Happy Cinco De Mayo! ~ Grilled Tomato Salsa

The weather has been amazing here in the Pacific Northwest. It literally feels like the middle of summer. What a treat it's been, when typically we might be graced with a couple nice days around this time of year, we've had 2 solid weeks of summer-like weather. So in the spirit of not only Cinco de Mayo, but also the beautiful sunshiny weather, I thought I would take my salsa  recipe out to the grill.

This salsa recipe reminds me a lot of the type you get when you eat out at a Mexican restaurant. I made oven baked tortilla chips to go with. Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Grilled Tomato Salsa

~makes about 3 cups~

What you need:

2 lbs. roma tomatoes, halved and cored (not seeded)

2 jalepenos

2 t. canola oil

3 T. finely chopped red onion

2 T. chopped cilantro

1 t. salt

1/2 t. sugar

2 T. lime juice

What you do:

1. Preheat your grill burners to high. Toss the halved tomatoes and jalepenos with the oil. When grill is heated. Place the tomatoes (cut-side down) and jalepenos on the grill. Grill uncovered for about 4-5 miuntes, or until the tomatoes get a good char of them, and turning the jalepenos occasionally to get an even char all over the outside of them. Flip tomatoes and cook until the skins are lightly charred and blistered, about another 4-5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and jalepenos from the grill and let cool for about 10 minutes.

2. When tomatoes are cool, place them in a food processor and pulse a few times until pretty finely chopped. Stem, seed, scrape the skin and finely chop the jalepenos.

3. In a large bowl, mix all the salsa ingredients together. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Oven Baked Tortilla Chips

I can't think of a better way of using leftover corn tortillas than to make homemade tortilla chips. Whenever I make enchiladas or tacos, I always have a bunch of extra corn tortillas. The thing I especially love about a recipe like this is you can just make the amount you want to eat, so if your anything like me, you can safeguard yourself against eating more chips than you intended. 

The one suggestion I have when you make these, is that the thinner the tortilla, the better the chip. 

Oven Baked Tortilla Chips

~makes about 4 servings~

What you need:

8 corn tortillas

canola (or vegetable) oil

salt

What you do:

1. Adjust oven racks so one rack is on the upper-middle position and the other is on the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Brush each tortilla with oil. Stack them all together and cut into 8 wedges. Divide the chips between 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and spread out evenly over the baking sheets.

3. Bake the chips for 8-12 minutes, until they start to become lightly browned. Remove from oven, flip the chips. Rotate the baking sheets so the one that was on the bottom rack is now on top and vice versa. Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes, until the chips are lightly golden and crispy.

Healthier Spinach & Artichoke Spread

This recipe came to be, because I have been having a thing lately for crackers and cream cheese. More accurately I have been having a thing for ak-mak sesame crackers and cream cheese. Ak-mak crackers are so delicious and healthy, and I was feeling so good about eating them, so for that reason that I wanted to come up with a spread that was a little more nutritious than just plain cream cheese.

I was really pleased with how this turned out.

The flavors here are really similar to the much-less-healthy popular restaurant spinach and artichoke dip we all know and love. Except for the fact that it's cold and you can feel a whole lot better about yourself for eating it.

Healthier Spinach & Artichoke Spread

What you need:

8 oz. pkg reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese), softened

5.3 oz container plain Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced

10 oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly squeezed of excess moisture

1/2 of a 12 oz. pkg. of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (about a cup)

fresh lemon juice, to taste

salt & pepper, to taste

What you do:

In the workbowl of a food processor, add cream cheese, yogurt, garlic and spinach. Process to combine. Add in the artichoke hearts, pulse a few times to rough chop the artichokes. Season with lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Vanilla Pudding

I would seriously choose a dish of homemade vanilla pudding over most other desserts any day of the week.

I. Love. Pudding.

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember when we would go out to dinner to one of those restaurants where you could serve yourself at the dessert bar, I would 100% of the time, go for some kind of pudding.

My mom used make this exact vanilla pudding often when I was growing up. She would divide the servings up into wine glasses (pretty sure it was the only thing the wine glasses ever got used for), and it made the humble Vanilla Pudding seem like such a refined treat.

