Happy 4th! (Belated)

While some people might have made their 4th of July yummies a day or so early in order to blog them before the 4th of July, I did not. I am not that organized, nor do I want to feel my friends and family day old treats. I'm a last minute fresh type of girl (or just procrastinator extraordinaire - you decide). But I did have a TON of fun with my baking this year!

To start, I sent some sugar cookie stars and Boston Cream cupcakes (*recipe coming!*) into work with my husband:

(I can't resist cute decorations! Or polka dots... hence the cupcake liners.)

For the family celebration I made a cake similar to this one, but with some extra pizazz:

My labor of love and food coloring!

Patriotic funfetti and red-dyed white cake on the inside with strawberry and blueberry fruit filling!

And just for fun, since we found red, white, & blue tortilla chips, I made a delicious 7 layer dip for John and I to munch on:

Quick and Easy 7 Layer Dip:

*I like more bean than sour cream, so this recipe reflects that. If you're the opposite, just double the sour cream and cream cheese. Also, guac can be added between any of the layers.

• 
  
  1 can refied beans
• 
  
  1 package taco seasoning
• 
  
  8 oz sour cream
• 
  
  4 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 
  
  1 jar of salsa (or fresh tomatoes and green pepper, chopped)
• 
  
  shredded cheddar

Here goes: Mix together your refried beans and taco seasoning. Spread in the bottom of a 13x9 pan (I always use a little bit smaller dish for a fuller dip). Cream together the sour cream and cream cheese and spread over the beans. Top with salsa and/or fresh veggies, and finish of with shredded cheese!

Summer Produce

Photography is therapy for me. Even if it is just photos of the summer produce in my kitchen....

Or my lunch...

I had quite the roller coaster morning that led up to my photo-therapy. But God is faithful and gracious, and it's all good now. :o) Add to all this summer produce a really good work out (which always increases me desire for healthful foods. Forget the fact that my breakfast today was a few spoonfuls of pudding before flying out the door once said roller coaster had begun... But I digress), and you get this very yummy

Cucumber Salad

Basically, I cut up 2 beautiful tomatoes I snagged on our recent trip to Whole Foods, 1 good size cucumber, and enough red onion to make me happy. I mixed it all together in a big bowl, and gave it a few good shakes of Italian dressing. Now it sits, marinading until dinner, where it will be the perfect side to some grilled chicken. Yum! Happy summer produce!

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Roasted Asparagus

Tonight, we had 2 of my favorite dinner stars: a wonderfully marinated grilled chicken and roasted asparagus. The chicken was cooked on a cast iron grill pan after marinating for 18 or so hours in the fridge, and the asparagus was roasted with some olive oil and dusted with the perfect amout of salt and pepper. YUM!

While I'm sure you have your own fabulous versions of these staples, here's how I made mine.

Lemon Garlic Chicken:

• 
  
  2 lemons
• 
  
  3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 
  
  some olive oil
• 
  
  some salt
• 
  
  some pepper
• 
  
  chicken breasts

I made 3 chicken breasts using this marinade. 2 to eat tonight and 1 to cut up and use in a salad tomorrow.

Basically, I squeezed the juice from the 2 lemons into a gallon size ziploc. I added some olive oil (probably about 1/4 cup, maybe less) and the 3 cloves of garlic I minced in the garlic press.

Then, I rubbed the chicken down with some salt and pepper, added it to the ziploc, swooshed it around and left it in the fridge for a very long time (4 hours is probably plenty, but I made this last night since I work all day).

Then I sauted the chicken breasts in a regular skillet (discarding the extra marinade), covered, until *almost* done. At this point, I switched to the cast iron grill pan to finish, giving the chicken those wonderful grill marks. Voila!

And as for this little treasure:

When making pasta or rice, I steam my veggies (so I can steal their nutrient rich water to cook the said pasta or rice in), but my favorite way to eat asparagus is roasted. You too? :o)

Roasted Asparagus:

Break off the ends of your asparagus (each stalk will have a natural break point if you just bend it). Place the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet (if you've got one with edges, that's best, as sometimes mine like to roll off the flat baking sheets). Drizzle with olive oil (or use your handy Orka mister) and roll the asparagus to make sure they're evenly covered.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper on them (to taste - I use sea salt) and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for thick stalks, 375 for thin stalks, for about 8 minutes, checking often to see if they are done.

When you remove from the oven, if you so desire (I did), sprinkle very lightly with grated parmesean.

Serve to a happy hubby and enjoy!

Black Bean Salsa and some yummy pretzel dip!

Settle in, dear readers, while I tell you a little story.

