Butternut Squash Lasagna.

Oh how I love thee.

What you need:

1 large Butternut Squash
4 (or more!) cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBSP honey
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 16 oz. package spinach, cooked and drained
3 c. cottage cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked
mozzarella cheese for topping (about 2 cups)

To do:

Cut your squash in half, remove seeds, and place it in a baking dish skin side up. Put about half an inch of water in the bottom of the pan, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until soft.

Scoop out the innards of the squash and put into a large bowl along with the honey, basil, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper. Using your handy dandy immersion blender (substitute food processor, potato masher, hands, etc), puree until fairly smooth. If it's too thick you can use some of the leftover cooking water to thin it, if you haven't tossed that yet. If you're like me, you probably tossed it, so just a splash of tap water will do the trick, too.

In a separate bowl, combine the cottage cheese and spinach.

Let the layering begin.

Disclaimer: The original recipe from Food and Whine calls for three layers of the butternut squash mixture, but I never seem to have enough. Have I mentioned that I really like all of the components of this recipe, and yes, I may have been sampling as I mixed? ooh, and I may have roasted a little bit of the large butternut squash. hmm...That being said, every time I have made this recipe, I have layered the lasagna differently. And it's still amazing. So, pick your favorite way to layer, and commence.

Here's what I did this go around:
butternut squash mixture, 3 lasagna noodles, spinach mixture, 3 lasagna noodles, butternut squash mixture, 3 lasagna noodles, spinach mixture, mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Happy cooking, and very happy eating! The three year old in these parts asked for seconds. So yes, happy eating, indeed!

Ever so slightly adapted from Food and Whine. Oh, and her photo is much more appetizing, but you get the idea. :)

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad... yes, I believe I will...

heaven on a plate.

What you need:
1 (1 1/2 lb.) butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 TBSP pure maple syrup
salt and pepper, to taste
3 TBSP dried cranberries
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 TBSP cider vinegar
2 TBSP minced shallots
2 tsp. dijon mustard
4 oz. baby arugula (we just used a mixed salad blend that we had in the fridge)
1/2 c walnut halves, toasted*
3/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese (in a perfect world, I would use parmigiano reggiano every time). Alas, this time I resorted to what I had on hand... the much cheaper stuff.

To do:
Preheat oven to 400.

Put the squash on a sheet pan, tossing it with 2 tablespoons grape seed oil, the maple syrup, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Roast for approximately 15 to 20 minutes (or until tender), stirring once. Add the cranberries to the roasting pan for the last 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a saucepan, bringing to a boil over medium heat. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until the cider reduces to approximately 1/4 cup. After removing the pan from the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 c olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Assemble the goodness: lettuce/arugula, roasted squash, walnuts, grated parmesan. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and dive right in!

*Toasting Walnuts Two Ways:
1. According to Ina, toast the walnuts in a dry sauté pan over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
2. According to other sources, you may also toast the walnuts in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Meanwhile, place the walnuts in a single layer on a dry cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

4 servings.

ever so slightly adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics.  Ever so slightly adapted: 
1. I used the lettuce we had on hand.
2. I used grape seed oil instead of olive oil to roast the squash. Why, you ask? Because grape seed oil is a mild flavored oil that doesn't become toxic or rancid due to high cooking temperatures.

Note to self: By the biggest butternut squash you can find, and roast it all. Favorite roasted vegetable. hands down.

Cucumber Salad...

Mmmmm...

A word to the wise: Make this salad. Use fresh dill. It's amazing.

Please do notice that the recipe is completed in stages. By the time it's actually time for dinner, your salad is basically completed. Nothing better.

Ingredients:
2 English cucumbers, very thinly sliced (if using regular cucumbers, at least consider peeling them to get rid of the waxy skin. It's a texture thing).
1 small red onion
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c fresh dill, finely chopped
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

To do:

• Combine the cucumbers, red onion, and salt in a strainer, refrigerate. 
• Pour the yogurt into a strainer lined with a paper towel and suspend the strainer over another bowl to collect the liquid. Cover and keep in the fridge overnight or for several hours. Discard liquids. 
• Pat the cucumbers and onions dry. Combine the cucumbers and yogurt in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste. 
• Refrigerate for at least a couple more hours to allow the flavors to more thoroughly combine and develop.