This recipe is so easy, I threw it together tonight while I was in the middle of preparing dinner.

Vanilla Pudding

~serves 4~

What you need:

1/3 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1/8 t. salt

2 c. milk (I used 2%)

2 egg yolks lightly beaten

2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 t. vanilla extract

What you do:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together sugar cornstarch and salt. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

2. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. After the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually add about half the milk mixture to the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then add the egg yolk/milk mix back to the saucepan. Place back on the heat and cook for about another minute, stirring constantly. 

3. Off the heat, add in the butter and vanilla, stir until the butter is melted and completely incorporated into the pudding. Divide into serving dishes (optional), chill (also optional, it's also pretty darn good warm).

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Brown Rice and Cherry Tomato Salad

Dishes like this are one of my most useful reasons for having a recipe blog. On the one hand, a meal like this is so simple you really don't need a recipe, but it is one that is so good, that when desire strikes to make it again, I would wonder, "How EXACTLY did I make that?" That's definitely happened to me more than once.

I am happy to share this delicious chicken and rice dinner with you. It's easy and healthy and full of flavor. We've been eating a lot of brown rice in my house lately and the one thing I am finding is that I really like to pair brown rice with something acidic. Mixing the salad with bites of rice is an amazing flavor combination. This is really my type of go-to dinner dish.

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Brown Rice and Cherry Tomato Salad

~serves 4~

What you need:

For the roasted chicken

4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, trimmed and patted dry

spices - whatever you prefer, I used salt & pepper, garlic powder and paprika

1 1/2 T. melted butter

For the cherry tomato salad

10.5 oz pkg. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c. thinly sliced red onion

3 T. slivered kalamata olives

2 t. red wine vinegar

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

1/3 c. torn, fresh basil 

1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

cooked brown rice

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken on a baking sheet and season with spices, salt & pepper - how ever much or little you like. Place chicken skin-side up and brush with melted butter. Roast until internal temp. reaches 160 (somewhere around 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts).

2. While chicken is roasting, toss together tomatoes, onion, olives, vinegar, oil, salt & pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside til chicken is done.

3. When chicken is done, add the basil and feta to the tomato mixture. Serve the salad along side the chicken and rice.

Cumin-Scented Basmati Rice Pilaf

This is my take on the rice I had at an Indian restaurant a few years back. It's delicious. The cumin seed does a really nice job at accentuating the nutty flavor of basmati rice. Earlier this week I also made a version of this using brown basmati rice which turned out great too. I've included that variation as well.

Enjoy!

Cumin-Scented Basmati Rice Pilaf

~serves 6~

What you need:

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 t. cumin seeds

1 1/2 c. basmati rice, rinsed well

1 t. salt

2 1/4 c. water

What you do:

  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often until onion becomes translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add cumin seeds and cook a minute more. Add rice. Cook and stir until rice becomes fragrant and is well coated with the butter. Add salt and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, uncovered for 10 minutes, to let the steam escape. Gently fluff with a fork and serve.

**brown rice variation: Follow the instructions for the white rice version, substituting an equal amount of brown basmati rice for the white (I find you don't really need to rinse brown rice). Increase the water to 3c. and increase the cook time to 40-50 minutes.

Garlic-Butter Naan

Nothing beats a fresh piece of Indian flatbread, when you are eating curry. I know this will be a recipe I'll go to again and again. To me, one of the best things about this bread is that you throw the ingredients together the day before (in the food processor), then refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow rise and then the next day all you have to do is roll it out and cook it. It simplifies things if you are making a curry meal, when chances are you are making the curry and possibly rice too. Letting the dough rest overnight also makes it easy to roll out. 

This recipe makes 4 pieces of naan. I think you could serve 1/2 a flatbread per person. Unless you're like me, I ended up eating 3 out of the 4 pieces all by myself over 2 days... Oops!! 

Garlic-Butter Naan

~makes 4 naan~

Note* This recipe is made in a food processor, which makes it very simple to put together. But at one point my food processor's motor (which is a pretty nice Kitchen Aid) seized up. So you might want to be cautious about that when making this recipe. You could probably just make the dough by hand, adding a little extra flour, if necessary, because the dough is a bit sticky.

