Sun Dried Tomato, Basil, & Brie Spread

This week has been unseasonably warm. So warm, in fact, the Upper Midwest has tossed aside the winter jackets and scarves, burying them deep into the coat closets, opting for shorts and flip-flops instead. Summer in March, if only for a few days. While I've been soaking up the hot weather and warm breezes, running around in flowing skirts, I can't shake the feeling that Mother Nature is going to make me pay for this untimely gift, in some form or another.

Blizzards and ice storms in May? It wouldn't be the first time.

This newly encountered Summer in March is like a Spot the Difference! game in a child's doodle book. The grass is brown and dead. The branches on the trees are stripped bare, without the bright green buds of spring. The neighbor's home still has Christmas lights winding around the railing of the front step. The earliest signs of spring haven't arrived, leaving the appearance of the world still in the midst of winter.

If not for the cars driving past, with the windows rolled down and the music drifting into the street, or the girls suntanning in swimsuits in front yards of neighboring houses, you'd never know it was 80 degrees F outside my window. Summer in March, you are giving me mixed signals.

Even so, I've embraced this heatwave by eating the quintessential summer foods. I've taken the cover off the grill. I finally purchased fresh fruits that weren't apples and oranges (Hello strawberries and watermelon! It's been too long). I made frozen yogurt for the very first time. The last few days have been mood healing.

One of my favorite end-of-summer meals is a garden fresh tomato basil pasta with a warm baguette spread with brie cheese. Since summer foods aren't nearly in season, I incorporated this memorable meal in a different way. This Sun Dried Tomato, Basil, & Brie Spread is an homage to those long summer nights, but can (and should) be eaten any day of the year.

This Sun Dried Tomato, Basil, & Brie Spread couldn't be easier to make (and packs a punch of flavor). With a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper, each ingredient is bright and present. Spread thickly onto a cracker, it makes for a simple-to-make appetizer for dinner parties or it can act as a makeshift meal when you simply don't feel like cooking.

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Garden Tomato & Basil Tart

Since I began my own food blog, I've found myself more open-minded when it comes to the kitchen. New flavors, new tastes, unexpected combinations—I can't seem to get enough of it. I never expected to start inventing my own recipes or have a "to-make" list a mile long (one of my fears when starting a blog was that I would run out of ideas. Ha!) Even now, having shared dozens of my own creations with you, I still find it hard to believe. You see, growing up, I was one of the world's pickiest eaters.

My poor mother certainly had a handful when trying to feed me. Rarely would she find a food I would actually eat and enjoy. There was no seafood, no vegetables, and no chocolate (can you imagine?). Even "different" kinds of french fries (aka not McDonald's) were shunned from my picky palate. Perhaps worst of all was my absolute dislike of tomatoes. I would have nothing to do with them. No pasta sauce, no lasagna, no ketchup. I preferred my pizza to have no sauce at all.

Basically, I was a tomato hating picky eating nightmare (sorry mom!).

Gradually, tomatoes managed to sneak themselves into my diet. I would get lazy after constantly scraping the sauce off my pizza (it's a lot of work!). Then ketchup won me over. But it was pasta sauce that took the most time. For most of my life, when my mother would whip up a spaghetti dinner, she'd save some plain noodles for me to eat for my dinner. And I would eat them just that way. Plain.

It wasn't until a couple years ago that my love for tomatoes began to flourish. I can only imagine a switch in my head (or mouth) must have flipped, because I suddenly and unexpectedly couldn't get enough tomatoes. Last year around this time, every single meal I cooked for myself had tomatoes in some form or another. Pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes. Pitas stuffed with tofu, greens, and sun-dried tomatoes. I would often eat tomatoes like apples, as I brought them for lunch at work or to snack at home.

I had turned into a red fruit loving, going-to-turn-pink-from-all-the-tomatoes kind of gal.

When I lost my sense of taste last spring, tomatoes were one of the few foods I could eat and truly enjoy. Though I could not taste, the texture of the tomato was so diverse—meaty and juicy, yet both soft and firm—that I virtually ate tomatoes for that entire week I was ill. Since then, I've really grown to respect the texture of a good tomato, whether raw, roasted, or cooked down into a sauce.

The fact that I can now eat (and absolutely enjoy) this Garden Tomato and Basil Tart really showcases how far my love for tomatoes has come. Now to take my tomato loving one step further—desserts.

I'm only kind of joking.

This Garden Tomato and Basil Tart truly does taste fresh from the garden. A whole wheat crust is infused with olive oil and dried basil. On top are layers of Gruyere cheese, fresh basil, and garden ripe tomatoes. The whole tart is then sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and sea salt before roasting in the oven. The concept is similar to a margherita pizza, but has so much more flavor. This dish will certainly rouse your taste buds, giving them a bit of a wake-up call. This is the perfect dish to use up all those extra garden tomatoes.

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Parmesan Stuffed Tomatoes

When I asked you a few weeks back what you'd like to see more of around here, many of you requested to see more savory dishes and entrees. While I've made the occasional savory dish in the past (like soup, pasta, or these BBQ mini sausages), the bulk of the recipes on this blog are buttery, sweet pastries. And, to be honest, I don't think that's ever going to change. This is about my affair with pastries and, while pastries can also be savory, I'm thoroughly attached at the hip with my good friends Butter and Sugar.

Literally.

Nevertheless, from time to time I do like to experiment with my dinner (not just my dessert) so I'll make more of an effort to share these kitchen exploits with you.

The truth is that I'm a bit of a boring cook. I find myself eating the same foods week after week and, to some extent, I don't mind. These are the foods I have grown up with. Love them or not, they are a part of who I am.

Since I'm currently living at home with my family, I have more than just my own tastes to please. My father can be a bit of a picky eater. Unfortunately, his eating habits leave most of my favorite dishes off the menu. He shuns many fruits and vegetarian dishes (a man needs meat, you know!). My sister would seem frightened of vegetables, only allowing corn and the occasional carrot to sneak into her mouth. My mother, on the other hand, tends to be a good sport about eating whatever I decide to put on the table as long as it doesn't have anything to do with tuna or garlic.

With all these preferences and tastes floating around, dinner is made much simpler by sticking to the foods my family has grown up eating together. These are the savory foods I choose to share with you—the dishes from my childhood. While new dishes can be fun and exciting, my family isn't necessarily the right audience for them. Like my father says, he knows what he likes. Why fix a menu that isn't broken?

Fortunately for you, dear reader, I managed to sneak these Parmesan Stuffed Tomatoes into Sunday brunch. I have been eyeing the idea of stuffed tomatoes for awhile and the time was long overdue to give them a shot. It took a couple tries to get these right, but once I did, the effort was completely worthwhile.

I want you to imagine a roasted tomato. Stuff it to the brim with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Add hints of onion, green pepper, and basil. Top it with more Parmesan and then melted butter, which seeps down deep into the tomato stuffing. Now, imagine this stuffed tomato in your own kitchen, in your own oven, on your own tableware. This can be your reality. This can be on your dinner table.

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