4-6 servings
Time involved: Not much at all, especially considering you complete this recipe in stages. 

Thank you Ina Garten... we will make this over and over again!

NACHO MAMA...

Not your average nachos.

A dish inspired by the very best kind of leftovers--the kind that can be transformed into a totally new meal in mere minutes. And that makes me happy.

The Leftovers:
1. Beans from the previous night's Beans and Cornbread
2. Homemade Ranch from pizza night earlier in the week

Ingredients:

• 1 can refried beans (or in my case, the equivalent in leftover pinto beans)
• 1 can diced green chili peppers, drained
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, grated or finely chopped
• 4 TBSP salsa

Pick your toppings: tomato, avocado, grated carrots (huge fan!!), more diced onion, diced bell pepper, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, ranch dressing, guacamole, shredded chicken or ground beef, cheese, and the list goes on and on...

I just used what I had on hand: salsa, cheese, carrots, and ranch dressing... and we were all happily filled, no meat involved! 

To do:

• In a small pan on the stove, mix together your beans, peppers, garlic, onion, and salsa. Heat through.
• Assemble the nachos in whatever manner suits your fancy.

Notes to self:

1. Sam does not like the nacho chips on the bottom in the event that small children must be attended to before we're able to eat, and the chips get soggy. Moral of the story: Sam does not like soggy chips. 

2. Next time I think I'll throw everything up on top of a beautiful bed of lettuce and forget the chips. I suppose that undoes the whole "Nacho" theme for a third of the family, but perhaps I could crumble some chips up on top of it and call it "Nacho Mama's Salad..." Enough said. 

Recipe adapted from The Probiotics Revolution

Baked Oatmeal

My lovely sister-in-law, Susan, made this recipe for all of us last time she was in town. She's currently in Europe taking classes and picking her way across the continent from vineyard to olive grove with her sister, Alexis, and dear friend, Joy Snyder. You are all missed!!

In your honor, baked oatmeal:

Ingredients:
2 c oats
1 c walnuts, crumbled
1/3 c maple syrup
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c milk (I use almond milk)
1 egg
3 TBSP butter, softened (or melted and cooled)
2 tsp. vanilla
berries to your heart's content! (I used about 2 cups total of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries)

To do: 
Combine all of the above ingredients into a buttered 9x9 pan, and bake away!

We usually top off the baked oatmeal with a little bit of milk or whipping cream to add some moisture back in. Delicious!

Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.

Pizza, pizza, pizza!

Just out of the oven!

And this is where the magic happens...

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

1 TBSP active dry yeast

1 1/4 c warm water

pinch of brown sugar

2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

2 c whole wheat flour, plus more as needed

1 c all purpose flour

To do:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in the warm water.
• Add olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Add flour, adding more little by little as needed so that the dough isn't too sticky.
• Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface, kneading for several minutes.
• Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. And like I always tell Jack, this is when the magic happens!
• Once your dough has risen, punch it down, and knead it again for several minutes.
• You now have two options: the Sam or the Nat
• The Sam: Roll the dough out into one THICK pizza crust, about 14-inches (pictured above)
• The Nat: Split the dough in half, and roll out two slightly smaller thin crust pizzas
• After you roll your dough out onto your baking stone, just pinch up the edges of your crust so that the tomato sauce doesn't escape!
• Spread your Pizza Sauce onto your crust, and bake for 14 to 15 minutes BEFORE you add your toppings.
• Add your favorite toppings, and bake the pizza until the cheese melts!

             Our current favorites:

• spinach, spinach, spinach (my favorite!)
• pepperoni to make Daddy happy
• several handfuls of mozzarella cheese

            Other favorites: sautéed peppers, mushrooms, minced garlic, etc. 

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP olive oil/grapeseed oil

1 carrot, grated

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. basil

1 can tomato sauce

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. pepper

next time, will add:

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 bay leaf

handful of fresh parsley

handful of mushrooms, diced

To do:

• Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.
• Add carrot, green pepper,  mushrooms, and tomato sauce as well as your herbs and spices. 
• Simmer for half an hour, and be sure to remove the bay leaf if you threw one in!

Yields: about 2 cups

The verdict: I finally found a sauce and crust that everyone (except our non-pizza eater) LOVES!! 