What you need:

1/2 c. ice water

1/3 c. nonfat greek yogurt

1/4 c. canola oil, plus 1 t. for cooking the naan

1 large egg yolk

2 1/4 c. flour

1 1/4 t. sugar

1/2 t. instant or rapid-rise yeast

3/4 t. salt

2 T. butter

1 clove garlic, minced

What you do: 

1. In a small bowl, mix together water, yogurt, 1/4 c. oil and egg yolk. In the workbowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and yeast to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the liquid ingredients to the flour. Process until combined. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes.

2. Add salt and process another 30-60 seconds. It will form a sticky dough that should clear the sides of the food processor workbowl.

3. Scrape dough out onto a floured worksurface and knead just until smooth, about a minute. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl (large). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 16-24 hours.

4.After the dough has rested, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rest 15-20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the garlic. Set aside.

6. Roll the first piece of dough out into a 9 inch round. Using a fork, poke the dough all over, 20-25 times. Lightly mist the top side with water.

6. Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Wipe the oil out of the skillet with paper towels, then add the rolled out dough, sprayed side down and spray the other side lightly. Cover skillet and cook until spotty brown underneath, 2-4 minutes (poke any large bubbles that form). Flip naan, cook, covered, another 2-3 minutes until browned. Flip again, brush with butter, then transfer to a plate and cover with foil. While rolling out and cooking the remaining naan.

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Indian Lentil Dahl

I wonder if anyone else is like me. When I am reading a book, I ALWAYS am craving food that is reminiscent of what I'm reading. Always. I just get inspired. So with that said, I am reading a book this week that takes place in India, so I am craving the extra sensory experience of eating some Indian food to go  along with it.

I think Indian food is so comforting.

Admittedly, I don't have a whole lot of experience with cooking Indian recipes, so I am leaning heavily on some recipes that I have collected from cookbooks and magazines. I definitely am looking to expand my skills in Indian cooking.

This lentil dahl (also spelled dal or daal), is a great recipe. And an easy one too, for novices to Indian cuisine, such as myself.

Indian Lentil Dahl

~serves 4-6~

What you need:

2 T. canola oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3/4 t. salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. minced fresh ginger

1 t. Garam Masala (can be easily found in the supermarket spice isle)

1 1/4 c. split red lentils

1 c. coconut milk

3 c. water

1/3 c. coarsely chopped cilantro

1 T. lime juice

3 med. plum tomatoes, cored , seeded and diced 

What you do:

1. In a large saucepan, combine oil, onion and salt at medium-high heat. Cook until onion starts to brown, around 5 minutes or so. Add garlic, ginger and Garam Masala , cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

2. Add lentils, coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered until lentils are fully tender and broken down to an almost paste-like consistency, about 25-30 minutes.

3. Add lime juice and cilantro. Check for seasoning. Serve (over rice if you like), topped with the diced tomatoes.

Skillet Chili Mac

   I love the fact that this recipe is made start-to-finish in one pan. The original recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, The Best 30-Minute Recipe. Although, admittedly, I am such a slow poke when it comes to cooking, any recipe that says "30 minutes" usually takes me at least 45. But this is a dish that has made few appearances in the dinner rotation. It's easy and very family friendly.

   I made a couple of changes to the original recipe. I just played with the spices a little bit, used whole-grain macaroni instead of regular and used a different cheese. Nothing major.

Also, the recipe says it serves 4, but I think you could easily serve 6. The skillet is pretty much full.

Skillet Chili Mac

~serves 4-6~

What you need:

1 1/2 t. canola oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped fine

1 T. chili powder

2 t. ground cumin

1/8 - 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (to taste, I used 1/8 t.)

salt & pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. brown sugar

1 (15 oz. can of tomato sauce)

2 c. water

8 oz. whole grain macaroni

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

What you do:

1. Heat the oil in a large (12 inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and 1/2 t. salt. Cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until it looses all the pink color, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.

2. Add brown sugar, tomato sauce, water and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat so that it maintains a lively simmer (somewhere between medium/medium-high heat), until the macaroni is tender, about 10 minutes or so. Season with salt & pepper if needed.

