Kim's Concoctions

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

2012-01-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I am trying to lose weight this year. I put on a couple over the holidays (who doesn't right?), and I still want to shed 10-12 pounds from my last pregnancy. I lost 10 pounds last fall, but fell off the wagon a little after my husband started to work late in the evenings and I wasn't able to get out and exercise.

So now, I'm back on track. I'm walking 1.5 miles 3 times a week (hoping to increase that gradually), and lifting weights to get rid of those "bat wings" under my arms. I also have a big incentive this new year...my brother is getting married in May. Now I really want to lose these last few pounds...not because I have to, but because I know I should, and in the long run, I'll be healthier for it.

I actually found a dress, unexpectedly last weekend for the wedding, at the first store I walked into. Thank goodness it's done and over with. I dislike dress shopping (intensely...even more so if I'm under pressure), and I had to find something appropriate for a black-tie, evening wedding, which I feel is even more of a challenge. A long dress was out--no way I can manage that and run after 5 kids! I decided to look for only knee-length/cocktail dress. Here's what I ended up getting.

The dress is from White House Black Market. It's a bit form fitting...meaning it fits, but it will look better in the tummy area after I lose 10 pounds. The best part? It was on sale for only $90...definitely in my budget! The shrug was separate, but I got it because the dress has tiny straps, which for me, just aren't modest enough. And the finishing touch was the silk flower and feather brooch...just $12 on sale. Yeah!

Now that I have a dress...I'm making healthy meals for a while. I'm actually doing double duty. My hubby is trying to lose weight too. His father had a major heart attack last month, and I think it was a bit of a wake-up call for him. So I'm cooking 2 meals every few days...one for us to eat at home, and one for David to take to work for lunch. He really likes hot meals (no cold sandwiches!), and I'm hoping I can send him with tasty leftovers as much as possible.

The funny thing is, David doesn't like this soup. He hates anything that tastes even remotely like winter squash, and he said this soup tastes like squash to him. I think it tastes likes carrots. (I made pork roast and turkey sausage for him instead). But you'll have to be the judge. It's easy to make, only takes a few ingredients, and you can have 2 bowls of it without feeling one bit guilty!

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 small (or 1 medium) apple, chopped
5 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions and carrots for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger and let it go for another 5 minutes.

Now toss in the apples and cook for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour in the vegetable/chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer, and let the soup gently bubble for 25-30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. Still don't have one? I told you to ask for one for Christmas! ;-) (The soup will be smoother if you use a blender, and a bit chunkier if you use the immersion blender).

Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add a pinch or two of nutmeg (freshly ground is divine, but ground nutmeg is just fine!). I also added about 1/4 cup of cream (it was in the fridge and needed to be used up. By all means you can leave it out).
Serve garnished with a sprig of parsley. This freezes beautifully for 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

I've been eating this soup every day for almost a week now, and haven't gotten tired of it yet. Theresa has had some as well...and she loves it! Every time I heat up a bowl, she crawls into the kitchen and won't stop fussing until I give her some. Silly baby girl. :-)

I hope this is a recipe you can use to kick-start your weight loss goals for the new year.

God bless your table tonight!

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

2011-12-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

David's office had a bake-off last Friday. I had about one million things to do on my list...and I honestly wasn't going to enter at first. But then, I heard the prize was a $50 gift card. Well, I don't know any woman who doesn't like gift cards. So...I changed my mind (I can, because again, I'm a girl, right? ;-), and hey, I'm a pretty competitive person when it comes to cooking/baking.

The day before the bake-off, David's boss threw in an extra prize...2 field level tickets to the Texans playoff game on Sunday. YEE HAW. I am not a big Texans fan, but I really wanted to win. David has been working non-stop...literally burning the midnight oil at the office these days. So I wanted the tickets for him...I knew he would love a break!

I made the brownies, cut them out with a 2-inch biscuit cutter, and put them in pretty black and white cupcake liners. Then I sent them to work with David Friday morning and held my breath.

The judging was going to be at 3:00 PM, and David called me around 4:00 to tell me the results. I could tell right away by his voice that I didn't win. Darn.

But then, I heard him say, "Well, we won the tickets anyway."

WHAT????

David explained that the person who won couldn't go to the game. My brownies were in a 3-way tie for second place. So they had a raffle amongst the three, 2nd place winners. And lo and behold, David won the tickets.

WOO HOO!!!

I stil think I should have won. The winner brought peach cobbler. Seriously?! Must have been some dang good cobbler. My hubby was really sweet, and told me of course, he voted for me, lol. And in case you were wondering, the Texans lost yesterday...bummer. There go the playoffs. :-(

(And I'm sorry, I was nervous, and in a hurry, and completely forgot to take pictures until the end).

So, I know you want to make these brownies. They were surprisingly easy, even though they look very fancy. I didn't even use a stand mixer or egg beater, just a wooden spoon, a bowl, and a toothpick. Put them on a pretty plate, and watch them disappear. :-)

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

Red velvet layer:

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

Cream cheese layer:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray/grease an 8x8 baking dish. Set aside

In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Once it's well incorporated, add the vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, red food coloring, and vinegar. Stir again. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addtion. Gently fold in the flour until just combined...do not overmix. Reserve 1/4 cup of the batter. Pour the remaining red batter into the prepared baking dish.

In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla.

If you're short on time, soften your cream cheese in the microwave on the "defrost" setting or the lowest power setting possible in 10 second intervals.

Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture over the red velvet layer. Dollop the remaing brownie batter over the top, and swirl with a toothpick.

Here's the secret to swirls. Gently glide the toothpick back and forth over the batter, 6-8 passes across the pan. Rotate the pan 90 degrees, then make another 6-8 passes. Yes...it's that easy. ;-)

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

Here are the pictures I remembered to take!

I spooned the extra red velvet batter in 4 even rows, so I could cut out the brownies with a 2-inch biscuit cutter, making the most of the swirled pattern. And of course, I sample the scraps...we all did! :-)

I found these cupcake liners at Walmart...I really did, and they were only $1.50 for 50. Aren't they pretty?

Or you can just put them out all by themselves.

If you're looking for a last minute gift idea for a hostess, a friend, the neighbors, or heck...yourself, these brownies would be just the thing. Quick, easy, pretty, and delicious!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, filled with family, food, and fun. I'll see y'all after the new year! God bless your table tonight!

Hawaiian Style Short Ribs

2011-11-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe in November's issue of Everyday Food. I mean...short ribs? In the crockpot? REALLY???

But, I was curious enough to try it. And man...I am SO glad I did. I served this on a Sunday night about 2 weeks ago. Theresa's godparents were at our house, and declared this "absolutely delicious." They are famous for looking me up on Facebook to see what I'm making...then they'll call and ask if they can come over for dinner, LOL. They even went so far as to say to please call them if I made this dish again, because they would love to help us eat it. Imagine that! Hilarious.

Anyway...all my kids devoured this meal too. I knew I would be making this again...very soon, and post it. It was easy to make...most crock pot dishes are no brainers. So here is a fabulous meal, fancy enough to serve to guests, yet casual enough to eat with your hands. I mean...y'all eat ribs with your fingers, right? ;-)

Hawaiian Style Short Ribs

barely adapted from Everyday Food

4 pounds beef short ribs (I used 6 pounds for our larger family)

2 red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges (leaving the root ends intact)

6 cloves garlic, smashed

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar (or 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar)

2 tablespoons molasses*

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Sriracha or favorite chili sauce

3 cups fresh, cubed pineapple

Cooked white rice for serving

Chopped green onions for serving

*I usually don't have dark brown sugar on hand, but you can substitute regular, white sugar plus 3 tablespoons molasses to make 1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar, OR 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons of molasses). I also didn't use Sriracha...because my kids have sensitive tongues, so I used 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce. If you like a bit of spice, go for it!

In the bottom of your large crock pot/slow cooker, place the onion, garlic, and ginger. (You will need a 5-6 quart slow-cooker).

Put the short ribs on top, in one tight layer. I had to put the last one in as a second layer because I ran out of room, but don't worry, they'll be fine.

David and I had a date Friday night. I wanted to go check out a new international food market downtown. Phoenicia specializes in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods. They had a new location, and I was hoping for free samples. There were none but we bought a few items like capers, dried fruit, chocolate, and these awesome looking short ribs. We ended up at Niko Niko's for dinner...which was fabulous and delicious. Thanks for tolerating my commerical interruption!

Whisk together the brown sugar, molasses (if using), soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili sauce. Pour all over the ribs.

Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours (or on low for 6 hours). Add the cubed pineapple and continue to cook for another hour (or 2) or until the fruit is tender. I probably used more than 3 cups, but you know me...I'm not much for measuring. ;-)

Alternatively, you can cook this on low for 8 hours, and add the pineapple the last 2 hours.

When you can't wait any longer, use a pair of tongs or a big spoon to remove the short ribs. Do this gently, as they'll be tender little babies. ;-). Then take a big, slotted spoon to remove the onions, pineapple, ginger and garlic.

Use a ladle or degreasing cup to skim as much fat as possible from the cooking liquid.

Serve the ribs over some rice, along with the pineapple and onions. Drizzle some of the cooking liquid over the top...it's the best part, I'm telling ya! Garnish with the green onions (it adds a nice, fresh flavor, and gives the dish some texture).

When I made this the first time, there was none left over. At all. Gracious...I was disappointed! Oh well, I just won't post it on Facebook next time, ha ha. ;-) This time, there was enough left over for another meal.

This is the most incredible Sunday supper. Easy as pie to make, and your house will smell divine. Just throw it in the crock pot before church on Sunday, and come dinner time, everyone will be singing your praises!

God bless your table tonight!

Greek Pizza

2011-11-10T19:30:00.001-08:00

I was digging through the fridge yesterday, trying to see if I could use up a bunch of leftovers for dinner. I really couldn't come up with anything grand, but after seeing the container of artichoke hearts, I thought, "Hey, I can make a pizza!" However, I knew the kids wouldn't like a Greek-style pizza. They only like cheese or pepperoni. So a pizza with artichoke hearts, red onion, black olives, diced chicken, and tomatoes would send them running for the hills. They were perfectly happy with scrambled eggs and hash browns, except for my little foodie, Rebecca. She was actually jealous because she wanted pizza, but I wanted to save the rest of it for David (he is never home in time to eat with us). Luckily she LOVES hash browns, and eggs so that eased her mind. :-)

Sure enough, when David got home, he ate the rest of the pizza, half of it to be exact. I'd already eaten the other half. ;-)

Greek Style Pizza

1 refrigerated pizza dough, or 1 homemade pizza dough

4 tablespoons pizza sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup black/green olives, sliced

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, diced small

1 cup diced chicken

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the pizza dough out to the edges. Bake for 5 minutes and set aside. You'll want to do this with a premade dough or homemade dough.

Once the dough has prebaked, spread the pizza sauce over the crust. Top with the mozzarella cheese and diced chicken.

Sprinkle over the cheese and chicken.

Next up...the tomatoes and red onion. Man...I'm getting hungry!

Then toss on the artichoke and black olives.

Lastly, scatter over the feta cheese and oregano.

In hindsight, I would have liked to drizzle over just a touch of olive oil. But I got distracted by a little baby tugging at my pant leg. She found me in the kitchen, where she proceeded to wail for her dinner. Bless her heart. :-) And heck, you can put the toppings on in any order you want...it really doesn't matter.

Put the pizza back in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before digging in.

I love the combination of salty and sweet. The olives and feta are tangy and briny, while the tomatoes and onions are sweet. I recommend not overloading the pizza with the feta and olives...otherwise, it will just be too salty.