Notes to self: 

Make the sauce early in the day or while your dough is rising.

Double and freeze the sauce and/or dough!!!

Recipe adapted from Laurel's Kitchen

Ranch Dressing

Homemade. 

I have to confess that I felt quite domestic when I finished this first attempt at Ranch Dressing. This little pitcher of ranch inspired me to eat several baby carrots and determined that yes, we would in fact be having pizza for dinner. Pizza is for Ranch-dipping, you know. However, this recipe is very much a work in progress, especially considering the fact that it was far too runny for much carrot-dipping to occur. Here's about what we've got so far, but please adjust spices to your taste!

Ingredients: 
1/2 c whole milk plain yogurt (I made the "runny" mistake of using a low fat version)
1/2 c buttermilk
extra virgin olive oil, just a splash
1/4 c sour cream
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. celery seed

To do:

• Whisk together the yogurt, buttermilk, olive oil, and sour cream
• Add spices and whisk it all together!

Notes: The consensus at our place = too runny for anything but salads and in need of a little more "umph..."Next time I will be sure to use the full fat yogurt and keep adding spices until it's got just the right zip to it. 

"Beans and Cornbread..."

"They go hand in hand..."

Thank you Mr. Louis Jordan for the inspiration: listen to it here!  And when I think of the song, I think of blanket forts in the family room, TBS Dinner and a movie night, and watching The Money Pit for the first time. Oddly enough, I don't think even tasted beans and cornbread until our fifth year of marriage... last year! Crazy! 

My apologies for the picture. Oh never mind that my beans are a little on the, well, dry side.  However, Sam went back for seconds, so he didn't seem to mind too much-- sweet husband that he is! And just for the record,  butter and sour cream do wonders for dry beans! 

Ingredients:
dried pinto beans (I used the small bag from Publix)
water
salt
pepper
sour cream, for topping it all off

drum roll please.... Jiffy Corn Bread (1 box), 1 egg, 1/3 c milk, butter

To do:

• Rinse and drain beans in a colander, picking over them to remove any debris or unsightly beans. 
• In your pot of choice, cover the beans with a couple of inches of water.
• Bring the beans to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and well... simmer for about two 1/2 to 3 hours until the beans are tender. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Important note to self: Check on the beans during the cooking process, and add more water if necessary! 

Prep time: 15 minutes total, maybe.

And just FYI... leftover beans make a fabulous base for nachos! 

Chicken Noodle Soup: In sickness, and in health

As my father would say, "Feel the health!"

For our family, this soup has become the soup of all seasons. In sickness and in health. Currently, in sickness here. Nothing like a bout of hand, foot, and mouth piggy-backed onto colds to get one re-evaluating diets and the amount of sugar we've been eating lately... never mind that it's 104 right now, and I'm not sure how anything is surviving this heat. 

I stumbled across this chicken soup recipe last winter during pregnancy.  Jack had a series of colds, and he just so happens to love chicken noodle soup.  Without further ado, I'll share the quick broth recipe, compliments of Paula Deen, and then soup two ways... slightly adapted from the Lady's Chicken soup recipe.  

Stock Ingredients: 

2 1/2 lbs. chicken (we used bone-in, skin on breasts)

3 1/2 quarts water

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 bay leaves

3 chicken bouillon cubes

To do:

• Add all the ingredients to your stock pot, cooking on medium-high heat until the chicken is fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165ish, approximately 40 minutes. 
• Remove the chicken and set it aside to cool. Importantly, remove and discard bay leaves. Paula Deen suggests removing the onion, but I usually let it be or remove some of it. 
• After the chicken has cooled, pick it off the bone, setting aside yet again.

"In Sickness" Soup Ingredients: 

2 c carrots, sliced

2 c celery with leafy green tops, sliced

2 1/2 c egg noodles or whole wheat noodles

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1/2 green pepper, sliced 

1 c mushrooms, sliced (I recommend shitakes. Why shitakes?)

8 garlic cloves, minced

3 TBSP fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

1/3 c cooking sherry

2 tsp. rosemary

salt and pepper, to taste

To do: 

• Here's to hoping and praying you have a food processor: slice and dice all veggies! 
• Bring the stock back to a boil. Add the carrots, cooking for about 3 minutes. 
• Add the celery, garlic,  and peppers, cooking for an additional 8 minutes. 
• Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
• Once the noodles have cooked, add the chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry, and rosemary. You could even add a little more garlic here at the end. 
• Cook for another couple of minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper as needed along the way.

