Pineapple Shrimp Boat

Last night I made this for dinner and John and I really enjoyed it. I was going to put it up on the blog, but my camera decided to be difficult and I couldn't get the picture uploaded until today. This had a nice, refreshing and light flavor and was fairly easy to make.

1 pineapple
3/4 brown rice
1/2 tsp oil
3/4 lb shrimp,deveined and peeled
3/4 cup fresh pineapple,chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1-2 jalapenos, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
Cilantro, for garnish

Cook brown rice and set aside. Hollow out pineapple halves and save the pineapple for cutting up for the recipe. (If you need to, you can cut a small slice out of the bottom flesh of the pineapple, without going all the way through to the inside, so it will lay flat.)
Heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the shrimp for just a minute or two until it's almost cooked through, but not completely. Set the shrimp aside. Into the same pan, add the green onions, garlic, bell pepper, onion and jalapenos. Saute for just a couple minutes, then add the shrimp, brown rice and the pineapple. Stir and add soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir again. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute more until shrimp is done. Serve in pineapple half and garnish with cilantro.

Pasta Salad

I'm sure everyone knows how to fix a basic and simple pasta salad but I thought I would blog it anyway. I woke up this morning at 2:45 AM and our cable TV doesn't work. Since the repairman won't be here till this evening, what else is there to do but cook and blog? ;)
Tonight we go feed the homeless. It's such a great experience for us every time we go. We started getting involved in the ministry about 3 years ago and I know that every time I go,  I come away from that place, far more blessed than the people we are serving. I love how God does that!!
Since we won't be home in time for me to cook dinner, I had to think ahead and plan a dinner that would be quick for when we get home. I made a polsa kielbasa and a pasta salad. Yummy!!

1 box tri color rotini pasta
1 cucumber

1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
1/4 yellow or orange bell pepper
1/4 cup broccoli, or less
1/4 cup celery
1 can black olives
1 bottle Bernsteins Cheese Fantastico Dressing ( I use the light version)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Boil pasta according to pkg directions. When it's done cooking, run the pasta under cold water to cool it down quickly. Place the cooled pasta in a large bowl.
Cut all the vegetables as small or large as you would like them. ( I like mine a little chunkier cut) Place the vegetables into the pasta bowl. Add the olives, salt and pepper to the salad. Pour as much or as little of the dressing over the salad as you like. (I usually save quite a bit because after you chill the pasta in the refrigerator it dries out quite a bit). Stir thoroughly and place in the refrigerator. Take out after awhile and add more dressing if necessary and stir again.

Fudgy Salty Peanut Butter Brownies

There is a show I just love to watch on TV called Dessert First with Ann Thornton. It's a great show and she makes so many wonderful desserts. This is a recipe from her show and it's really good. There is a deep chocolate flavor brownie with a peanut butter layer, chopped peanuts and a chocolate ganache layer on top. Decadent? Yes.....I ate one and that's all I could handle, but boy are they good!

Here is a link to the recipe site!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-thornton/fudgy-salty-peanut-butter-brownies-recipe/index.html

Flamebroiler Chicken Bowl

John and I love to eat at Flamebroiler. They have great food that tastes good and is healthy. Tonight I tried to "mimic" a recipe of what we eat there and I have to say I was NOT disappointed. It was about as close as I think I can get to the real thing! It didn't take too long to prepare and since we both loved it, I will definitely be making this again.

2 chicken breasts
Terryaki Sauce
1 carrot, sliced VERY thinly
1/2 cup cabbage
1/2 cup broccoli
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 cup brown rice
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups water
Louisiana Hot Sauce ( I buy Crystal brand at the local grocery store)

Begin cooking your brown rice:
In a medium saucepan put 1 1/2 cups water. When it comes to a boil, add your brown rice. Stir. Turn the fire onto low, cover the rice and let it cook for 45 minutes. Salt it to taste.

While the rice is cooking begin your chicken and vegetables:
Cook chicken breasts in a skillet with salt, pepper to taste and as much or as little teriyaki sauce as you like. When it's done cooking, chop into bite size pieces or strips.
Chop your green onions and set them aside.
Steam your carrot, cabbage, and broccoli until still crisp, but tender. Sprinkle a little teriyaki sauce on them when they are done.
When the rice is done, spoon however much rice you want into a bowl. Top with the vegetables and chicken and drizzle more teriyaki on the top if desired. Also you can add Lousiana Hot sauce to give it some kick that tastes a lot like the "magic sauce" at Flamebroiler. Top with chopped green onions.

