Chicken White Bean Chilli

This is actually Ellen's recipe (I think, or did it come from Tracey? I can't remember), but I love it. This is different than her original recipe (everyone knows I'm terrible at following recipes), I know, but this is how I make it. Hopefully Ellen will comment and let us know what she does or doesn't do differently.

2 14 oz cans vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 can white baby corn drained
1 can green chiles
2 cans white beans rinsed
1-1/2 cup hominey
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken when I'm in a hurry!)
Lemon peper
Salt

Garnish:
Sour cream
Tortilla strips
Lime wedges

Combine all ingredients (I leave some without chicken for Tom). I usually let it simmer for about 15 minutes and serve. It is so good with lots of lime and sour cream.

My two favorite soups...both from the Chef's Table...

Tuscan Tomato Soup
Recipe from Kent Andersen, head chef of the Chef’s Table Restaurant

3 T. olive oil
1 lg. onion, small dice
5 c. diced, peeled and seeded tomatoes
3 c. chicken stock
1 ½ c. heavy whipping cream (fat free ½ & ½ works too)
1 c. basil pesto (get from Costco & freeze)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium large soup pot. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent. Add tomatoes and allow to warm to a simmer. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes to allow for interchange of flavors. Add whipping cream. Add pesto. Blend to desired consistency in a food processor or blender, small batches at a time. Return to stock pot. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Makes 1 gallon.


Butternut Soup
Recipe from Kent Andersen, head chef of the Chef’s Table Restaurant

5 T. olive oil
1 lg. onion, small dice
3 lg. butternut squash, halved
3 c. chicken stock
1 ½ c. heavy whipping cream (fat free ½ & ½ works too)
½ c. brown sugar
nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

Rub squash halves with 2 T. of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 ½ hours, until very tender. Scoop out all of the flesh and reserve. Heat oil in a medium large soup pot. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent. Add squash and allow to warm to a simmer. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes to allow for interchange of flavors. Add whipping cream and brown sugar. Blend to desired consistency in a food processor or blender, small batches at a time. Return to stock pot. Adjust seasoning with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Makes 1 gallon.

Tamale Pie

So soup eh?
My idea of a good soup recipe involves going to Brick Oven for their Cream of Broccoli or to Zupa's. If absolutely forced at home it involves Campbell's. Besides I support the Labels for Education drive at my kids school that way right?

So in leiu of a soup recipe I did find the Tamale Pie recipe that Grandma Putter used to make when she would come to visit my Aunt Vonnie. It really is good and a great fall recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk 2 Tablespoons chili powder
3 eggs 1 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
2 cups corn meal 1 15 oz. can of creamed corn
1 cup oil 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 large onions (chopped) salt and pepper
1 can chopped olives 1 clove garlic (diced)

Directions:
Beat eggs and milk together. Add corn mean and oil, then let stand. Brown ground beef with onions, garlic and chili powder, then drain. Add tomotoes, creamed corn, olives and salt and pepper to the browned ground beef. Add the beef and corn meal mixtures together and mix well. Pour in greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

October/November's Theme

Ok, Miss Emma. Thank you for keeping me on top of things. I love the Harry Potter recipes and sometimes, I wander over to that Cake Wrecks blog when I check Amy's (in hopes that she might be updating!!). Hilarious! And, it's about what my baking adventures usually turn out to look like.

So, I love, love, love, fall. I love the weather, the smell, the food. I love buying root vegetables, using my crockpot, and having things simmer for hours. I think soup is the perfect fall dinner that allows me to do all of those things!

Let's hear about your favorite soup recipes! I am challenging my mom to find her blogging skills and post her chicken noodle recipe - it can't be beat. And, I've been looking for a good butternut squash soup recipe for about 4 years now. The best one I ever tasted had apples in it. If you can find it you win a secret prize.

PS- If you have any spooky, gross, or scary recipes to share for Halloween, put 'em up here!