Make this for the more appreciative members of your household...or make a cheese pizza on the side for the kiddos. Feel free to add green olives or fresh spinach...you should always make a pizza to your liking.

God bless your table tonight!

My Current Favorite Kitchen Tool

2011-11-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Theresa has been on solid food for several months now. She LOVES to eat, and hasn't turned down a thing I've offered her. In fact, I'll go so far as to brag that Theresa is my best eater yet (don't tell Rebecca! ;-). We even put her in the tomato costume I made for Rebecca 9 years ago for Halloween.

Isn't she PRECIOUS?

Nowadays, I will throw random, frozen cubes of pureed food in a bowl for her, zap it in the microwave, and that's it..lunch or dinner is ready. I've combined carrot with mango, strawberries with lentils, and peas with peaches. Whatever I come up with, Theresa has eaten it all. She's not crazy about solid food for breakfast, but admittedly, it may be because we don't have much time in the mornings. I have to get the older girls ready and out the door by 7:30 to catch the bus, and then get Joshua and Gabriel off to school by 8:30. There's not much time for a little one to eat, although I try to give her a few bites of toast or yogurt off of my plate. She is pretty apt at picking up cheerios too, and other small bits of food, so that helps if I'm trying to get her dinner ready and she's hungry, but her portion is still in progress.

Lately, now that the weather has cooled off, I've made 2 batches of soup over the past 3 weeks. I love to stir a big pot of comfort when it's nippy outside, plus I was hoping Theresa was ready for a puree with more texture and tiny chunks of veggies.

So I made Broccoli Cheese Soup about 2 weeks ago, and last night I made Potato Chowder. The broccoli cheese soup is already pureed, so I didn't have to process it further for Theresa. She LOVED it. I gave her a bowl for lunch/dinner for 3 days straight, and she inhaled it every time. Who says babies don't like broccoli? :-) The chowder can be left chunky, but the potatos and sausage were too chunky for my girl, so I broke out my immersion blender and blended the soup to a consistency that was better for Theresa. Guess what, she loved it too!

I have to give my immersion blender a shout-out. I've been using it several times a week to process whatever we're having for dinner so Theresa can eat it too. It's perfect because doesn't take up as much room as a standing blender or food processor, it's easy to clean, and it doesn't make a big mess at all. In fact, I pureed the potato chowder in the same container I used to store it in the fridge. See?

Obviously the best reason to have an immersion blender handy is whenever you're making a soup that needs to be pureed. Besides the Broccoli Cheese Soup and the Potato Chowder, I also use it for my Roasted Tomato Soup and Black Bean Soup. Just stick it right in your soup pot, and blend away. No pouring hot soup back and forth from a blender to the pot, and less dishes to wash at the end of the night. I'm telling y'all...this handy tool could be your best friend, especially if you have a baby who loves soup. ;-) And it works for other things too, like homemade salsa, whipped cream, and smoothies (although it doesn't like ice...too hard).

Don't have one of these gadgets? Christmas is right around the corner ladies. Get it on your wish list...mine is about 6 years old, and isn't made anymore.

But here's a whole slew of immersion blenders on amazon.com. A decent quality one will only set you back about $50 (or less!). Your husbands can thank me later for making their Christmas shopping so easy..lol!

I'm sorry I haven't posted a new recipe lately. I'm been pretty busy, and up to my eyeballs in a 3,000 envelope mailout for my hubby's work. Yes...3,000. I have to have 1,500 done by the end of next week...I have 1,050 done so far. So um...yeah...it's taking nearly every spare minute I have. Someone remind me not to volunteer to do this mailout next year, okay? Thanks!

I'll try to check back in sometime next week, and post something new and fun for y'all to make. In the meantime, God bless your table tonight!

Easiest Ever Pulled Pork

2011-09-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here's another crockpot recipe that is EASY. I mean, really easy. And there's only 3 ingredients. I've made this 4 times since Theresa was born, because a big hunk of pork can feed us for a week. This time, I divided the meal...half went to a friend who just had a baby, and half was for us.

Of course, when I went to the store to get the pork butt, I asked the butcher for the biggest one. He promptly wrapped up a 10 beast for me...wow!

I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do. I meant to start the pork right before I went to bed, forgot about it, and realized my oversight at midnight. Yeah...midnight! So there are no "before" pictures because I was yawning too hard to take pics at midnight. I know y'all will forgive me. ;-)

Easiest Ever Pulled Pork

One Boston pork butt, about 6-8 pounds (bigger is fine too!)

BBQ spice blend

1 cup apple juice

The day before you want to cook the pork, remove it from the wrappings and trim off some of the fat. It's really up to you how much you want to take off, but don't take off ALL of it. You have to leave some on. Fat = flavor, and you want some fat to flavor the meat while it's cooking. There should be a large cap of fat on one side...I probably took off about 2/3rds of it.

Take your favorite BBQ spice blend and rub it generously all over the meat. Don't be shy, you want to use at least 4 tablespoons. Honestly, I didn't even measure, I just sprinkled it on, all over, and made sure to rub it in really good. I love, love, love Penzeys' BBQ 3000.

Return the pork butt to the fridge and let it hang out for 12 hours or overnight.

The next day (or that night, whatever floats your boat), set up your crockpot. Pour in 1 cup of apple juice. Lay the meat, fat side up in the slow cooker.

Set your crock pot on "Low" for 8-10 hours. And that's it...you don't even need to turn it over...I didn't.

By the way, if you don't want to wake up to the smell of pork in the morning, don't do this the night before. Rebecca told me she woke up in the middle of the night, and could smell it all the way upstairs. She didn't mind. ;-) Some people prefer the smell of coffee...I can understand that!

After 10 hours, here's the finished product...I let mine go 10 hours because it was so big.

Doesn't that look DIVINE? Porkalicious baby!

At this point you can leave it until dinnertime, or you can go ahead and remove the meat from the pot. I use a really big cutting board and shredded it all up...it should be so tender, you barely have to touch it to break it up.

Oh, and don't forget to take out the big bone...nobody wants that. ;-) The kids were impressed by the size of this one!

If I have time, I try to degrease the cooking juices with my degreaser cup. I don't take off every drop of fat though...you gotta leave some it, because that's where most of the flavor is.

We love to eat the shredded pork on little wheat rolls...I get 'em at Walmart. Don't forget to pass around the BBQ sauce too. I made some cucumber salad and baked beans on the side. I've served the sandwiches with coleslaw too, (which is REALLY good if you put it in the sandwich) but nobody really cares for coleslaw in our house except me...hence the reason for the cucumber salad.

This is always a sure thing meal at our house...everyone eats it. Best of all, now that Theresa is eating some solid food, she can have the pork, baked beans, and a bit of the roll, no problem. She is really a good feeder. :-)

I hope you can make this on a busy night and have an easy meal all ready to go for your family. God bless your table tonight!

Crockpot Ravioli

2011-09-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

So now that school is back in session, we're all looking for quick, easy, meals to get on the table, right? Well, look no further. A good friend of mine emailed this recipe to me...and I knew I had to try it. Best of all, I could use jarred pasta sauce and frozen ravioli...yeah! Okay, I admit, I wasn't going to take the time to make my own pasta sauce, let alone homemade ravioli anyway.

Here's the link to the original recipe, feel free to tweak it the way your family likes it. As you'll see, I didn't have any red peppers, so I used a few, chopped sun-dried tomatoes. I doubled the recipe, and had only one and a half jars of pasta sauce...it worked just fine. I have an Italian seasoning spice blend, but I decided to use Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle, because I just love it. I didn't' add the one cup of water...I find most crock-pot meals don't need a lot of added liquid. And I sprinkled some freshly grated Pecorio-Romano cheese over the top of the finished dish...because you can never have enough cheese if you're serving kids. :-)

Crockpot Ravioli

adapted from Food.com

One bag (25 ounces) frozen beef or cheese ravioli

1 jar (24 ounces) prepared pasta sauce

1 (8 ounces) can tomato sauce

2-3 tablespoons chopped red pepper

Italian seasoning blend

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of your crockpot. (If you're doubling the recipe, you will definitely need a large, 5 quart slow-cooker). I used a tomato-basil marinara sauce.

Arrange the ravioli over the sauce.

Pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the spice blend...about 2 teaspoons.

Add the tomato sauce, and sprinkle on a bit more spice blend ( wanted some herbal flavor in between the layers). Top with the chopped peppers (I used sun-dried tomatoes).

Sprinkle the cheese over everything and cover. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until the ravioli is heated through.

Here's what my pot looked like after 4.5 hours.

Voila! And I didn't have to do any cooking at all! :-)

Garnish with a little freshly chopped basil and some grated parmesan cheese if desired.

The pickiest eater in our house (Christina) LOVED this, and get this...she asked for seconds. I'm telling you, that never, ever, happens, so I was thrilled!

Enjoy, and God bless your table tonight!

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

2011-09-06T05:16:00.000-07:00

It is hotter than blazes here. So hot, that I am cooking in spurts. I'll go a whole week without really having cooked anything worthwhile, and then I'll go crazy for a couple of days, making enchiladas, chicken spaghetti, and these summer rolls. No, these are not rainy day makings either...we're way behind the rainfall we normally get in a year. It's finally cooled down a little bit, but I made these a while back when it was just so hot, turning on the stove or oven was the last thing I wanted to do.

In between praying for rain and cooking spurts, I've been trying to make things for David to take to work. He started a new job a few weeks ago. The headquarters for the company is way out in the middle of nowhere, about a 45 minute commute. The good news is it's a nice, pretty drive down country roads. The bad news is there are no restaurants of any kind for miles around. It's not such a bad thing...I'm secretly happy I get to cook for him more often instead of him eating out nearly every day like he was previously.

I made these summer rolls years ago, and it was fun, but really too fussy for my level of patience at the time. Fast forward about 8 years, 5 kids later, and throw in a fabulous garden...well, it's still fussy, but the kids can occupy themselves, someone is always around to hold the baby, and the herbs I need are conveniently right outside the back door. Not so bad, right? Plus, I don't have to heat up the house, and the 2 ingredients that do require the stovetop take mere minutes to cook.

I found everything I needed at my local grocery store. Hopefully you can as well, and have something cool and refreshing to eat on a hot summer day.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

8 rice paper wrappers (look for them in the Asian section of your grocery store)

12 medium shrimp (unpeeled)

4 ounces rice vermicelli noodles (make sure you get rice, not wheat vermicelli)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned

3 scallions, julienned

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

1 teaspoon salt

Handful of fresh mint leaves

8 large (or 16 small/medium) fresh basil leaves

Handful of fresh cilantro

8 lettuce leaves (green leaf, Boston, or romaine works fine)

Poach the shrimp briefly in a pot of simmering water for 2-3 minutes...don't overcook them. As soon as they are pink and opaque, drain and run under cool water. Cut in half lengthwise, and set aside.

Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. It should only take 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Toss the cucumber and scallions with the salt to help them soften slightly, but still retain some crispness. Set aside for a few minutes.

Have all the herbs washed, spun dry in a salad spinner (or patted dry with paper towels) and ready to go. I was lucky to have some nice mint and basil from the garden. Alas, my cilantro had already gone to seed.

Leave the lettuce leaves whole if they are smaller, larger ones can be simply torn in half. They should also be washed and dried.

Soak a rice paper wrapper in water for about 20 seconds. Lay out on a work surface covered with a clean kitchen towel. The towel will absorb any excess water.

Lay 3 shrimp halves across the middle of the wrapper. Top with the noodles, cumcumber and onion mixture, carrots, cilantro, mint, and basil. Place on lettuce leaf over everything.

Fold the bottom half of the wrapper carefully over the filling. Don't worry...it feels delicate, but it's quite strong. Fold in the sides, and then roll into a tight bundle.