Snickerdoodles

Yes it's the middle of summer and I actually turned on my oven today to bake cookies. When it's someone's birthday and they request a special baked cookie, how can you turn that down? I have never made Snickerdoodles and I actually don't ever remember tasting them before today. So I had to go searching on the Internet for a quality Snickerdoodle recipe. I decided to try the Food Network since I have had luck with most of the recipes I find on their site. I stumbled onto this recipe and it actually turned out really good.

So here is a link to the recipe I used!!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/snickerdoodles-recipe/index.html

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Garlic Butter

Some people claim anything tastes better with bacon, but I don't happen to be one of those people. I don't hate the taste, I'm just not a fan. But....tonight's dinner tasted really great with bacon wrapped around the chicken. The garlic butter and parmesan gave the outside of the chicken a little bit of a crisp and the flavors all meshed together beautifully. This recipe doesn't require any fancy ingredients, and it should be very simple for anyone to make!

4 chicken breasts
8 slices of bacon
4 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated parmesan
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 cube softened butter
Salt/Pepper to taste


In a food processor or blender, combine the cheese, garlic, butter and some salt and pepper until smooth.
Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast so it's almost completely covered in bacon.
 Sprinkle salt and pepper. 
Using your hands or a pastry brush, brush the butter mixture from the food processor onto each bacon wrapped chicken breast. Place in the refrigerator for about a half hour to chill the butter.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
*Make sure you cook this on the top of a broiler pan or something that the butter and juice can drop into it while the chicken is cooking!

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Since it's been so hot this week, I have been making easy, no muss, no fuss, dinners. I usually make home made macaroni and cheese in the oven. Truthfully I like my oven recipe just a little bit better than the crock pot version, but hey when it's 100 degrees outside, the crock pot version will suffice.

This recipe makes quite a bit....you could cut it in half for a small family or a single person.

16 oz package elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 can evaporated milk

2 cups lowfat milk

Salt/Pepper to taste

32 oz velveeta cheese, cubed

6 Tbsp melted butter

 

Cook the pasta, drain and place back into the pan. Toss the cooked pasta with the olive oil to coat thoroughly. Put the pasta into a *GREASED* crock pot along with all the other ingredients. Stir well.  Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours.

Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

Last night we had company over and unfortunately it was the last time we will get to hang out with them for a long time. Our dear friends are moving to Oregon and we will miss them so very much!! It was a very hot day so I decided to make vegetarian sandwiches for a light dinner. I guess I wasn't thinking light when it came to dessert haha! All of us really enjoyed it and I would recommend this for a summer dessert.

Here is a link to the recipe online.
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/oreo-fudge-ice-cream-106562.aspx
** I think next time I make this, I will buy a bigger cool whip as I felt it needed more topping to cover it better.
**Also I think I would try different additions to the center:
chopped heath bars or
salted peanuts or
peanut butter.
chopped peppermint patties
Oh my goodness, the possibilities are endless!!!

Butterflly Cupcakes

I can't believe my beautiful grand daughter turned one year old this week. Wow how time flies!! The older I get, the faster it flies. Tomorrow is her birthday party and I was given the pleasure of making birthday cupcakes for the kids at the party. I think the kids will have fun with them. :)

Grilled Salmon with Mango Sauce

Tonight is warm and the air outside is stagnant. Usually there is a light breeze blowing this time of night, but tonight is very still here in Southern California. I needed a dinner that would be light and refreshing to offset the dry, hot air outside. Tonight's menu definitely filled that bill. I love salmon and I really enjoyed how the sweet and spicy mango sauce went so well with the dry rub that I used on the salmon. All the flavors combined to make one of my new favorites!

For the Rub:
2 salmon steaks
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp paprika
salt/pepper to taste

Mix all the rub ingredients together and rub into the outside of both salmon steaks.

For the Mango Sauce: 

1 mangoes, pureed in food processor
1/8 cup lime or lemon juice
1/2 Jalapeno pepper, seeded
1-2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

In a blender or food processor, puree the mangoes and lemon or lime juice. Add the jalapeno and cilantro and pulse until mixed through.

Grill the salmon steaks for 5-6 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon steaks.
Top with Mango Chili Sauce.

Scallops with Mango Papaya Salsa and Coconut Rice

So let me start by saying I'm not a "scallop" fan. It's not a taste thing, it's a texture thing with me. Although I loved this combination of flavors, next time I will make the same mango/papaya salsa and put it on salmon or tilapia. The fruit salsa made this such a refreshing meal on a warm evening. I like my salsa extra spicy, but you could make yours with less spice if that's how you like it.

 Salsa Ingredients:
1 Papaya, seeded and diced
1 Mango seeded and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno chili, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp of your favorite hot sauce

Scallops:
15 Scallops
1 Tbsp butter
Salt Pepper

Combine all salsa ingredients and stir together until mixed. Set aside. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Salt and pepper your scallops and put them into the melted butter. Cook approximately 5-6 minutes and serve with salsa on the top.

