Quick Summer Fare

I am trying to acclimate to the cool summer weather we have been having in our new location this year. Having lived through almost 20 Texas summers, I was bracing myself for some hot, humid days, but today I find myself enjoying another day with the windows open and a cool breeze blowing through our windows and it is 230 in the afternoon. Ahhh. I knew I suffered through this winter for some kind of reward at the end! But it doesn't really matter how cool it is, I just instinctively want more salads and cool foods in the summertime, so that I can fool myself into believing the past 6 months of winter eating will be magically wiped away! ;) Here are some recipes I love that you can pull right from the fridge and enjoy quickly after you make them. My favorite and Blythe's....Asian Lettuce Cups. I spent about 9 months in Korea when I was 19. One of my favorite dishes was bulgogi, which was a Korean BBQ meat that we would eat by placing some cooked rice on a large iceberg lettuce leaf, then put meat in the middle and wrap up kind of like a taco and eat. This dish reminds me of it and is health and EZ. ;) Asian Lettuce Cups Ingredients: 1lb ground chicken breast 1/2 onion, minced 1/2 cup shredded carrots salt & pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp fresh ginger 2-1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 Tablespoon peanut butter 1/2 Tablespoon water 1/2 Tablespoon honey 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hotter) dash of pepper 3 green onions, chopped 1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped 10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry Directions: 1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger then continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink. For Sauce: in a microwave safe bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili garlic sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine. Add green onions and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through. Place in chilled lettuce leaf, top with more sauce, roll and eat. You may need to make additional sauce. Keep on hand in the fridge, reheat the meat portion quickly for about 30 minutes and assemble your lettuce cups as needed. :) Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce Ingredients Soba noodles – 1 9oz packet. Salt and Pepper as per taste. Sesame seeds – 2 Tbsp lightly toasted. Cucumber thinly julienne optional. Lime wedges optional. For Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce- green onoins – 1 ½ cup finely chopped. Ginger – 2 Tbsp minced. Cilantro – ¼ cup chopped. Sesame oil/ – 2-3 Tbsp. Chili oil – 2 tsp. Soy sauce – 1Tbsp. Rice wine vinegar – 2 Tbsp. Honey – 2 Tbsp. Salt – 1 tsp, as soy sauce is salty too so be careful with the salt. Black pepper – 1 tsp I like to grill some chicken breasts or sauté some shrimp at this point and toss in there for the protein. You may want to double the sauce if too dry. Instructions 1.Mix all the ingredients for Sweet Ginger Scallion sauce in the bowl, check for the seasoning. Keep it aside for 10 -15 minutes for the flavors to develop. 2.Boil the soba noodles as per the instruction on the package, If you need them cold drain well with the cold water once they are cooked or just drain the water in which they boiled if you like them hot. 3.Add the sauce, sesame seeds and toss the noodles well, check for the seasoning one last time. Sprinkle lime juice if you like and also if you like add some julienne cucumber, give a final toss and Enjoy! I keep this refrigerated so that I can pull it out and eat it cold whenever I need a quick meal.

Eat MoR Beef!

I am starting this post with a picture that I took for inspiration one day, when I was homesick for Texas, my friends and my old home, trying to see what my future here would hold and trying to look forward to things here instead of looking in my rearview mirror. So I took a drive out on the beautiful road where we will begin building our new home that we have planned over the past year. This view you see is off of Carnahan Creek Road just past the Tuttle Creek Dam. It is hard to give it the perspective it deserves, but this is atop a very high view, where you can see for miles in all directions. Huge Flint Hills abound. It was beautiful and inspiring, and I was excited about that being the drive to my home every day in the near future! This blog post is dedicated to "Eat MoR Beef"! Because that is our livelihood now. and when you go from an empty freezer to one filled with a quarter of a beef, and you mostly eat turkey, you have to figure out some new uses for your the product that supports your family. My extended family is happy. My mom was sent home with steaks and roasts, and my friend Shannon is looking forward to her resupply when we come to visit over Easter. If you know me, you know that I don't eat any type of restaurant or store purchased meat that is of the ground persuasion because I worry about what it "really" is. And now I know, after watching the news, that it was with good reason! ;) So I made a homemade beef salami today. Tate needs good, easy protein to take to school and snarf down before track practice. We are going skiing next week and we need some good portable food. I will probably make homemade granola before we go. If you have extra ground beef on hand this stuff is FABULOUS! And you know exactly what goes into it! :) You have to be patient because the process takes 24 hours. Make sure you use exactly the type of curing salt it calls for. I will take a picture of the bag and post it too. Try it...you just might like it! I like it and I am all kinds of picky! :) YUMMY HOMEMADE SALAMI 2 pounds ground beef 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed 2 tablespoons Morton® Tender Quick curing salt (you must use exactly this, not just salt or tenderizing salt) 1 tablespooncoarsely ground black pepper 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring Directions 1.In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard seed, curing salt, black pepper and liquid smoke. Mix in the red pepper flakes if desired. Roll the mixture into a 2 inch diameter log, and wrap tightly in aluminum foil with shiny side in. Refrigerate for 24 hours to cure. 2.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Make a few slits in the bottom of the roll to allow the fat to drain when cooking. Place roll onto a broiler pan, and fill the bottom part of the pan with about 1 inch of water to keep the salami moist. 3.Bake for 90 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan and cool completely before unwrapping the salami. I refridgerate. Slice and eat as lunch meat, or serve on a tray with crackers and cheese.