You can cut them in half on the diagonal to serve 'em if you want to be fancy. :-). David doesn't go for looks when he's eating, he just opens his mouth, lol. Serve with some peanut sauce on the side (you can find that in the Asian section of the store too).

I doubled this recipe and made about 18 rolls (it just depends how much filling you put in). They are best the day you make them, but will keep for one day in the fridge, in a lightly covered container, with a paper towel at the bottom to absorb any excess moisture and additional paper towels in between the layers.

I'm not going to lie. It took me a good part of the day to make these. I prepped the vegetables, herbs, and shrimp in the morning, and cooked the noodles and assembled the rolls in the afternoon. They may take some work, but it's worth it, trust me. They are WAY better than anything store-bought. You know you've always wanted to make these, right? Don't be scared...you can do it! Just remember I have to manhandle 4 kids and nurse a baby too. ;-) It probably won't take as long for you.

Stay cool everyone, and I hope you make these summer rolls while you're trying to beat the heat!

God bless your table tonight!

Anyone Out There?

2011-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just wondering...does anyone read my blog these days? I get very few comments...and that's okay. But it would be nice if someone (well, anyone) gave me a shout out. Please do if you've got just a second. I love cooking just as much as ever, even though my time to post recipes is getting tighter. Thanks y'all!

Banana Scones with Chocolate Chips

2011-08-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

I got on a scone kick a couple of weeks ago. I stumbled across this recipe for strawberry scones, and they were so good, I decided to try them again with bananas and chocolate chips. Well, let me tell you, they were yummy! Next time, I want to try shredded apples and cinammon chips...doesn't that sound good too? The possibilities are endless!

However you decide to make your scones, the basic recipe I found is now my "go-to" favorite. I honestly don't think I will ever stray away from it. Scones are best eaten the day they are made, but they will keep for 2-3 days on the counter. Take my advise...make a batch, eat some, and freeze the rest. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave, and they will taste freshly-baked.

Banana Scones with Chocolate Chips

3 tablespoons sugar (granulated)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup half-and-half or cream or cold buttermilk
1 medium, lightly speckled banana, not too soft, not too firm
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Additional sugar to toss fruit and sprinkle on top

Dice the banana and toss with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to work in the butter until it is evenly distributed into the flour mixture, with a few small, pea sized bits of butter visible.

Make a well in the middle of the mixture, and add the buttermilk all at once. Gently stir dough together (the hands are the best tool for this job!), until everything is moist. Add in the bananas and chocolate chips, and again, very gently knead the dough just until it comes together.

Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Use just enough flour to keep the mixture from sticking but try not to overdo it...too much flour makes tough scones.

I learned that lesson when I accidently sprinkled one batch too liberally with flour...they baked up beautifully, but the scones were slightly tough and chewy, instead of soft and flaky.

Pat dough out carefully into a circle, about 3/4" thick. You can sprinkle the top with a bit more flour if it's too sticky.

Cut into 8 wedges...you can make 2 discs of dough, and cut them to make mini-scones if you'd like.

Carefully transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, keeping them about 1/2" apart. If any chocolate chips or banana bits are peeking out, gently push them back in so they don't fall out during baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Pull the sheet out, and sprinkle each scone with a bit of sugar...it makes a nice, crunchy topping.

Continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the scones spring back when touches, and are lightly brown on top. Watch them carefully...they will overbake easily, and dry scones are not good!

When they're done, wait a couple of minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely. Serve the same day, or freeze and reheat as needed.

Of course, my Rebecca LOVED these scones, as did Gabriel and my hubby. Oh, and I did too. ;-)

And in case you're wondering...here's a pic of the strawberry scones I made first. I'm tellin' ya...they were good. So good, they disappeared in less than 2 days. I'm not going to tell you how many I had. Nope...not gonna tell! :-)

Scones take no time to make, and it's fun to try different fruits. Blueberries, diced peaches, raisins, are some other ingredients I'd like to try. And you don't have to stick to sweet scones. How about some savory combinations, like ham and cheese, rosemary and garlic, or blue cheese and walnuts? If you try something different, let me know...I'd love to hear from you. I knowI'll be on a scone kick again soon!

God Bless your table tonight!

White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

2011-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

We went to a potluck dinner a couple of weeks ago. David took one look at the food table, and didn't think there was enough, so he took a quick trip to the closest grocery store. He came back with 2 rotisserie chickens, a bag of rolls, and a package of cookies. Turns out there was plenty of food, after some latecomers dropped off their dishes. So the 2 chickens he bought came home with us.

Now, having 2 whole chickens already cooked makes for a lot of possibilities in the kitchen, right? I love this soup that uses cooked chicken but it's really too hot for soup right now. I could also make one of my favorite chicken casseroles, and Rebecca requested quesadillas, but ultimately, I decided to make enchiladas. I'd been researching white chicken enchilada recipes for a few days, and wanted to try at least one out.

Well, this recipe ended up making two full, 9x13 pans! I divided the 2nd pan into 2 smaller pans so David could take one to work and heat it up for lunch. There's a full kitchen where he works, so all he had to do was put the aluminum pan in the oven. The smell generated comments from 2 of his coworkers, and they got samples as well. One person liked it so much, she requested the recipe and I emailed it the next day. So I guess they were pretty good. ;-)

White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

Serves 10-12
1 package white corn tortillas (30 count)
1 whole chicken, boiled until tender, meat picked free of skin and bones (or use 1 whole rotisserie chicken, meat picked free of skin and bones). You will have around 4-5 cups of shredded meat
4 cans mild green enchilada sauce
2 cans mild diced green chilies (I used roasted chopped Hatch chilies, but either one is fine)
1 yellow or green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salsa seasoning mix (I used Penzey's, taco seasoning mix is fine too)
4 ounces light cream cheese
1 cup light sour cream
4 cups Monterey Jack cheese
Additional sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and green salsa for serving, if desired

Saute the bell pepper and onion in 1 tablespoon oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the cumin and salsa/taco seasoning. Add the green chilies and stir to combine.

Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.

Pour in one can of enchilada sauce, then add the shredded chicken, and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick, drizzle in a little more enchilada sauce. Set aside.

I originally wanted to make this a "lighter" enchilada dish, but while I stirred the veggies, I read the back of the can of enchilada sauce. It had a recipe for enchiladas, and one ingredient was cream cheese. I just happened to have exactly the right amount in the fridge...it needed to be used up, and it was not "light" cream cheese. Oh well. :-)

In a separate pot, combine the remaining 3 cans of enchilada sauce and 1 cup of sour cream over low heat. Stir until the sour cream is well incorporated. Add in 1 ½ cups of the Monterey Jack cheese, and stir again until the cheese has melted. Don’t do this over medium or high heat, or you’ll curdle the sour cream in the sauce. Keep warm.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave or on a griddle.

I liked using my grill pan (it's grooved on one side, flat on the other), because then I can put one tortilla on the pan to warm while I'm assembling an enchilada. Once the first enchilada is done, the second tortilla is warm and ready to go.

Place ¼ cup of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, top with 1-2 tablespoons of Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

Continue until you’ve used all the chicken mixture. Pour the sour cream sauce over the enchiladas.

At this point, you can freeze the enchiladas. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. Otherwise, bake right away!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I don't have to tell you how good these smell coming out of the oven!

Garnish with sour cream, green salsa, and chopped fresh cilantro if desired. I made black meals and mexican rice on the side (Nothing fancy, out of a can, and out of a box! Something's gotta give when you have a baby and 4 other kids to take care of).

*This makes approximately 24 enchiladas, enough to fill two 9x13 pans. Half the recipe if you don’t need to feed an army. ;-) If you do need to feed an army, this is the recipe for you! David's pan was enough to feed him for 3 days at work...which he really appreciated and enjoyed. He's never been one for cold lunches.

Hope you make these soon. God bless your table tonight!

Homemade Baby Food

2011-08-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, I've been making homemade baby food for Theresa. She's 6 months old now, (which I simply cannot believe) and and has already been on some solids for about a month. So I wanted to make and stockpile a variety of fruits and veggies for her to feast on. I hadn't made baby food since our oldest was a baby...because I had nothing but time on my hands, ha ha. With the next 3 babies, I just didn't seem to have the time or the energy to make anything.

My main motivation for making my own baby food this time around was to save money. Now, I'm not good at math, but I calculated that 5 ounces of store bought baby food costs around $1.50, give or take a little. However, I can make 16 ounces of homemade puree for around 88 cents. Of course, it depends on what you're making. But here's an example.

1 small bag of frozen peas is around 90 cents (on sale) at my grocery store. I can turn that into 16 ounces of puree. So my final cost is about 6 cents per ounce. If I bought it already prepared, it would cost me about 30 cents per ounce. I can potentially save around 25 cents per ounce if I make it at home. Right now, most of the great berries and summer vegetables are in season. I definitely wouldn't want to make zucchini in the winter (when it's out of season), or blueberries in the fall (again, out of season), so it made sense to me to buy what was currently in the grocery store in season, especially if it was on sale.

Before I got started, I knew I needed just a few tools. I used to have ice cube trays, but they went to charity a long time ago. So I went to Walmart and bought some...they were only $1.78 for a set of three.

I also bought a fine mesh strainer. This comes in handy for straining out the skins/seeds of some fruits, like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. This one is also from Walmart, and cost just 97 cents.

Once I had those items, I was ready to go. You also need a good food processor. I've had this one for about 10 years...and it works just fine. You can use your blender, but you'll probably have to add some water to make it a nice, smooth puree.

You can either steam your vegetables until tender and puree, or roast them in the oven. I haven't tried that yet...but I plan to with sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Here's what I've made so far. I referred to Momtastic for all the recipes as needed. (Momtastic was a great, comprehensive website, and it has information on just about any kind of food you might want to make for a baby).

I don't have pictures for everything...but I'll put up additional pictures as I go!

Carrots--I used fresh, baby carrots, steamed them until tender, and pureed until smooth, thinning it out with some of the cooking liquid as above.

Peas--Frozen peas work great. Steam until tender, and process to the consistency you want. Mine came out out a bit chunky, but overall soft enough for Theresa to eat.

Green Beans--I tried using frozen, french cut green beans, steamed until soft, and then pureed. It came out very chunky and the smallest bits were really chewy. I strained the mixture, and essentially got green colored water. So I bought canned green beans (I know, I know...not ideal), with no added salt, and pureed them...it was much better (still a tad chunky, but the bites were soft). I really wanted Theresa to taste green beans on a spoon until she can pick them up as finger food. We get so many green beans from our garden, it would be a shame if she didn't like them!

Zucchini--I used the last big one we got from the garden. I did peel it because I knew the skin would be tough. I scooped out all the seeds, steamed it until tender. It came out really well.

Pumpkin--this is not in season yet, but I wanted Theresa to try it. So I bought canned pumpkin puree...according to this website, canned pumpkin is fine to use, as long as it's NOT canned pumpkin pie puree, which has added sugar. You can bake pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash and puree that too.

Spinach--Blanch and shock fresh baby spinach leaves. Spinach shrinks down to nothing...you will go through 4 bags easily of prewashed, ready to eat spinach leaves to make a decent amount of puree. Spinach is a strong flavor for babies...I've mixed it with a fruit in the past. Our oldest loved pureed spinach with strawberries. I haven't made any yet, but it's in the works.

On to the fruits! Here's what I've made:

Peaches--Blanch for a few minutes to loosen skins. Puree fresh if your baby is ready for a more chunky texture, or steam for about 6-8 minutes to soften the fruit and make a nice, smooth puree.

Pears--Peal, and puree fresh (for chunky texture) or steam for a smoother consistency.

Plums--Blanch and steam, and puree. My plums were a bit tart so I blended them with some strawberry puree, and it turned out great. So it really is plum-strawberry puree.