Treacle Fudge

I have no earthly idea how to make fudge, but this doesn't sound hard at all. I bet it would be really good with pecans added to it.

Treacle Fudge is a sweet treat from Mrs. Weasley or a tooth-breaker from Hagrid. Be sure yours doesn't get too hard!

Ingredients:
½ cup light cream or evaporated milk
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup molasses

Directions:

Step 1: In a large bowl, mix cream, brown sugar and salt together.

Step 2: In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from heat and add molasses.

Step 3: Add the chocolate mixtures and cream mixtures together. Pour mixture into a pan and let cool.

Step 4: Cut into squares after cooled and serve. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Juice

I should mention that I am getting the recipes from mugglenet.

Really not sure if you could ever make pumpkin juice taste OK, but this might be good. I would just leave out the pineapple juice since it gives me cankers. You could probably try the Peach/Mango V-Fusion juice with it. It is orange.



Pumpkin Juice, a favorite for feasts at Hogwarts that you can now take home with you!

Ingredients:
2 cups of pumpkin, chopped up into chunks
2 cups of apple juice
½ cup of pineapple juice
1 teaspoon of honey (more or less to your liking)
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and/or Allspice (all ground, to taste)

Directions:
Step 1: Juice the pumpkin pieces by squeezing through a cheesecloth or using a juicer if you have one.
Step 2: Pour the pumpkin juice, apple juice and pineapple juice into a blender.
Step 3: Add the honey (we recommend you start with 1 teaspoon, as you can add some later!) to the juices and blend thoroughly.
Step 4: Add your spices (to taste). This might take some experimentation to get right.
Step 5: Chill your pumpkin juice or serve iced and enjoy

Ton Tongue Toffee

I'm having fun finding Harry Potter recipes so just bear with me. Sorry...but not sorry enough to stop.

Ton-Tongue toffee just for you, though we promise it's been anti-jinxed to keep your tongues small!

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons of butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or imitation)
1½ cups water
Additionally, a candy thermometer is required

Directions:

Step 1: In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients and melt over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 2: Without furter stirring, boil until mixture reaches 290°F on your candy thermometer.

Step 3: Pour mixture into a greased or buttered 9"x12" pan and let cool until almost firm to the touch.

Step 4: Score surface into 2" squares with a sharp knife, but do not cut completely.

Step 5: When cool, break into pieces (this should be easier if toffee was properly scored).

Step 6: Enjoy! Makes 1¼ pounds of toffee.

Butterbeer

My Mom gave me a slightly different recipe for this but I can't find where I put it after I wrote it down. But I want to try this with the kids for Halloween. I'll post the other one if I ever find it. It had sweetened condensed milk in it too.

Butterbeer! It warms you up AND tastes great.

Now in take-away form from The Three Broomsticks.

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda
½ cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
½ tablespoon butter

Directions:

Step 1: Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated.

Step 2: Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit.

Step 3: Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses; a perfectly warm Hogwarts treat for two!

Cool Halloween cakes

With no theme yet I was looking at one of my favorite blogs called "Cake Wrecks".

Usually it is horrible examples of cake decorating and it is hilarious.

But these were some examples of fantastic Halloween cakes.

OK, I know that technically this is a cupcake but isn't it soooo cute?

Wish I knew how to do stuff with fondant. But I happen to be clueless.

And for anyone who likes Nightmare Before Christmas this cake is IT!!!

I think this would be a totally cool wedding cake. Not sure if it was one though.

There is also a cool Corpse Bride cake that WAS a wedding cake.

Check out the blog sometime. You'll be glad you did.

New Theme?

I totally stole this picture from Tammy's blog. Don't they look delicious?

Hey Stephanie, Emma is waiting for the new theme for October.

It is almost over so we need to hurry.

Popcorn Granola

These are all things I love my kids to eat. Of course, if I was sitting down for a perfect snack, it would definitely include melted specialty cheese and savory flavors. Seems I have a lot more time these days for kid approved snacks.