For the coconut rice:

2 cups jasmine rice
1 cup water
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
Cook everything together in your rice cooker. (you can add  butter to the rice when it's done cooking)
If you don't have a rice cooker.....place the water, milk, salt and sugar into a pan. Add rice, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 min or until rice is tender. Turn off the heat and allow rice to sit for just a few minutes. Stir in butter if you wish.

Grilled French Ham and Cheese

My creative cooking juices were just not flowing today. That's very unusual, but it does happen. I have to admit that I don't like ham at all. I took a couple bites of this sandwich and passed it happily along to John. That's not to say it didn't taste good though. If you like ham, I'm sure you would like this sandwich. It's really easy to make and hardly takes any time at all.

French Bread
Ham Slices
Gruyere Cheese Slices
Butter
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp water
Salt
Pepper

Butter 2 slices of french bread on one side. On the non buttered side of one slice, place ham and slices of cheese. You can use as much or as little as you like. Place the other buttered piece of bread (buttered size out) on the top of the sandwich. In a medium bowl, mix two eggs with water, salt and pepper. Dip the sandwich into the egg mixture and press in a panini press or cook in a skillet for 5 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking process.

Watermelon Tea Pot

I decided to try another watermelon carving. I like my turtle a lot better than this one, but I think it still turned out ok. I didn't have enough fruit to showcase the fruit salad that is inside the watermelon, but trust me, there is some yummy fruit inside here.

Chili Rellano Casserole

"Muy caliente" is the way I like my food. This is definitely hot, but can be made to your own liking, by backing off some of the peppers that are added. This is super easy to make and is a good beginner recipe.

2 (8 oz) cans diced green chilis
1 (4 oz) can diced jalapenos
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 lg onion, diced
8 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt/pepper/cayenne pepper, (just use these spices as much as you would like them or as little)

Heat oven to 350.
Spray a 13 X 9 inch pan with Pam. Pour both cans of green chilis and the jalapenos into the pan. Spread out with a spatula. Place the diced onion on top and cover with the shredded cheese.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour over the other ingredients in the pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Chicken and Pasta Bake

After a day of church, lunch out with my daughter and son in law and an afternoon visiting with the in laws, it was definitely a night to make a fairly easy dinner. This is super easy to make and it hardly takes any time at all.

2 cups pasta, any kind you like
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups, cubed raw chicken
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can of either crushed or diced tomatoes ( I would use diced, but all I had was crushed tonight)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
1 Tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp butter
*In the picture I added a few leaves of fresh hot and spicy oregano, to the top, out of my garden. 

Heat oven to 450.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside in large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the chicken. Stir and cook for 4-5 more minutes. (Chicken might not be done at this point, depending on how big it is cubed, but that's ok because it's going to finish cooking in the oven) Stir the chicken mixture into the pasta. Pour the tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and the mozzarella cheese onto the chicken/pasta mixture.  Stir and place the entire mixture into an 11X13 inch baking pan (make sure you spray it with Pam). In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Stir together and sprinkle over the pasta mixture in the baking dish. Use the 2 Tbsp of butter to "dot" onto the top of the meal. (do this by cutting very small pieces of the butter and placing them randomly all across the top). Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Peanut Butter and Banana Panini

This post should probably have been titled the "Elvis Panini" since he loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I'm not too familiar with many Elvis songs, but I do know that as busy as I plan to be today, I had to make time to blog this panini, because  IT'S NOW OR NEVER. I didn't create this panini in my BLUE SUEDE SHOES, nor was I in the KENTUCKY RAIN. The question is: ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? If the answer is yes (or no) try this recipe for some good comfort food. Just please DON'T BE CRUEL if you don't like it. :)
Ok enough of the Elvis songs! This panini really was great. The peanut butter cuts the sweet of the honey and the cinnamon bread just adds a unique combination to the flavors. Next time I might even try putting in a few chocolate chips to add the flavor profile.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Peanut Butter
Honey
1 Banana, cut into slices
Butter

Spread peanut butter onto one slice of cinnamon bread. Spread honey onto the other side. Place sliced bananas on top of the peanut butter and sandwich the breads together. Spread butter on the outsides of the bread slices and grill or put into a panini press.

Tropical Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs

Today was a gorgeous Southern California day. It was perfect 80 degrees and as I read a book under the swaying palm trees in my yard, I closed my eyes and imagined sitting on a tropical beach. The breeze was blowing across my face and the sun was beating down on me. I could hear the rustling of the palm trees as the breeze blew through them. The dream of the tropics was perfect......until the sirens blared and the dogs barked next door reminding me that I was in the middle of a busy city. So, I guess if you can't get to the tropics, you bring them to you! Right? So that's what I did with my dinner tonight. I love the pineapple and lime flavors mixed with the chicken and shrimp. Add the crunch of the vegetables and it's a perfect meal!