Raspberries--Puree fresh berries, and strain out the seeds.

Strawberries--Puree and strain out seeds if desired. I thinkt they're so tiny, it may not be a problem unless your child needs their first foods very smooth.

Blueberries-Puree and strain out skins and seeds for a younger baby.

Mango--Peel, remove pit, cut into cubes, and then puree.

I decided not to make any pureed apples. We buy big jars of plain, unsweetened applesauce for the older kids, which is essentially the same as cooked, pureed apples. So I'm feeding that to Theresa.

I also made a batch of lentils. I had about 1/2 cup of dried lentils...not enough to serve to the family, so I cooked them according to the package directions until they were completely soft, and pureed them. I followed this recipe to make some homemade baby oatmeal cereal.

With all of the above fruits and vegetables, once you've made your puree, spoon into the ice cube trays and freeze until firm (about 3-4 hours). Pop out the cubes and transfer to food storage bags. Be sure to label them (peaches and mangos look a lot alike, as do peas and green beans). Some of the berry purees are very thin...I'll probably mix them into Theresa's oatmeal, or combine them with a vegetable or another fruit, just to make it easier to spoon into her mouth.

One frozen ice cube of puree is about an ounce. So it's easy to know how much your little one ate. If he/she eats one cube, then you know they ate one ounce. Simple, right? :-)

I feel a real sense of accomplishment that I have all these different foods ready to go now. It didn't take much time at all...I could get a batch done in 15 minutes (minus the freezing time). I will say the plums were a PAIN. After I blanched and shocked them in ice water, the peels still refused to come off, and pitting them was no fun either. I must admit, I probably will not make plums again!

So far, Theresa has tried the plum-strawberry puree, the mangos, peaches, blueberries, pears, peas, green beans, carrots, and sweet potato. I had her try the veggies first, and mixed the fruits with the oatmeal cereal. She has love it all! Unfortunately, the cereal is backing up her poor little digestive tract, if you know what I mean! So I will have to try an alternative grain once I consult with our pediatrician. I did wait about 2 days in between foods. Most experts recommend 3 days or more. I say go with your instincts. We have no food allergies in our family, but if there are allergies your family, then proceed with caution. Obviously we haven't tried anything with eggs, dairy, citrus fruits, seafood/shellfish, or peanuts. I won't introduce anything in those catagories until Theresa is a year old.

Hope you have fun, and save money making baby food for your little one. Once you get started, you'll see how simple and quick it is to make a batch and freeze it for later.

God bless your table tonight!

Update: After talking to my pediatrician, I thinned out the oatmeal cereal with more water, and mixed it with pureed pears or apples for one week. I also gave her just a vegetable instead of fruit for some of those days. Now Theresa seems fine. I guess the homemade oatmeal was either too thick or too concentrated for her, poor babe.

Bruschetta with Basil Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes, and Parmesan

2011-07-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

This is another one of those recipes that I can't believe I haven't posted yet. After all, I have plenty of basil pesto in the freezer from last year's harvest, and chopping up the tomatoes takes no time at all.

But I had family come over last night for dinner, and I wanted to make an appetizer that just screamed "summer." I also like the fact that bruschetta can sit out and you don't have to worry about it, since it's best served room temperature.

If you're really pressed for time, or don't have a huge bush of basil in your backyard like I do, you can buy premade pesto. I'll never know...and I'll bet your guests won't know either. ;-)

It's not easy getting ready for company with 5 kids running around (well...4, Theresa's not running yet ;-). So I don't have pics of the process this time, but I promise you really can't mess this up.

Brushetta with Basil Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes, and Parmesan

1 French baguette, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal

6 roma tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped

8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

2 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil (for the bread and the topping)

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
Prepared basil pesto (homemade or store bought)

Shaved/shredded parmesan for garnish

Brush the bread slices on both sides with a little bit of olive oil. Traditional, the bread slices are rubbed with garlic, but I find the basil pesto provides plenty of flavor, so I don't worry about that step. I just brush the bread with the olive oil, and toast 'em up in the oven to a nice golden brown.

The fun part about making the tomato topping is your can personalize it to your taste. Don't like balsamic vinegar? Just omit it. Like more garlic? Be my guest. Love a bit of citrus flavor? Throw in some lemon zest. It's really up to you!

Combine the tomatoes, basil, and garlic in a medium bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar (more or less to your taste, and a drizzle of olive oil (again, to your taste). You make also like a bit of pepper (I find the basil adds enough of a peppery bite for me).

Not assembling this right away? You can just leave it out at room temperature for several hours. If you go this route, don't add any salt until right before serving. Salt will pull water out of the tomatoes, and make the topping really soggy. I left my topping out, and added the salt just before serving.

When you're ready, spread a little bit of the basil pesto on each slice of toasted bread. Spoon on some of the tomato mixture, and top with a shave or sprinkle of parmesan.

Set it out on the table, and watch it disappear. This tray vanished in about 3 seconds flat! Guess what...I have enough to make more today...much to the relief of Rebecca, who said she didn't get her share last night, ha ha. :-)

Simple...easy...and healthy too...well, healthy enough for me anyway! Enjoy!

God bless your table tonight!

Picnic Cake

2011-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe...it's the easiest cake to make, and perfect to take to a picnic, have on hand for company, or make for the family. My MIL shared this recipe with me early in our marriage, and I've made it many times since. Apparently, this cake is very popular back in her home state of Wisconsin.

I think "Picnic Cake" is a rather funny name for this particular dessert. It contains flour, sugar, shortening, and dates, but no oil, eggs or butter. I served it last night to Theresa's godfather, and he admittedly was skeptical when I told him what was in it. But after one bite, he polished off his piece, and told me it was delicious.

So...don't write this one off yet folks. Bake one up for your family or friends, and see what they think!

Picnic Cake

1 cup chopped, dried dates *

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

1/2 cup sugar

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

* Make sure you buy chopped dates. If you buy whole dates, it's a rather sticky mess to try and chop them up yourself...take it from someone who's done it before and regretted it!

Grease and flour the bottom only of a 9x13 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

We're going to rehydrate the dates first. Combine the dates, water, and baking soda. Set aside.

I know...it looks weird. But just you wait...it's going to be tasty y'all, trust me!

Use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to cream the sugar, shortening, and salt together. Scrap down the bowl once or twice to make sure everything is well incorporated.

Add the water/date mixture to the bowl, along with the flour and vanilla. You'll want to do this on low speed at first, otherwise the water will splash everywhere.

Mix everything together for just a couple of minutes. The batter will be a pale brown, with visible bits of dates.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Combine the topping ingredients--the sugar, chocolate chips, and nuts in a small bowl.

Sprinkle it all over the top...sometimes I do the sugar, chips, and nuts seperately to distribute it more evenly. Do whatever melts your butter. ;-)

Doesn't that look good?

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let cool before serving at room temperature (I think it cuts better when it's mostly cool).

Mmm...come to Mama!

Now, not all of my kids will eat this, but my husband LOVES it. I've seen him and his 2 brothers sit around the kitchen table and fight over this cake! I personally love the cake unadorned, but a little whipped cream is lovely too.

So there you go...another one of our very favorite desserts here. I've never had anybody say they didn't like this cake. And I'd like to think it's not that bad for you, unless you're my hubby and have 3 pieces at one sitting. ;-)

Enjoy, and God bless your table tonight!

Linguini with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

2011-06-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Since our tomatoes are still going strong, I wanted to post another one of my favorite tomato recipes. If you want some more easy tomato dishes, try this one, or this one.

All my kids eat this...2 of 'em pick out the tomatoes, but they usually don't bother taking out every single bit. This is a divine pasta recipe...so simple, and ridiculously easy. The sauce is just a few ingredients, and it's ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta. I used regular tomatoes straight from our garden, but I see no reason why cherry tomatoes cut in half, wouldn't work either. If you must use store-bought tomatoes, you may like an extra pinch of sugar to make up for some of the natural sweetness.

You'll find yourself making this all summer long, promise! :-)

Linguini with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

6 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 pound linguini pasta

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Pictured above: One of the beautiful tomatos from our garden. We're getting some amazing specimens this year!

We'll prep everything first...cut your tomatoes in half, take out the core, and squeeze gently to get all the seeds out. I scoop 'em out with my fingers first, and then a little squeeze persuades the rest. This keeps the finished sauce from becoming too watery. Chop 'em up, and set aside.

Mince the garlic, or use a microplane grater. I like using mine because none of the kids bite down on a piece of garlic. They're not my kids if they don't like garlic...so I'll make it as easy as possible for them.

I have plenty of Italian parsley and basil from my garden...isn't it purty?

Chop up the parsley and set aside. Stack the basil leaves, roll up tightly, and slice thinly to make basil chiffonade...tiny little green ribbons.

Cut the lemon in half and have it ready to go...it didn't get a picture because it was camera shy. ;-)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop your pasta and cook one minute less than the package recommends.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and let it gently sizzle for about a minute, until golden, but not dark.

Mix in the tomatoes, parsley, basil, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. You are really just warming up the sauce for the pasta. Don't stir too much...we're not making tomato paste here!

When the pasta is done, drain it, and add it right to the skillet of tomatoes. Give everything a good toss for a couple of minutes. The pasta will finish cooking in the pan, and absorb all the lovely juices from the tomatoes.

Serve immediately garnished with more basil and some parmesan cheese if you'd like. My kids like a little extra cheese in their bowls...I'm sure yours will too. ;-)

When you take a bite of this...it tastes like summer! The lemon juice gives the tomatoes just the right amount of acid, and the pasta is coated with sweet, tomatoey juices. ("Tomatoey" may not be an actual work, but according to me, it is now!)

I hope you get to make this soon, and watch your family slurp it all up. I say "slurp" because some of my kids haven't mastered the art of twirling their pasta on a fork yet. So it's fun to watch 'em eat pasta. ;-)

Enjoy, and God bless your table tonight!

Baby, Oh Baby!

2011-06-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

All righty. I'm getting a little ahead of myself, and probably overly ambitious (no...really???), but I REALLY would like to start making some homemade baby food for Theresa. Summer is in full swing here in southeast Texas, and all the fresh fruit and vegetables in the grocery store (especially the seasonal fruit) is inspiring me to try and make up some purees, freeze them in ice cube trays, and pull back out this fall when Theresa is old enough to start trying solids.

I made homemade baby food for Joshua, my first-born because I was a really great mom (ha ha!) with too much time on my hands (obviously!). I remember feeding him pureed strawberries, spinach, and carrots, and feeling such a sense of accomplishment. Well, that didn't happen for the next 3 kids, because A), I had NO time on my hands, and B) there was no room in our one-fridge household for multiple bags of pureed foods.

We now have a nice, big deep freezer, and if I can convince the hubby to STOP buying meat every time he goes to SAM'S (yeah right!), then I'll have plenty of room for storing bags of beautifully prepared baby food for our little girl.

Wish me luck!

But, on a more serious note, does anyone have any baby food recipes they'd like to share? How about doing a guest post? I'm really open to suggestions. I know I can do single foods, like sweet potatoes, peas, etc. But what about combinations? Like apples and pears? You see them in the baby food aisle, but I've never tried making something like that at home.

So, if anyone wants to give it a go, PLEASE leave a comment below. I would LOVE to hear from you!

Thanks friends, and God bless your table tonight!

Classic Caprese Salad

2011-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

I love summer. The days are lazy, the kids sleep in longer with every passing week, and my garden just grows, and grows, and grows. We've had to water it more than ever this year...due to the prolonged drought here in Houston, but so far, the only thing we've lost is the yellow squash.

