Melon salad

Melon Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing
Recipe courtesy the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and Grace A. Eckstorm (winner of the Melon Magic Category)

Makes 6 Servings

1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Dash cayenne pepper
Lettuce leaves
2 cups seedless watermelon, cut up
2 cups cantaloupe, cut up
2 cups honeydew, cut up
1 cup seedless English cucumber, sliced
Snipped fresh cilantro
Crisp cooked bacon, drained and crumbled (optional)

1. For sweet sesame dressing, in a small saucepan combine sugar, vinegar, salt and ginger. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. In a thin steady stream, slowly add the vegetable oil and olive oil to the mixture whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in sesame seeds, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper, set aside.
2. Line salad bowls or platter with lettuce, top with watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and cucumber. Drizzle with some of the dressing (about 1/2 cup). Sprinkle with cilantro and bacon; pass the remaining dressing around the table.

Peach Grilled Chicken

Sorry, no pics for this one right now… If you buy a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, there is a picture in there! Tomorrow we are doing Melon Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing from the same issue! I will get pictures of it tonight because it looks like it will be pretty!

Golden Grilled Chicken Thighs with Apricots

Makes 4 servings

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 cup apricot (peach)nectar
6 Tbsp. apricot (peach) preserves
1/4 cup snipped fresh mint
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. Curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
4 medium apricots (peaches), halved and pitted
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. Place in large resealable bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in bowl, combine half the nectar (1/4 cup), 2 Tbsp of the preserves, half the mint, 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, the sherry vinegar, curry powder, and the garlic. Pour over the chicken and seal the bag. Turn the chicken to coat and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. (Marinate overnight if possible)

2. Remove the chicken from marinade and discard the marinade. Cook over medium heat turning once halfway through, for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees. Place the apricots (peaches) cut side down on the grill for the last five minutes of the chicken’s cooking time.

3. For sauce, in a bowl, combine the remaining nectar, preserves, mint, olive oil, the chopped green onions, pistachios, mustard and mustard seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt. To serve, drizzle the chicken and apricots (peaches) with the sauce.

** We substituted peaches for apricots and this dish was amazing. We made the marinade and the sauce the night before we cooked it and it turned out fabulous. Highly recommended!
*The recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. It was made by a woman named Roxanne Chan from California and she won the Chicken on the Grill category for the magazine.

Easter Bunnies

Carter and I made Easter Bunnies today!! They are adorable. Made of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, some robin eggs, jelly beans, Easter Basket Eggs, and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. We were supposed to use White Circus Peanuts for the feet but we could only find orange here. We decided to use the easter basket eggs and boy, was that hard to do. In the end, they came out adorable tho.

We haven’t eaten any yet but they are sure to be delicious!

Pizza

We decided to make pizza the other night with a store bought dough. We got it from the new Fresh and Easy market. It was really simple to work with and they came out awesome. My father in law gave us what he thought was basil, but turned out to be a random plant that my mother in law had in the garden. Thank goodness we didn’t get sick!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Half veggie, half pepperoni

Getting ready to cook!

BBQ Chicken cooked

Half and Half cooked

Garden Party

We are having a yard sale tomorrow so I thought it would be cute to make a set of garden party cupcakes and put them in a basket for the ladies. They came out adorable but were a ton of work. Totally worth it tho. Carter and I worked for 5 hours making the little veggies out of various types of candies.

Giant mess!

Lettuce Leaves!

Signs!

Radishes

Garden!

The basket they are in is an adorable basket that one of the ladies was selling at our yard sale. I snatched it up and the cupcakes fit in there perfectly!

Candies we used in the making of the veggies (the cupcakes were just yellow cake mix and chocolate frosting):
Orange Starburst
Green Jolly Rancher fruit chews
Red Jolly Rancher fruit chews
green and yellow candy streamers
green M&Ms
candy coated sunflower seeds
gum
corn flakes
white airhead
pretzels
white melting chocolate (tinted yellow because thats what I had on hand)
ground up Famous Wafers (for the dirt on top)

Gyros!

So, I saw Rachael Ray make this gyro deluxe platter the other day and I just HAD to try it. I followed the recipe exactly except I added 1 clove of garlic to the chicken gravy for the fries.

Ground Gyros Platter Deluxe
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2007
Prep Time:
20 min
Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach
* 1 sack waffle-cut frozen fries
* 2 pounds ground lamb
* 2 tablespoons grill seasoning, a couple of palm fulls
* 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
* 1 tablespoon chili powder, a palm full
* 1 tablespoon coriander, a palm full
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/3 palm full
* 2 to 3 pinches ground cinnamon
* 1 cup feta crumbles
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup Greek yogurt
* 1 small clove garlic, grated
* 1/4 cucumber, peeled and grated
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 2 vine ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
* Hot pepper rings, sliced banana peppers, for sandwich garnish
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 2 cups chicken stock
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 8 pita breads

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Defrost spinach in microwave.