"In health" Soup ingredients

Also known as: "Soup the second way" or "an exciting way to spice up the leftovers..." You get the point.

All of the above

3/4 c whipping cream

1 c parmesan cheese

To do: 

• Follow all the above steps, adding the parmesan and whipping cream when you add the chicken, etc. 
• Sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese on top of the bowls just before serving! 

And so, my friends,  you have Chicken Noodle Soup for every occasion and for every soul!

Happy cooking!

8-10 servings

Notes: If you have more time and plan ahead... neither of which were applicable to me with this round of soup, make your own stock in advance to pack in even more nutritional benefits! Once you've got this stock in the pot, go ahead an add the lemon pepper, rosemary, etc. that the above recipe calls for to add more flavor. 

Grilled Veggies

Little helping hands... good technique, if I do say so myself!

To quote Jack: "Ta da!"

Ingredients:

squash

zucchini

yellow onion

mushrooms of your choice 

bacon

olive oil

salt 

pepper

lawry's seasoning salt

worchestire sauce

To do:

• Coarsely chop the zucchini, squash, and onion
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and lawry's. 
• Drizzle/Rub the mushrooms with worchestire sauce and wrap each individual mushroom with bacon before spearing it (that just sounds violent) with a tooth pick or other small wooden skewer. 
• And grill. We like to use a grilling basket... nothing better!

Shepherd's Pie...

Baking away.

While it may seem like a labor of love, as my mother would say, the good old food processor saves a ton of labor. So by all means, put those veggies through the processor and use the extra time to make homemade mashed potatoes. 

One other recommendation: Double or triple this recipe and freeze it! You will not regret it.

The only Shepherd's Pie you'll ever make again...

Ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP unsalted butter

1 onion, diced

3 carrots (or more!), peeled and sliced

1 stalk of celery, sliced

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, quartered

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 TBSP salt

3/4 tsp. dried oregano

3 TBSP tomato paste

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey, if you're feeling healthy)

1/4 c. low sodium beef broth 

1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce... spell that 5 times. yikes! 

pepper, to taste

4 c mashed potatoes (see recipe below)

a few handfuls of grated parmesan cheese

To do:

Preheat oven to 375.

• Brown your beef. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Brown your beef, and drain. yes, drain it. Here's where I deviate the most significantly from the original recipe, but personally, I'd rather sacrifice just a bit of flavor not my cholesterol. But that's just me.  Set your beef aside.
• Cook the veggies: Add a little more oil and butter to your pan. Once heated, add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, half your salt, and the oregano. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
• Add red. Stir in tomato paste and cook about 8 more minutes.
• Put it all together: Stir in the beef, broth, the rest of the salt, the worcestershire, and pepper. 
• Transport the filling: Transfer your meat and veggie mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish (personally, I find pie plates to be much more fun and inspiring). 
• Add your topping. Spread the mashed potatoes (see below) over the top of the filling. The original recipe suggests leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edge... can anyone enlighten me as to why that could possibly matter? 
• Top it all off: Don't forget the cheese! Sprinkle it generously right on top. Oh, and you can always dot it with some more butter.
• Bake away. Bake about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are a golden brown and juices are bubbling.
• Cool off. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Mashed Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes... or reds or yukons, peeled and quarter
3/4 c whole milk
6 TBSP unsalted butter
2 TBSP fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
pepper and salt, to taste
if you're feeling adventurous, throw in a little sour cream or cream cheese. mmmm....

to do:

• Place your peeled and quartered potatoes in a pot of cold water and add a generous palm-full of salt. As I learned by watching the food network, it's not a bad thing if your water tastes like the sea when boiling potatoes or making pasta. In fact, I'd almost say it's a goal. 
• Bring your potato sea to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered, and boil about 15 minutes. You want the potatoes to be soft but not mushy.
• Simultaneously, combine the milk and butter in a small pot and warm. Cover.
• Drain the potatoes and return to the pot, tossing over medium heat until the potatoes are dry.
• Add the headed milk mixture and mash the potatoes, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 4-6

Adapted from The Food Network

Grilled Cheese with Spinach, Garlic, and Artichoke

Not your average grilled cheese.