Our tomatoes have really taken off the past couple of weeks. David usually plants just one cherry tomato seedling, and one beefsteak seedling. Well, have mercy...they have grown all the way to the top of our fence, and we pick nearly every day. Rebecca eats her fill of the little cherries, and I've used the bigger tomatoes for some of my absolute favorite tomato recipes. And my basil is just gorgeous...some of the leaves are as big as my hand!

Now, you really don't have to stack this salad the way I did...I just wanted to go a bit fancy for the photos. And it's precarious, let me tell you! Next time, I'm definitely not going fancy...I'll just lay it all out on a plate. Don't assemble this salad until you're ready to eat. It only takes minutes to prepare. The longer the salt sits on the tomatoes, the more water will seep out, and it makes the plate watery.

I really believe using home grown tomatoes is a must. Store bought tomatoes just don't have the mellow, sweet flavor that home grown tomatoes do. If you must buy them, try to find them at a farmer's market or start growing your own...it's really easy!

Classic Caprese Salad

1-2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (keeping the top and bottom slices)

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch rounds

Handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Lay the bottom tomato slice on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with 1-2 basil leaves, one slice of the mozzarella, and a drizzle of the olive oil.

Here's where I goofed. I had stacked the whole stack, garnished with the oil and vinegar, and realized I'd forgotten to use the basil leaves. That's what I get for trying to be fancy! ;-) So you'll see the dressing on the plate before I actually finished assembling the salad, because I had to start all over again.

Repeat, stacking the tomato, cheese, and basil, until you've used up all the tomato. Don't forget to season the tomatoes with the salt and pepper, and drizzle the oil over the mozzarella.

Top with the last slice of tomato (the stem end), and a pretty bunch of basil. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top, and around the plate. Finish off with some balsamic vinegar around the plate as well.

David and I inhaled this salad...it was SO good. Rebecca had some too, and said,

"Mommy, I think I could eat this every day. We have go get some more cheese tomorrow and make it again!"

I told her would we definitely will be making this again. As long as we keep getting beautiful, large tomatoes from the garden, I can see us eating this salad at least 2x a week. :-)

Enjoy summer's bounty, and tasty eating! I sure hope you can get your hands on some sweet tomatoes and make this salad. Like now!

God bless your table tonight!

Zucchini Cakes

2011-06-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Now that our garden is growing like MAD...we are picking vegetables every few days. We already had our run of green beans (at the peak, I picked 10 pounds in 2 days!), and the cherry tomatoes are in full swing. We also have an abundance of zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, and cucumbers. I love using our home-grown herbs for a marinated cucumber salad with fresh dill. We had a lovely bush of fresh dill up until a week ago...it's now gone to seed. But the basil, italian parsley, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, thyme, and mint are doing very well. The cilantro has also gone to seed, but I havested what I could to make this cilantro-parsley pesto (which is so insanely good!). It's already too hot outside, I must admit, but that's the price we pay for a long growing season here in southest Texas.

All right, so what do you do with zucchini and yellow squash, and still get the chittlins to eat it? Fry 'em up into these yummy zucchini cakes of course! You can actually use all zucchini or a combination of zucchini and yellow squash. Our Christina, who won't touch a single vegetable with a 10 foot pole (except for raw, baby carrots), LOVES these cakes with ranch dressing. Plus, they are quick and easy to make with ingredients I bet you already have on hand.

Zucchini Cakes

One medium/large zucchini (use 2 if you have just zucchini on hand)

One medium/large yellow squash

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup plain, dry bread crumbs

Salt and black pepper to taste

Olive oil for frying

Cut off the ends of the zucchini/yellow squash. Then cut them in half...it makes 'em easier to work with.

Use a box grater and the side with the large holes to shred the zucchini and/or yellow squash.

If you have time, place all the shredded zucchini/yellow squash in a colander set over a large bowl. Sprinkle over one teaspoon salt, and toss together. Let sit for about an hour or so. The salt will help pull water out of the veggies. Short on time? You can skip this all together, no problem.

Take a piece of cheesecloth, a clean kitchen towel, or in my case, a clean white handerchief from my hubby's sock drawer. Place the shreds in the towel, and wring as much water from the zucchini/yellow squash as possible. It's best to do this in batches (2-4 ought to do it).

Place the mostly dry shreds in a large bowl. Add the eggs, garlic, cheese, bread crumbs, salt, and black pepper to taste.

Here's where you have to look at your mixture and check the consistency. It should hold together, but still be fairly wet. If you think it's too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs. Too dry? Add another egg. I usually end up adding more bread crumbs.

In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 inch of olive oil over medium heat. Take about 1/4 cup of the zucchini mixture and shape with your hands into a ball. Flatten slightly, and place in the hot pan.

Fry for about 4-5 minutes per side, adjusting your heat if necessary. You want a nice, golden brown, so be carefully not to get the outside too dark before the inside is cooked through.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and repeat with the remaining zucchini mix. You'll get anywhere from 6-8 cakes, depending on the size.

Let cool for about 5 minutes so little tongues won't get burned. :-) Serve with ranch dressing on the side. A nice alternative is ranch or blue cheese dressing with a few dashes of hot sauce. :-)

These are tasty! You can make 'em smaller, and they're perfect as appetizers. (I've made them in advance, and held them in a warm oven until serving time). Slightly bigger, and they're a great side dish for chicken, fish, or whatever floats your boat. Even though I make these at least once a week, I can barely keep up with the production from the garden. So if you have any more zucchini or yellow squash recipes you want to share, let me know!

Enjoy, and God Bless your table tonight!

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill

2011-04-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm back...well, mostly back. Now that I'm back in the land of the living (thanks to a sweet baby girl who has slept nearly 7 hours straight for the past 3 nights), I feel like cookin' again!

Besides, our dinner delivery service officially stopped last week (sniff sniff!). We had lovely friends who brought us dinner 3x a week for nearly 6 weeks. Yes, I was spoiled. Very spoiled!

Now that I've dried my tears, LOL...let's talk eggs.

I've made these deviled eggs before, and man...they're good. Mighty fine eatin', I'm telling y'all. But, I can't make 'em today, because it's Friday, and it's Lent, and we can't eat any bacon today. :-(.

However, we can use some lovely smoked salmon instead, and it's nearly as good. Bacon is tough to beat, but I needed to take something tonight to Mom's Night Out. Maybe tonight I'll finally win the Bunko pot! At any rate, I'm betting I won't come home with any leftovers. ;-)

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill

1 dozen large eggs

4 ounces smoked salmon (about 3/4 of a cup), finely chopped

4 tablespoons mayo

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

4 teaspoons dijon mustard

salt and black pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

1 tablespoons (or more to taste) fresh lemon juice

paprika for garnish (if desired)

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. I like to use a large, deep skillet. Then I don't have to wait as long for the water to boil. (I'm short on time these days...I never know how long this baby will sleep for me!).

Once the water is at a boil...

use a large, slotted spoon to gently lower your eggs in.

Wait for the water to come back to a boil. Turn off the heat, put on the lid, and let the eggs sit for 12-14 minutes.

If you let your eggs sit out for about 1/2 an hour before you boil them, there's less chances of them cracking on you. Cold eggs don't like hot water ;-).

After 12-14 minutes, place your eggs in a large bowl of ice water.

When they're cool enough to handle, peel off the shells. Some say to peel them under running water so the shells come off more easily. I just hold them in the bowl of water and peel them that way. You can do it however you like.

At this point, you can put the eggs back in the fridge and finish up later...which I had to do, because my baby girl woke up.

Otherwise, cut each egg in half lengthwise, and gently scoop out the yolks into a medium bowl. Put the egg whites aside for just a bit.

Here's a little tip: If you slice just a little bit of the egg white off the bottom of the empty halves, they'll sit flat instead of sliding around all over the place. This works especially well if you don't have one of those deviled egg serving platters. I do, but I still like to take a little off the bottom of the eggs.

Use a fork to mash the egg yolks. Combine them with the smoked salmon, mayo, dill, and mustard. Season to taste with the salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.

Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a tiny sprig fresh dill if you'd like.

Well, I did come home with leftovers from Bunko night, but I had the most losses of the night (I lost 9 rounds), so I won $15! How about that? :-)

At any rate, now y'all have another deviled egg recipe to use. Comes in handy after you dye a couple dozen eggs with your kiddos for Easter, right?

God bless your table tonight!

Puppy Chow - Guest Post

2011-03-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! This is Amy from The Savvy Kitchen and I'm so excited to be able to share a post on Kim's Concoctions today. I know she has her hands full with her new precious baby girl, Theresa (just look at those cute photos below) so it's a real honor that she's allowing me to guest post while adjusting to her new addition!

I decided I'd share this really quick and easy Puppy Chow recipe since Kim has two other young children. This snack is sure to satisfy their sweet tooth and even while juggling a newborn, you can pop the chocolate in the microwave and shake it around in a plastic bag without it being too much of a hassle. You can even use different flavored Chex cereal or another type of chip instead of chocolate if that isn't your thing.

Oh, and despite the name, this is not something you'd feed your dog. It contains chocolate, and I highly advise not giving that to dogs!

Anyways, this is a quick 15-minute snack that is sure to please a crowd, young or old! It probably takes even less time if you don't get distracted watching Real Housewives like I did. It's a good after school (or after work) treat that lasts a week or two in an airtight container. I'm not promising there will be anything left after a week, but if there is it will stay fresh!

Enjoy and good luck with everything, Kim!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

9 cups crispy rice cereal squares
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Measure out the rice cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

In microwave safe dish, add the butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Microwave an additional 30 seconds or until creamy. Add the vanilla and stir.

Drizzle the mixture over top of the rice cereal and gently combine using a rubber spatula. Continue stirring until the cereal is evenly coated.

Put the rice cereal mixture into a 2-gallon zip lock bag. Add the confectioners' sugar. Seal the bag and gently shake until all the pieces are evenly coated in sugar.

Allow to cool on waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

Source: Chex

Guess What We Made?

2011-02-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

David and I don't make much of a fuss over Valentine's Day.

So I wasn't really expecting anything this year.

Sure, in the past, I've gotten flowers, chocolates, 1 carat diamond earrings (okay, just kidding about the earrings).

But this year...this year, we got something extra special for Valentine's Day.

I know y'all will excuse us for a while as we get to know our little sweetheart.

Theresa Ellen Reisinger

February 14, 2011

7 pounds, 9 ounces, 19 inches

She has 10 fingers, and 10 toes...we counted 'em.

And she is 100% edible. ;-)

In the Weeks (Maybe Months) to Come...

2011-02-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Okay folks, I am 36 weeks pregnant, and I delivered my last 2 babies at 37 1/2 weeks. No, I didn't have to be induced, and yep, Christina and Gabriel were nearly 8 pounds.

So...we are looking at 10, maybe 12 days. If I don't have this wee one by Valentine's Day, we'll be surprised.

Therefore, I hope to get one more post up before she arrives. If not, I still love y'all. I'll just be a little busy. You know what I mean? ;-)

I really do miss cooking and posting recipes, but I've just been too preggo to stand up in the kitchen these last few months. I have a whole list of new dishes I want to try and make once I'm up and running again.

But here's your chance to jump on my blog and put up a guest post. Or 2. Heck, 3 is fine with me. Very nice moms at my church will be bringing us meals 2x a week for at least 6 weeks, so we'll be covered here for a bit.

If you'd like to put up a guest post, please let me know. I've never done it before, so if you have done guest posts on other blogs and don't need my help...then you and I will be friends for life. ;-) 'Cause I doubt I'll be able to figure it out for you (and I probably won't have free hands to even try). I guess you would just need my log-in information, and go from there.

I realize this is just a humble little 'ole cooking blog, but I enjoy doing it, and if you'd like to put up a guest post, please leave a comment below, and I'll get back to you.