Place fries in oven on a baking sheet.

Place lamb in a bowl. Add grill seasoning, 2 teaspoons cumin, chili powder, coriander, oregano, cinnamon and feta crumbles. Wring the spinach dry in a kitchen towel and add to lamb. Mix the lamb and form a long 3-inch roll on a baking sheet. Coat lamb with extra-virgin olive oil and bake 20 minutes.

Place fries and lamb in oven and roast 20 minutes.

Mix yogurt, a grated clove of garlic, cucumber, the juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Slice and reserve the tomatoes, cucumbers and drain hot peppers, chop and reserve.

In a small sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add Worcestershire sauce and whisk in stock. Season gravy with salt and pepper and reduce 5 minutes.

Soften pita over open gas flame or under broiler.

Slice lamb loaf into 1/4-inch slices. Spread yogurt on pitas and top with a 2 slices of lamb, tomatoes, cucumbers and hot peppers. Serve 2 pitas per person. Serve fries with gravy for dipping alongside.

That much meat makes enough for 6 easily tho. There were 4 of us eating and we had one whole log leftover. When I watched the show, she cooked the meat in 2 smaller logs to make it cook faster so I did that as well, even though the recipe didn’t say to.

PICTURES!

They didn’t have any waffle fries at the store so I got Ore-Ida Crispers!

This gravy rocked!

All the fixin’s

This was really great and very easy to make. You can substitute ground beef if you can’t get lamb or choose not to eat lamb. I hope you try it!

Solstice’s Grandmother’s Pierogies!

Solstice’s lovely grandmother, Oma, took the time to type out her recipe for Pierogis for me. I fixed it to make it more readable but it is her recipe I used and it was worth the 7 hours it took me to make these. I have enough leftover to feed a small army tho. ;D

Ingredients:
Potato Filling –
* 1 c grated cheddar cheese
* salt and pepper
* 4-6 medium potatoes
* 1 tbsp finely diced onions
* 2 tbsp butter

Dough –
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 egg
* 1 tbsp butter, melted
* 1/2 cup water

Directions

* Step #1 Make the Potato Filling.
* Step #2 Cook the onion in 2 Tbsp butter until tender.
* Step #3 Add onions and the cheese to hot cooked potatoes and mash thoroughly. (I used a ricer.)
* Step #4 Spice up to taste with salt and pepper.
* Step #5 Set aside. Let cool to about room temperature before using.
* Step #6 Make the dough.
* Step #7 Mix 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt in a deep bowl.
* Step #8 Add egg, 1 Tbsp melted butter and enough water to make medium soft dough. (start with 1/4 cup)
* Step #9 Knead on floured board until smooth.
* Step #10 Divide dough into two parts – Cover up and let this stand for at least ten minutes.
* Step #11 Roll dough thin on floured board – about 1/16th of an inch
* Step #12 Cut dough into 2-1/2 inch squares. (I cut mine with a 2in round biscuit cutter)
* Step #13 Place a spoonful of filling on each square – fold over to form triangle.
* Step #14 Press edges together with fingers – wet one half of the edges to help the dough stick.
* Step #15 Place pierogi on floured board and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent drying.
* Step #16 Drop a few pierogies at a time into large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water – do not cook too many at a time. (I did about 6-8 of them at a time in a large pot)
* Step #17 Stir carefully with wooden spoon to separate and prevent from sticking to bottom of pot.
* Step #18 Continue to cook for 3 – 4 mins — Pierogi is ready when it begins to float or is well puffed.
* Step #19 Remove with perforated spoon to colander and drain thoroughly.
* Step #21 Place in deep dish, sprinkle and toss generously with melted butter and lightly browned onions in butter. (I sauteed them for another 2-3 minutes until they got a good, light golden crust on the outside)
* Step #22 Serve with sour cream and/or sliced crisp bacon.

I love these. I made entirely too much filling and had to make the dough recipe 4 times over before I ran out of filling tho. That was my fault because I also did another filling that Bean had given to me to do. Apparently, he was using me as a guinea pig however because he told me to record what I did. Here it is.

1/2 a cantaloupe, finely diced
3 1/4 inch slices of proscuitto, finely diced then fried til crisp
7 sun-dried figs, rehydrated in honey water, finely diced
1/2 the container of crumbled bleu cheese

I just mixed all those things together and stuffed the pierogies the same way that Oma does the potato ones. With this filling plus the potato filling (1/4 of which I set aside and added half a jalapeno to) I had way too much filling and not enough dough so I ended up making the same dough 4 times. By the last time though, I was really good at it and I also was lucky enough to have Carter’s help rolling it out.

Photos here:
Prosciutto – diced and sauteeing

Cantaloupe:

Figs rehydrating:

Potatoes with jalapeno:

Dough rounds:

Dough + pierogies:

Prosciutto/Melon mixture:

Potato and cheese:

Kielbasa sausage (served with it):

Completed Prosciutto Melon:

Completed Potato Jalapeno:

Completed Potato Pierogies:

Time for the frying pan!