3. Off heat, stir in half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

*adapted from : The Best 30-Minute Recipe

Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers

 These chicken fingers are so, so good. They are super crunchy and delicious. Perfect for dipping in honey mustard (or your favorite dipping sauce). You just can't go wrong with this recipe.

Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers

~serves 4-6~

What you need:

For the chicken fingers

1 1/2 - 2 lb. chicken breast, dried with paper towels and cut into strips approximately 1/2 inch thick

salt, pepper & garlic powder

1 c. flour

3 c. panko bread crumbs

3 eggs

1 c. plus 1 T. canola oil

Honey Mustard

3 T. honey

4 T. yellow mustard

What you do:

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees (For keeping the chicken warm).

2. In 2 pie plates, spread the flour in one and the bread crumbs in the other. In a medium bowl beat together the eggs and 1 T. oil. Season chicken with salt, pepper & garlic powder (or any seasoning you like). 

3. Drop the chicken, a few pieces at a time into the flour to coat. Then, shaking off the excess flour, drop into the eggs. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to the breadcrumbs (letting excess egg drip back into the bowl). Coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing on each piece of chicken to be sure the breadcrumbs adhere well. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

4. Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (but not smoking).

5. Prepare a second baking sheet by lining it with a couple layers of paper towel.

6. When the oil is ready, fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, about 2 min per side. Drain on the paper towel lined baking sheet and keep the chicken warm in the oven while the rest cooks.

7. Mix the honey and mustard together for a tasty dipping sauce.

Recipe Source: Apapted from The Quick Recipe

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

A.K.A. "Pizza Chicken" in my house.

I'd been seeing this recipe for awhile on Pinterest and I finally decided to give it a try. Pizza reigns supreme with my youngest son, who also is a very (very) picky eater. So I though this recipe would be a great fit to try out on him especially. I made the original recipe once and it was a big hit with everyone in my family.

 The second time I made it (which is pictured here) I decided to make a few changes.

 The original recipe calls for using a bag of seasoned croutons for the topping, which I thought made the casserole a bit salty for my taste, so I opted to make my own croutons. The other major change I made was to cut the chicken up into smaller pieces, instead of leaving the chicken breasts whole.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

~serves about 6~

What you need:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

sprinkle of red pepper flakes

about 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into approximately 2-3 inch chunks

salt & pepper

2 1/2 - 3 c. tomato sauce

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 oz. fresh grated Parmesan cheese (about a cup)

about 4 c. homemade croutons, or your favorite store bought brand (I've included my recipe below)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper.

3. In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, add chicken, olive oil, garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Toss well, spread out in an even layer. Spread tomato sauce evenly over chicken and sprinkle with chopped basil.

4. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan over the sauce layer. Spread the croutons over the cheese. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the layer of croutons.

5. Bake for 35 minutes.

*To make homemade croutons: 
2 cloves garlic minced to a paste
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t. salt
4 c. fresh bread cubes (1/2 -3/4 inch cubes)

Combine oil, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Add bread cubes and toss until well coated. Spread onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 -20 minutes, until golden brown.

Recipe Source: Adapted From Food Wishes

Super Simple Oven-Baked Ribs

This isn't so much a recipe as it is a technique. I've made ribs this way a couple of times now for my family and we love them. I bake them covered in foil initially, which keeps them moist. Then I remove the foil about halfway through so the ribs get good and caramelized. So, so good!

Super Simple Oven-Baked Ribs

What you'll need:

1 rack of pork spareribs (the rack I used here was about 5 1/2 lb.)

your favorite rub

your favorite bbq sauce

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Liberally apply your favorite rub and massage into the ribs. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Remove the foil from the ribs and continue to bake another 1 1/2 hours. Ribs should be tender and  deeply caramelized by this time. 

3. Remove pan from the oven and carefully transfer the ribs, meaty side down, to a clean baking sheet. Brush the top of the ribs (back of the rack) with bbq sauce. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the sauce begins to caramelize on top of the ribs. Remove from the oven, carefully flip ribs, and brush the top (meaty) side of the ribs with the bbq sauce. Return the ribs to the oven and bake another 10 minutes, or until the bbq sauce is caramelized. Remove from the oven and cut into desired portions.