Thanks, and blessings you to!

Wordless Wednesday--Do you know what this is?

2011-01-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is the first harvest of swiss chard from our garden (althought it's been ready to pick for weeks now). I just don't get out to the garden as often as I should. But these greens are easy to grow, and easy to cook. Just wash, dry, chop roughly (including the stems), and steam with a little bit of water in a big, covered skillet or pot. When the stems are tender (but not mushy), it's done. Season with salt and pepper, and serve in shallow bowls with a drizzle of apple cider vinegar.

Swiss chard is also a very nutritious green...high in vitamins A, C, and K, and iron. David planted some for us to eat this winter because it's especially good for me right now. My iron count is a tad low this pregnancy, so eating swiss chard should be beneficial for me, and the baby. ;-)

So here's what we ate for dinner last night, Oven Baked Catfish, and Braised Swiss Chard. I admit, out of all the kids, only Rebecca will eat the swiss chard, but that's fine...more for David and I. ;-)

I hope to post again very soon, I miss blogging and sharing recipes with y'all! I just haven't had the energy to post recipes, although I am still cooking nearly every night for the fam.

I guess this was not such a wordless post after all, but I hope you get yourself some swiss chard and get cookin.' Your momma would be proud of you for eating your greens!

Wordless Wednesday-- Homemade Wheat Bread

2010-12-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Houston Culinary Tour--CHINATOWN

2010-11-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

Last spring, I saw an article about the Houston Culinary Tours (sponsored by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau), and immediately begged by darling hubby to let me sign up for one of the tours. I particularly was interested in the Chinatown tour.

So David said,

"Sure sweetheart...how about I buy that ticket for you for your birthday?" SWEET!

So last Sunday, I hopped on a shuttle bus outside the Whole Foods Market on Kirby, ready to get some great eats and armed with my camera. I actually got there a 1/2 hour early, so I went inside and bought some whole grain barley flour to make some whole-grain chocolate chips cookies for the kids. I can't find whole barley flour at any other store.

These tours originally started over a year ago, when 4 local chefs got together and brainstormed ways to get Houston's culinary scene on the map. Eventually, the idea of taking people on tours of different areas of town, specifically ethnic areas or genre of food (Chinatown, BBQ, Creole, Southern Comfort etc.) was developed. Ever since, the tours have been sold out (or nearly sold out).

Our tour guide today was local Chef Chris Shephard from Catalan.

Two other local chefs also came along today, Ryan Pera from Revial Market (R) and David Cordu from Americas (L). Their bios can also be found on the Houston Culinary Tours website.

Shepard is chef and partner at Catalan, and extremely knowledgeable about the food scene in Chinatown. While we rode the bus to our first stop, he talked about how he scoped out the places he loves to eat at. I couldn't wait...my stomach was already growling!

A brief side note: None of these places have a website. So when you click on "Fu Fu", you'll read some reviews about the restaurant. Pay NO attention to the reviews people. Everything I had was excellent. Either these people are talking smack, or don't appreciate good, authentic Chinese food. Enough said.

First stop...Fu Fu Restaurant.

Another side note: All our food was pre-ordered for us...which I really didn't mind. Unless you look Asian (which I do, but my hubby obviously does not), the waiter at a Chinese restaurant will hand you a menu in English and a fork. But...if you're smart, you should ask for the "real" menu, (which may be in English and Chinese) and chopsticks. Even if you're not that great with chopsticks, you'll get some respect for trying.

All right... on to the food!

We had Walnut Shrimp, Steam Soup Pork Bun, and Pan Fried Pork Dumplings. It was insanely good. (We had a professional food photographer along...I am sure her pics came out much better than mine). I took a couple of pics of everyone while we waited for the dishes...it didn't take long.

I make a mean pork dumpling, if I do say so myself, but I have to cheat and use store-bought wrappers. The wrappers here were obviously made in-house, which I have never attempted, and probably never will...it takes a whole day to make them. I was able to get a few leftover dumplings and a couple of the soup buns to go...awesome!

Next stop...Sinh Sinh Restaurant.

Here, we sampled Roasted Pork with Crispy Skin, Stir Fried Rice Noodles, Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, and the pice de resistance, Peking Duck.

I could not get over the Peking Duck. We were all trying to pace ourselves, but I just had to have 2 helpings...it was divine. I had Peking Duck at my wedding reception, but it did not even compare to what I had at Sinh Sinh.

There was plenty leftover, and everyone at my table insisted I take it home...lucky me!!! (I'd already mentioned I had 4 kids and a hubby at home, and was told they could eat it ;-).

The next stop was a Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Pagolac (forgot to take a pic outside this time, sorry). But I did take a picture of the tables they had ready for us...really pretty!

We had Betel Leaf Wrapped Beef, Sugar Can Shrimp, Vietnamese Crepes, Lemongrass Beef and Salted Plum Soda.

This place was fun! You get to cook your own beef on a hot skillet in the middle of the table, and wrap our own food up in rice wrappers (which require soaking in water). It's always great to make your plate just how you like it.

After our third stop, Chef Shephard decided to stop at Hong Kong Food Market before we hit our last restaurant. He though it would still be packed with the lunch crowd, and they would be more able to accomodate our group if we gave them a little more time. So we walked through the market, admiring all the produce, meat, seafood, etc. I was tempted to buy a rice cooker (but didn't), but loved the smells coming from the bakery section. There is a Hong Kong Food Market in my area, which I blogged about back in May, so check it out if you want to know more.

Last stop, Hong Kong Dim Sum.

Here, we feasted on Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, Steamed Pork Spare Ribs, Fried Shrimp Puff with Mayo, Fried Dumpling with Meat, and Fried Egg in Milk Bun (which was a sweet dim sum and disappeared before I could get a pic). All of the dishes were very tasty.

I particularly loved the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings. Just loved 'em.

Now I was finally full. And happy. Very happy. ;-) I didn't even have dinner that night...and there were visions of dim sum dancing in my head. Ahh!

Oh, I almost forgot...we got goodie bags on the ride back to Whole Foods. Who doesn't love a goodie bag?

I'm keepin' it all for me, except the "H-town" t-shirt. It won't fit me because it's an extra-large. (Wait a minute...since I'm 6 1/2 months pregnant, it might fit me after all!).

David and Rebecca enjoyed yummy leftovers Sunday night and my girl and I had the rest the next day for lunch. Guess what Rebecca liked the most? The crispy duck skin! She is for sure my daughter and a foodie in the making. I made sure to get take-out menus from all 4 restaurants (as did everyone else on the tour). If my hubby has a client call in the Bellaire area, and it's close to dinnertime, I'm getting it to go y'all!

I definitely want to go on another tour! Here's the website again, in case you want to get in on the action. It was so much fun...it would be especially fun as a date with your hubby or a girl's day out!

Houston Culinary Tours

Just be sure to go on an empty stomach. ;-)

Bow Tie Pasta with Basil Pesto, Marscapone, and Grilled Chicken

2010-10-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

We had family in town the last week of August, right when the basil in the garden had reached MONSTROUS heights. I really should have taken a picture of it...but didn't...sorry about that. You will have to use your imagination. This one basil plant had branched out into a bush about 12 feet long, 4 feet high, and about 5 feet deep. It covered at least 1/3 of our entire garden bed. Land sakes alive people!

I decided to enlist the help of my SIL and she helped me pick 2 huge bowls of basil (she later told David she'd never seen basil grown so big before). I've always loved pesto, and having so much basil in the back yard called for major pesto production.

Basil pesto can be used in so many cooking applications. Besides being tossed with hot, freshly cooked pasta, try a dollop in a bowl of soup. Add it to mayo for a great sandwich spread, use it on baguette slices for bruschetta...you can even mix it into mashed potatoes. Yum!

I do think using a good quality cheese, like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano results in a better tasting pesto than using the regular grated Parmesan you get in the canisters at the grocery store. I know it's more expensive, but you only need 3 tablespoons of cheese per batch of pesto...so a little goes a long way. I also don't add salt or pepper to my pesto--the cheese adds enough of a salty punch, and the spicy basil can hold it's own without any additional pepper.

One more thing...a good food processor is a must for making pesto. I used my big one because I nearly always make multiple batches...but a mini food processor will work if you're making a single recipe.

Bow Tie Pasta with Basil Pesto, Marscapone, and Grilled Chicken

FOR THE PESTO (Makes about 1/3 cup):

2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons pine nuts, sliced almonds or walnut pieces

2 medium cloves of garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons grated cheese (pecorino romano or parmigiano-reggiano is preferred)

1/3 cup olive oil

FOR THE REST OF THE DISH:

4 chicken breasts, grilled to your liking

1/3 to 1/2 cup marscapone cheese (found next to the regular cream cheese in your grocery store)

1 pound bow tie pasta, cooked al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce

Additional grated cheese (paremsano, romano, etc.) for garnish if desired

Bring a large pot or deep skillet of water to a boil. You don't need to fill up the whole thing...just enough to submerge the basil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready nearby. Now...I'll bet you're thinking, why are we blanching the basil? (Try saying that 3x fast. ;-)

I've learned if you blanch the basil first, it will help the leaves retain their bright green color. I would always freeze my leftover pesto, and was disappointed when it would turn a muddy greenish-black after it thawed. So I did some research...and now I blanch the basil first. It's a quick, easy step...you'll be glad you did. Plus...any tiny bugs that didn't get washed off will be boiled out of existence.

I was making multiple batches, so you'll see there are more ingredients in the pictures below.

Once your water is boiling, drop in your basil and gently push the leaves under the surface. Turn off the heat, and just let the basil hang out for 30 seconds to 1 minute. All you have to do is essentially wilt it...which takes no time at all.

Use a large slottted spoon or spider strainer to remove the basil to the bowl of ice water. We want to shock the basil so it stops cooking.

After about 5 minutes, drain the basil and gently squeeze it dry. You don't have to get every last bit of water out, but it shouldn't be drippy at all.

Now, in your food processor fitted with the chopping blade, combine the basil, nuts, garlic, and cheese.

Process until everything is in very small bits, about the size of fresh bread crumbs.

With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil through the feeder until you have a thick paste. Some people like their pesto a bit looser...so add more olive oil if you'd like. I like it thicker, and often use only half to 2/3 of the olive oil.

At this point, you can use the pesto right away, or freeze in small containers for future use. Thaw at room temperature before using.

Isn't that PURTY???

The simplest way to use pesto (in my opinion) is to serve it with pasta. I boiled up the bow ties, and immediately tossed it with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pesto, the pasta water, and the marscapone cheese. Make sure you do this when the pasta is HOT...this helps distribute all the yummy goodness of pesto and cheese and pasta water together to make the sauce.

Slice up the grilled chicken, and serve with the pasta. Grate some more cheese on top if you'd like.

My SIL and BIL loved this dish...and so did my nephew Ben. I think he had seconds in fact! ;-)

I know some of you have already had fall blow in, but we're still in the low to mid 80's here in south Texas. So go beg, borrow, or steal some basil and make some pesto to enjoy now and in the winter when you're wanting something fresh and green that reminds you of summer's bounty.

God bless your table tonight!

Shrimp over Creamy, Cheesy Grits

2010-09-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

This recipe came about when I became determined to try and get more people in our house to like grits. I'd had minor success with polenta, but I really wanted to cook grits on a more regular basis. Most of you have this problem...you enjoy certain foods, but rarely cook them because nobody eats them except you.

Now David will eat just about anything if I put a LOT of cheese in it. But that adds fat and calories. After some research...I decided to try making the grits with evoporated milk instead of water. I still put some cheese in, but not as much as I might have, hoping the evaporated milk would give it a nice, creamy texture and great flavor.

