I am an admitted impulse buyer. I see. I want. I buy. Then and there. And then I am left with extreme buyer’s remorse and end up returning whatever I bought and then I think it through again and am right back at said store usually a day later re-purchasing the same item. Dumb. Waste of time. I know. I’ve heard it all before but it’s still who I am and I’m too old or maybe just too stubborn to change!

This is why eBay is brilliant! I can “watch” an item for days, going back and forth debating whether I really “need” it or just really, really want it. Well, today was one of those days. After several weeks spent antiquing on eBay, (yes you read right), looking for the perfect pizelle maker, I finally found it today! I hit the “commit to buy” button and now she’s all mine!

Pizelle are traditional Italian waffle cookies made from flour, eggs, sugar and butter or vegetable oil and flavoring, like vanilla. Pizelle can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy depending on the ingredients and the method you use to prepare these. They are quite healthy for you too.. just kidding! But they make the best holiday gifts and you can’t ever eat just one so it’s a good thing my recipe yields 60 of these babies!!!

My first taste of a pizelle was before I can remember, but they were a staple in my late Aunt Addy’s house. Picture a short, stocky Italian woman, about five feet in height, and not “tiny” in any sense of the word. My aunt was probably over 200 pounds and I think she thought it was her mission in life to fatten-up everyone around her! This was a young girl who quit school when her mother died so that she could raise her sister and brothers instead of all of them being put up for adoption, which I was told was bound to happen.

She took on the roll as mother, maid and cook. She used to whip up a mean Chateaubriand and I remember adults were amazed I could even say that word never mind that I knew what it was and how it tasted! I was thinking of Auntie Addy a month back and that’s when the pizelle mission began!

Pizelle (and that’s the plural form too) comes from the Italian word for round and flat, like the word pizza! Traditionally, the batter is put into a pizelle iron (which my aunt used to use) and held by hand over a hot burner on the stovetop. The iron usually has some type of snowflake-like pattern on both sides, hence why they’re popular around Christmas-time. I chose to purchase a pizzelle maker (looks like a panini press) instead of the iron because I was looking for a particular pattern and couldn’t find an iron with it. Spoiler alert: those of you in my immediate family should be expecting these in the next few months! As soon as I receive my new toy, I’ll post the recipe!

Speaking of new toys, my crock pot is working great! I made a delicious meal for Andy the other night and it only took six hours to cook! “Set it and forget it”! I put a whole chicken in the crock with a 1/2 cup of chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, onions and I shoved two lemons in the cavity. He loved it! Chef’s wife done good.

I have a bunch of heirloom tomatoes growing from my Topsy Turvy’s hanging outside, and it seems like everyone around here has an abundance of them. Before you start making red sauce with all your extras, here are some fun, easy and cheap ways to enjoy the last days of summer and your heirlooms! My favorite is this open-faced goat cheese tart. Puff pastry can be so heavy and filling, so instead I  rolled out some fresh dough (yes, we keep plenty in the freezer) and made thin tarts, where the heirlooms are the center and star of the dish. They are to pretty and colorful to hide! If you don’t have your own dough recipe, you can pick up ready-made dough as a substitute. Trader Joe’s has a yummy garlic flavored dough that would work well too.

Open-Faced Goat Cheese Tart- makes six tarts

Ingredients:

-one pound of dough

-4 large heirloom tomatoes, get colorful, use green, red, orange and yellow varieties, sliced thinly

-1 red onion, chopped finely

-1/3 cup goat cheese (I like Trader Joe’s Chevre Goat Cheese)

-1/2 of minced thyme, basil and parley (and any other herbs you like)

-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

-1/3 cup pesto

-2 teaspoons fine olive oil (I like Colavita)

-6 tart pans or small bowls (oven safe)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Roll out the dough and cut in squares slightly larger than the size of the tart pans you are using. Lie the squares of dough on the tart pans. In a bowl, combine everything but the tomatoes and goat cheese. Put an ample amount of the filling in each shell. On top of the herbs and such, evenly layer the tomatoes and take little clumps of goat cheese and crumble it on top. Lightly drizzle some of your olive oil to top. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until dough becomes golden brown at the edges. Enjoy!

Last night I did not feel like cooking. It was a lovely evening so I took my Buddy Scooter out for a nice ride and came home to finish the book I’m reading (Jodi Picoult’s ‘Plain Truth’) and make a simple, light and refreshing Caprese salad. Might as well keep the heirloom theme going since the season is slowly wrapping up. Caprese salad, or Insalata Caprese as it’s known in Italy, is made using fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and seasoned with salt, pepper and fine olive oil. It’s usually served as an antipasto, or appetizer, whereas most salads in Italy are traditionally served after dinner.

Andy had some Burratta cheese in the refrig and since it’s made from mozzarella (motz) and cream, I decided to branch out and use it! The outer shell of Burratta is solid motz while the inside contains both motz and cream, giving it a soft, creamy and unusual texture. It’s delish!

Caprese Salad with Mini Salad Bites- serves one or two

Ingredients:

-a variety of cherry and grape tomatoes, cut in half, and heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

-fresh mozzarella or Burratta cheese cut into cubes or spooned out

-fresh basil leaves

-1/3 cup good olive oil

-2 cloves garlic mashed

-1 T balsamic vinegar (I like this local brand called Robbins Family Farm in blackberry flavor!)

-red chili pepper flakes to taste

-wooden skewers

Directions:

Combine the herbs, olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a bowl. Let marinate sit. Cut and prepare the cheese and tomatoes. Prepare the skewers by placing a piece of cheese and a basil leaf on half of a tomato and then sandwich the other half of the tomato on top. Put skewer through to hold in place. Spread the larger tomatoes on the sides of the plate and drizzle the marinate all over! Manga!

I sent a text to Andy last night with a picture of this little beauty. This is the reply I got back. Classic!

I’m a bad wife though and ate it all! Whoops! Well it’s Friday and I’m heading to teach my 12-1 p.m. Power Flow class at the Yoga Centre in San Luis Obispo. I’ll be taping my class today so make sure you check it out here! You can do yoga with me anytime, anyplace! So keep calm and yoga on! This weekend I’m headed to a pool party and on Sunday a “Say Goodbye to Alan’s Knee Party” for a friend getting a knee replacement on Tuesday. On Labor Day, Andy and I celebrate two years of marriage and I’m hoping he’ll cook me up one of his gourmet meals this time! Check out the beautiful sunflowers he brought me home yesterday! My favorite. I am loved.

Ciao for now!