Cabbage Soup with Bacon, Potatoes and White Beans

I came up with this recipe because I had half of a head of a large cabbage in my crisper drawer and some delicious thick-cut pepper bacon Dan had brought home awhile back. We were having one of those epic Pacific Northwwest rainstorms and I wanted to make something to warm our bellies. I love this kind of food, it's so hearty and comforting.

Cabbage Soup with Bacon, Potatoes and White Beans

~serves about 6-8~

What you'll need:

1 T. olive oil

8 oz. thick cut bacon, diced

2 onions, finely chopped

12 oz. carrots, peeled and chopped

1 t. dried thyme

2 lg. (about 1 1/2 lb.) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-3/4 inch dice

15 oz. can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 of a large head (or 1small head) of cabbage, coarsely chopped

4 c. low-sodium chicken broth

4 c. water

What you do:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Leaving about 1 T. drippings in the pot, add onions, carrots and thyme and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes or so. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer about an hour, until vegetables are tender.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

After over 12 years of marriage, you kinda assume you know everything there is to know about a person. I however just found out that peanut butter cookies are my husbands favorite. I mean, I've made them loads of times, I just never knew they were his FAVORITE kind (next to snickerdoodles, which I did know he loved). There was only one thing to do after discovering this little factoid about the love of my life....

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

yields approximately 26 3-inch cookies

What you'll need:

1/2 c. sugar, plus extra for pressing the cookie dough

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. shortening

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, (or by hand), beat together the sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening and butter in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add egg & mix well. Add in flour mixture.

3. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls (about 2 T. dough per cookie). Place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a fork dipped in reserved sugar, press a criss-cross shape into each cookie, flattening the cookie dough.

4. Bake until light brown, 9-10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Fresh Corn & Black Bean Salad

This is a great summertime salad. I tend to have trouble always eating right during the summertime when the kids are out of school, mainly because we get so busy. So I like to keep salads like this on hand during the summer months because I can make it one day and then have a healthy lunch/snack option on hand over the next few days.

Fresh Corn & Black Bean Salad

~servings vary~

*I like to serve this salad over lettuce, topped with crumbled queso fresco, crushed tortilla chips and chopped avocado. 

What You'll Need:

For the Dressing:

juice of 2 limes (3-4 T.)

1 small garlic clove, minced

1-2 t. honey (to taste)

1/4 t. cumin

1/3 c. canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad

2 ears of fresh corn, cooked & kernels removed

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch of radishes, very coarsely chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (or you could use 1/4 chopped red onion)

1/4 c. rough chopped cilantro leaves

What you do:

1. Make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

2. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dressing. Toss to combine. 

3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to blend the flavors.

Linguini with Roasted Cauliflower, Sausage and Tomato

The weather's been so beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest. This week we've spent a lot of time doing outdoorsy things, like bug hunting (with my youngest) and razor scooter riding (with my oldest). Plus, this week I crossed over the fence from being a long time power-walker to an official jogger. This kind of came out of nowhere, I never actually thought it would be something I'd do, but I was out on a walk the other day with my 1 year-old German Shepherd, Sansa, and she was driving me absolutely nuts pulling on her leash while we walked, so I decided to make her (and my hand) happy and I jogged for the last part of our walk. When I got home I found I felt so great, I decided to just go forward with it, so that's what I've been doing and it's working out beautifully. I gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself.

 We also filled the propane on our grill this week and TWICE we feasted on Ribeye steaks the size of our heads! I think we probably consumed our alotted amount of red meat for the next couple of months, but it was worth it because they were SO good... I think my decision to start working out more aggressively may have been a timely one...

I put this dinner together tonight after yet another bug hunting/razor scooter outing with my family. On an unrelated note, we caught a shrew today. I saw it and my husband caught it in a box. Sometimes we'll find little critters at the park and bring them home long enough to learn a little about them then return them to their homes. We read that shrews can consume up to 125% percent of their body weight each day.  He's a cute little guy, and a ruthless bug killer.