Another triumph in the meatless meals department around here. Even if we don't have artichoke hearts on hand, the spinach and garlic made this sandwich! Now if I can just resist the urge to add cream cheese or heavy whipping cream to the filling...

Ingredients:

several handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, washed
one can of artichoke hearts, drained
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c cheese of your choice (I used mozzarella and monterrey jack)
3 TBSP sour cream
butter
6 slices of bread
salt and pepper, to taste

To do:

• Prep the ingredients: mince the garlic, wash the spinach, drain and roughly chop the artichoke hearts, grate your cheese, butter each of the slices of bread, melt a little bit of butter (a couple tablespoons) in your skillet.
• Very briefly sauté the garlic in the melted butter before adding your spinach. Once the spinach begins to wilt, add the artichoke hearts, heating all the ingredients through. 
• Drain any juices from your pan, and place the veggies in a bowl, adding about 3 TBSP of sour cream to bind the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Stuff your sandwiches: layer cheese, the veggie mixture, some more cheese, and place the sandwiches in your skillet until the bread is browned on both sides and the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately. 

Servings: 3 sandwiches

Recipe from A Couple Cooks blog

THE Fudge Brownies

oh yes, please.

Back in the days of gestational diabetes, I think I dreamed about these brownies.  I have the most fond memories of eating them at my best friend Kelly's house,  coupled with a generous serving of vanilla ice-cream. Mine never quite turn out looking as pretty, but the fudge sauce that sits atop the brownies makes up for it.

1 box of brownie mix (follow the directions on the box). One of these days, I'll try my own batch of homemade brownies. I happen to have it on good authority that The Pioneer Woman's Mocha Brownies are pretty amazing.

Fudge Topping:

One stick butter

4 TBSP cocoa powder

6 TBSP milk

1 box confectioner’s sugar

Melt one stick of butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and milk. Bring to a boil. Add the powdered sugar. Stir and remove from heat.

Pour the hot fudge topping over the brownies. Allow the fudge to set, and then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Note: I usually put the pan of cooled brownies in the fridge to help set the fudge sauce. Or, we love to heat them really hot and gooey before the fudge has fully set.


Recipe from Kelly Ashburn

Honey Bread

The "Old Faithful" of homemade breads around here

Top six reasons I love this recipe in no particular order:
6. It's forgiving. I don't always let it rise for the suggested time, and 3/4 of the time I completely forget to add the salt.  and it still turns out fine. It's my dream loaf in that way!
5. My sister made it for me the very first time, and I fell in love with it. Plus, she served it with homemade lasagna, which just so happens to be another favorite. yum!
4. Irony: the original recipe card Kristen gave me calls it "Whole Wheat Bread." I just find that funny!
3. It's the first homemade bread that I ever attempted, and Sam had to rescue it as I got a little carried away with the flour (He, who by the way had never baked a loaf of bread, suggested that I add water... and he was right. You gotta love those marital moments:).
2. It freezes well
1. Jack gets involved, and it becomes entertaining... dough snakes, dough balls, dough on the windows...
0. "I would never say this myself, but my friends tell me... "it tastes pretty dang amazing with butter and honey!

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups water

6-9 cups bread flour

3 TBSP oil

4 TBSP honey

1 ½ tsp. salt

2 packets yeast

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, combine 2 ½ cups warm water with two yeast packets. Add oil and honey. Add flour—start with 6-7 cups and then add as needed. Add salt. Get bread out of the bowl and knead about 10 minutes.

Put the dough back in the bowl for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, covered with a kitchen towel.

Punch 30 times. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for about three minutes. You want the dough to be a little sticky.

Cut the dough into two loaves, pinching where the knife sliced the dough and shaping the loaves. Put the bread in two oiled pans, and cut three slits in the top. Brush the top of each loaf with some egg.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes and 300 for 20 minutes. 

Balsamic Chicken Salad

We are forever indebted to Aunt Cat for introducing us to the wonders of Balsamic Chicken. Thank you, thank you! It's our favorite salad topper! It's also pretty amazing over pasta or all by its lonesome.