Popcorn Granola

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
6 cups air-popped popcorn
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruit
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread oats on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until lightly toasted. Combine oats, popcorn, raisins, dried fruit and sunflower seeks in large bowl. Heat butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg in small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Drizzle over popcorn mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediatley.

Toasted Oatmeal

I never can love just one recipe so here are 2 more for your to enjoy.

I ate this snack when I was in 8th grade after a friends older brother came home from Germany with this recipe. Surprisingly, this food popped into my head a couple of months ago. I've been making it for my kids and they love it for breakfast with yogurt. Bobby's revolting though because he says we have it way too frequently. He's right - we've overdone it a little - so we're taking a small break so we can keep loving it. Prima Essen!

Toasted Oatmeal

In heavy skillet combine:
1/2 c. uncooked rolled oats
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. butter

Cook until oats are lightly toasted. Place oats in cereal bowl; add fruit and yogurt.

Molasses Cookies

How about a sign to flash back at your friends that reads, "My child is getting all of his trace minerals...is yours?" (Because I'm sure that trace minerals are good and I'm sure it is better if you get more - at least that how I felt when my friend praised her cookies because of their trace mineral content). But really, try these Molasses Cookies, they are great!

Molasses Cookies

1 1/2 c. nonhydrogenated shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. blackstrap molasses
4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt

Crem together shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and molasses. Sift together dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Roll dough into balls and flatten slightly with fingers. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Crepes

Crepes

Ingredients:

2 Large Eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup flour

3 Tablespoons melted butter

Butter, for coating the pan

To make them sweeter add the following to the mixture:

2 1/2 T. sugar

2 T. Vanilla

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refridgerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to a cutting board or plate, lay them out flat so they may cool. Continue until all batter is used. After cooled, you may stack them and store in a ziploc in the fridge for several days and in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw them on a rack before gently pulling apart.

Add your favorite filling and love them. I really rather enjoy the Nutella and dust them with powder sugar.

Thank Mlle. Hawkins for my love of crepes. French class introduced me to these yummy snacks.

Goat Cheese Nachos

Yes, I know I am posting my recipe on the last day of the month, but at least I am posting.

My new favorite snack has become Goat Cheese Nachos. Now before you just ignore this have an open mind and give it a try.

Recipe is simple:

Assemble your nachos the way you normally do, but just sprinkle a little crumbled goat cheese on top. Go on, give it a try!

Or try this yummy recipe from Rachel Ray

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/appetizer-side-dish-recipes/goat-cheese-nachos/article.html

Brit's Recipes

Brittany added these as a comment, so I am posting them as a regular post. Thanks Brit! They look good!


I have not actually tried either of these; but they do look increadibly appetizing. What I really like about them is that not only do they look good they are quick and easy. That is right up my alley!I was not able to post the pics so I included the links if you would like to take a look.

Healthy Snack: Cheese Melt Spread 1/2 teaspoon of spicy mustard on a cocktail-size slice of thin whole-grain rye bread. Add a thin square of sharp Cheddar (about the same size as the bread) and broil until the cheese melts, then top with a slice of tomato and a sprinkling of caraway seeds. Health Bonus: Rich in calcium. LINKhttp://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1159184-1094716-5,00.html

Healthy Snack: Parmesan Pita CrispsSprinkle 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan evenly over a 4-inch whole-wheat pita. Dust with 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano and broil until the cheese browns. Cut into quarters. Health Bonus: Good balance of protein, fat, and fiber. LINKhttp://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1159184-1094716-6,00.html

September's Recipe Theme

My third grader has to take a snack to school every day. They have "snack recess" in the morning, and all of the kids sit on the steps and eat their snacks. It seems like being in this agricultural, hippy land (not really... we're not that far north) everyone is super healthy. I like to think I do a pretty good job in this department. We eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, hardly any processed foods, and minimal high fructose corn syrup. But, I also buy fruit snacks, pretzels, and (gasp!) Quaker chocolate chip granola bars. Last year I kind of got away with sending the easy packaged snacks, because I just slipped it in the backpack and hoped no one associated the Fruit Gusher's eater with me. Unfortunately, this year when the kids hang up their backpacks, they have to set out their snacks so they are ready to take outside. Now I have to own up to what I bring. Next to the array of pita chips and hummus, dried organic apples, and dehydrated snap peas, my Oreo 100 Calorie Pack might as well be rat poison under a neon sign that says, "This Lady Hates Her Kid."