Linguini with Roasted Cauliflower, Sausage and Tomato

~serves 3-4~

Note* If you are short on time, you could skip the homemade breadcrumbs and just serve the pasta with additional parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small or 1/2 of  a large head of cauliflower, broken apart into small bite-sized pieces

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 lb linguini (I used 51% whole wheat liguini here)

2 slices of hearty white bread, torn into pieces

3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

3 links of italian sausage (hot or mild is fine, I used mild here), casings removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

2 T. lemon juice 

2 T. minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Roast the cauliflower: Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place cauliflower on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until cauliflower is browned and tender, 25-30 minutes. Remove beaking sheet from oven and set aside.

2. Make parmesan breadcrumbs. In a food processor, pulse bread to make evenly sized breadcrumbs. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring almost constantly until the breadcrumbs are crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool, after they have cooled for 5 minutes, stir in 1/4 of the parmesan cheese. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, make the pasta. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven. When boiling, add pasta and 2 1/2 t. salt. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, reserving 1/2 c. pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside while finishing the recipe.

4. After removing the breadcrumbs from the skillet, add the sausage and cook, over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the fat from the skillet and wipe out the skillet lightly with paper towels.

5. Return the skillet to the medium heat, add 1 T. olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add garlic and saute for about 1 minute, until garlic is just beginning to brown. Add drained tomatoes, chicken broth and 1/4 t. salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 2-3 minutes. 

6. To the pasta in the pot add cauliflower, sausage, tomato mixture, remaining 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley. Place the pasta pot over medium heat and stir until mixed together and heated through, adding the reserved pasta cooking water if needed, to loosen the consistency. 

7. Divide pasta among individual bowl and serve, sprinkling with the parmesan breadcrumbs.

Nebraska Beef Buns

I came across this recipe in the latest issue of Cook's Country  magazine and couldn't resist giving it a try. It's a regional favorite (also known as "runsas" or "bierocks") that features a soft and tender yeast roll that's filled with a mixture of ground beef, cabbage and cheese. It seems like a fussy recipe but in actuality, other than the time it took for the yeast dough to rise, this dish came together quite quickly and easily. Plus the dough was a dream to work with. My brain is already at work thinking about what else I could fill these buns with.

Nebraska Beef Buns

~makes 12~

Note* We liked these buns served with ketchup.

Ingredients:

the filling

4 t. canola oil, divided

2 lb. extra-lean ground beef

salt and pepper

1 onion, chopped fine

4 c. finely chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 a small head of cabbage)

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

8 oz. Colby-Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 c.)

dough

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. water

6 T. unsalted butter

1/4 c. sugar

3 1/2 - 3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. instant or rapid-rise yeast

1/2 t. salt

1 egg lightly beaten, plus 1 egg beaten with 1 T. water

Instructions:
1. Make the filling: Heat 2 t. oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Add the ground beef, 1 t. salt and 1 t. pepper and cook, breaking up the meat until the liquid evaporates and the meat starts to sizzle, 10-15 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

2. Return the pot to the heat, add the remaining oil and onion. Cook until just starting to brown, 2-3 minutes. Add drained beef, cabbage and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid completely evaporates and the mixture begins to sizzle again, 5-7 minutes more.

3. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and let cool for 15 minutes, then stir in the cheese and let cool to room temperature.

4. Prepare the dough: Grease a large bowl and set aside. Combine milk, water, butter and sugar in a microwave-safe container. Microwave until it reaches 110 degrees, 1-2 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can do this by hand as well), add 3 1/2 c. flour, yeast and salt. Mix to combine. With the machine running on low, slowly add in the milk-butter mixture, then the lightly beaten egg. Mix until dough comes together, about 3 minutes.

5. Increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, about 8 minutes. If at about the 4 minute mark the dough still looks wet and sticky, add in the remaining flour, 1 T. at a time until the dough looks as it should. Transfer dough to the greased bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap, let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 40-60 minutes.

6. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower middle-positions and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.

7. Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the remaining dough covered in plastic wrap while you work. Roll out into an approximate 5 1/2 inch circle. Using a 1/2 c. measure, lightly pack the measuring cup with the beef mixture. Scoop out onto the rolled out dough. Bring the edges of the dough up the sides of the filling and pinch the seams together to close the dough around the filling. Place seam-side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place 6 buns on each baking sheet, placing 2 inches apart. Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

8. When risen, remove plastic wrap and brush each bun with egg/water mixture. Place the baking sheets, one on the upper rack, the other on the lower rack, and bake until golden brown, 22-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets, front to back and top to bottom, halfway through the baking time. Remove buns to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe source: adapted barely from Cook's Country Magazine

Orange-Almond Drop Cookies with Orange Icing

First let me say, a very Happy Mother's day to all you wonderful moms out there. I hope you all got properly spoiled today. I got my Mother's Day booty on Friday when my boys got home from school. My 7 year-old made me a red ceramic dish with a sweet little heart carved in the bottom, along with a homemade card. My 11 year-old made me a super cool black/orange/glittered, mod-podged flower vase out of a glass bottle. Then on Saturday, my husband surprised me with a beautiful potted azalea, a sweet card and some chocolates (which incidentally are now all gone, cause it's Mother's Day and I can do what I want). Unfortunately today my husband is on a trucking layover for work, in Idaho until tomorrow morning, but we have plans to do something special for lunch tomorrow while the kids are at school. Today it's just me and my boys and we are planning on heading out to see Grandma soon for ice cream and fun. Plus we'll be taking her some of these cookies I baked this morning.

Recently while on a thrift-store outing with my mom I picked up this little gem...

I have sort of a collection happening with Betty Crocker cookbooks. It was the main cookbook my mom cooked from when I was growing up, she had two editions, her main one was a 1969 edition, the other was a 1950's edition (the original, I think?) that came from my grandmother. So after I got married it was the obvious cookbook choice for me as a new cook learning the ropes. I used that cookbook a lot in my first years of married life. Now I feel kinda like I need to own all the editions for some reason even though I don't really cook much from the Betty Crocker cookbook anymore. I guess it just hold a lot of sentimental value for me.

So when I saw this little treasure I was very excited to pick it up. Plus the way they spell "cooky" just makes it unforgettable. There are quite a few great sounding "cooky" recipes in here. I started with the second recipe in the book, which is these Orange Drop cookies.

Orange-Almond Drop Cookies with Orange Icing

~makes about 3 dozen cookies~

Note* The recipe called for using all vegetable shortening for the fat component, as opposed to butter, or a mixture of butter and shortening. If you wanted to, I suppose you could substitute half or all the shortening with butter.

Ingredients:

for the cookies

2/3 c. shortening

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 c. orange juice

2 T. grated orange zest

2 c. flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

for the icing

2 1/2 T. softened butter

1 1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar

1 1/2 T. orange juice

2 t. grated orange zest

Instructions:

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand) cream together the shortening and sugar. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add in orange juice and zest, mix thoroughly. Add in the flour mixture. When the flour is almost completely mixed in, add the almonds. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, give the cookie dough one final mix to make sure everything is mixed together.

3. Drop the dough onto an ungreased baking sheets by rounded teaspoons and bake until golden brown around the edges, 8-10 minutes. Remove from and let the cookies set up for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before removing cookies (with a thin metal spatula) to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the icing. In a medium bowl blend together butter and powdered sugar. Add in orange juice and zest. mix vigorously until smooth. Ice the cooled cookies, using about 3/4 t. icing per cookie.

Recipe adapted from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book

Turkey Patty Melts

This blog has definitely given me the incentive to make some of those things I've always wanted to but just have never gotten around to. I've never made patty melts at home before today, but I've always been pretty sure that this would be the type of recipe that would be well suited to making at home. Diner food is so yummy, but often times I'll order something with a certain expectation just to be disappointed by what I ultimately get. Usually the complaint for me is that some of these "comfort foods" come out too greasy and/or bland. I was pretty sure that a homemade patty melt held a lot of promise compared to what I might get if I opted to order one from my local diner.

I decided to make my version using ground turkey instead of the standard ground beef. Recently I read a patty melt recipe in a cooking magazine that used torn up rye bread, soaked in milk to make a "panade" or paste to add to the patty mixture. I knew, like a meatloaf or meatballs, that this addition would add tenderness to the burger as well as flavor. Since I typically make both meatloaf and meatballs using ground turkey, I figured it would fit the bill nicely for this application. 