One day, while strolling through Harry and David's, my husband and I came across that fabulous counter where they sample foods and coffee. As I made a beeline for the coffee, my husband had his sights set on a different prize: the food sample. What resulted was us buying 3 jars of Harry and David's "Charred Pineapple Relish" so that I could recreate this dip at home (*and as a side note: this relish also makes a great marinade/dressing for some sweet and sour-esque chicken).

They served the dip with those skinny pretzel sticks, and we have found Trader Joe's honey wheat pretzel rods to be our favorite dipping utensil. I'm sure you'll find yours!

Charred Pineapple Pretzel Dip:

• 1 jar of Harry and David's "Charred Pineapple Relish"
• 1- 8oz block of cream cheese, softened

In a large bowl, combine 2/3 of a block of cream cheese with the entire jar of pineapple salsa. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover and refrigerate or serve right away!

And the pineapple relish:

Now, I love black beans. In Mexican dishes, with rice, black bean burgers... They are delicious and nutritious. The following is one of the simplest, most delicious ways to enjoy black beans - you don't even have to cook anything! This is perfect as a side for a Mexican inspired dinner, as a snack, or mixed in with rice/cous cous.

Black Bean Salsa:

• 
  
  1 can black beans
• 
  
  1 can of corn (I usually use about 3/4 cup because I use frozen corn)
• 
  
  1/4 cup(ish) red onion, chopped
• 
  
  1/4 cup(ish) green onion, chopped
• 
  
  1 tsp cilantro
• 
  
  1/3 cup red wine vinegar (or 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar + 1 Tbsp lime juice) -give or take

Dump your (drained) beans, corn, onion, pepper, and cilantro in a bowl. Add your vinegar a little at a time, to taste. Refrigerate or serve right away. Keep in mind that, as this salsa sits, the vinegar will soak in. For this reason you may want to add a little more vinegar to "freshen up" before serving. The other great thing about this salsa is that, as it sits, it also becomes tastier because the flavors have time to meld together. I try to let it sit about an hour before serving. I love this dish and hope you will too!

Couple Things...

Yesterday, many things happened.

#1: I tore apart my home in an attempt to organize (I know, not at ALL like my usual self)

#2: I made this amazing oatmeal banana bread:















#3: I took pictures of my pretty flowers















And finally #4: I made some dinner















Let's talk recipes now.
I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure the oatmeal banana bread is going into the vault. You know the, wouldn't it be nice to have a bakery one day bakery secret recipe vault. But I WILL share with one of John's favorite things about banana bread, and it is:

Banana Bread French Toast:

• 4 slices (or however many) of banana bread
• 2 Tbsp melted butter (and I have totally used the 0 calorie spray butter and it works just fine)
• some dashed of cinnamon (to taste)

Now, we're not big egg fans here so even when I make "traditional" french toast, we leave them out. With sweet, delicious banana bread, I can't imagine hiding the flavor behind and egg wash! But then again, I don't like eggs...

Back to the recipe:
Melt your butter in a small dish (or spritz your bread with the fake butter spray) and stir in a few dashes of cinnamon (if using spray butter, just shake the cinnamon over each slice). Using a spoon, sparingly drizzle the melted butter across your bread (both sides).

Just remember: we don't want any heart attacks or soggy bread. Less is more. Just enough to give it something to sizzle and brown when it hits the griddle. Brown the bread lightly (or darkly if that's how you like things) on each side, dish up, and serve with your favorite toppings!

For dinner, I cooked up some Lemon Garlic Chicken and some Quinoa ("KEEN-wah", a very yummy grain).

Lemon Garlic Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts (or about that much in tenderloins, etc)
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• a dash of salt, pepper, and your favorite seasoning (like oregano or thyme or rosemary - or all of the above!)

Mix the above ingredients together in a ziploc bag and place your chicken in to marinate (4 hours is good. If you're short on time, just cut up your chicken into smaller pieces - that's what I did). Then cook/grill/etc. as desired. It's got a lot of lemon kick and is really yummy served with:

Quinoa and Tomatoes:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• dash or 3 of cilantro
• small sprinkle of rosemary
• dash of salt
• balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste
• chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• and I had buckwheat, so I cooked some up and tossed it in
• and I ALSO think that the addition of some diced red onion would be heavenly in this little creation

Bring your water to a boil and add in quinoa. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop up your tomatoes (and red onion if you're brave :o). Once quinoa is done cooking, transfer to a bowl and mix in in your tomatoes (and red onions) and pecans (and buckwheat). Season with your cilantro, rosemary, and salt. Stir together and drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic! (It stores better for leftovers if you drizzle on each serving rather than the whole bowl of quinoa. 1 cup will make a LOT. More on how I used my left overs later... ;)

Phew! And there, dear readers, in addition to some laundry and a great time on the eliptical, is how I spent my yesterday. Enjoy your today!!

Dinner

is served.















Would you like the recipe for some Smashed Potatoes?