So, this month's theme is snacks. Not necessarily snacks like you'd find at my son's school, but snacks that work every time to make you and/or your kids satisfied and happy. If you have healthy ideas that would make me look like a better mom, feel free to share (even if no one would ever eat them).

Fortune Cookies

Ingredients:

2 to 3 Tablespoons cornstarch or flour

1 Package refridgerated piecrusts

1 Tablespoon water

Colored decorating sugars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Write a not of good fortune or draw little pictures on 2 inch long pieces of paper with a pen or non-toxic marker.

Sprinkle cornstarch or flour on work surface.

Unfold one piecrust at a time and place on work area dusting both sides with the cornstach or flour. Roll smooth with rolling pin. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter or a large glass to cut out 4 to 6 circle per crust. You may reroll the scraps to get more if you wish.

Put one fortune in the center of circle and fold in half. Then fold in half again.

Brush each fortune cookie with water and dip in colored sugar or sprinkles. Then place on cookie sheet sugar side up 2 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Sister Griffith's Playdough Recipe

This is the best recipe ever for Homemade playdough. I got it from Sister Griffiths when I worked in the Nursery with her before Dean and I even had kids. I have made it for Steph's preschool, for Emma's kindergarten teacher and for Nursery. It keeps forever without having to go in the fridge too. I usually quadruple the recipe for a batch.

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Salt

2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Cup Flour

Food Coloring -the color of your choice- just add drops until desired color is reached

Cook together in a large pot over medium heat. Be sure to stir constantly until it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball. Remove from heat and then from pot so it may cool, otherwise it continues to cook and gets a little crunchy. Once cool, have fun!! -Amy

Glurch

This picture is not of anyone I know, but it came up when I googled "Gooey Gunk picture". I like it.

I love the book The Ultimate Book Of Kid Concoctions. (Sometimes you can find it in the Scholastic Book Orders for really cheap.) There are so many fun recipes for things like sidewalk chalk, peanut butter playdough, bath crayons, and one of my favorites... Glurch (they call it Gooey Gunk in the book). I've used this recipe at preschool and home a million times and it is always so much fun.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Solution A
1 cup water
1 cup white glue
2 Tbs liquid tempera paint or 7-10 drops food coloring

Solution B
1 1/3 cup warm water
4 tsp borax laundry booster (you can buy this anywhere in the laundry aisle).

HOW TO CONCOCT IT:

1. Mix ingredients in solution A together in a medium bowl.
2. In a second medium bowl, mix the ingredients in solution B together until the borax is completely dissolved.
3. Slowly pour solution A into solution B (do not mix!).
4. Roll solution A around in solution B 4-5 times.
5. Lift solution A out of solution B and knead for 2-3 minutes.
6. Store Gunk in an airtight container or plastic zip bag.

I saw this picture on a random blog and it looks like a fun thing to try with this concoction.

Chicken Fingers

We discovered Activity TV on our Comcast OnDemand and some of it has been really fun. Addison has learned magic tricks, origami, and has even found a few recipes. We have loved making these chicken fingers with CornFlakes. When I was in Utah, Emma and Eric helped Addison and I make them one night, and they were a big hit. We set up an assembly line and dipped and battered our way through some very messy, but very fun dinner preparation.

This is a video that shows the whole process...