In addition to having an adversion to grits, only David, Rebecca, and I eat shrimp. So I added some sausage to the recipe...now everyone else would have a protein to eat.

Want to see if this will pass the test at your house? Here's the recipe...it's easy, and you'd better bookmark it for Lent next spring, minus the sausage, of course. ;-)

Shrimp over Creamy, Cheesy Grits

1 cup quick cooking grits

3 cups evaporated milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup mild cheddar cheese

Dash of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound link sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

2 bay leaves

1 can (15 ounces) low sodium chicken broth

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

We'll start with the grits...they'll stay plenty hot while you make the shrimp. Bring the 3 cups of evaporated milk to a gentle boil and pour in the grits.

Stir in the salt, pepper, and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes...however long the box tells you too. When all the milk has been absorbed, the grits are done.

Remove from the heat and add the butter and cheese (I know...the salt and pepper were in this pic instead of the previous one). Stir once more to incorporate all the cheese. Put the lid on and set aside.

Heat the one tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and saute until soft. Toss in the sausage and let it brown for 5 minutes on both sides. It's already fully cooked, so we're just going for a little little more flavor by searing it.

Sprinkle in the flour, and stir well so your sauce won't develop any lumps. Pour in the chicken broth and keep stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up any brown bits.

Now you can add the Old Bay, bay leaf, and shrimp.

Continue to cook for about 5-6 minutes. When the shrimp are pink and opaque, they're done.

Keep in mind any seafood will continue to cook on the plate, so if you undercook them just a hair, by the time you serve it, it will be finished (overcooked shrimp have a rubbery texture...which is not very appetizing!).

Turn off the heat, and stir in the green onions and parsley.

Ladle some grits in a bowl, and top with a nice serving of the shrimp and sausage mixture.

YUM! Wasn't that easy? I know Paula Deen woud have used 2x as much butter, lol.

I held my breath while David took his first bite.

ME: "Well, do you like it sweetheart?"

DAVID: "You know what, the grits work. It's good."

ME: "So if I made it again, would you eat it?"

DAVID: "Yes, I would. I like it."

At that point, I wanted to jump up on the table and do a little dance but I restrained myself. We do try and teach our kids proper table manners after all. ;-)

Rebecca said the grits were "okay." She did like the rest though. David had his bowl, and a second helping. In my book, if half of our family eats it, I'll make it again.

So...there you are, a classic dish with a little twist. Hope you enjoy making it.

God bless your table tonight!

Grilled Zucchini Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

2010-09-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Here's yet another recipe that involves the grill. I cannot say enough about grilling or roasting veggies. They just taste so much better; all the natural sugars caramelize, and you get a hint of smokey flavor, which my hubby loves. I used to steam all our fresh vegetables until I started roasting our from-the-garden green beans, and wow...they were such a hit. I haven't used our vegetable steamer in probably 2 years. It's sitting in my closet, waiting for it's chance to be donated to Goodwill.

Anyone want it? Just kidding.

So, if you are not into zucchini, substitute yellow squash, bell peppers, whatever you fancy. Goat cheese not your thing? Toss on some mozzarella or fontina...I'll never know. As you'll see, this recipe is figure-friendly, thanks to a light hand on the cheese, and a homemade, whole wheat crust. And of course, you can make plain cheese pizza for all the picky eaters in your house (I don't have any of those you know ;-).

Grilled Zucchini Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

1 recipe homemade whole wheat pizza dough or store bought dough

2 small or one medium zucchini, cut in half, and sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
Zest and juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon dill seasoning blend

salt and black pepper

Olive oil for drizzling

1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce

1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced

3 ounces fresh, crumbled goat cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano

Heat your outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium heat. I used my indoor grill pan, and wanted to make sure the zucchini didn't stick, so I threw everything into a bag--the zucchini, lemon juice and zest, the lemon-dill seasoning and the olive oil. Give it all a good shake to distribute the olive oil and seasonings.

Grill for 3-5 minutes on both sides until the zucchini is lightly marked and tender,but not falling apart. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Divide your pizza dough into 8 equal pieces. (I decided to make slightly larger pizzas this time, and made 6 individual pizzas instead of 8. At this point, if you don't need all the dough, you may freeze some for later or use it right away).

I started off making 4 cheese pizzas for the kids. Anytime we have pizza in our house, it's inhaled! Just stretch the dough out, spread with pizza sauce, cheese, and a sprinkling of dried basil or oregano. Pretty easy, right? Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Now let's make the pizzas for the grown-up taste buds. Take 2 portions of dough and gently spread it out into a round shape, about 8 inches across. Placed on a lightly greased baking sheet (or use a silpat mat if you have one).

Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and spread on some of the pizza sauce. Lay on about 6 slices of the zucchini--you might have to trim them a bit so they'll fit on the dough. Next up...the roasted red pepper. I cheated and bought a jar of roasted red peppers. ;-). But sometimes a jar is cheaper than buying them fresh. 6-8 slices of pepper ought to do it.

Place little crumbles of goat cheese, all around...don't go too crazy with it...

And sprinkle with the dried basil. I used Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle...I just love this stuff. But I know not everyone has it, or can get it. Dried basil is a fine substitute. ;-)

This just begged for a close-up. Divine veggie goodness...I can't wait to eat you up!

Now your little pizza is ready for the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes, rotating once halfway through the baking time. The crust should be a light golden brown, and the goat cheese will be very soft.

It's that pretty? A perfect way to eat your veggies and have your pizza too!

Let stand for about 5 minutes, cut into 4 slices, and serve.

I didn't get a pic of the finished cheese pizzas, sorry. David and I were too busy devoring our dinner, and the kids of course were busy eating too. I didn't want to snatch their plate away to try and get a picture!

Hope you are able to get out there and grill a little more. It's still so hot here...we'll surely be able to cook outside for a few more weeks (many a couple of months!).

God bless your table tonight!

I'm Back...Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon-Shallot Chutney

2010-09-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm thrilled to be back posting recipes. ;-) I've finally gotten over the last bit of nausea, I can go to the store without gagging, and cook almost anything (although chicken still makes me a bit squeamish).

Anyway...

I had 3 posts in the the works before I got preggo, and made some awesome pasta with homemade pesto a week ago, so I'm hoping to get these up for you in the next week or two.

First up, a really easy pork chop to celebrate the last bit of the grillin' season. Here in south Texas, we can grill nearly all year round, but if you can't, don't worry. The broiler or indoor grill pan will work just fine. I saw this on Big Daddy's House Aaron McCargo, and knew this would be a great, quick meal for our busy family. I also doubled this recipe, since 4 pork chops isn't quite enough for us. Our camera card went corrupt on us, so I don't have step-by-step photos, but this recipe is fool-proof, so don't sweat it. ;-)

Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon-Shallot Chutney

(adapted from Aaron McCargo and Big Daddy's House)

4 large lemons, supremed *

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon (or rosemary)

2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives (or scallions)

3 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of sugar (or more if your lemons are particularly tart)

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 (or more) bone-in pork chops, about 1/2 to 1' inch thick

Salt and black pepper to taste

Smoked paprika to taste (about 2 teaspoons or so)

Olive oil

Make the chutney first and let it hang out in the fridge for a while to marry the flavors. (*To supreme a lemon means to take off all the peel and white pith, and then cut away each lemon segment, much like you see a mandarin orange out of the can).

Combine the lemon, shallots, tarragon/rosemary, chives/scallions, olive oil, and sugar in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and place in the fridge until the pork chops are ready.

Preheat your outdoor grill over medium-high heat and be sure to grease your grates well with a wad of paper towels dipped in vegetable oil. If you are using an indoor grill pan or broiler pan, some non-stick cooking spray is fine.

Let the pork come to room temperature before you toss it on the grill, then the meat won't seize up on you...it will grill up nice and tender too.

Trim away any excess fat, and season the chops on both sides with the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Drizzle with some olive oil, and grill for about 4-5 minutes per side. If you went with thicker pork chops, they will need a couple more minutes per side. Just be sure not to overcook 'em. People commonly make the mistake of overcooking pork...it should register about 155 (or just a few degrees more) on an instant meat thermometer, and the inside should be the barest shade of pink.

Transfer the pork to a serving platter and serve immediately with the lemon-shallot chutney.

David and I loved the combination of smoky pork with the bright, lemony flavor of the chutney. Rebecca loved it too...although she couldn't eat as much as the adults did. The rest of the kids were indifferent to the chutney, but that meant more for us. ;-).

I also had my hubby grill some roma tomatoes straight out of the garden to eat along with our meat. Just cut 'em in half, toss with some olive oil, fresh chopped basil, salt, and pepper, and place on the grill, turning once until they are lightly grilled and soft, but not falling apart, about 5-6 minutes. Easy and so good!

I hope you get a chance to fire up the grill a few more times and give this recipe a try!

God bless your table tonight!

Leave of Absence

2010-08-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

I guess it's time I explained to everyone why I haven't posted in so long.

We are having a baby. Yep, one of those cute, sweet things that keep you up all night long, that smell like heaven and poop at the same time.

And in case you have lost count, this will be #5 for our family. It's going to be a tiebreaker!

The hardest part of pregnancy for me is weeks 4-10. I can barely eat, let alone cook. Just trying to walk into the panty to make the kids lunch makes me gag. I know I'm supposed to eat protein to try and ward off morning sickness.

And by the way, WHY do they call it morning sickness? I am sick morning, noon, and night. 24-7 people. Ugh...I will spare you any more details.

Anyway, protein is the worst for me. I cannot stand the sight, smell, taste of any kind of meat. I try, but I gag...a lot. Sigh...so it's been granola bars, jello, fruit, toast, and other vain attempts to keep the nausea at bay. Oh, and TUMS. Lots of TUMS. I'm eating 'em like candy y'all.

I am finally starting to feel better today. This is the first day I have been able to eat every meal without feeling sick afterwards, and stay up for just a few minutes. Usually, I am in bed 30 seconds after the kids.

So, there you have it. I had 2 posts in the works...and I was hoping to get them up back in July. We're on vacation right now, and I will try to post them when we get back in town. I can't promise, but I really miss being in the kitchen, making meals for my crew, and sharing them with you.

Hope everyone is surviving the heat wave we all seem to be experiencing right now. See you back in the kitchen soon, and God bless your table tonight!

Light Peach Cobbler

2010-06-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

I meant to try and post this last week, but I got a bit burned out last week at VBS. I was working in the kitchen, preparing snacks for over 400 kids and volunteers every day. So...I was tired and ready to just take a nap when we got home.

I made this cobbler the week after we went berry picking, a few days after we made homemade freezer jam, and blackberry trifle. This is also a light dessert...you could have 2 servings and only feel a little guilty. The original recipe called for margarine (yuck!), so I used butter instead. It's only 4 tablespoons though for the whole dish...I can't believe that would hurt anyone too much.

This cobbler is best serving warm from the oven, but we ate it straight out of the fridge the next 2 nights. Didn't bother us a bit. And with whipping topping or vanilla frozen yogurt, it's divine. :-)

Light Peach Cobbler

2 pounds peaches (about 12 small Texas peaches), blanched, peeled, and cut into 1/2" slices

1/3 cup sugar, plus additional sugar to sprinkle on top

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Juice and zest from one large or 2 medium lemons

1 teaspoon cinammon

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup skim milk

Let's prep the peaches first. They can cool off in the ice bath while you prepare the topping for the cobbler.

Bring a large pot or deep skillet of water to a boil. Score the bottom of each peach by making an "x" with a sharp knife. Lower into the sauna and blanch for 3-4 minutes or until you see the peels starting to pull back from the fruit. Remove the peaches and immediately place in an ice bath for 10 minutes. (If you need to see detailed pictures, you can see my recipe for Rustic Peach Pie).