• 
  
  As many potatoes as you would like to serve
• olive oil
• herbs

So easy: Boil the potatoes until they're tender enough to easily stick a fork into. Remove from water and dry. Sprinkle some olive oil on a baking sheet and place the potatoes upon it. Using a potato masher (or a fork), gently smash the potatoes. Brush olive oil on the tops of them, and top with your favorite herbs! (I usually start with some salt & pepper, and then I add some rosemary or thyme)
Stick your smashed potatoes in the over (400-425) for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden. They will be the perfect combination of crispy and tender. Yum!
And how about that recipe for some yummy Dinner Rolls?

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 cups flour (give or take) - either all purpose or bread

Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let proof 10 minutes until frothy (think cappuccino). Then, stir in your oil, salt, and flour (1 cup at a time). Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead, continuing to add flour (even if it's more than 4 cups) until the dough is smooth, but not sticky. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn the dough to coat it, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour (until it doubles in size).
Divide dough into 12 "equal" (I'm terrible at that game - see the evidence in the above photo) pieces and shape into balls. Place on a cookie sheet and let rise another 30-40 minutes. Bake 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. It's a great, simple, vegan compliment to a hearty meal!
Alright, I've got a date with my fiance for popsicles, an evening walk, and fireflies. Does life get any better?

Heaven help us all

I need a job. Whether it's a full-time classroom or substituting, I need August to get here. Fast.
Ladies and gentlemen, today I dusted the blinds. (Mom, are you reading?) I don't know if you've met me, but I am NOT a person that dusts the blinds. I'm lucky if I remember to open/close them. Granted, I used a Swiffer duster, but still...

Tonight, I was going to share with you my favorite asaigo cheese cream sauce (for pasta), but dinner plans have changed. To plain old spaghetti. Brown the turkey, boil noodles, heat the sauce from a can (Classico all the way). Theoretically I could still share that recipe, but I'd rather wait until I can post a picture. I'm also attempting bagels today. I'll keep you posted.

So what do I have for you today? How about the cornbread I made as a side for that Tortilla Casserole. Both John and my BFF love this
Cornbread:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup veggie oil (or melted butter if that's what you prefer)
• 1 cup milk

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Beat the egg in a medium bowl and whisk in the oil and milk. Using a wooden spoon, combine the dry and wet ingredients, stirring only until just moistened (your batter will be lumpy). Pour into a greased (or Pam-ed) 8 x8 baking dish. Me? I lost mine somewhere so I use a 9 inch round cake pan. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.

Hopefully you enjoy this little beauty. It's definitely not your standard "southern" cornbread. It's much sweeter and more moist. Yummy!

Summer Nights...

First of all, LOVE the new Rascal Flatts song. In retrospect, I should have included it in my favorite things post. But I digress. A lot...

Tonight is a summer night, and on every Thursday night during the summer, Fort Monroe hosts free concerts for the public (the Army brass band and such). At any rate, John and I are heading over there tonight which means picnic dinner! Nothing fancy, just some PB&B (peanut butter and banana) on some homemade honey wheat bread. Yum! -If you need the recipe for that, just let me know, but it involves bread, a knife, reduced fat Jif (since, as we now all know, I am 87.2 miles from my delicious fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter from Whole Foods...), and some Chiquitas (or maybe Dole?).

I have spent the morning/early afternoon baking yummy mini muffins. Tomorrow is John's last day at his current location before he moves to one this side of the bridge tunnel (4 minutes from home incase anyone else is as excited about this move as me :o), so I thought I'd send in something tasty for all of the wonderful people he works with.

I made Blackberry Banana Nut:

I would give you this recipe, but then I would have to kill you.

One day when/if I retire from teaching and open my wouldn't that be fun to have a bakery one day? bakery, I will be selling these muffins. Ergo, the top secret. If you're reading this and you're a Tomas, though, I will tell you that they were inspired by Grammy's banana bread recipe. :o)

Cinnamon:

From a box (*gasp!*). Ladies and gentlemen, if it's not broke, don't fix it. I asked John if he wanted me to make cinnamon or apple cinnamon muffins. He said cinnamon, and I said box!

& Blueberry:

You already have this recipe.

But fear not, my faithful (and patient) readers, I do have some recipes to share with you.

I also spent some time this morning making a simple cold spinach dip to take with us tonight. It's nothing to write home about, but it's quick and gets the job done when you need it:

Quick Spinach Dip:

• 1 cup mayonaise (I use the free or reduced fat, just as an FYI)
• 2 cups sour cream (I use reduced fat)
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 3 green onions
• a packet of your favorite vegetable soup mix (I use Knorrs, and sometimes I use the leek soup mix as well)
• water chestnuts (if these are your thing; I always omit them)

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and refidgerate until serving. You can serve it with bread, crackers, etc. We will be eating ours with some Trader Joe's (Y) mini pitas.