1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 red bell pepper, cut into kabob size piece
2 red onion cut into kabob size pieces
1 (16-ounce) can pineapple rings drained and cut into kabob size pieces
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound large fresh shrimp, deveined and peeled

In a bowl, , stir together pineapple juice, oil, lime juice, vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper. 

Combine all the cut up onion, red bell pepper, pineapple, chicken and shrimp. Pour the lime marinade over the vegetables and meat. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Make your kabobs by draining off all marinade. Make the chicken skewers seperate from the shrimp skewers as they have different cooking times. Alternate chicken and vegetables and pineapple in any order you wish. Do the same for your shrimp skewers.
Heat your grill or your oven broiler. I cooked mine in the broiler because we were all out of propane. Grill the chicken skewers on high for about 15 min. After they have been in for 9 minutes, add the shrimp skewers into the broiler so they can finish cooking together. (the shrimp only needs about 6 min)
If you are grilling these, my guess would be to grill them for approx 10-15 minutes with the shrimp kabobs being put on the grill for the last 6 minutes.
*** I forgot to turn my skewers that's why one side is a little burned. Be sure to continually turn them whether they are on your grill or in your oven broiler. 

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Today was the last day of school for the students, so I decided to make them something special to take to work today. I was out of a lot of my normal baking ingredients, so I settled for lemon cupcakes with lemon butter cream frosting. I love this frosting because the lemon cut the extreme sweet taste and it was actually a pretty refreshing frosting. Hopefully I can remember the recipe as I just threw it together before work this morning. At 5:30 AM, my brain was not working up to full capacity, so here goes.....

1 box lemon cake mix
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
3 cubes butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of half of a small lemon
Zest of 1 large lemon, or two small lemons

Bake the cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Let cool completely.
To make frosting:
Mix butter in standing mixer until fluffy. Mix in sifted powdered sugar a little bit at a time until completely incorporated. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. (You can add more or less lemon juice and/or zest according to your taste). Mix until thoroughly combined. If frosting is too thick for piping, you can add a small amount of milk...maybe 1/8 - 1/4 tsp.

Shrimp Pasta

This was one of those dinners that started out as one thing and turned into completely a different thing. I had every intention of cooking shrimp for dinner, but had no idea I was going to include pasta. My daughter was over today and she was hungry for pasta, so I decided to combine her pasta craving with my shrimp craving and it turned out to be a wonderful dinner. I am not really sure how to post this as a recipe, since I just kind of threw it together last minute, but I'll try!

Whole wheat spaghetti
Tomatoes, chopped
Fresh Basil, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Shrimp
1/4 cup White wine
1 tsp Butter
1 tsp chopped garlic
Salt/Pepper to taste
Fresh Broccoli
Fresh shaved Parmesan Cheese
Olive oil
*amounts are approximate, just add whatever you like and however much of it you like*

Mix the chopped tomatoes, green onion, and basil together with salt and pepper in a bowl. In a skillet with a little olive oil, cook broccoli until still crisp tender. Meanwhile, cook shrimp in a pan with the butter, garlic, white wine and salt and pepper for just a few minutes until it turns pink and is cooked through. Place a serving of pasta noodles onto your plate and top with the shrimp, tomato mixture, broccoli, salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil all  over it lightly. Serve with grated parmesan on the top.

Bake Sale Cupcakes

I made this style cupcake a while ago with my good friend Tammy and posted them on this blog. I tried them again today, to take to a ministry pot luck at church tomorrow. I still haven't mastered the piping of the crust around the edges of the "pie." They turned out alright, but I am definitely my own worst critic. I think everyone will like them. If nothing else, they taste great! You can't go wrong with home made red velvet cake and yummy home made cream cheese frosting.

Make your favorite kind of cupcake. Frost the top slightly and place candies to look like fruit all over the top. Make the lattice with white frosting that has been tinted with 3 drops of yellow food coloring and one teaspoon of cocoa. Pipe the edges of the pies with more frosting.

Pork Chops Ole

Tonight called for a very easy dinner since I had a mind boggling head ache all day. This dinner is super easy to make and it takes very little preparation work. I found this recipe in a magazine years ago and have been making it ever since.

Pork Chops Ole Recipe

15 90 105

6 pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Seasoned salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups water
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 envelope taco seasoning (2 tablespoons)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Meanwhile, in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, combine rice, water, tomato sauce and taco seasoning; mix well. Arrange chops over rice; top with green pepper. Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese; return to the oven until cheese is melted. .