Ingredients:
Balsamic vinegar
olive oil
fresh garlic (one clove per breast, minced)
crushed rosemary
salt and pepper

chicken breasts, pick your number (boneless skinless or bone-in)

Favorite Salad Toppers:

blueberries and strawberries

or 

apples and raisins/craisins

feta/blue cheese/goat cheese 

pecans/almonds/walnuts

Balsamic vinaigrette/Red wine vinaigrette

For the chicken: 
Place the chicken breasts in a casserole dish and lightly coat them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Rub your garlic onto the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with crushed rosemary.

Bake at 350 approximately 45 minutes or until your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Once cooked, allow to cool slightly and then slice. Dredge each slice in the juices in the bottom of the pan for all those flavors that are too good to be missed.

Strawberry Muffin says it all...

all that's missing is the butter.

Ingredients: 

1-3/4 c all purpose flour (I used half white/half whole wheat)

1/2 c sugar (the original recipe calls for 3/4 c, but we are making attempts to cut back on sugar around here and no one seemed to mind too much. After all, butter covers a multitude of sins, if removing sugar is counted as such.)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c plain yogurt

1/4 c butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/4 c coarsely chopped strawberries

To do:

• Melt your butter. Set it aside to cool.
• While your butter cools, chop the strawberries, prepare your pan, preheat the oven, and check something off your to do list. 
• Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the yogurt, vanilla, and cooled butter. 
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened, and fold in the strawberries
• Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full
• Bake the muffins at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until a fork or toothpick comes out clean. 

Servings: 12 beautiful muffins!

Adapted from Taste of Home

Summer Pasta with Chicken

Lest you think I'm a vegetarian...there is chicken in this dish. I promise.

1 small box cherry tomatoes
1 large cucumber
6 carrots
2 boxes whole wheat pasta
3 chicken breasts, cooked (I boiled the chicken with salt and pepper the night before)
1 green pepper
1 8 oz. block mozzarella, cubed
1 bottle Italian dressing + 1 Good Seasons Italian dressing packet (prepared)... so basically, Italian dressing to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Chop all the veggies, cheese, and your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Combine pasta, chicken, and veggies in a large bowl and marinate in the bottle of Italian dressing for at least an hour or two.

Add the cheese just before serving.

Serves: 10-ish

When I pulled this out of the fridge to taste it again before serving, it definitely needed more pop, and I was out of bottled dressing. I did, however, have seasoning packets for Italian seasonings dressing in the pantry.

A Very Veggie Sandwich

A perfect marriage.

Voila!

In an effort to begin the tradition of "Meatless Mondays," I am attempting to convince Sam that he really does love vegetarian meals. And you know what? So far, thanks to meals like Chickpea Spaghetti and this sandwich...it's working.  I never thought I'd see the day! 

1/3 c mayo

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP lemon or lime juice

1/4 to 1/2 c balsamic vinegar

1/8 c olive oil

2 green peppers, chopped (or red, yellow, or orange!)

2 zucchini (and/or squash)

1 purple onion

feta cheese (1/2 to 1 c)

pesto (about 2 TBSP-- really, it just depends how much you like it). 

6 burger buns  

Slice the veggies and soak in the balsamic vinegar for at least 30 minutes. While the veggies are soaking, whip up your garlicky (is that a word?) lemon mayo by combining the lemon/lime juice, minced garlic, and mayo in a small bowl. 

Slice your buns in half and spread the garlic lemon mayo on each side. On one side add a layer of feta and on the other spread as much pesto as you please. Leave the buns open-faced, and place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until good and toasty. Layer the sautéed vegetables atop and assemble your sandwich. The leftovers are every bit as good! 

Tip: If making your own pesto and buns, make the pesto the evening before as it keeps very well in the fridge.  With a food processor, it took me about 10 minutes total. Jack and I made the buns during the morning, so by the afternoon, all we had left to do was chop veggies and marinate them while Randy approved from his bouncy seat.

Serves 6 (or 3 if you live in our house:)

Adapted from a Passionate Homemaking recipe

Buns for busy days...

Or Busy Buns for short. ha! And yes, it looks like a roll, but it's a bun. I promise.

Whole wheat is more the norm at our house, so these were a special treat for Sam, who routinely declares that he really does love "white" pancakes, waffles, etc.

