Portabella and Proscuitto Quesadilla with Red Pepper Tomato Soup

Even in the dog days of summer we are typically greeted with one day of impending chilly fall weather. It's a rare opportunity to let summer produce warm us from the inside.

This proscuitto and portabella mushroom mixture is absolutely fantastic! I don't want another quesadilla without it. But its more than just a filling, I could see this as an omelet filling or a topping for bruschetta or on a big fat juicy steak.

The soup is a simple one chocked full with nutritious veggies; adding the summer squash gives a hearty freshness not found in a typical tomato or pepper soup.

Make any time of the year fat and happy with this delicious soup and quesadilla combo.

Frozen Caprese Cocktail with a Basil-infused Vodka

A few months ago we hosted a Fat and Happy Top Chef drinking party. I had won first place, but was disqualified for knoodling with one of the judges!

My final entry into the drink contest was a caprese cocktail with a basil-infused vodka followed by a tomato granita. An absolute flavor party in your mouth.

Starting out with a taste of dressed mozzarella, you follow with the basil shot which brings around a familiar flavor. The tomato granita soothes the vodka bite with its icy crystals and lands the final salad essence with an undeniable tomato punch.

Taking a simple salad and turning it upside down and inside out and then freezing it is an outstanding way to wow your guests. And it is actually quite simple aside from needing to tend to the granita.

Use this as an opening to your party or as a mid-dinner salad break to tantalize the palate. Either way it will be a Fat and Happy conversation piece.

Watermelon Thai Gazpacho

If there is a downside to buying a watermelon, it's gotta be the looming question of what to do with the reaming after you eat a cup of it. I was staring at a mound of juicy red melon and was saddened at the thought that it might go to waste.

Coincidentally, I had planned to make a couple of different variations of gazpacho for an afternoon birthday party. Watching the peppers whirl in the blender gave me the idea to turn the watermelon into a soup.

Toasted almonds give this watermelon gazpacho texture while the ginger and hot pepper tingle the Thai senses.

This watermelon soup could be a great appetizer, lunch or amuse bouche even. It was a hit at the birthday party and will turn any event into a fat and happy party!

Grilled Vegetables with Carrot Basil Dip

Fat and Happy originally started because I have a bad memory when it comes to creating recipes. I'll make something great then forget what it was or how I made it or exactly what I used. So now I have a very sophisticated process - I keep track of my ingredients by scratching down notes on a piece of paper. Then ultimately I type up my notes into the blog. My house is filled with hundreds of notebooks and piles of loose paper with chicken scratch writing and food stains on them.

But there are times when I fall back to my old ways, when I assume I will remember all the random stuff I threw in.  Then before I know it a couple of days go by, I use up a few brain cells at work and at play ... and BAM. I forgot I made this dip at all.

My friends reminded me it was good. Whew.

So I'm fairly certain this recipe is close, but feel free to try it out and tell me.Perhaps you will want add a little more of this or a little less of that. Be creative, try out a few things, deviate from the recipe and make it your own. That, my friends, is Fat and Happy cooking!