I will also be taking this left over taco dip to the fort with us. This little beauty is a snap, and is very, very tasty (always a crowd pleaser).

Taco Dip:

• 1 80z. package cream cheese (again, I use the 1/3 reduced fat)
• 1 8oz. container of sour cream (yep: I use light for this one too)
• 1 package taco seasoning (I don't recommend the Taco Bell chipolte)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 small can of black olives (you'll notice in my picture that I forgot to get these at the store the night I made this... Still tastes good :o)
• 1 cup (or so) shredded cheddar cheese

Okay, mix the first 3 ingredients together with a mixer and spread into the bottom of your pan/plate/dish/whatever you're serving in. Top with your veggies and finish it off with the cheese. Serve it with fritos, tortilla chips, etc.

And finally, because I feel bad that I am not inspiring any dinner recipes as of late, let me share with you my pineapple sweet rice. I made this as a side for my pineapple salsa chicken (a recipe I will share with you once I tweek it. I think that if I sweeten the marinade with some Mountain Dew it will be ready to share), and this recipe is vegan friendly should you be looking for a cholesterol free, or animal conscious, dining option.

Pineapple Sweet Rice:

• 1 can crushed pineapple (the normal size... what is it, like 12oz?)
• your favorite brown rice (I used the Kashi whole grains rice pilaf)
• Assorted raisins

Pour your can of crushed pineapple into a saucepan and then fill the can up with water and add that to the pan as well. Bring these 2 to a boil and dump in your rice and a couple handfuls of raisins. Put the lid on and let simmer as long as your rice says it should cook (or until water is absorbed and rice is tender). You may need to add another 1/4 cup of water if rice isn't quite done after the water has been absorbed. Serve and enjoy!

I hope your Thursday summer night is beautiful! -I'm hoping to hear some great music and chase some fireflies!

Last night's dinner

Pesto Pizza!
(Polka dot plate not included :o)

This pizza is so easy it is ridiculous.
You can either: buy refrigerated pizza dough from the grocery store or make your own.

Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast (found in the baking aisle at the grocery store)
3 cups flour (I use whole wheat)
1 Tbsp. sugar
a pinch of salt (about 1/2 tsp)
1 cup warm water
1 to 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Mix your yeast, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add in your warm water and oil. Mix to form a dough (should be a little sticky, but not so much that you feel like you're playing with Slimer from Ghostbusters). Spread dough on pizza pan and you're ready to go!
*For a more bread like dough, let it rise for 10 minutes after you mix it and before you spread it on your pizza pan.
Now, you don't have to, but I recommend baking your crust for 5-7 minutes before topping when making pesto pizza because the olive oil in the pesto can cause your dough not to cook through otherwise.

Toppings:

• 1 can of your favorite pesto
• 1 grilled chicken breast, cut into thin strips
• 1 fresh tomato (or sun dried tomatoes - yum!), sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Spread your pesto liberally on your baked crust. Arrange your chicken strips and tomato slices. Top with as much mozzarella as you'd like. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is cooked through (probably 10 minutes). Enjoy!
We had an orzo salad as a side:

Again, really easy.
Boil your orzo and set it aside to cool. While it's cooling, chop up some of your favorite veggies (I used tomato, black olives, green pepper and red onion). When pasta is cool, add veggies, and balsamic vinegar and Italian dressing to taste. I threw in some feta for fun.

And bread pudding for dessert

I had never made bread pudding before this, but the slice you see in the above picture is all that's left of it, so it couldn't have been that bad. :o)
I'm not entirely sure if this is how you're supposed to make bread pudding, but I basically looked at a recipe for alist of ingredients and put it together my own way. Because I have a wedding dress to fit into in a month, I made my bread pudding in a deep pie pan instead of a 13 x 9. Here's what I did (ish):
Ripped a loaf of homemade bread into bite size chunks and put it into a big bowl (I probably used 2/3 of the loaf). I threw in a cup or so of brown sugar and a dash or 2 of cinnamon and mixed it around.
In a second bowl, I beat 1 egg, added 1/4 cup melted butter, and 2 cups (ish) of milk. I mixed this in with the bread crumbs. If it doesn't look mushy enough you can add more milk; if it looks too soupy, add more bread. I threw it in the pie pan and bake it for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Having done that and tasted it, I think that next time I would add a brown sugar/butter drizzle to the top if it during the last 20 minutes of baking. Just for a little added oomph.
But seriously, if you have bread in the house that's getting a little older, you should make it:

• 1 loaf of aging bread torn into chunks
• 1 cup brown sugar (more or less to taste)
• a dash or 2 of cinnamon (ditto)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 cups milk (more or less as needed)