2 TBSP dry active yeast
1 cup plus 2 TBSP warm water that is approximately 110-ish degrees (here's just one more reason that I love and adore my meat thermometer...I don't kill you by serving you salmonella, and I don't kill the yeast by burning it to death)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus some for your work surface (here I subbed in some whole wheat flour)

In a medium sized bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warmed water. Then add the oil and sugar and let sit for five minutes. When time is up, go ahead and add your egg, salt, and flour and form a ball of dough with your hands, adding more flour as necessary.

On a floured surface, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth. Do NOT let rise, but divide into 12 pieces. Roll each of these into a ball and place about 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Cover and let the rolls rest for 10 minutes. And magic happens.

Bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

40 minutes have now passed, and you have homemade busy buns. not bad. in fact, quite excellent.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Pesto.

Summer = pesto. 


Here's the first batch this year thanks to the tried and true Joy of Cooking! I wish I could say that the basil was home grown, but at least it's fresh. This pesto looks a little "blonde" if you ask me, so I may have too "loosely" packed the basil? Fortunately, it still tasted great despite its pale complexion. 


Combine the following in the food processor:
2 c fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1/3 c pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
While processing, add approximately 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil. 


Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Our favorite uses of pesto: as a sandwich spread, on pasta, on pizza, and smeared on toasted bread with melted feta or goat cheese...


Stores for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge, or so they say. It's never lasted that long at our house. 


Maybe, just maybe this took me 10 minutes?

Chickpea Spaghetti

My sister-in-law, Logan, made this dish for me while our husbands were off at the Hall of Men drinking beer and eating who knows what. Now it's a regular at our kitchen table, and I keep the ingredients on hand for nights like tonight, when the my original meal plan goes out the window. Why? Because it's so very easy and healthy to boot, and I was just ready to call it a day.

Ingredients:
whole wheat spaghetti
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 can chickpeas
a few handfuls of fresh spinach
heavy whipping cream
parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

While your water is heating up for your spaghetti noodles, heat about a TBSP of olive oil and some butter in a large skillet. Add to this:
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or hot dogs, as Jack lovingly refers to them! Ah, the creativity of a two year old!)

When you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve a little bit of the pasta water to add moisture back into the dish (I forgot, of course!).  Since I failed to remember the "reserve the pasta water step," I grabbed the whipping cream out of the fridge, and this turned out to be a very popular choice that I will repeat.

Combine the noodles with the sautéed chickpeas, onion, and garlic. Add a couple handfuls of spinach and a little bit of reserved pasta water, or in my case, heavy whipping cream to just get a good coating on the noodles. Add grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste.

And serve.

Strawberry Shortcake with 1/4 mile high biscuits...

one good morning.

many, many good berries! 

... a post dinner surprise for my honey.

Inspiration for the dish: Sam's "not-so-subtle" hints about his love for strawberry shortcake, a sudden burst of energy, and a minute to myself.

Here's my adaptation on the berries...

The Doctored Berries:
Strawberries
1/3 c sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
and then, more sugar to taste!

Allow the berries to just sit in the juices for a good little while, so you can get the biscuits going and tend to the whipped cream.

Biscuits:
In Look and Cook, these biscuits are referred to as "Mile-High." However, as you can see in the picture, my poor pitiful biscuits don't quite measure up. I cut the recipe in half and then rolled out my dough far, far too thin to make enough biscuits. Stroke of genius on my part, especially when I realized that I only needed half an egg. yikes!

3 cups flour
1 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 c milk

Preheat oven to 450. Sift the dry ingredients into a big bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the butter in until the combination of ingredients is thoroughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine the egg and milk before adding it to the dry ingredients. Mix only until the contents will hold together well enough to form a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough lightly 15 times. Here's where I went wrong. The original recipe directs you to roll the dough out to 3/4 inches before cutting biscuits. So take your pick. Mile-High or 1/4 mile-high biscuits! Place the cut biscuits (I used a drinking glass) onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Whipped Cream:
1 c whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 TBSP powdered sugar

I found the homemade whipped cream recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whipped-cream/, though I must confess that I may have been a little heavy-handed with the powdered sugar. Let's just say that no one minded.

The Recipe Source:

 http://www.amazon.com/Look-Cook-A-Cookbook-Children/dp/1584793589