Cooking
Bruschetta – A Hot or Cold Appetizer for a Warm or Chilly Fall Night
The seasons are changing. For some of us, that means dropping weather, changing leaves, and warm soups and stews. For others (like us in So Cal), we aren’t experiencing much of a weather change yet and may not for a while! It was 103º, feels like 107º today. Ha. But, here is a bruschetta recipe for either experience, one that can be made as a cold or hot appetizer.
What You Need:
1 Loaf of Whole Wheat French Bread
4 Tomatoes
2 TBS, 2 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Balsamic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (For the Hot Bruschetta)…
Read MoreMuffin Mania-Back to School Secrets
School is back in session and moms everywhere are adjusting to the early morning routine. Making lunches, serving a healthy breakfast, helping everyone get dressed for school and making sure all necessary items are in the backpack are just a few of the essential tasks that must be completed each morning. I remember a few secrets from school days that helped our family stay organized…
1. Lay out the childrens’ clothing the night before, including hair accessories, socks and shoes.
2. Organize the childrens’ backpacks the night before, making sure important papers, books and especially any permission slips or notes to be signed by a parent are completed. Get the sports/ dance/ music/art bags filled for after school activities.
3. Grab the brown bags or special lunch boxes the night before and fill with everything except the sandwich and place in the refrigerator. Then all you have to do in the morning is make the sandwiches.
4. Plan and prepare some healthy breakfast options so you are not rushed or stressed in the morning. Breakfast is a very important meal and a special time to connect and talk together and pray before everyone goes off to face their busy day.
I love to bake muffins and it is amazing how many delicious and nutritious foods you can add to a muffin. Muffins can be made ahead of time (they keep well for a few days in the refrigerator or for weeks in the freezer). Serve with fruit, yogurt or scrambled eggs for a super charged breakfast. They can also be wrapped and placed in their lunch boxes for a healthy snack.
Here are a few really YUMMY, kid friendly, adult craved muffin recipes:
Triple Berry Muffins
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon …
Mexican Rice
Use this recipe with the following recipes to make a full meal
Mexican Taco Cupcakes
Mexican Marinade
Salsa #1
Salsa #2
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Kosher or sea salt to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1(14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1(4 ounce) can diced green chiles (optional)
- 2 cups vegetable broth, low sodium (optional, chicken broth)
Directions
In a large skillet or sauce pan add oil, turn to medium-low heat and saute onion until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add garlic and continue to saute one additional minute.
Add remaining ingredients, cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for approximately 45 minutes or until rice has soaked up the liquid and is tender. (NOTE: The time it takes to cook rice depends on the brand. 35-60minutes)
Remove from heat, leave covered and allow to set 10 minutes before serving.
Adapted from http://skinnyms.com
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Roasted Veggies
Vegetables are always a staple side dish in our family! They usually get eaten within the first 5 minutes after being prepared- so if you are ever over for dinner, you better be on your game to get your fair share of the veggies 😉 Here is a quick and easy way to roast your vegetables in the oven…
Combo #1: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts [Halved] (I used Broccoli and Cauliflower)
Combo #2: Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Bell Peppers
What Else You Need:
— Cookie Sheet with a High Rim
— Foil
— Olive Oil
–Your Choice of Seasoning (I used Complete Seasoning and Garlic Powder)
WHAT TO DO:
1. Choose your combo of vegetables and chop them up. Place a sheet of foil on the cookie sheet and all the veggies on top.
2. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle seasoning over the veggies.
3. Place in the oven to roast veggies at 450 for ten minutes. Continue at 350 for another 10 minutes. At this point, check them and continue at the low heat if needed.
What is your favorite way to eat vegetables?
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Carne or Pollo Asada Marinade
We had some precious friends over for a barbeque last week and I had planned to have Mexican food. My favorite summer Mexican meal is a buffet style build your own burrito or taco or Mexican salad. With the fresh corn already roasted on the BBQ the day before, the fajita style vegetables sliced and ready to be stir fried, the homemade salsa chilling in the refrigerator and the guacamole ingredients on the counter, I ran to our local Trader Joes to pick up my favorite Carne and Pollo Asada meat. Well to my surprise, they were out! So I bought some thinly sliced sirloin and some chicken and went home with ingredients to create my own marinade and this is what I came up with. Hope you enjoy this fresh and healthy rendition of Carne and Pollo Asada.
Ingredients
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
6 cloves garlic smashed
½ cup olive oil
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 T cumin
2 T chili powder
½ tsp cloves
2 T fresh oregano chopped fine (dry is OK)
1-2 T frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tsp salt
Pour over 3-5 lbs chicken (breasts sliced in half or thighs) or sirloin thin sliced beef.
Marinade for 2-3 hours and BBQ. Slice thin and serve with tortillas, rice, beans, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. This is my husbands Carne Asada burrito ready to be rolled up and eaten. Yummy!
What is your favorite Mexican marinade for your barbecued meat?
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Splash of Summer Creamy Chicken Salad with Blueberries
We have had a stretch of long hot days. Preparing dinner can be a challenge when you do not want to heat up your house anymore than necessary. I created this salad a few days ago and it was delicious. If you are not a curry fan, just use another seasoning like tarragon or basil on your chicken as you sauté it and follow the rest of the recipe as is. I love curry and it is so good for you (full of Tumeric) so give this salad a try. It is healthy and light and a wonderful summer salad.