Here comes the sun!

Do you ever have days in winter when you can't remember what the sun looked like or you can't even remember when you last saw it? I felt that way this week. My power went out a few days ago, prompting me to go stay with my friend Shannon. It seemed like a good idea at the time...as a matter of fact, she and I had a good time, the kids had a good time, but we didn't have that great of a time WITH the kids. Siblings fought, tears where shed, names were called. At 4 o'clock each night we found ourselves looking at our watches and declaring it "Cocktail" time! I have had this happen several times with friends. We get together, and double the number of kids, but I always think, "Hey there are two of us! So we can handle these kids!" Not really.....because really it just ends up being double the trouble and two moms against four just doesn't really add up to a good time. So how do these polygamist wives do it!? In theory you could sit back and say, "I can see the madness in this!" More moms, less work, less trouble! But you see the problems come when the kids outnumber the moms, and I dare say that in polygamist sects their kids WAY outnumber them putting Shannon and I to shame! Please don't think I am stereotypicalizing the polygamist lifestyle, but I am kinda sure they have more than two kids per. :)

Anywho, as my friend says, I made these biscotti the other night, when Shannon and I were practicing being polygamist sect wives, with our four children, I made us some biscotti. My kids looked at it like they were bad cookies that had been baked too long, but their friends John and Chris loved them! So my kids decided maybe they weren't so bad.
Warning...I saw the reviews on these and saw that some people said they were too hard and they had to dunk them in their tea or coffee. I thought that was the purpose of biscotti but maybe not. So be warned, they are crunchy! :) Also, I added finely chopped almonds and cherries. I think that made a big difference. You can use white chocolate if you want. Biscotti are twice baked. You will bake them in logs once then cross slice them, and lay them out on a sheet and rebake them so that they are crunchy.

Here is the recipe:
Chocolate Citrus Biscotti
Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon orange zest
* 1 tablespoon lemon zest
* 1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar in another large bowl until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange and lemon zests to the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the eggs and sugar and beat just until blended (the dough will be soft and sticky). Let stand for 5 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, forming two mounds spaced evenly apart. Moisten your hands with water and shape the dough into two 11 by 4-inch logs. Bake until lightly brown, about 35 minutes. Cool the logs for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the same baking sheet. Bake until the biscotti are pale and golden, about 25 minutes. Cool the biscotti on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Dip 1 cut side of each biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti, chocolate side up, on the baking sheet. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes. Dip a pastry brush in the cocoa, then lightly brush the cocoa over the chocolate on each biscotti.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Pasta all Vodka

Yummy, elegant and easy. If you feel like having a drink, you may want to try this first.

Ingredients

* 1 pound Pasta
* 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped Finely
* 2 cloves (to 3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped
* ¾ cups (to 1 Cup) Vodka
* 1 can (About 14 Oz.) Tomato Puree
* 1 cup Heavy Cream
* 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
* ¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Salt
* Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
* 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and stir.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat. Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pour mixture into large serving bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese.

Eat it out of the serving bowl. Faint. Repeat as needed.

Blizzard Bound!

Used to be when I was little my grandmother would come visit us during the winter, and she would typically time her visit to coincide with the worst blizzard in that year's history. This would ensure that she couldn't leave for her long trek home for at least 2 weeks. During that time she would cook, we would play cards, we even held a sceance once when my parents were gone! She tried to make me think the flimsy card table was floating off the ground my perching it up with her knee! We had a lot of fun but what would typically begin as a happy snowbound existence would quickly deteriorate into us all having enough of each other! During one of her visits, she put beans in a pressure cooker with some baking soda because she heard it made them cook faster. I came home from school to find beans dripping from the ceiling of my mom's kitchen because the baking soda in the pressure cooker came to an explosive end. She brought musical Christmas bells with her and would turn them on and play them for two weeks straight. At one point, I think my dad may have even told her to leave and take her bells with her! The visits would leave us all reaching for the liquour cabinet before it was over! But the memories are happy in my mind today. Now I find myself home with my kids, too cold to venture outside, and already fresh out of ideas to keep them entertained! And for some reason the only thing I can think to do that will soothe me is cook! Here are some recipes for you all to dip into if you get bored. :)