This recipe is pretty fast to throw together, like a "30-minute meal" caliber dinner. I was kinda surprised that it came together so quickly since patty melts are a bit of a multi-step process, caramelize onions, form and cook  burger patties, put together a sandwich and grill it. But it came together swiftly and only dirtied one skillet. 

When I offered up one of these patty melts to my 11-year old son, Caleb, he took one bite and said, "Aw dude, that tastes awesome!". I think that's good enough for me!

Turkey Patty Melts

~makes 4 sandwiches~

Ingredients:

2 large onions, thinly sliced

5 t. canola oil, divided

10 slices of rye bread

2 T. milk

1 T. worcestershire sauce

3/4 t. onion powder

1 t. salt, divided

1/2 t. pepper

1 1/4 lb. 93% lean ground turkey 

8 oz. swiss cheese, shredded

8 t. Thousand Island Dressing (plus additional for serving with the sandwiches, if desired)

2 T. salted butter

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 t. of the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add onions and 1/2 t. salt and cook stirring often until the onions are nicely browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions to a clean plate and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, form the patties: Tear 2 slices of the bread into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large bowl place bread pieces, milk, worcestershire, onion powder, 1/2 t. salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until smooth, add ground turkey and using your hands, thoroughly mix. Shape into 4, 4x6-inch patties. When the onions are out of the pan, add remaining 3 t. canola oil. When the oil is shimmering again, add the patties and cook until well browned on the first side, about 5 minutes. Flip patties and reduce the heat to medium and cook until the patties are cooked all the way through, about 7 minutes more. Remove patties from skillet. Wipe out the skillet with paper towel.

3. Assemble the sandwiches: Divide half the cheese between 4 of the bread slices. Top with the turkey burgers and spread each patty with 2 t. Thousand Island dressing. Divide onions between sandwiches and remaining cheese. Top with remaining bread. 

4. Grill the Patty Melts: Melt 1 T. butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add two sandwiches and grill until golden brown on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining 1 T.butter and the last two sandwiches. Serve with additional Thousand Island dressing, if desired.

Fish Tacos

On this eve of Cinco De Mayo I thought I'd share with you my family's own special recipe for fish tacos. It seems like fish tacos are becoming a standard in the dinnertime rotation for American families these days. Everyone has their own unique way of preparing them and I am glad to be able to share my own version here. This meal is definitely in the top 5 favorite dinners for my family.

This recipe is one that has evolved over the course of a few years. I have been tweaking it here and there to perfect the flavors and streamline the preparation. It's really, really good.

Fish Tacos

~serves about 4~

Note* I like to use tortillas that are a blend of corn and flour. You could just use corn tortillas if you can't find these, or even flour tortillas if you want to.

Ingredients:

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced

1/2 c. mayonnaise

about 2 T. fresh lime juice (or to taste)

pinch of salt

1.25 oz package taco seasoning

3 T. canola oil

1 1/2 lb. white fish fillets (I like to use tilapia)

15 oz. package (10 count) golden blend tortillas

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed

garnishes:

1 romaine heart, shredded

thinly sliced red onion

cilantro leaves

chopped avocado

lime wedges

hot sauce of your choice

Instructions:

1. Make the sauce: In a small bowl combine minced chipotle, mayonnaise, lime juice and salt. Mix well. Refrigerate until serving. In a large bowl whisk together taco seasoning and oil until smooth. Add fish and coat thoroughly (using your hands works well). Set aside. In another small bowl mix together black beans and corn, set aside.

2. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Toast the tortillas on the first side about 30 seconds until lightly toasted. Flip and cook on the second side about 10 seconds, until tortilla puffs up and browns. Stack tortillas and wrap in foil until ready to serve. Reduce heat to medium high and add fish, (you may need to cook the fish in 2 batches to keep from overcrowding the pan, if you do, wipe out the skillet between batches) cook 1-3 minutes per side of until fish is well browned and cooked through. (Time will vary depending on what type of fish you use.)

3. To serve. Take a tortilla, spread it with some sauce, top with some fish, black beans and corn, and additional garnishes.