Gold one which was much firmer and intact.  They were also much more uniform in size.  On flavor, both tasted good, with nothing off about either of them, but the Red Gold tomatoes tasted a bit fresher.   As you can see, from the final score, while both cans of tomatoes were good,  the Red Gold tomatoes were just better.  

After my test was over I used the Red Gold tomatoes to make the tasty recipe.  Here is what you will need:

8 oz. goat cheese

5 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (28 oz.) can whole, peeled Red Gold tomatoes

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. sugar

3-4 sliced green onions, including the green blades

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.  Uncover and mash the tomatoes or what I do is use my kitchen shears to cut them up.   Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes more.  

Place the goat cheese in the center of a rectangular baking dish you have sprayed with nonstick spray. You should have enough room for a one inch border around it.  Pour the marinara sauce around the goat cheese, but don't cover it, just around the edge.   Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Sprinkle with green onions.  Serve with garlic bread or on crostini!  This is so good, I can eat it alone!  

Yellow Squash Fritters!

I love all of the fresh homegrown vegetables we get from the garden in the summertime.  My parents have had a garden as long as I can remember. They still have a small one and Daddy is in his  nineties, but that doesn't stop him. 

 He takes care of his own yard and he and Mama plant their garden each Spring.   I plant a few things at my house also, mostly herbs, tomatoes and several types of peppers, but also a few yellow squash and zucchini plants and some lettuce and greens.  

The yellow squash usually does really well every year and eventually it's coming out ears, so we look for a variety of ways to use it all.  These "Yellow Squash Fritters" are something my mother has made since I was a girl and I just love them.  They are easy, but so tasty.

 Here is what you will need:

2 cups grated yellow squash

1/3 cup grated or minced fine sweet onion (I used Vidalia)

1 egg

1/3 cup self rising flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup oil for frying

2 Tbs. butter

In a mixing bowl, combine the grated squash and grated onion.   I just used a box grater for this.  The food processor tends to over do it and you end with baby food. 

 Mix in the egg, self rising flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.  If you do not have self rising flour, add about 1/2 tsp. baking powder to all purpose flour.  It makes them puff a little.  

Depending on how much water is in your squash, you might need just a pinch more flour.  It's loose batter, but it has to be tight enough to drop with out running every place. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet and melt the butter in it for flavor.  I drop them by heaping tablespoon to make them sort of small.  They are easier to work with and turn.  You can make them as large as you like though.   

Cook on one side for about 3-4 minutes.  Lift up and if they are brown, carefully turn them with a wide spatula.   This is a delicate batter so turning  them only once is a good idea.  Cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes or until brown and remove to a paper towel lined plate.

I like to garnish mine with a dollop of sour cream and some chives or a little green onion! 

These can be served as an appetizer or for a delicious side!