Beef with Snow Peas - Easy to make a so tastey.
ngredients

* 1-½ pound Flank Steak, Trimmed Of Fat And Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
* ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
* 3 Tablespoons Sherry Or Cooking Sherry
* 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
* 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
* 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
* 8 ounces, weight Fresh Snow Peas, Ends Trimmed
* 5 whole Scallions, Cut Into Haf-inch Pieces On The Diagonal
* Salt As Needed (use Sparingly)
* 3 Tablespoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
* Crushed Red Pepper, For Sprinkling
* Jasmine Or Long Grain Rice, Cooked According To Package

Preparation Instructions

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet (iron is best) or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.

Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

Serve immediately over rice. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.

Stromboli...or to make it easy, Pizza Roll!

For a lot of you who know me, you know that I love to cook. I love reading cooking magazines, watching cooking shows, and making unique and sometimes elaborate dishes. I have learned however, that this is a talent wasted on my husband. Once, when we were first married, I was inspired by an Emeril show! Of course, I didn't have kids then. I made a gourmet dinner, and stacked it on the plate in a beautiful presentation just like Emeril. When we sat down to eat, my husband asked if he could put BARBEQUE SAUCE ON IT. I thought I was going to croak! To me, this is like asking a girl if you can put a paper bag over her head before you kiss her!!! What an insult! Barbeque Sauce? It's like saying, "I don't think I am going to like this, so I am going to drown it in a sauce that I could eat anything with." For Todd, that is Barbeque. Soon after that, in a hurry one night I made sloppy joes from a can. My husband LOVED THEM! barf...I thought I was going to die. He even asked me where I got the recipe! Are you kidding me? Dude! This stuff came from a can! I broke out in a rash just putting it together! But I learned, that, for him, simplicity is best...Below is such a recipe. Stromboli. He loves it, my kids love it and it is kind of good, even if I don't labor over it all day. Tate and I made it together last night and prep time was 10 minutes start to finish! I have tried to reduce the steps to as few as possible. I am pretty sure your family will like it too. :) Enjoy!


STROMBOLI
Roll out 1 can of Pilsbury Thin Crust Pizza dough on a floured surface.
Mix (I use EggBeaters) 1 egg with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/2 tsp oregano and/or basil, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the dough and spread all over...like a sauce.

Place on top a layer of each all over the dough, TURKEY PEPPERONI, CANADIAN BACON AND SAUSAGE CRUMBLES (I found Jimmy Dean precooked Turkey Sausage Crumbles. They worked great and cut the prep time significantly!)
Top with 1 cup of (I use 2% cheese to make it healthier) Kraft Shredded CoJack cheese.

Starting with the long side carefully roll it up, tucking the dough under as you go, and place it on a baking sheet. Be very gentle. It will look like a long log. Bake at 350 until golden brown and done. 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Honey Bread

I don't know about you all, but for me when the weather turns cool, I run back into my kitchen, hug my hot oven, tell it how much I missed it over the summer and I start baking again! I love to bake. I used to bake with my grandmothers...sometimes I would just hide in the pantry and eat their candy sprinkles...but mostly I liked to bake with them! I love this bread recipe that I tried for the first time last night because it doesn't require hours or kneading and rising. It does call for Irish Oats (Girls, this is not your instant Quaker Oat stuff), and you have to let them soak in HOT milk for two hours to soften them, but it is a great bread, makes a lot and takes very little work! I threw everything in my KitchenAid mixer and let it do the work. You don't even have to knead this bread! I just made mine into 2 large loaf shapes and then placed each on a separate baking sheet. And, of course, you know that anything is made better slathered in butter! It would be great to take to a friend or with a big bowl of hot soup! Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Honey Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups of boiling milk
1 cup of oats (not instant)
2 teaspoons of salt
1 egg
1/2 cup of honey
4 tablespoons of shortening (I used Canola Oil and it worked fin)
5-5 1/2 cups of flour
2 packets of yeast
1/2 cup of warm water

Method:
1. Add oatmeal to hot milk and let stand for two hours.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
3. Mix yeast and other ingredients with oatmeal (start with five cups of flour and add more a little bit at a time until dough is smooth).
4. Form into loaves, and either fill two loaf pans or place in balls on a parchment-paper lined sheet.
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
Butter the tops when they come out of the oven.