Materials
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound chicken breast tenders, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup fine corn flake crumbs
2 eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil

TOOLS:
shallow dish
large skillet
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
If using chicken breasts, cut the chicken into strips about 1/2 to x 3 inches.
In a plastic foodbag, combine the flour and salt.
In a shallow dish place the corn flake crumbs; in a similar dish beat the eggs well with the water.
Dredge the chicken strips first in the flour, coating well on all sides. Then one at time, dip in the egg and roll in the crumb mixture. Place on a rack as they are completed.
In a large skillet, heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Brown half the fingers until golden on all sides, about 5 minutes, then transfer them to cookie sheet. Add more oil to the skillet if necessary, allow to heat, and repeat with the second half of the fingers.
When all fingers have been browned, place in the hot oven for 5 to 8 minutes, or until crispy.

Serve with dipping sauces, such as bottled barbecue sauce or honey mustard sauce.(Honey mustard sauce can be made easily by combining 2 parts honey to 1 part sweet mustard.)

We used Ranch Dressing and Ketchup, of course.

August's Recipe Theme

So, I'm a little late in getting this posted... We're halfway through August, and most of your kids have already started school, but since we're in that mode of getting back into routine, and actually having real dinners instead of a short order kitchen like we've done all summer, I thought it would be fun to post recipes we can do with our kids. Mostly, cooking with Addison ends up taking longer and becoming much messier than I would probably like, but it's always worth it... and I find he's much more willing to eat what he has prepared.

I really like this website from Whole Foods that has healthy recipes for kids. Some of them are probably a little complicated when it comes to the actual cooking part, but they are all fun recipes that are meant for kids.

Summer Wheatberry Salad

Just a quick note to Ellen: if you're checking in here, I think now would be a perfect time to post a recipe of something you're eating as you're enjoying a gondola right through Italy! I know they have great salads there.





Here's to one of my new favorite salad ingredients - wheatberries. The wheat berries are just the wheat you have stored in your food storage. In this salad the berries are just a topping, but I'm loving a few salads right now that use the berry as the main ingredient too. This recipe calls for soft wheat, but I always use hard. If you're using hard berries (my favorite are hard white wheat), just make sure to soak the beans overnight in the fridge covered with water. Once soaked, they take about the same amount of time to cook as the soft berries. You can also use a pressure cooker for the berries and it cuts down the time a lot.



Summer Wheatberry Salad

1 cup soft wheatberries
6 cups water (or low-salt vegetable or chicken broth)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
2 Tbsp. capers, drained and chopped
3 Tbsp. sliced scallion (white and green parts)
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or cilantro

Vinaigrette:
1/2 to 1 tsp. finely minced garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:
Young greens, such as arugula, red mustard, cress, mizuna, or a mix.

In a heavy saucepan with a lid, combine the wheatberries, water or broth, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer partially covered until the wheatberries are pleasantly chewy, which may take anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and let the berries cool in the liquid. When cool, drain off all the liquid and put the berries into a large bowl. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, roasted pepper, capers, scallion, almonds and basil or cilantro.
In a small bowl, whisk the garlic, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss with the salad. Arrange the greens on chilled plates and top with the salad.

Tomato-Basil Couscous Salad

(I still don't have a camera, so this was taken with Addison's Fisher Price camera - not great quality, but a great kid camera. It is totally indestructible!)

At Steph W's request...

I love this recipe. It is so easy and yummy. It's from the South Beach Diet Book.

3/4 cup cooked couscous

1 tomato chopped

1/3 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 scallions, chopped

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Lettuce (I usually use chopped red leaf, but I only had a bag of spring mix when I made this.)

Combine the couscous, tomato, chickpeas, scallions, oil, lemon juice, and basil in a bowl.

Toss, and serve on a bed of lettuce.

Orzo Spinach Salad

Okay, Okay. Finally a theme I have a recipe for!! Now you can stop fussing at me Steph.

This salad recipe I TOTALLY stole from Steph and I think she got it from the real Lunch Bunch but here it is anyway. It is my favorite!

