Servings: 4 -6

​INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta or gnocchi
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 pints cherry tomatoes
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan (for serving)

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet or wide heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic, then tomatoes, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce, 6-8 minutes.
3. Toss pasta with tomato sauce and basil. Top with Parmesan.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
Servings: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
For brining pork
8 cups water
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup (Grade B or amber)
1/2 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 large garlic clove, smashed
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 (4- to 4 1/2-lb) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

For roasting pork
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional ) (can use  sugar free)
16 bacon slices (about 1 lb)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water

DIRECTIONS
Brine pork:
Combine all brining ingredients except pork loin in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and heat over high heat, stirring, until salt is dissolved. Pour brine into a deep 4- to 5-quart pot; cool to room temperature.
Add pork to brine, making sure it is completely covered by brine, and marinate, covered and chilled, 8 to 24 hours is best, but less time is okay if you're in a hurry. 

Roast pork:
Step 1: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Prep Ingredients: chop garlic and sage, measure maple syrup, cider vinegar, cornstarch and water.
Step 3: Pat pork dry (discard brine) and remove any strings, then transfer to a roasting pan. Stir together garlic, sage, and 1 tablespoon syrup in a small bowl and rub all over pork.
Step 4: Make a basket-weave of  bacon slices on a sheet of plastic wrap or a silicone pad.  Next, lay your pork loin on the bacon and pull up the sides of the plastic wrap so your basket weave stays in place while you flip the pork loin over. Remove the plastic wrap and tuck the ends of your bacon underneath loin.
Step 5: Roast pork until thermometer registers 140°F, about 1 1/4 hours.
Step 6: Stir together 1 tablespoon syrup and vinegar until combined. Brush vinegar mixture over bacon slices and continue to roast pork until thermometer registers 150°F, about 10 minutes more.
Step 7: Remove from oven and let stand in pan 15 minutes before transferring to your cutting board with a lip to collect the juices. Slice into 2 inch slices while keeping bacon intact around each piece. Pour some of the juices over the sliced roast (or you can use it to make a simple pan sauce). Enjoy!

Cooking Studio Highlighted by Greeley Tribune
By ANGEL DEY | adey@greeleytribune.com | Greeley Tribune
PUBLISHED: August 8, 2020 at 3:51 p.m. | UPDATED: August 8, 2020 at 6:48 p.m.

It’s hot. No one wants to turn on the oven or stand over a hot stove or grill when the temperature hovers near 90 outside.
Microwave meals are so unappetizing, though, and there’s only so much salad one person can handle.
It’s time to start thinking creatively when making meals that don’t heat the whole house, are more filling, more appetizing and more adventurous.

Plan aheadMichelle Krusmark, owner of The Bottled Olive in Windsor and Loveland, suggests using a slow cooker to cook up enough meat for several meals during the week. It won’t heat the house and you can let it do all the work.
“Put (the slow cooker) on low and add your meat of choice. I make a lot so I can use it for multiple dinners — so no cooking throughout the week,” she said.
Krusmark suggests making chicken and ground beef or turkey.
For the chicken, Krusmark said, “I add Tahitian Lime Olive Oil and a seasoning we have called Herb Delight or Tuscan Tomato” for robust flavor. Think ahead to the kinds of recipes you’ll be making to flavor the chicken appropriately.
For the ground beef or turkey, Krusmark suggests caramelized garlic olive oil or a spicy olive oil like Vera Cruz Chili, sold at The Bottled Olive.
It’s also good to keep some staples on hand to make a variety of quick meals.
Trish O’Neill, owner of The Cooking Studio in Fort Collins, suggests keeping these items:

• Meats (and proteins): Canned tuna or salmon, precooked shredded chicken, sliced deli meats and cheeses.
• Fruits/vegetables: Avocados, interesting greens like arugula, cilantro and romaine, herbs from the garden if you have them, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, purple onions, a variety of in-season fruits, lemon or limes (or lemon or lime juice) and maybe a couple cans of mango puree. And don’t forget pickled items of all kinds.
• Breads: Pita pockets, artisan breads (rye, sourdough, seed breads, etc).
• Condiments: Mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, creamy salad dressings, mustards (more than one kind for fun), vinegar (white balsamic, apple cider, balsamic).

​Mix it upWhen planning out meals, think of different ways to deliver the food (wraps instead of sandwiches), adding unique ingredients to a classic recipe or adding flavorful sauces to make an ordinary meal more exciting.
Instead of making sandwiches, O’Neill said, “Pita pockets are a great summer meal. You can make them simple, with tuna salad, tomatoes, cucumbers and something pickled, or go fancier with shredded chicken, avocados and cheese with yogurt dressing.”
Other alternatives to sandwiches would be to use tortillas or lettuce as wraps, or fill and fold pita flatbread or naan.
Another delivery consideration would be to use vegetables, like avocados, tomatoes or bell peppers, as edible serving dishes. Add a salmon, chicken or ground beef filling (mixed with fresh herbs and a sauce) for a delicious meal.
Sandwiches still work as a good meal, but O’Neill suggests making them more interesting. “Try something vegetarian like a beet, goat cheese, arugula and red onion sandwich on rye bread,” she said.
And don’t forget dessert. Add a flavored drizzle to fresh fruit or make no-cook pies (with a graham cracker crust) or parfaits using pureed fruit.
Above all, know that meals don’t have to be hot to be good.
“Eating something hot is not healthier or more of a ‘real’ meal — no matter how well the oatmeal companies might spin it. Cool meals can be so fun, interesting and just as filling as something served hot,” O’Neill said.

Fool Proof 2 minute Hollandaise
 Servings: ~ 1 cup

INGREDIENTS
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
Kosher salt
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
Pinch cayenne pepper or hot sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine egg yolk, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cup that barely fits the head of an immersion blender.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup.
3. Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and lemon juice. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy.

4. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce. Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving.

NOTE:  Hollandaise cannot be cooled and reheated.