I'm going to say it: I made a kickass dinner

I feel like I've been giving the mister too many sandwiches for dinner. Sure, they've been varied (BBT, pulled pork, eggs), but I haven't pulled out the stops on a weeknight dinner in awhile.  So, last night, I hit up the Fair Food Farmstand to get some tomatoes.  I already had the rest of my ingredients at home for a varied dinner: peaches, bacon, corn, carrots, mozzarella.

We received ORGANIC corn in our CSA this week and I was able to stock up on some peaches at the Farmer's Market. As an aside, it's only a few more days until our Fruit CSA begins--it's like 15 weeks of birthday presents! I decided that I was going to grill corn on the cob for the first time, grill peaches with bacon and basil (I have done this before) and make stuffed tomatoes (a new one for me).

I began preparing the stuffed tomatoes first, since they would take the longest to cook.

Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients:

Before the mozzarella

• Two large tomatoes
• Shredded carrots
• Bread crumbs
• Basil
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella

Begin by cutting the tops off the tomatoes and slicing a small amount off the bottom in order to allow the tomatoes to stand upright in the dish.  Remove the core and hollow out the tomatoes, reserving the tomato "meat" and liquids in a side dies. Chop up basil and garlic and fold into the tomato mixture. Add about a cup of shredded carrots and enough bread crumbs (about 1/2 cup) to absorb the liquid.  Re-stuff the tomatoes with the veggie "stuffing" and drizzle with olive oil.  Cover with foil and bake in a toaster oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, take the dish out, uncover it and add a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and slightly brown.   The mister and I realized that a sprinkle of pecorino cheese would have added to the stuffing, so we just put some on after the fact.

This dish is vegetarian and can be made vegan if you remove the cheese. 

Corn grilling in process

Grilled Corn on the Cob
Ingredients:

• Shucked corn 
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper and other fun herbs

Turn your grill onto medium heat. Cover the corn with olive oil, salt, pepper, and other herbs to your liking (garlic, Old Bay, cumin).  Place the corn directly on the grill and turn every 2 minutes until the kernels begin to brown. After 10 minutes, remove from heat. Add more olive oil and spices and enjoy.  It is really that simple. 

Totally vegan. Add butter, then you lose the vegan certification. 

My final and favorite "pull out all the stops" dish was my grilled peaches with bacon and basil. I've enjoyed this before and the mister REALLY loves this stuff.

Grilled Peaches with Bacon and Basil

Before grilling

Ingredients:

• Peaches (2 or 3)
• Basil leaves
• Bacon (2 or 3 slices)
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar

Cut the peaches almost in half. You will find that the stone does not allow you to cut it in half like an apple, so you have to be resourceful--try to cut around the stone or separate the peach like an avocado. The more ripe the peach, the harder it is to separate. These were quite ripe, so I just cut around the stone, leaving two large halves of the fruit and two smaller slices. Place one basil leaf on the inside of the fruit and lay the bacon on top of the basil. Get some bamboo skewers or metal ones and skewer the peach so that the bacon stays on.  You can probably get a whole peach on one skewer.

Bacon side up first

Drizzle the peaches with olive oil so they don't stick to the grill. Heat on medium heat for about three minutes per side. I usually put the peach on the grill with the bacon side UP first. That way, you don't risk it overcooking and getting stuck to the grill.

Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, remove from the heat and allow the peaches to mellow for about 3 minutes (the bacon will continue to cook and the sugars in the fruit will, too).

Remove from skewers and put on serving plate. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Ready to enjoy