Boil Orzo pasta according to directions on bag. How much you use depends on how much pasta you want in the salad. For a normal sized bag of Baby Organic Spinach I boil 1/2 of a cup. While that is boiling add some sundried tomatoes (again, the amount depends on your taste) with their oil and garlic to a skillet and let simmer a bit. Once the pasta is done drain and rinse it, add it to the spinach along with the tomatoes and garlic and toss. DE-LISH!!

Grilled Zucchini Greek Salad

Here's another way to use all of that zucchini you Utah cooks are growing!

I love to grill in the summer because, as I mentioned before, I don't have to turn on my oven. Unfortunately, my grill is still in Utah, so when I make this salad (taken from one of my favorite recipe blogs - Kalyn's Kitchen) I have to just saute the zucchini. Instead of brushing the zucchini with the Italian dressing and olive oil, I saute the zucchini in it and then don't add much when I'm tossing the salad because the zucchini retain a lot of the oil. I couldn't ever find the Greek seasoning, so I just looked up what was in Greek seasoning and made my own little mix. I left out the beef bouillon and it was great. I'm sure you can find the real stuff... I didn't look that hard.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI GREEK SALAD(for each serving)

1 zucchini about 10 inches long

2 medium summer tomatoes, any type of salad tomato

1/4 cup Kalamara olives (pitted olives are nice in this)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (or less)

olive oil, to brush on zucchini

1 tsp. Greek seasoning (Cavender's Greek seasoning)

1/4 cup Italian dressing (for brushing zucchini, leaving 2 T Italian dressing for salad)

I like Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing)

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Turn on grill to heat. Cut tomatoes into large chunks and put in colander. Sprinkle with salt and let tomatoes drain while the zucchini cooks. Cut ends off zucchini and cut into quarters lengthwise. Cut away the white inside from each zucchini piece so you have the green skin with about 3/8 inch of white on it.Brush both sides of zucchini with olive oil and sprinkle white side with Greek Seasoning. Place white side down on medium hot grill and cook about 5 minutes, or until starting to brown and barely starting to soften. Turn zucchini over, brush with Italian dressing, and cook about 3 minutes more. Zucchini should still be slightly firm. Cut zucchini strips into pieces about 1 inch wide.Put zucchini and drained tomatoes in salad bowl. Pour 2 T salad dressing over (or less, you don't need much because the zucchini is already very flavorful). Top with Kalamata olives and crumbled feta.

Serve this with Erin's (or Schuyler's) bread and it sounds like a perfect summer dinner!

July's Recipe Theme

After talking to Stephanie W. and Erin, and having to take so many salads to so many barbecues and summer picnics, I decided to have this month's theme be dinner salads - salads you can serve as a meal (if your family doesn't object to having salad as a meal!). I love when I can make dinner without ever having to turn on the stove or oven when it is so hot outside...(don't let that discourage you from adding a salad that has some cooking involved though...).

...Looking Ahead...

August: Cooking with kids.

Macaroni Grill Bread with Rosemary

This is a replica of the bread served at the Macaroni Grill. We think it's yummy and we make it a lot. Schuyler has many tasty recipes that I need to get from him and post on here. So, more to come!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled. Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 minutes. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired.).

Citrus Stir Fry

I actually don't know what to call this. I suggested "Tom's Stir Fry" to Tom, but it was rejected, and since he isn't here, I've named it myself. I asked him to email me the recipe and this is what I got:

ingredients must be fresh.

garlic
ginger
green onion
soy sauce
honey
lime and/or orange juice (fresh squeeze)
black pepper
shredded carrots
broccoli
bean sprouts
sliced almonds
tofu

serve over brown rice

That's it. I'm sure everyone could figure it all out, but basically, in a wok combine all of the first set of ingredients. You can use shredded chicken instead of tofu, but you should really try the tofu. It's super good. Buy the Extra Firm Cubed kind. I have pictures of this, but my camera was stolen out of my purse! I'm so sad about it. Anyway, I'm in Utah and he's in California, but when he makes it again, and I'm there, I will post a picture.