Ingredients
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup diced celery
¼ cup torn fresh basil
4 cups washed and torn spinach leaves
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh small tomatoes
½ cup diced cucumber
1 avocado diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic smashed
2 chicken breasts
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Dressing
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup plain greek yogurt
1-2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Wash and cut up all vegetables and blueberries and place into a salad bowl.
Heat oil in small pan and add garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper and stir until garlic is soft. Cut chicken breasts in half length-wise, add to oil and sauté in the garlic curry oil until cooked through. Shred chicken or cut into bite-sized pieces.
While chicken cools a bit, mix yogurt, lemon juice balsamic vinegar and honey. Stir and adjust to taste. Toss chicken into salad and pour dressing over all. Toss to coat vegetables, blueberries and chicken. Serve with crusty French bread or crispy crackers.
Have you tried a new yummy salad this summer?
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Read MoreBlue Apron: Get a Meal on your Doorstep
Are you in a cooking rut?? Do you need something out of the ordinary to switch things up? Well I have a recommendation for you to try. The website is called Blue Apron and they send you all the perfect ingredients to create a great meal! And you get to cook the meal which makes it pretty fun! All you have to do is read the recipe, do a little chopping, dicing, and zesting, and follow the steps and voila’, you have a great meal!
Details:
- Costs $10 per person per meal (But right now you can get two deliveries free)
- Original Recipes that take avg 35 minutes
- Fresh Ingredients
- Flexible Meal Plans
- Convenient: Delivered Right to your door
Sounds pretty cool right?
We got our box last week and have had so much fun trying the recipes. We received an asian lettuce wrap with rice recipe, Dukkah dusted Tilapia with eggplant sofrito recipe, and a Roasted Poblano and Quinoa Sopes Recipe. They are all things that I hadn’t had the courage to try before, but with a few simple steps and the exact ingredients, it made it less overwhelming. And it was fun!
It probably isn’t something worth while if you are looking to try a new meal on a tight budget, but if you are willing to do something out of the box, and receive a box meal, it’s worth a try. Here are some pics I snapped while enjoying the awesome experience.
What new cooking/baking/ or experience have you tried in the kitchen recently?
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Mexican Summer Salad
When the summer days warm up, a great option for an easy dinner is this delicious and nutritious Mexican Summer Salad.
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ red pepper diced
½ cucumber diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Optional: 1 tomato chopped and 1 avocado cut into small pieces
Drain cans of beans and corn and add all the remaining ingredients. Stir and chill at least an hour or until ready to serve. You can serve this as a side dish with quesadillas or barbecued meat. We cooked up some seasoned ground meat and had a build your own Mexican dinner salad picnic with lettuce, meat, salsa and chips.
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Olallieberry and Blueberry Cobbler
For a delicious and nutritious summer dessert try making an olalliebery/blueberry cobbler. We had a wonderful afternoon barbecue with friends to celebrate the 4th of July. I enjoyed the time of fellowship while reconnecting with friends, the beautiful weather and some competitive corn hole games. We ate delicious bbq turkey burgers, bison burgers, chicken, orzo salad, a green salad with watermelon and feta cheese and I made this cobbler recipe for our dessert. It was a hit. I combined two different recipes to come up with this tasty treat. I baked it in a 9 x 13 pan and when it was cool, I decorated it like an American flag with blueberries for the stars and sliced strawberries for the stripes. 
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
Fruit filling
8 cups olallieberries fresh or frozen (mine were fresh picked out in Brentwood and then frozen)
2 cups Maine blueberries (I used frozen)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ cup butter (¼ of a cube) cut into small pieces
Topping
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
½ cup wheat germ
¾ cups brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter
½ cup coconut oil
In a large bowl, combine the thawed berries with ¼ cup each brown sugar and white sugar. Add the 3 Tablespoons flour, fresh lemon juice and nutmeg. stir gently until combined. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with coconut oil spray or Pam. 
Place into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine the first 6 topping ingredients. Cut the stick of cold butter into the dry mixture with a pastry blade and when the butter is pea …
4th of July Strawberry & Blueberry Shortcake
Our favorite holiday treat has become this easy strawberry and blueberry shortcake. I can’t wait to serve it to our family and friends today, this 4th of July. It is simply Bisquick shortcake and fresh strawberries and blueberries, topped with your favorite whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
4th of July Strawberry & Blueberry Shortcake
Shortcake (made from the back of a Bisquick box!)
serves 6
2 1/3 cups biscuit mix (I used Bisquick brand)
1/2 cup milk
3 TBS sugar
3 TBS butter, melted
Toppings (personally, the fruit is my favorite part, so the more the better!!!)
1 quart (4 cups) Fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced
6 oz. Fresh blueberries, rinsed
Whipped Cream
If you like your strawberries sweet, mix them with 1/4 cup sugar and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a separate bowl mix biscuit mix, milk, sugar, and butter until soft dough forms. Drop 6 spoonfuls of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Let shortcakes cool. Split open and top with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. Enjoy your yummy patriotic dessert!
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