Strawberry Spring Salad with Candied Pecans

I have posted this recipe on my blog before, but I never had a picture to go with it. So tonight when I served it, I made sure to take a picture to post on here. This is one of my all time favorite salads. The sweet, salty, cinnamon crunch to the pecans blends so wonderful with the light refreshing spring salad and strawberry drizzle over the greens. As much as I don't like the  heat of summer that's coming, I do look forward to salads like this to refresh us after a long hot day!!

1 Pkg Spring Salad Mix (from grocery store produce section)
1 Pkg frozen strawberries, thawed
16 oz pecans
2 egg whites
2 tsp cold water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp salt

To candy your pecans: Heat oven to 250 degrees. Beat egg whites with water until fluffy. Fold pecans into egg whites. Stire until well coated. In a bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and salt. Fold coated pecans into sugar mixture. Place pecans on cookie sheet (try to only have one layer of them, don't stack them on top of one another). Cook for one hour. Remove from oven and place pecans on waxed paper. Break them apart to make sure they don't stick together.
To assemble salad: Place greens on your plate. Use the thawed strawberries and the juice as the salad dressing. Place a few pecans on top of the salad and enjoy!!

Monkey Bread Mini's

Ooey, gooey, sweet, buttery deliciousness. That's the best way I can describe this bread. This is really easy to make and when you eat it warm it almost melts in your mouth. Now if I could just get it to not melt into my hips ;)
I'm sure when the smell of this cinnamony bread cooking, wafted through the air to my neighbors house, that they were wondering what I was baking, so I decided to take them some and let them try it. I guess I'll have to wait for the reviews!

Here is a link to the recipe on the food network site

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/Monkey-Bread-Minis

Grilled Vegetable Panini

What makes a great sandwich? Pesto, vegetables, bread and cheese!! This sandwich was so light and so filling at the same time. John and I both thought it was delicious. Definitely not a dinner for a man that will only eat steak and potato type meals, but fortunately my hubby will eat anything I serve him.

*Sorry the photo has the sandwich in the back. The picture I took with the sandwich in the front, turned out super blurry and by the time I realized it, that sandwich was already making it's way through my intestinal track! ;)

Four Cheese Sourdough Bread (or any kind you prefer. This is also good on Ciabatta bread)
Pesto Sauce ( I used home made but you can use store bought)
Eggplant
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Red Bell Peppers (You can use green, orange or yellow or all 3 for a colorful sandwich)
Fresh Mozarella Cheese
Basil Leaves

Grill your vegetables until cooked, but not soft. Spread pesto onto the bread slices. Top one half of the bread with grilled vegetables and cheese. Place fresh basil on top. Place the other slice of bread on the top and carefully place on the panini press. Cook until cheese is melted and vegetables are hot.

Watermelon Carving

In honor of Mother's Day tomorrow, I carved this turtle out of a watermelon to hold my fruit salad. I have never carved watermelon before and it was tedious work ,but fun!!  Now if it will just hold up and stay together in the car for the drive to my mom's house (which takes over an hour)!! If you want to learn how to do watermelon carvings, then go to www.watermelon.org and click on the word "carvings" on the right. They have a lot of super ideas for carvings for holidays and parties.

Caprese Salad

This post is definitely dedicated to my wonderful friend Natasha. Of all the foods I have been exposed to and tasted, this salad was definitely not one of them. She made me a Caprese salad at work the other day and I have been craving it again ever since then. It is so light and refreshing and requires so few ingredients. This is a "no cooking skills" required kind of recipe. So thank you Natasha for my new obsession ;)

Sliced tomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella cheese (the soft kind, not the hard ball kind of mozzarella)
Fresh Basil
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper

Slice the tomatoes and place on a plate. Scoop or slice the fresh mozzarella and place on each tomato slice. Top with fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Strawberry Fruit Dip

Just walking through the produce department in the grocery store this time of year is completely amazing. The array of colors and variety of fruits and vegetables to choose from just astonishes me. I wish I could grow all of it in my own backyard, but living in the city does not allow that to happen. So I am content with picking out all the beautiful fruits at the store. Normally I love to eat my fruit plain, but every once in awhile you just have to splurge and break out a good old fruit dip. I mean, how can you go wrong dipping fruit into something sweet and yummy? I had never made this kind of fruit dip before and the original one I had tasted awhile back only called for two ingredients, but I decided to try adding to it and I liked the outcome.

1 tub strawberry cream cheese, softened
1 jar marshmallow creme
1/2 container light cool whip, thawed
5-8 fresh strawberries, blended till completely liquid

Mix all ingredients together. Stir well. Enjoy with a variety of cut up fruit.