There were a lot of recipes I could have chosen from. Tom is a great cook and always willing. He never just sits while anyone is cooking. He always offers to help. And the best part... he does the dishes at my house every night. They're not even his dishes!

Proper BBQ Etiquette

I know this is the converse of what we're celebrating this month, but enjoy this anyway.

We are about to enter into Summer and BBQ season so therfore, it is important to remember the proper etiquette for this wonderful outdoor cooking activity.

1. The woman buys the food.
2. The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
3. The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - Soda in hand.Here comes the important part:
4. THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.More routine....
5. The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
6. The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another soda while he deals with the situation.Important again:
7. THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.More routine....
8. The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins,sauces, and brings them to the table.
9. After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.And most important of all:
10. Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
11. The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

Pork & Fruit Kabobs

Father's Day was great! We ate shishkabobs (not these ones, but these are our favorite). Mark was nice enough to cook them for himself :). I assemble, Mark grills. Lucky for me, he grills most nights because he's great at it and then I can have some fun with the side dishes. After all the times we've made these, I still haven't found the perfect side dish (in addition to rice). If you have suggestions there, pass them on.

Pork & Fruit Kabobs

1 lb pork tenderloin
3/4 cup apricot preserves
2/3 cup scallions, minced
1/3 cup tamari
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tsp. hot chili oil
4 medium boiling onions, cut in 1/2
8 1-inch cubes fresh pineapple
1 medium orange, cut into 8 parts
1 green pepper, cut into 8 parts
2 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Trim fat from pork; cut into 16 1-inch cubes. Combine pork and next 5 ingredients (through oil) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours. Remove pork from bag, reserve marinade. Alternating items, thread pork cubes, onion halves, bell pepper pieces, pineapple cubes and orange pieces onto 4 12-inch skewers. Place kabobs on grill. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side until pork is done, basting with reserve marinade.

I'm breaking the rules and posting 2 recipes in this post at Mark's credit. His most recent enjoyment with cooking is in simple pleasures with things like herbed butter and mayonnaise. The new favorite is Chipotle Mayonnaise on hamburgers.

Chipotle Mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp. adobo sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let blend at least 10 minutes.

This recipe is representative of one of the things I love about Mark. He's happy with simple things. Reminds me of the time he was so delighted with some new boots we bought him that he laced them up and slept in them the first night. We laughed together then and we still laugh together about it now.

June's Recipe Theme

Because it's Father's Day this month, let's celebrate those great guys in our lives!

I know most of you do most of the cooking in your houses, but I'm sure that each of your guys has a specialty that you can be proud of (or maybe it's something just they can be proud of). Some of you will have more to choose from than others, I'm sure! If your guy makes a mean PB&J, tell us about it. Maybe, he's a master at the barbecue. I'm expecting Doug's rice and eggs from Shellie - I love it! While you're at it, tell us what makes that guy so great and why you appreciate more than just his abilities in the kitchen.

Eclair Cake

We love eclairs. We also love to make them (it came as a prerequisite to being part of the Wolfley family), but they always go so fast. This recipe is so great because it serves many more than a similar recipe made into individual eclairs. Here's the original recipe. I made it once and then made a few changes. This topping is good, but you can also just use plain vanilla pudding and have it taste great. Instead of the Hershey syrup on top, I love the fudgy frosting typical with eclairs. When I make this now, I make frosting, spread it on top of the crust and then add the topping over the frosting. You'll love it.

Crust:
1 1/2 cubes butter
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups flour
6 eggs

Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
3 Tbsp milk
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 large Cool Whip
Hershey's Syrup

In large saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil. Take off heat and gradually add flour. Add eggs one at a time, beating a little after each egg. Spread on a large greased cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch around edges. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes; cool. (I've cooled it in the freezer to speed up the process and that works great). Mix together cream cheese and 3 tablespoons of milk. Set aside. Mix together pudding and 3 cups of milk. Fold in cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour over cooled crust. Swirl chocolate syrup on top. Keep refrigerated.