I am so exhausted. I hope this post came out ok. Much love to Solstice and his Oma for the recipe!! It tasted just like it did when I was a kid!

Chili Suizas

I made something called Chili Suizas Bake the other day and it came out really awesome if you like green chili and enchiladas suizas. The recipe is courtesy of Rachael Ray and the Food network. I didn’t really modify it at all.

Chili Suizas Bake
Recipe courtesy Rachel Ray
Prep Time:
15 min
Cook Time:
25 min
Serves:
6 servings

Ingredients
* 3 large poblano peppers
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
* 2 pounds ground chicken
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 12 large or 16 medium to small tomatillos, peeled, rinsed and halved
* 1/4 cup cilantro, a handful
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 2 teaspoons honey
* Salt and pepper
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1/2 cup creme fraiche (I used sour cream)
* 3 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips –whole-grain tortilla chips, such as flax seed tortillas add
wonderful texture and flavor
* 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, about 1/3 pound
* 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, about 1/3 pound

Directions
Heat the broiler to high. Place the poblanos under hot broiler and char until blackened an all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Leave the door of the oven cracked to allow the steam to escape. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to cool enough to handle.

While peppers char, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a high sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and lightly brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in onions, jalapeno and garlic and cook to soften onions about 5 minutes. While onions cook, place tomatillos and cilantro in the food processor and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillos into the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Stir in chicken stock and honey, season with salt and pepper and simmer chili 10 minutes.

When poblano peppers are cool enough to handle, remove seeds and chop, stir into chili. Remove chili pan from heat and stir in lime juice. Add dollops of creme fraiche on top of the chili, placing spoonfuls evenly across the pan. Cover the pan with a layer of crushed chips and top with Swiss and Monterey Jack cheeses. Place under broiler until brown and bubbly. Serve from hot skillet, spooning out chili into shallow dinner bowls. TOUCHDOWN!

Poblanos

Plated:



In the Pan:

Recreation of the Glowtinis from ESPNzone at Disneyland (also the very first time I have had a whole cocktail):



Mushroom sauce for the meatloaf we had last night:

I also made brownies on the day we had the chili suizas – with white/semisweet chocolate chips:

Cheeseburger soup

We found a recipe for a cheeseburger soup in last month’s Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. We finally had the chance to make it so I am writing up the recipe for everyone that was interested the first time I mentioned it.

All-American Cheeseburger Soup
serves 6 (main dish servings)
477 calories, 27 grams of fat
1 lb. Ground Beef (we got 93/7 ground sirloin)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 14oz cans of low sodium beef broth
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained (I didn’t drain mine)
1 8oz package shredded cheddar/american cheese blend (we used colby/jack mix)
1 6oz can of tomato paste
1/4 cup of ketchup
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup whole milk
Toasted buns or rolls
Cheeseburger toppings, such as pickles, onions, lettuce, mustard, and/or ketchup (optional)

Instructions
In a 4- quart dutch oven, cook beef, onion, celery, and garlic over medium heat until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender; drain off fat. (If you use the ground sirloin, you probably wont have much fat to drain off) Sprinkle flour on beef mixture;cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth and potatoes. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, cheese, tomato paste, ketchup and mustard. Cook and stir until the cheese is melted and smooth and the soup just comes to gentle boiling. Stir in milk; heat through. Serve with toasted buns and cheeseburger toppings.

Pictures will be uploaded when we finish cooking!

Ok, so we made it and it was awesome. It is not much to look at but it was really tasty. We split the recipe in half because there were not that many people eating with us tonight. We added a bit to it to make it more flavorful as well. The pickles for a garnish are a must. Raw onions were really good as well as some crumpled bacon. We put some raw cabbage in for the “lettuce” feel. We added some Worchestershire sauce and more cheese to it as well as some cayenne for spice. It was really, really good after that!

Step one: Meat and onion browning



Step two: Added potatoes.

Step three: Cheese + Tomatoes


Step four: Eating!

This is an artichoke dip that my mother in law made for the super bowl tomorrow…

I made a superbowl checkerboard cake. I’ll have more pics of the checkerboard pattern on the inside tomorrow but for now…

Bees!

We made a beehive cake for my father in law’s birthday tomorrow and it came out adorable. We got the pan for the cake at Williams Sonoma. I got the buttercream recipe and the poured fondant glaze recipes from my cupcakes book. If anyone is interested in the recipes I can post them but for now, I wanted to get the pics up here. The bees are made of white chocolate, tinted yellow. their wings are just sugar taken to the Hard Crack stage and then spread on some parchment.

Bees:

Homemade Buttercream:

Candy wings:

Poured Fondant Glaze (Honey flavored)

Yellow Beehive Cake (Betty Crocker Moist Deluxe mix):

Completed:

Enjoy!