Monday, May 25, 2015

Caprese Polenta Stack

It's summer time! I don't know about you, but when it becomes really hot out, I struggle to find refreshing snacks or meals that won't make me feel weighed down. I have been wanting to try polenta for a while now, and polenta rolls are a great alternative to heavy pasta meals. I decided to utilize the polenta in the form of a stack to create a refreshing meal alternative.

By the way, caprese is usually a salad consisting of mozzarella, tomato, and basil. It can be seasoned with olive oil, balsamic, and black pepper.

What I used:
  • Polenta tube/roll
  • 1 package of mozzarella 
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tomatoes 
  • Olive oil
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Salt, to taste


  1. Begin by slicing the polenta into any size you prefer. Lay the slices out on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. The oven should be set to broil on high. The polenta will be ready once it becomes lightly golden brown and slightly crispy.
  2. Prep the remainder of the ingredients by slicing the tomatoes and mozzarella. 
  3. Construct the caprese stacks in the order of polenta, tomato, mozzarella, and then basil leaf. 
  4. Lightly drizzle either balsamic vinegar, olive oil, or both. And then black pepper and salt to taste!


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Vive la France! - Snack Time

I have decided to start various "themes" for my blog posts. Ergo, snack time! I feel like these posts are meant to be a fun way to break up the seriousness of a recipe post, restaurant review, or a product review.

Now that it's spring time, (or any season, really) I like to break out the good ole cheese, bread, and wine for after work when I'm slightly hungry before dinner, but when I also need that well deserved break. Fresh Market or Whole Foods are a great choice to just run in and grab quick snack items. Fresh bread and cheese isn't always the easiest to store for freshness, so I'd rather buy 'em when I feel the craving.

My cheese of choice is Brie! It's creamy, yet light enough to not fill you up after a few small bites. PS. try to avoid the triple cream Brie before dinner. I just cut the baguette into small slices and place the cheese on top. If I want added richness, I will add a piece of dried fruit or honey. Lastly, a sip of wine isn't always a bad idea after work either... :)


What are some of your go-to snacks after a busy day at work?

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

THE RETURN OF TASHA'S TASTES

WOW. It has been quite the long break! I finally finished up my semester yesterday and I have been excited literally all day, just to post this welcome back post. I feel so happy and relieved that I can start my fun (at least for me) blog back up. It was quite unfortunate that I had to take a long break, but it was for a good reason. Regardless, I am back in business and I have many new ideas up my sleeve!

Until my next post on Saturday, here is an interesting link to busy your time - I'll be entertaining myself all evening sipping wine and learning some new things with Food & Wine's #ChefSteps. It shows cooking tips, demos, and videos.

I am still in the brainstorming phase for how I want to approach my blog, but I do plan on presenting a new range of posts, besides the usual recipes, product reviews, food links, and restaurant reviews. I am glad to be back and in the meantime, let me know if there is anything specific you'd eventually like to see on my blog!