Fudgy frosting:
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips (or 6 oz semisweet chocolate squares)
4 Tbsp. butter
3 c. confectioners' sugar
4-7 Tbsp. hot water


Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar and enough hot water to achieve a smooth consistency. Cool slightly. Frost crust.

Brie and Pear (or Peach) Panini

I saw this recipe on Everyday Italian on The Food Network. I love that girl, but seriously, there is no way she eats what she cooks. Anyway, after I made this I was hooked. If you don't have a panini maker, you can do it like I do. Make the sandwiches and pour about 3 Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet. Use a smaller skillet to press down on the sandwiches. I just push really hard, but I have seen Rachael Ray use bricks to weigh the skillet down. It really only takes about a minute and a half per side. I do 2 sandwiches at a time. Yummy!

• 1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta bread (or 8 slices country bread)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 8 ounces Taleggio cheese or brie, sliced
• 2 large pears, apples or peaches, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Pinch salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces arugula or spinach
  

Preheat the panini machine. Cut the ciabatta loaf into 4 equal pieces. Halve each piece horizontally to make 4 sandwiches. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and place the bottom-half of the bread slices in the panini machine in a single layer. Heat until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Continue with the remaining top slices of bread.
While the top slices of the bread are in the Panini machine, begin forming the sandwiches. Divide the cheese among the warm bread. Cover the cheese with slices of fruit. Drizzle the fruit with honey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a handful of arugula. Place the warmed top half of the bread over the arugula and return the competed sandwich to the panini machine for 1 to 2 minutes more to finish melting the cheese. Remove from the panini machine. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately

Eggs Benedict

I will start off the brunch recipes by posting my very favorite...Eggs Benedict. This is the best, easiest version I have found. Using a blender to create the Hollandaise sauce works well, and it holds up better than the traditional method. We make it often for Sunday breakfast, or for Birthday mornings. I love to add Emeril's Essence to it, even though this recipe isn't his. It adds some "kick" to it. You can use Emeril's Essence as a seasoning for just about everything! I keep a jar of it in my kitchen cupboard. When poaching the eggs, it is not necessary to use an egg poacher...just follow the directions for the skillet and it will work great!

Eggs Benedict:
1 teaspoon vinegar
4 eggs
4 thin slices Canadian bacon
2 English muffins

Hollandaise Sauce:
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon hot water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and hot
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Chopped parsley
Emeril's Essence or Paprika

In a large skillet, bring 2 inches of water and the vinegar to a boil. Crack one egg into a glass. Reduce water to a simmer and pour egg into water in one quick motion. Quickly add remaining eggs. Let eggs cook for 4-5 minutes. The white should be firm but the yellow should be runny. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

In a non-stick skillet heat the bacon until warm. Toast the English muffins until golden.

For the sauce: Place yolks, water and lemon juice into blender. Blend for 1 minute. With blender running, pour butter through open hole of blender lid. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

To assemble eggs benedict: Top each muffin with bacon and a poached egg. Pour warm sauce over and garnish with paprika and chopped parsley.

Emeril's Essence:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Welcome Lunch Bunchers!

Hopefully you are visiting this site because you want to continue (or join) our fabulous (but too short lived) tradition of the Lunch Bunch! Our first theme, as we are approaching Mother's Day, will be BRUNCH!! Who doesn't love waking up late and gorging themselves on sweet treats and succulent dishes? To keep things running smoothly, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Try the recipe before you post it to Lunch Bunch. Give any comments or suggestions.
• You are welcome to use a link to a favorite recipe - just make sure to add your personal comments along with it.
• If you have a comment about someone else's recipe, add a comment and not a new post.
• Title your post with the name of the recipe so that it is easily searchable.

Bon Apetit!