While the peaches are cooling, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set that aside for just a minute.

For the record, I have no idea how that butter snuck into the picture. It was not supposed to be there yet, so I pulled it right back outta the bowl and told it to wait it's turn.

Peel the cooled peaches (the skins should slide right off) and slice into a large skillet.

Add the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinammon. Bring the mixture up to a gentle boil and cook until the peaches and the liquid thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Go ahead, lick the spoon you were using to stir the peaches...it's good ya'll!

Pour the cooked peaches into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish, and spread them out evenly.

Now add the the butter to the dry ingredients and work it in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir together to form a sticky batter.

Drop the batter over the peaches using a large spoon. You can leave it in dollops or spread it out (I like to spread it out).

Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons sugar. I used turbinado sugar, but regular granulated sugar is just fine.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the cobberl is bubbling around the edges. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve warm in small bowls with a scoop of whipped topping or frozen yogurt.

Only Rebecca, David and I ate this, but my girl LOVED it. She probably had 2 servings every night, and I let her, 'cause it's a light dessert. It wouldn't be right if David and I hogged it all anyway. ;-)

Enjoy this light treat, and God bless your table tonight!

Blackberry Trifle with Lime

2010-06-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

I've got several posts in the works, but they were all put on hold this week after we went berry picking and bought some local peaches at the farm. I had to show y'all what we did with the our bummer crop of fruit!

I spend 2 days making homemade freezer jam...which turned out mighty fine, if I do say so myself. ;-). We've been enjoying it on toast, in oatmeal, and frankly, just on a spoon too.

I'd been doing my usual surfing on the web to see what else I could do with fresh blackberries and peaches. I also wanted to make something light, since both David and I are trying to watch our waistlines right now. So I came up with not one, but 2 desserts for your sweet tooth. Yes, you can thank me later!

Blackberry Trifle with Lime

Makes 4 servings

2-3 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and patted dry

Juice and zest from one lime

1 store-bought angel food cake (more power to you if it's homemade ;-)

1 container whipped topping, thawed in fridge

In a medium bowl, combine the blackberries, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix gently to avoid crushing the berries.

Cut or tear the angel food cake into bite-sized pieces.

You can make this dessert in either one large trifle in a glass bowl, a glass trifle dish, or individual parfait glasses. Either way, this is one of tthose desserts you can't make in advance, otherwise the cake will get soggy. But it's so easy and takes no time at all.

Place a few pieces in the bottom of your serving dish. Top with a few berries, and then a spoonful of the whipping topping.

Repeat the layers 2 more times.

Finish with a nice dollop of the whipping topping, and garnish with a couple of fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint. My mint in the backyard is doing so well this year...it's a bush!

See...that was easy wasn't it? The lime juice and zest really compliment the blackberries, even David mentioned it. My husband doesn't talk much while he's eating...that means he really liked it.

We had trifle two nights in a row to use up all the cake. The second time, we tried using our peach freezer jam...it was heavenly.

This recipe works with any kind of frui or fruit preserves...try strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango...anything you like! Or go crazy and use your favorite combination.

I hope you make this soon. It's perfect on a hot summer night, and you don't have to turn on the oven.

God bless your table tonight!

More Freezer Jam

2010-06-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I took the kids to Neal's Berry Farm to pick blackberries and buy some local Texas peaches. When I walked into the farmer's market, one gentleman remarked,

"My, you sure are brave!"

I knew he was referring to the four kids I had in tow.

I replied, "Well, I hope so, either that, or I might be stupid!"

But you know what? The kids were fine. The blackberries were very plentiful, and thanks to my 4 little helpers, we picked 9 pounds in 1/2 hour. No pics, though, sorry...it was enough to manhandle them in the farmer's market trying to pay for the berries and 10 pounds of peaches. That's when my pickers turned into little misfits, looking into the coolers, the ice cream bin, the candles for sale, etc. Geez... But the lady running the stand was so sweet, and wasn't fazed all all, thank goodness.

So, what did I do with all that fruit?

Well for starters, I made 6 jars of this (just 2 showed up for the photo shoot ;-)...

Peach Freezer Jam with Lemon

And 6 jars of this...

(I know they look identical, but this one is a bit chunkier peach and lemon, with the addition of crystallized ginger. David went to Penzey's and got some for me--thanks honey!).

See?

I also made a few jars of this...

Blackberry Freezer Jam with Lime

Instead of using lemon juice per the pectin box directions, I used lime juice and added lime zest (from 2 small limes). The combinations is unexpected, but lime really brings out the flavor of the berries. It works well with blueberries too, and in a cobbler, it's divine.

Rebecca was my official taster...we both thought the peach jam was REALLY good (not that the blackberry jam wasn't). I just followed the directions on the CERTO liquid pectin box, (they sell it at Walmart) making sure to use the full amount of sugar per batch. Last time I made strawberry freezer jam, I tried to use 1/2 the amount of sugar, and the jam didn't set. Lesson learned!

I used the zest of one medium lemon per batch because I like more lemon flavor than just using lemon juice, and about 2 ounces of crystalized ginger per batch for the peach ginger jam. The ginger adds a tiny zip...you don't taste it at first, but it creeps up on the back of your tongue, and you'll feel a little warmth going down your throat...just enough to make you think, "Hmm...what is that?"

The first 2 batches of peach jam, I used a potato masher to crush the peach slices after I'd blanched and shocked the fruit to remove the skins. The next 2 batches, I chopped the slices up...and there wasn't much difference in texture...the 2nd batch was just a bit chunkier. So if you want to make your own jam, I'd say mash the fruit because it goes faster than chopping up the peaches.

After all that jam making, I still had enough fruit to make Light Peach Cobbler and Light Blackberry Trifle with Lime, so check out those posts too. I hope to have the recipes up by the end of the week.

I hope you are eating up some summer! God bless your table tonight!

Wordless Wednesday: 4 Kinds of Tomatoes

2010-06-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why, but David decided to grow 4 different varieties of tomatoes this year. One is a slicer/beefsteak tomato. I've only picked one so far, but can't wait to try it.

The littlest ones are cherries. This particular type doesn't get deep red, so they are picked when they are red-orange.

The last one is a type of grape tomato. They are like minature roma tomatoes and very sweet. Rebecca has been eating them right off the vine.

Lasty, there are the romas. We've had a steady crop of 'em for the past 2 weeks. I roasted a whole bunch last night in the oven, and tossed them with sauteed bacon and leeks, and a pound of penne pasta. It tasted like summer...YUM!

The green beans, cilantro, and lettuce are done for the season, but the swiss chard, zucchini, cucumbers, and of course the tomatoes, are going strong.

Tell me how your garden is growning, and God bless your table tonight!

Berry Fruit Salad

2010-06-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

I threw this salad together last week when I had a ladies luncheon to go to, and very little time. The blackberries in the back yard were at their peak; all I had to do was run to the store for some strawberries. I am sure you could substitute blueberries, raspberries, fresh peaches, or whatever else is in season. Don't rinse the berries until you need them...or they'll turn mushy.

Berry Fruit Salad

2 pints fresh blackberries, rinsed and patted dry

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into quarters

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish, if desired

In a large bowl, combine the blackberries, strawberries, honey, mint, and lime juice. Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking. If you like more lime juice, mint, or honey, go for it. I added a tad more honey because our home-grown fruit is not as sweet as the blackberries you would buy at the store.

Carefully pour the salad into a pretty bowl. Garnish with the mint sprigs. Serve immediately or chill for no more than 6 hours...any longer, and the blackberries will wilt.

Enjoy this taste of summer, and God bless your table tonight!

Blackberry Pie with Buttermilk Crust

2010-05-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

We've had blackberries growing in the back yard for about 3 years now. The first couple of years, we'd only get enough fruit to eat in small handfuls...not enough to make anything, and certainly not enough to make jam, a coffee cake, or a pie.

But this year we have berries galore. I'm guessing it's from the relatively cool spring we had, which helped a lot of the blooms set. David has to go out and pick 'em every other day. We've already picked at least a couple of quarts...and I probably have 2 quarts in the fridge right now. These blackberries are not quite as sweet as what you might get in the store...but they taste incredible, especially right off the vine...warm, slightly tart, and bursting with juice the second you bite down.

So, the only proper thing to do with all these berries is to make a pie, right? I could make some jam...I did make 16 pints of strawberry jam when we went picking at a local farm last month. But I just don't have the time right now. Swim team has taken over my life...literally, since the middle of May. The kids LOVE it...but we are at the pool every day except Sunday and Monday. In between then...I am washing towels, swimsuits, children, and picking up flip-flops, crocs, and googles. Every day between Tuesday and Saturday. It's exhausting!

(On the plus side, my tan is coming along nicely. ;-)

Anyways, here is a blackberry pie with a buttermilk pastry crust, since I had some buttermilk in the fridge to use up. Fresh berries are a must...I can't vouch for how your pie will turn out if you use frozen berries.

Blackberry Pie with Buttermilk Crust

FOR THE CRUST:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

14 tablespoon unsalted butter

8 tablespoons buttermilk

FOR THE FILLING:

5 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and patted dry

1 1/2 cups sugar

Scant 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

We'll start with the crust so it has time to chill. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the butter into small cubes, and use a pastry cutter, 2 knivers, or your hands (my preferred method) to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.

Do this gently...a few bits of pea-sized butter is fine. The rest of the mixture should look like coarse cornmeal.

Add half of the buttermilk, and stir until the mixture starts to lump together.

Pour in the rest of the buttermilk and bring all the lumps together. You should have a nice ball of dough.

Pat it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refridgerate for at least 1/2 an hour.

Meanwhile, combine the blackberries, sugar, flour, and cornstarch in another large bowl. Set aside.

When the dough has chilled enough, remove it from the fridge and divide it in half. On a well-floured work surface, roll the dough out to fit a 9 inch pie dish. As you can see, it doesn't have to be perfect...any holes, tears, or uneven edges can be patched...and no one will ever know.

Lay your dough in the pan, pressing gently up on the side, and tucking the excess under the edge. I know the experts would have you trim it off, but I never do. I love a thick crust on a pie, and so does everyone else in our house.

Now take your filling, and pour it into the prepared bottom crust. The best way to do this is to use a large slotted spoon to get alll the berries, shaking them from the flour/sugar mixture first. Then when all the berries have been arranged, used a regular spoon to evenly distribute the flour/sugar mixture all over the fruit.

Place the pie in the fridge while you roll out the top crust. One little tip about pie crust...make it cold and keep it as cold as possible until you're ready to bake it...it prevents shrinkage.

Once your top crust is ready, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the top crust on the pie, fold and crimp the edges, and cut 3-4 holes to allow steam to vent. Brush the top all over with some cream or milk and sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of sugar. I had some turbinado sugar, so I used that, but rest assured, regular, granulated sugar is fine.

Bake the pie for about 1 hour, rotating it halfway through the baking time if your oven heats unevenly. Mine does a bit, so I always rotate everything.

Allow to cool completely before serving, so the filling has a chance to set up.

My pie looked runny even after it cooled, so I let it sit overnight. It was still runny-looking. I put in in the fridge the next day to see what would happen. Still looked loose, but we cut into it tonight. As you can see, the filling ran out bit, but the berries were intact, and it tasted GREAT. Rebecca ate her piece and finished her sister's portion too. ;-) Next time, I will see about adding more cornstarch, using less flour, adding tapioca, etc. Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Despite the loose filling, the pie did turn out pretty, and I can't wait to dig into some more recipes using our blackberries. We should be picking for a couple more weeks...as long as the kids don't get to them first.

God bless your table tonight!

A Taste of Blackberries

2010-05-19T06:16:00.000-07:00