Tabbouleh Salad

I love Middle Eastern food. I truly think it's one of my favorite international foods to eat. Ok, so maybe sushi truly is my favorite, but I don't think I'll be trying to prepare that at home anytime soon...... not unless Chef Morimoto shows up to teach me how ;)
So I decided to make a middle eastern salad that I have always loved the taste of. It's super easy to make and it's healthy too!I know many people are afraid to cook outside of their comfort zone, but it's good to learn how to prepare other types of foods and who knows, you just might enjoy it a the same time!!

1 cup bulgur
1 peeled and diced cucumber
1 cup Italian leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped 3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 tsp allspice

Cook bulgur according to package directions. Mix the bulgur with all the remaining ingredients and stir together well.

Italian Panini

After a wonderful day spent with John visiting some friends, grocery shopping together, and running errands, I decided that a quick, but hearty panini was in order for dinner. John loved this one and it was so simple to make. I love that I now can go straight into my backyard and pick fresh basil for this sandwich. Now if only my tomatoes would grow faster, so I could use those also!!! Sorry this picture is so awful, John was hungry and I took this shot before I put the sandwich back on the grill.

Ciabatta Bread
Genoa Salami
Hard Salami
Pepperoni
Cappicola Ham
Tomato slices
Fresh Basil
Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil

Layer meats, cheeses, basil and tomatoes on the bread. Drizzle olive oil on your panini press. ( If you don't have a panini press, you can use a griddle or skillet, but you will need to turn the sandwich over halfway through cooking.) Place the sandwich on the hot press and grill until cheese is melted and meat is heated through.

Anzac Biscuits

These really aren't a biscuit, they are more like a cookie, but whatever you want to call them, they are GREAT!! They have a chewy, yet crispy inside and the flavor  is just wonderful. Imagine an oatmeal tasting cookie with coconut and molasses, and you can just begin to imagine how yummy these are.

1 cup butter
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp very hot water
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup oatmeal ( I use the quick cooking variety)
3/4 cup flour

In a medium saucepan, place the butter, molasses, baking powder and sugar. Mix in the hot water. Bring it to a boil and remove from heat. Add the coconut, oatmeal and flour and mix well. Place large spoonfuls of the mixture onto a cookie sheet a few inches apart from each other. Bake at 275 for 25 minutes.

Coriander and Cilantro Flatbread

I was so excited today to pick the cilantro for this recipe, out of my very own backyard garden. This was the first time I have ever done that. You should have seen me....I was like a little kid out there snipping away at the plant and then carrying my cilantro bouquet right under my nose all the way into the house so I could enjoy the great smell of it before cutting it up to use in my bread.
This is one of my all time favorite breads to make. It tastes like a good Indian Naan, but it's just a little bit thicker. It is a healthy recipe, but boy oh boy, do I like to have mine topped with a good butter bath!  So I guess that negates the healthiness of it, but it sure makes it tastes even better than it already is without the butter.
This is the plate of it I served tonight, minus one or two of course, as my daughter and I just HAD to sample it first!!

*makes 8 pieces of bread

1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Sift first 5 ingredients into a bowl. Stir in cilantro. Add yogurt and stir with a fork until small clumps form. Knead the mixture in the bowl until the dough holds together. (You can add more flour or yogurt here if you need to in order to achieve a soft, sticky dough) Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece into a ball and use a rolling pin on a floured surface to flatten out each ball until it's fairly thin or approx 4 1/2 inches across. Brush a skillet generously with olive oil. Heat skillet to med/high heat. Working in batches, add 3 dough rounds to skillet, cook until golden brown and puffed. Turn over after one side is browned and drizzle more olive oil into skillet before browning the other side. Serve warm.

Heatlhy BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Today called for another simple meal at our household. This was so easy that it almost seems silly to post it on this blog. I'm sure everyone and their mother knows how to make a BBQ chicken sandwich, but here goes anyway......I promised friends I would keep up on this blog, so I guess that means posting even the super simple stuff I make sometimes!

Whole wheat sandwich buns
Chicken breasts (as many as you need or want)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
lettuce
tomato, sliced

Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot and put some of the BBQ sauce on them. I put just enough to cover them to start with. Let it cook until chicken is completely cooked through. Drain the liquid out of the crock pot and place the chicken in a skillet. Add as much extra BBQ sauce as you would like. Cook until the sauce is heated through. Place the chicken in a whole wheat sandwich bun and top with fresh lettuce and tomato slices.

Hummus and Vege Wrap

Who says healthy can't taste great? Not me!! These wraps were so easy to make and you only need to know how to slice and grill vegetables to pull this one off. I love to make my own hummus normally, but today called for playing with my beautiful grand daughter instead of taking time to make home made hummus. It was well worth the time invested in her little life, to just break down and buy store bought hummus. For those of you that do not like to cook and are looking for something simple, healthy and tasty....this one is it!! In this picture, I know you really can't see the inside of the wrap, but trust  me when I say it's stuffed with yummy goodness!

Wraps or Flat Bread
Hummus
Zuccchini
olive oil
salt
pepper
green, red or yellow bell peppers sliced thinly
baby spinach leaves
red onion, sliced thinly
toasted pine nuts

1) Slice the zucchini  into long thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over med heat until softened, but not mushy and slightly browned.
2) Spread hummus onto each wrap, as little or as much as you would like.
3) Layer veges onto the wrap. (zucchini, peppers, onion and spinach leaves)
4) Place a few toasted pine nuts onto each wrap. (To toast pine nuts, place them in a skillet for a couple of minutes and stir over med heat until the toast golden brown.
5) Roll up the wrap and enjoy!

Sugar and Spice Fruit Dip

I love the combination of sugar, spice and salt. When my girls were growing up, they always loved to put spicy chili powder on some of their fruits. Now we are all grown ups and it still tastes great. You can mix this combo of dipping sugar to suit your individual taste. Tonight I only had pineapple to serve it with, but next time you can be sure I will be cutting up some watermelon and mangoes to dip in it also.

 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
1- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
Fruit cut up

Mix the sugar, salt and chili powder in a bowl. Serve with cut up fruit to dip in it.

Peeps Sunflower Cake

My boss showed me this adorable cake that she found on the Internet yesterday and I decided to make it today to try it out. It was really easy and other than the fact that my sunflower "peep" edge doesn't look as round as the original, I'm happy with it overall.  I probably could have simplified it and used store bought cake and frosting, but that wouldn't have been as much fun!

1 store bought cake mix ( I used scratch, but you can use this to make it easier)
2 tubs chocolate frosting
chocolate chips
19-20 peeps

Bake cake according to pkg directions in two 9 inch round pans. Cool completely. Turn one of the cakes out onto a pretty platter. Put a thin layer of frosting on the top and place the other layer of cake on top of the frosting. Frost the entire two layers of cake with chocolate frosting. Place peeps ( I didn't pull my peeps apart, I just bent them a little bit to make them "rounder") around the edge of the cake to form the sunflower. Next place chocolate chips in circles around the middle to make the "seeds"

Patty Melt

This week has been a "time off" from my blog while I went back to re-prepare some of the meals I have made and loved. While I enjoyed doing that, I really missed cooking and trying new things. Tonight John wanted me to try something that he cooked. Not being a fan of ground beef, I went into tonight's dinner with trepidation. I have to say that for those of you that like ground beef, I'm sure you would enjoy this sandwich. Me? I love that my hubby prepared it and I love that he took the time to cook this for me, but I could only eat a couple bites of it. I just still have not learned to appreciate red meat. If it had any other meat in it, I probably would have loved it, but then it wouldn't have been a patty melt.

2 slices of rye bread
Butter
ground beef
salt/pepper to taste
diced green chilies
diced onions
pepper jack/ or american cheese

Shape ground beef into patties. Season with salt and pepper. In a skillet, saute onions with green chilies until partially caramelized. Cook ground beef until done. Place ground beef, onnion and chili mixture and cheese onto buttered slices of rye bread. Place buttered slices (butter side out) onto a hot griddle or skillet. Cook until cheese is melted and bread is grilled.

Almonds and Broccoli

I love when a simple side dish is a hit at my house. This is so easy to prepare and tastes great! Of course, I love broccoli and I love almonds, so it was kind of a "no brainer" that I would love it.

1 lb broccoli
1 cup water
1 tsp chicken bullion granules
2 1/2  tbsp butter
1/4- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
salt to taste

Cook broccoli in one cup water seasoned with one teaspoon of chicken bullion granules, just until it is crisp tender. Meanwhile in a skillet brown the almonds in 3 tbsp butter. Season with salt to taste. After broccoli is cooked, serve with almonds on the top.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Baking. This is what an insomniac does when she wakes up at 4:00 AM. Since there seems to be nothing worthy of spending my time watching on the television that time of morning, I decided to bake. I wanted something different then I have baked in awhile, so I made gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They were really yummy and I'm sure nobody at work minded that I didn't sleep well last night haha! I think these cupcakes turned out pretty light and fluffy and what a great pairing of tastes with the cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup hot water

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and molasses. Add sifted, dry ingredients until smooth. Blend in hot water. Place batter into cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes or until done.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 TBSP (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups sifted, powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cream cheese and butter together in mixer until thoroughly mixed together and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well to combine.

Hello Kitty Truffles

Today, my daughter and I helped a friend make hello kitty truffles for a bridal shower. I guess the bride to be really likes hello kitty. They were a ton of work, but worth the work in the long run. Besides, what can be better than spending the day with loved ones? These are just a basic oreo truffle that has been shaped into a hello kitty shape. We used white chocolate chips for the ears and glued them onto the truffle with white frosting. Then we dipped the truffles in melted white chocolate. Using red, black and yellow frosting we decorated the faces.

Delicious Fruit Dip

I have been re-making some of my dinners this week that are already posted on this blog. I seriously hardly ever make the same foods twice, but sometimes I just crave a food I've already made. So because of that, I've been lagging on the blog this week with  new foods. Today I made a fruit dip that I haven't made in years. It's so light and creamy and goes perfect with seasonal fruits. I suppose if it had been a hot summer day as opposed to a dreary, stormy day, it might have tasted better, but hey when you're craving something, weather truly doesn't matter ;)

1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

Combine all dip ingredients with mixer until very smooth. Enjoy with fresh fruits.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I have been wanting to try some more recipes with Quinoa for awhile now. I have used it many times, but usually in the same African soup recipe I make. Tonight I tried something really different with it and it turned out really great. Quinoa is such a healthy grain and is very versatile in recipes. You can definitely play around with the spices in the recipe and use whatever you like that you think would suit your tastes.

  

1 sweet potato diced into cubes

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

6 Poblano peppers, stems removed, seeds removed and cut int half lengthwise

1 cup Quinoa, rinsed and drained

6 oz chorizo

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

pepper jack cheese, grated

Heat oven to 400. Toss the sweet potato cubes with the 1 Tbsp of the oil, salt, pepper and cumin. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place the potato cubes onto the foil. Bake in 400 degree oven for approx. 15 minutes or until browned on the outside edges. Set aside.
Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in the rinsed quinoa. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes until water is all absorbed. Set aside.

Heat last Tbsp of oil in a skillet. Cook chorizo and the onion for about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and the sweet potato cubes.

Brush the poblano halves with oil, inside and out. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff the quinoa filling into each pepper half. Top with shredded cheese. Place the stuffed poblanos onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Brown Butter Sauteed Tilapia with Pistachios

After being in the kitchen baking most of the afternoon, I was ready to make a quick but delicious meal for dinner. I had printed this one out awhile ago from the Food Network and I am so glad I did. It was really light and very good! The preparation and the cooking were both very simple.

Here is a link to the recipe....
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ask-aida/brown-butter-sauteed-tilapia-with-pistachios-recipe/index.html

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosting

When I was a little girl I used to love eating bananas with peanut butter on them and I would strategically place chocolate chips perfectly apart on the peanut butter to have a great trio of flavors. When my friend Natasha was talking about cupcakes today at work, I just had to come home and try this trio of flavors in a cupcake. I actually like the result. The banana cake is moist. The peanuts around the edge give it that little bit of crunch it needs. The chocolate ganache is heavenly, of course and the swirled frosting tastes great together. So off to work I go tomorrow with a dozen cupcakes and I'm sure nobody will mind ;)

*Yes the camera is STILL being repaired and that's why these pictures look like two different kinds of cupcake. Same cupcakes, different light in the lens I guess :)

*This last picture was halfway through the process when the cupcakes were just covered in ganache and had the crunchy peanuts around the edges.

Make banana cupcakes. Cool completely. Dip tops in chocolate ganache. Spoon more on if needed. Sprinkle peanuts around the outside edge only. Make the chocolate frosting and the peanut butter frosting and place in the same decorator bag. Swirl frosting into the center of each cupcake.

BANANA CUPCAKES
1/2 lb butter, (2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbsp milk or cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. In mixer, blend together butter and sugar until fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add eggs and beat well. Add bananas and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the already mixed ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended. Add the milk and the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Fill cupcake  liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake, comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream 

In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat. Remove from the heat. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally. Cool completely or until thickened some.  Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Chill until ganache is set. 

PEANUTS 


Chop salted cocktail peanuts finely and sprinkle around edges of cupcake. 


PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
half of 1/3 cup milk (sorry I wasn't sure on fractions how to half 1/3)

In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in slowly, half the powdered sugar.  Mix in half of the amount of milk. Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar and then slowly beat in the rest of  the milk and beat until frosting reaches desired consistency.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/8 cup cocoa powder (you can just measure this by using half of a 3/4 cup)
1/6 cup milk ( you can just measure this by using half of a 1/3 cup)

Cream butter and vanilla together with mixer. In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients to the mixed butter mixture until thoroughly mixed. Slowly add the milk and mix until you have the desired consistency of your frosting. You might not use all the milk!